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questions abt antidepressants

Ludwig's profile picture

Posted by Ludwig

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those of you who are on antidepressants or mood stabilizers, how many did you take before you found one that works 4 you? I'm on my 8th one now n I've tried SSRIs, SNRIs, NASSAs, and a mood stabilizer and none of them have worked :( 

Is there like anything else I can do if this one doesn't work? feels kinda useless to try them at this point tbh :/


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EngiQu33ring's profile picture

Reply by EngiQu33ring

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I've taken a mood stabilizer for several years. We've had to adjust my dosage several times during and it seems like every year or so we have to move it either up or down a little bit, but even when I really need it adjusted it's significantly better than being unmedicated.

Based on your profile and your question, I'm assuming you've been trying out different ones during your teenage years and haven't been able to find one that worked consistently. I'm not a doctor so this is just from my personal experience, but I've heard a LOT of my friends in mental health circles talk about difficulty finding a medication that worked long-term when they were in their teens, and also something that a lot of them tend to say improved when they entered adulthood. I imagine it's difficult to have a consistent medication saturation point when your metabolic rate changes month to month.

Now that you're getting older and your body isn't growing as much, you might find that medications work more reliably over time.


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Spade / Damien's profile picture

Reply by Spade / Damien

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I've taken a dozen different meds before I found a combination that works for me. Some people get lucky and find something right away. Others, like me, take several years. Please don't feel discouraged


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Donaghan's profile picture

Reply by Donaghan

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I've been on antidepressants for about two years now. I was on two different ones before I found one that worked. It's all about the dosage and what other medications you're taking, really. 


It's super discouraging when one doesn't work out; I know the feeling. But theres so many possible medications out there that there will be something that works for you. After all, they're designed to fit different types of people with different brain chemistry. 


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‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾Werewolf☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙'s profile picture

Reply by ‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾Werewolf☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

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I've been on antidepressants since I was around 13 or 14, and it's normal to not notice any changes at first until you forget to take them after a while lol. I take Sertraline (aka Zoloft) and I'm not a huge fan of it personally since it can make you gain weight, drowsy, and even depressed. It's best to look through multiple types of medications and see which is the best fit for you.


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Ludwig's profile picture

Reply by Ludwig

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I tried some more and have officially tried 11 different meds for my depression and none have worked so I'm unmedicated now, doesn't feel worth it to take them


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RatGoblin's profile picture

Reply by RatGoblin

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Psychiatry is such a trial-and-error-based field, and that trial-and-error process sucks so bad to deal with! It took me about a decade (ages 7-17) of experimentation and changes in diagnosis before I finally landed on a combination of medications that worked for me. 

I don't remember all the meds they put me on, but I'm pretty sure I went through nearly all the antidepressants and mood stabilizers that were available at the time! Zoloft, Prozac, Lithium, Wellbutrin, and Seroquel were some of the more memorable failures.

Now I'm 27 and have been relatively stable and happy for the past several years, even though for most of my childhood I couldn't imagine living into adulthood. You'll get there too.

I know it's terrible to lose your teen years to mental illness, and I feel like I have so much catching up to do compared to my peers, but I'm glad I kept trying. I'm glad I'm here and I'm glad you're here too.


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