i think youd need to re-train thought patterns first. ssri , seratonin.. fire neurons to happy thoughts. but what if you cant think straight and are feeling down, everythings dark. a little seratonin has no direction. if theres anything positive itll help direct the thought pattern positive. i got sertraline 50mgs, i dont know if it was me taking a positive step, going to the docs, choosing not to curl up n die and live, my own mood and decision or what. all i know is i took it for 6 months and i run out.. felt like i was getting electric shocks through my head! anyone had these head shock things coming off it? i went back on to stop it

The short answer is - for me; No! Whilst they appeared to work at first, they actually ended up making things worse; and I mean a LOT worse! I have been working hard on lifestyle change. Since doing so, I have come to discover that there are no chemical solutions for lifestyle related problems.

I do feel that medications have their place, however to use them anymore than the aids they be is setting oneself up for chemical dependency that will for all intent purposes present more debilitating issues than the anxiety they mask.

That's the short answer from my perspective. I'm also a complicated case with a long history and have tried many things. Medications helped me during crisis situations and at other times afforded me much needed space in which I could then begin creating new and positive experiences that still to this day enable me to change the way I think; furthermore ultimately allowed me to break the chemical dependency that was slowly taking over my life. Falling into chemical complacency was a big trap for me. One that lead me into major health issues that almost killed me. A slow and deceptive trap that can take years.

Thankfully I found that much need space between the noose and the pills. IMO - each is as risky as the other. Making a lifestyle change that's based on doing the least amount of damage to my body through avoiding unnatural chemicals point blank and constantly moving forward is what works for me.

Here's to wishing you all the best with what works for you.

I was on Paxil for nearly two years. It did help me a lot. I came out of my "shell" according to those closest to me. I don't think it cured me, I definitely still had some moments but I was able to actually have conversations with people because I wasn't thinking too much about how I looked, how I was talking, what I was going to say next, if they thought I was stupid, etc. I didn't dwell on things for days and wonder how I could have done it differently. I was able to actually focus on something other than myself. I only stopped because I didn't want to have to take medication everyday, I felt like it made me less of a person somehow. I also wanted to feel like I could do it on my own... which I'm finding that I can't. I'm thinking about going back on it, maybe a lower dosage though. Getting off it was hell, but not being on it is also not fun.

All that being said, everyone is different. I do hope you find what works for you, whether it is medication or therapy or something else.

Nah, I don't know you Brum Hiker, but I do know about the incident

(just joking ofc)

Welcome to the forum

Haha, less spoken about that, the better.

Cheers mate.

Zoloft has certainly helped me, though I could do without the emotional blunting and pervasive apathy that comes with its benefits. Not sure if I'm really ready to quit though, considering the notorious withdrawal effects. Even if I go for like 2 days without taking any, I start feeling strange in a way that's rather difficult to describe; as if something's just 'off'. I like to describe it as "****ed up". It's weird, and goes away very soon after I take a tablet. I find it ironic that I feel like I'm on drugs when I'm.. not.. on drugs.

No and I have taken soooo many. Idk what will work for me, if anything, but I don't want to give up.

Well I've been on numerous different SSRIs, beta blockers, etc.

All of them were more or less ineffective for SA and came with weird side effects. Celexa seemed to kill my Social Anxiety, at the price of my individuality. I was somewhat a zombie, I used it for a few months at age 16 and made some terrible choices while on it. Made me extremely depressed, apathetic (moreso than I was), all in all very terrible. I said: I'll take back my SA instead and quit it after maybe 3 months (don't even remember). Beta-blockers would maybe help temporarily, but felt even more prone to anxiety when off of them. I don't know if it's okay to say this or not, but the only thing that has made a noticeable improvement in my social anxiety without having any bad side effects has been hallucinogenic drugs such, in particular LSD. It also cured my depression, 100 percent, after multiple uses. Psilocybin also very helpful, MDMA made me more trusting of people but didn't bring as much long term benefit as I thought. Don't get trapped in by the nefarious drug companies trying to get you to take their slave pills, try to think outside the box and it might help you.

I'm one of those who has had huge success with meds. It did take some trial and error though, and the first medication I tried wasn't the right one. I'm now on paxil and it has significantly helped my depression and anxiety. I actually have no noticeable side effects with this drug. Zoloft, on the other hand, gave me alarming side effects.

