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Originally Posted by Vintage00
Ya I'm v familiar with zoloft. How are the side effects treating you? I wasn't on it for very long (switched quickly b/c of side effects).
i actually didn't get alot of the typical side effects. no problems with my stomach or dry mouth or trouble sleeping. but it definitely decreases my libido, and it also makes it way way harder to have an orgasm. i think this will come in handy when i get a g/f. lots of guys have the oppositve problem, premature ejaculation. and that can leave their g/f's unsatisfied at times.
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You said you had been taking them for a short time, right? Usually, the effects of SSRIs take a little while to show much. You might be experiencing a little bit of the placebo effect right now, but that's honestly not the worst thing ever when treating depression.
this is actually something i debated with my therapist. for me the zoloft worked the first day that i took it. i was suffering from depression and anxiety day in and day out, for weeks, and for the first time ever i felt calm and relaxed and content. and i was under the impression that the change in my emotions was so large that it couldn't possibly be a placebo effect.
but i think my therapist was right to say that there is a high chance that it was the placebo effect. it's a very real psychological phenomenon, with tons of empirical data to support it's existence.
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As far as my experiences, I was originally told that I was probably depressed (unipolar), given every mood stabilizer, antipsychotic, sleeping pill I could think of at one point or another. I went about 4-5 months without really being proactive about it. I'd take the pills, go to therapy (where I would usually lie), and just go about my day kinda numb. I had a girlfriend at the time, but I wouldn't say we had much of a relationship. I was pretty good at hiding stuff from everybody, but that wears thin eventually.
that's interesting that they gave you an antipsychotic. i was under the impression that they reserve those for really strong disorders, like schizophrenia and autism, etc. but my knowledge on the subject is not very strong, so i'm far from an authority on it.
sounds like u were really depressed for those 4-5 months. that is common symptoms of depression. losing interest in things that bring you joy (ie. ur relationship w/ ur g/f); being really lethargic and not having energy to do anything. when i was at my worst i would do nothing but come and cry myself to sleep, and sleep all day.
what happened when ur emotions "wore thin" as u said. for me, i would get really angry. i'd stay up all night obsessing about things that people did wrong to me (some real and some delusional) and by the morning came around i was filled with an angry rage. me and my dad fought everytime i'd get like that, and i mean we really fought. screaming, cursing, me punching my dressers and breaking the draws off of them, gettiing nose to nose and screaming **** you, i hate you, u ****ed me up, yadayada. it came very close to getting physical a few times. i walked past him and threw my shoulder into him like a bully would do to nerd in the hallway.
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Started talking with a different doctor who suggested that I might have a form of bipolar disorder. I had never considered it, since my only experience with someone bipolar was with someone who had both extreme manic and depressive episodes. I never thought I could fly or was invincible or anything like that, I just thought I was pretty useless. I was diagnosed with type II bipolar disorder. The depressive swings are similar to normal depression, but the manic swings are much smaller, so it's often misdiagnosed as unipolar depression. Honestly, I think that a LOT of people get misdiagnosed in this spot, including 2-3 people itt. I feel like you might want to look into type 2 bipolar. I know I see it just b/c it's such a big part of my life, but at the same time I can't help but notice a few very obvious red flags. I reeeeeeeeeeeally don't think unipolar depression is the only thing going on with you.
that's interesting, and i think ur right and i might have some form of bipolar disorder. i mean for the most part my symptons were like urs, very down emotionally and had a very negative view of the world. but when the negative emotions built up, i definitely was in a manic state of rage.
but, i don't care about being misdiagnosed. the zoloft seems to cure all my problems and that's what is really important to me.
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Anyway, this doc changed by pills to one called Symbyax. It's a pill that combines roughly 80% prozac with 20% zyprexa, an antipsychotic used to treat schizophrenics. It's used in this ratio as a mood stabilizer though. The side effects weren't NEARLY as bad as taking prozac on its own.
which side effects did u have from the ssri's? that's good that u found the right combination of drugs that first ur specific brain chemistry. u probably have a good doc.
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Sorry to ramble, hope this was at least mildly interesting/informative. I'm totally open to talking about it, it's not something I'm embarrassed about or anything. I just don't really know exactly what you want to know.
no i enjoyed reading ur experiences and i appreciate u taking out the time to share them.
that's a good attitude to have. most ppl who judge other ppl with problems like that are really just ignorant and prejudiced.
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edit - Honestly, if I didn't smoke at all, I'd probably go back on the Symbyax pretty quickly.
don't want to come across as ur father or anything, but that could just be rationalization of irrational behavior. it's a common way of thinking among ppl with negative drug habits.
again, not trying to say you have a negative drug habit, just wanted to suggest the possibility of it.
