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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by janejj on December 8, 2001, at 21:00:04
Hi Guys,
I'm just wondering how it feels to respond to an antidepressant ? Is it a really gradual thing and does it keep getting better the longer you are on it ?
regards
J
Posted by caroline on December 9, 2001, at 3:25:45
In reply to How does it feel to respond to an AD ?, posted by janejj on December 8, 2001, at 21:00:04
Hi,For me it was instant. I'd been on remeron 30mg for 18 months. I raised the dose to 45mg, and on that very dame day and from then on in I've felt great. Due to female hormones affecting the amount of remeron that reaches my brain after ovulation, i take 75mg from the day I ovulate to the day the period starts. I also take anafranil to help me sleep.
I have to say I was amazed by how instant it was, for all the pdocs tell you it'll take a couple of weeks and it certainly didn't!
Best of luck, and best wishes,
from, Caroline
Posted by wendy b. on December 9, 2001, at 21:43:31
In reply to How does it feel to respond to an AD ?, posted by janejj on December 8, 2001, at 21:00:04
> Hi Guys,
>
> I'm just wondering how it feels to respond to an antidepressant ? Is it a really gradual thing and does it keep getting better the longer you are on it ?
>
> regards
> J
Hi Jane,When I started on Zoloft about 7 yrs ago (I've been off it now for a year), I thought I felt relief within about 4 days. They say this is impossible, and that it could have been the 'placebo effect,' but I knew I felt markedly better that first week. This is why 'Your Mileage May Vary,' or YMMV, is one of those mottos on PBabble. Each person's reaction to the same drug can be so different.
I was about 37, and had suffered from long-term, chronic depression. Or so I thought at the time. My current shrink diagnosed me in April with bipolar 2, and I've probably been like that since my early 20s. So, I was having bouts of anger and irritability, and it seemed to me to be directly related to my period. It came on during the 3 weeks before my period (seriously). I knew this couldn't be good for my child, who often got the brunt of my anger, as I am a single mom. I mean, not like I hit her, but I raised my voice a lot, and I didn't like it. My therapist said I was too hard on myself, that no one is a perfect parent...
So I saw my gynecologist, who tried various versions of the Pill, each with different hormone combinations, but that didn't make the anger go away. And then we tried progesterone suppositories, but you can imagine, it didn't suit my lifestyle very well. So then the gyn suggested Zoloft, and I said ok.
Like I said, it seemed to work right away. What did it feel like? Corny, but like a great cloud over my head had been lifted. Like around every corner there wasn't some fresh disaster just waiting to happen, which was the way I had always perceived what my life was like. One horror after another. On the Zoloft, I could now feel happy sometimes, and the anger and irritability did go away over time. But it brightened my mood quickly.
Now I'm on a good combo: Wellbutrin and Neurontin, and Xanax for anxiety or sleeplessness, but I don't take it much. If I stay relatively pumped up with my Neurontin dosage and don't forget to take it, I am pretty stable.
I hope this helps you 'interpret' your reactions to your drug. May I ask, which one is it, and how are YOU feeling? Please don't feel any pressure to respond... just curious...
Best,
Wendy
Posted by IsoM on December 9, 2001, at 23:11:58
In reply to How does it feel to respond to an AD ?, posted by janejj on December 8, 2001, at 21:00:04
Others have mentioned a fast response to antidepressants when they work - some within a few days. Don't be discouraged though if you don't get such a response. For me, if I was going to feel side-effects, they kicked in quickly but not the benefits. From the first time I took Zoloft, I'd vomit within the hour. The pill refused to stay down so I never did find if it would've worked. For me all ADs took around 3 or more weeks to work. Only Celexa started started to work in a week - I was so surprised.
So if they don't work as quickly as they might for others, don't get discouraged. Hang in there, you might be like me.
When it starts to work, you'll wake one day & start to go about your normal routine when you catch yourself thinking, "hey, life doesn't quite suck so much" - it's a surprise, something you don't expect, & if it continues to work, it's like you've had sunglasses removed from viewing your life.
> Hi Guys,
>
> I'm just wondering how it feels to respond to an antidepressant ? Is it a really gradual thing and does it keep getting better the longer you are on it ?
>
> regards
> J
Posted by janejj on December 10, 2001, at 13:01:22
In reply to Re: How does it feel to respond to an AD ?, posted by wendy b. on December 9, 2001, at 21:43:31
Hi Wendy,
Thanks for your response. I'm taking Prozac at the moment. Things have only really started to happen now i am entering my 6th week of treatment. I don't really notice it, but my boyfriend says i am less anxious and easier to get along with ! It definately wasn't an immediate thing, although I did speed up a bit and my thoughts were racing at the start. I've also had insomnia since the beginning so i figured that it must be doing something !!
If I drink a cup of coffee on an empty stomach I become very jittery and start acting a bit manic, so I guess that could be a sign that its working too ?
regards J
> > Hi Guys,
> >
> > I'm just wondering how it feels to respond to an antidepressant ? Is it a really gradual thing and does it keep getting better the longer you are on it ?
> >
> > regards
> > J
>
>
> Hi Jane,
>
> When I started on Zoloft about 7 yrs ago (I've been off it now for a year), I thought I felt relief within about 4 days. They say this is impossible, and that it could have been the 'placebo effect,' but I knew I felt markedly better that first week. This is why 'Your Mileage May Vary,' or YMMV, is one of those mottos on PBabble. Each person's reaction to the same drug can be so different.
>
> I was about 37, and had suffered from long-term, chronic depression. Or so I thought at the time. My current shrink diagnosed me in April with bipolar 2, and I've probably been like that since my early 20s. So, I was having bouts of anger and irritability, and it seemed to me to be directly related to my period. It came on during the 3 weeks before my period (seriously). I knew this couldn't be good for my child, who often got the brunt of my anger, as I am a single mom. I mean, not like I hit her, but I raised my voice a lot, and I didn't like it. My therapist said I was too hard on myself, that no one is a perfect parent...
>
> So I saw my gynecologist, who tried various versions of the Pill, each with different hormone combinations, but that didn't make the anger go away. And then we tried progesterone suppositories, but you can imagine, it didn't suit my lifestyle very well. So then the gyn suggested Zoloft, and I said ok.
>
> Like I said, it seemed to work right away. What did it feel like? Corny, but like a great cloud over my head had been lifted. Like around every corner there wasn't some fresh disaster just waiting to happen, which was the way I had always perceived what my life was like. One horror after another. On the Zoloft, I could now feel happy sometimes, and the anger and irritability did go away over time. But it brightened my mood quickly.
>
> Now I'm on a good combo: Wellbutrin and Neurontin, and Xanax for anxiety or sleeplessness, but I don't take it much. If I stay relatively pumped up with my Neurontin dosage and don't forget to take it, I am pretty stable.
>
> I hope this helps you 'interpret' your reactions to your drug. May I ask, which one is it, and how are YOU feeling? Please don't feel any pressure to respond... just curious...
>
> Best,
> Wendy
This is the end of the thread.
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