So there is a chance that medication could help. The difficult part is that everyone reacts differently. My therapist had me take this genetic test that would help us figure out which medications would work for me, so that's definitely something that could help if you decide to explore that route.

I wouldn't write them off completely. Just be ready to try more than one if you go for it.

My GP prescribed me several different types of medications and not a single one made me feel any different. I once thought that maybe they were helping but I just didn't notice, so I stopped taking some for a month, no change, started taking them again, still no change after another month.

I've given up on taking medication for depression and anxiety. Has no effect on me.

They worked for me. I took benzos for ages and they worked fine. They caused plenty of their own problems but they also greatly reduced the anxiety. When I needed to get off them I used Lexapro - that worked too, but very differently.

I take meds for bipolar disorder again now. They work too - they reign the mania in and calm me slightly. My problem with them is that I stop them because I often don't think I need them or that they aren't doing anything. (a common problem with bipolar people apparently) They work though.

a lot of the time i forget or don't care enough to take my meds, but i've had results with lithium, seroquel, klonopin, and i guess to an extent, adderall [weird i know]. adderall works great for sa and depression for about 4 hours but it shoots you into a cloudy, paranoid crippling depression for the following 8 and it's literally hell.

but hey if my psychiatrist wants to put me on low-grade coke who am i to complain??

I also have bipolar disorder so my mood stabilizers I take do what they intended for which is making me more emotionally stable. Being more emotionally stable perhaps lessened the intensity of my anxiety. I do take Gabapentin for anxiety, but I think my mood stabilizers are what's doing most of the work at keeping me functional. I'm happy for that. I take Trileptal and Latuda.

yep

Yes and no. I've always been very cautious when it comes to medications in general, but I've tried a fair number of them ranging from antidepressants and beta blockers to benzodiazepenes.

I was on Celexa for a few years, but I only noticed a very subtle change/improvement at best. Beta blockers do work surprisingly well as far as minimizing and reducing the physical symptoms of anxiety, particularly palpitations and nausea. I do take Klonopin from time-to-time and it's by far the most effective medication I have ever been prescribed for social anxiety. I'm aware of the risks of dependency as well as withdrawal side effects, though. Despite that, I've actually gone long periods of time without taking the Klonopin and experienced virtually no side effects. But this varies from person-to-person, I guess.

Overall, I have had moderate success with medications.

Nardil cured my depression and anxiety in a week or so with zero side effects and now 3 years later it still leaves unable to feel the slightest bit down or anxious. The 7 or 8 other meds I took had no effects on my mood at all.

Citalopram & Fluoxetine made me numb & apathetic, but helped well with anxiety & depression.
Currently taking Venlafaxine which I don't think is causing as much numbness & apathy, & still seems to be reducing anxiety & depression (although I say that hesitantly, because I haven't been on it for very long).
There's no doubt in my mind that meds can reduce anxiety & depression, whether the side effects outweigh the benefits is another question, & likely depends on the individual / meds in question.

For me YES!! I did get a lot of help from medications for depression and anxiety.
IN fact.. I would not have been able to get through those times.. if I had not had the medications.
So YES< I do know medications can help people at times.

BUT, I also know that pills are not always a fix all for all of peoples issues.
Sometimes learning coping skills and so forth can help out situations.

Meds nearly killed me, I became physically dependent on benzos and had to go through w/d, which lasted three years. Only after three years did the trembling and acute anxiety go away. Please be VERY CAUTIOUS with meds. Even if you take just one a day, as I did, the stuff binds with every receptor in your body and you can't actually do without it. It started to destroy me physically so I had to come off it cold turkey.

These days, if I feel anxious, I take a beta blocker, which works great. Other than that, no meds at all! I calm myself with yoga, meditation, running, swimming, martial arts. Way more effective and sustainable. Good luck!

@Maggie , I agree that meditation, exercise etc are very good at helping with remission from depression and anxiety but how did you find doing those at the time you were suffering ? If like me, I found it almost impossible to get myself motivated to do any of the above when I was suffering from depression.

I first started mindfulness about 6 years ago but because I was struggling mentally I would only string together a couple of weeks at a time before depression left me feeling why bother. It was only until I found nardil which cleared away my depression I was able to put together a sustained daily meditation, and exercise/healthy eating etc routine