anti-depressants

ADs were offered to me when I had UC but I shrugged them off.  Six months after surgery when my life was finally better healthwise, I crashed and burned.  I did end up on ADs and highly recommend them if you feel your disease is causing you depression.  Contrary to popular belief, ADs aren't going to make you *happy* but they will help you in dealing with your disease.  And when you can tackle the big problems life is just better.

Sue

I had some depression before UC. Then when my doctor told me I might have type II diabetes from the steroids, I crashed and burned right there in her office. I take a small dose of antidepressant every day, and I've discovered I'd been depressed for so long I'd forgotten what it felt like to be "normal."

You can't get "hooked" on ADs. They either work or they don't work. They also don't affect you psychogically. It's thought that depression is caused by a lowering of serotonin levels. All ADs do is increase that level. They do not make you giddy or alter your perception.

Sue

I take Lexapro for depression and anxiety and I feel they really do help me. It took a long time to ask my doctor about them (I was really anxious about that too, haha) approximately 8 years with depression actually before I did anything. I felt better pretty quickly and was able to deal with things better than before. I stopped taking them two months ago because I ran out and had no insurance and I had some pretty strange withdrawal symptoms and am starting to feel the problems creeping back up on me, but my new insurance went into effect last Thursday so I'll be getting a new prescription quickly.

The only symptom of withdrawal I noticed were the "brain zaps" and they're not painful or anything but certainly a little disturbing... Here's the definition/explanation for them::

Brain zaps, also known as "brain shocks," "brain shivers" or "head shocks", are a fairly common withdrawal symptom experienced during discontinuation (or reduction of dose) of SSRI and SNRI antidepressant drugs. These are said to defy description for whoever has not experienced them, but the most common themes are of a sudden "jolt," likened to an electric shock, apparently occurring or originating within the brain itself, with associated disorientation for a few seconds. The phenomenon is most often reported as a brief, wave-like electrical pulse that quickly travels across the surface of (or through) the brain. Some people experience these "waves" through the rest of their body, but the sensation dissipates quickly. They are sometimes accompanied by brief tinnitus and vertigo-like feelings. Immediately following this shock is a light-headedness that may last for up to ten seconds. The sensation has also been described by many as a flashbulb going off inside the head or brain. Moving one's eyes from side to side quickly while open has also been known to trigger these zaps and sometimes causing them to come in rapid succession. It is thought to be a form of neuro-epileptiform activity.

As withdrawal time increases, the frequency of the shocks decreases. At their peak, brain zaps have been associated with severe headaches. They may last for a period of several weeks after the last dose and usually resolve completely within a month or two.

The "brain zap" effect appears to be nearly unique to serotonergic drug formulations which have an extremely short elimination half-life; that is, they are more quickly metabolized by the liver and leave the general circulation faster than longer half-life antidepressants such as fluoxetine (Prozac). This attribute of abruptness leaves the brain a relatively short time to adapt to a major neurochemical change when the medication is stopped, and the symptoms may be caused by the brain's attempt at readjustment. There is no current evidence that these "zaps" present any danger to the patient experiencing them and have rarely been reported as painful however they can be very disconcerting to those patients who have no prior warning or knowledge of them.


I wouldn't say you get hooked on anti depressants like you would with other drugs where you're like "I NEED my Lexapro!!!!" I didn't feel like I was craving them or anything. It's more like with our UC drugs.. If you stop them you're bound to have a relapse, in this case with depression/anxiety. Some people have no problems on them or coming off them, some do.

I would say if you can find other ways aside from ADs to manage your depression then try that. Exercise, yoga, meditation, things like that. Sometimes that's all it takes but if you feel that you're not managing then don't be afraid to speak with your doctor about other alternatives. It took me forever and I was terrified but it was so much easier than I thought and I felt a million times better afterwards.

I think I will ask my doc what he thinks about me taking an AD. My mom has been pushing me to ask about them, because other people in my family have done the same for other gastro issues. Thanks for all the info!

For those of you taking ADs, did the gastro prescribe them or your gp? My gp is the "just do yoga" type of personality and my Gastro doesn't like to prescribe anything. I am going to a new gastro on the 22nd. I am overwhelmed by family issues and this disease. If I could just "walk it off", I would. I keep a diary, and every time I get hit HARD by stress or anxiety (eg, my sister's death or my mom's recent lung cancer diagnosis), I go into a mini-flare.

I also have a counseling appointment set up so I can yak about some of these issues. Ativan and Xanax have worked in the past for me, but the GP that prescribed those retired. Figures, right?

Mine were prescribed by my primary care doctor, I just made an appointment with her telling the scheduling lady I wanted to discuss anti depressants, so she already knew what I was coming in for which made it less awkward, and she was very kind and understanding about the whole situation. She did recommend therapy as well but had no problem prescribing the Lexapro. If your GP won't prescribe them because they don't like them then I would consider talking to another doctor.