Anyone's meds (antidepressants) stopped working after many years?

If so, what did you do? I feel like mine might be.

Wow! God that's gotta be very hard to deal with. My psych says that other meds would be the same way (eg, they wouldnt help) and its also not worth it to try new ones due to having to go thru all the side effects again. So i feel like I have NO options. I tried adding Abilify...I slept 4 hrs in 2 days so went off that quick.

Mine pooped out after years and years...............I saw my physician and after trying many of the newer meds I have finally found a med combo that works well for me.


Do talk with your physician and see what he/she feels may be the best thing to do.



Blessings,



Kitt

YES! I joined this site just to answer this. I've been on various SSRI s for 15 years, and we need to change them every 2 years or so. They just quit working - no one seems to know why. The good news is there is some benefit to switching to other SSRIs. I started with Prozac, switched to Paxcil, then Zoloft, then Cymbalta. BTW, Cymbalta is nasty stuff to withdraw from - much more than the others I used.

I just tried switching back to Zoloft (Cymbalta had quit working, plus was unpleasant to withdraw from. I was going to try going pill-free, which I did once for 14 months, but I started a new job and work stress got me down. My Doc put me back on Zoloft last week, just as I left for a ski trip; and I got the mother of all panic attacks. The Doc doesn't know why - he thinks maybe the altitude (6000 ft over sea level) had an effect and made the Zoloft backfire.

I'm going to look for another Doc who will work to get me pill free again. 15 years is too much, and NOTHING is worth another panic attack like that. It could be fatal. I'm been lurking at this healingwell community here:

https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=9&m=847958

These programs look like more work than the pills, but I suspect they're healthier.

Post Edited (stitch626) : 2/17/2010 11:45:14 PM (GMT-7)

Thanks for the kind words. I've been dealing with anxiety since the 1970s, and groups like this, as well as the newer meds, are making it easier every decade. I found "healingwell" googling for "Linden Method or Panic Away", but when I saw this thread I felt I had to chime in since I've been around the SSRI block a few times.

I'm going to buy one of Linden Method or Panic Away and get to work. I'll report back soon.

And thanks for all you do. These sites are invaluable.

-Stitch

my diagnosis is major depression and depression runs in my family.


I've used Celexa which was good for a while. Then I needed something better and was switched to flouxetine -Sarafem.
But after 3 years of Sarafem, that also begun to lose the ability to uplift my spirits.
In fact I was on antidepressant but to go without them was worse so I had to continue
with antidepressants.

I talked to my aunt whose depression has gone over 10 years.
She mentioned that she stopped taking anti-depressants completely and
explained that she takes a combination herb supplements and her depression has been
very much improved.
Actually she told me about her improvement but I was not listening cause I didn't believe herbs or supplements can improve something as serious as depression.

But this time I was more attentive to what she was saying because I needed a big change.

So here it is.
The old story was serotonin would need to go to the brain but the changes takes
many weeks to uplift us from our low mood.
But now it is BDNF.
There is a connection between BDNF – a needed brain factor and depression.

Our immune system fights infection or bacteria by causing inflammation but inflammation also leads to low levels of BDNF. But in certain people like us who have family histories of depression, that inflammation can affect our brains more than people without depression.

The herb supplements works against too much release of inflammatory blood factors
and (low ) BDNF goes back to normal and better mood.

But this info is better explained at the source website
http://follownaturesway.com/depression.html

The info on BDNF and Depression is from medical research.
It is a good idea to understand what leads to depression and related topics.
The website explains how anti-depressants work and they work against
inflammmation too.

I am very much better on this new remedy.
If your antidepressant isn't working, you should try this.
I highly recommend this.