How Have SSRI and other Meds Helped You

For those of us who are starting SSRI type meds, I'm curious to hear from those who have been on anti anxiety meds for a length of time and how it changed your life.

Was it sudden after "x" weeks? Was it subtle? Do you notice a big difference or just a little?

Do you still get panic/anxiety attacks or are they less? Has your depression lifted some? A lot? (If you also had depression).

I know everyone has different results, but I am curious about what sorts of changes I might feel when my meds kick in and for those who might wonder too.

Thanks for sharing. :)

I've been on SSRIs since 1992. I had begun to have severe depression and anxiety. I was placed on Zoloft finally and it began to help me a LOT! In time, my anxiety would satrt popping up, so the doc added buspar. After 12 years, the zoloft no longer worked (ADs do poop out eventually sometimes) and I was switched to Paxil which started to work for me in a few weeks. It did wonderfully for 8 years. now I have recently been changed to Prozac and again, I am having very nice results.
I wish you the same!
jl

Try not to be afraid of the meds....I know that is so hard for some.
But if it were not for the ADs, I would not have likely made it...anxiety and depression had so taken over my life that all I felt like doing was laying in bed all day and night. I was anxious about everything. Life had no quality left at all. So I had no issues with trying medications. I was desperate, to be honest! I was willing to do almost anything for relief!
There are many ADs out there now. There are 2 that I tried that did not do well for me, but 3 did. It was worth going through the "bad" ones to find the GOOD! :)
I wish you the very very best!
jl

janetlee I'm in that desperate place too, so tired of the lifelong depression, and the added anxiety is unbearable.

I really have some hope that these meds will make me feel "happy" again, or at least content... So I was curious if the meds do make you feel good.

I guess those who do feel good are not hanging out here lol.... But I really do hope I can regain my life again. :)

Thanks Reepin for your experience.

My Psych said others would notice a change in me, but not that I might notice changes, or he couldn't say what I might feel, so... I was curious what others felt.

Welcome jmr2007 - you will find this a great place for information and refuge. The moderators are wonderful and will do their best to make sure you have all the information you need. They are very well informed and educated plus have been where we all have been! Good luck!
Reepin

I believe for me, SSRIs were just a tool for me to get past panic disorder. I took them until I went a few months without having a panic attack, and then stopped taking them cold turkey. (Warning: do not stop taking medicine cold turkey, it could be harmful. You may have to tapper off. I didn't know this at the time.)

I took Risperdol once a day, klonopin 2x a day, and Lorazepam for immediate relief if needed.

These medications, in combination with education on why and how panic works in the body, got me free from panic attacks. It has been about 4 years since I stopped taking them, and I have only had maybe two "false alarms" where I felt like I was going to panic, but was able to calm myself down.

I didn't have depression, so I can't help you there. But, I did try about 4 different SSRIs before I settled on Risperdol. The other ones made me panic more it seemed.

It also seemed like a gradual change. They didn't just disappear as soon as the meds started working. I still struggled sometimes. But like I said earlier, it really helped me to actually know what causes panic attacks and why. Knowing that it is a natural response that my body is just "jumping the gun" on, so to speak. Knowing that it can't hurt me physically. And knowing that it's ok, if I start panicking, it soon will pass.

Hi My Anx. Life,
I am actually feeling pretty good right now and have basically done okay these past 20 years. there were some hard periods, relapses, and such, but without the meds, it would've been ALL BAD!
I still come here to "hang out", offer a little encouragement, and yes, when I have a regression, I too need some reassurance from my buddies here! :)
So not everyone here is "miserable". See, there is tremendous hope for you! You just have to hang in there and not stop trying!
The SSRIs have given many many people their lives back, including me! :)
HUGS!
jl

I've taken both SSRI's & SNRI's. The SSRI that worked great for me in the past was Prozac. It wasn't effective in 2008 anymore so they switched me to Cymbalta (SNRI). It worked beautifully for many years til I felt it was pooping out and in January, they switched me to Zoloft (SSRI) but that didn't work either. NOW I'm on Pristiq (SNRI) & Wellbutrin (Idk what class Wellbutrin is)?!

I remember describing healing from Prozac was like taking Tylenol for a headache. You knew it worked but you couldn't pinpoint exactly the day/moment/week it happened. Prozac took me abt 3-4 weeks before I started feeling normal again. Normal
Being not crying all the time, not staying in bed, showering, appetite back & doing things I did before the deoression/anxiety hit me. That was in college 20 yrs ago and it was my first experience with all of it. I am 43 now & I went through over 10 yrs w/o medication. I could still get anxious and even had a panic attack or 2 but nothing debilitating (like it was/is during my "bouts." I've had 4 bouts since 1993). The latest one started this Feb 2014.

In 2008 I just decided to stay on the Cymbalta bc that was my 3rd bout so I figured I'd just become a lifer on meds. I disnt even entertain "poop out" but it happened after abt 6 yrs on Cymbalta which is where my current story begins w/the med dance I've been on since Feb '14.

I think the Wellbutrin added to the Pristiq is helping. It's only been a week but I'm feeling better.

How long have you been on your AD now?

Janetlee-

Very pleased to hear you're in a good place. We both had some darkness in April. I forget what med they put you on after the Effexor didn't work? Janet do you take a mood stabilizer too?

Hugs to all of you!

Lisa