# How do you know if an antidepressant is working?



## habsfan31 (May 29, 2010)

Post may be a little long.....

Ive been on lexapro for just about 2 months now. First month at 10 mg, the past month at 20 mg. And i dont feel any different at least in terms of my anxiety. For those of you who've had success with antidepressants, how do you know if its helping your anxiety? Do you feel less anxious, or is the anxiety still there but maybe you dont care as much for it? Is it a very noticeable difference where i would know if it was working?

Here's my dilemma, over the past couple of weeks, i havent noticed an improvement in my anxiety, at least nothing noticeable, but i have been doing some things that i wasnt doing before, or never even thought i could do like telling two of my friends about my anxiety. I dont feel any different though, i was still extremely anxious doing that, but i did it anyways. So it could just be a coincidence, or perhaps therapy is finally working. The two things i have noticed from lexapro is my mood is up, ive been less depressed lately (that might be why ive been able to do some anxious things), and my appetite has vastly increased. I emailed my psychiatrist originally cause i was worried about the increased appetite (weight gain is a huge no-no for me), and i also mentioned how i dont think the meds are working since i was feeling less anxious, hes away on vacation for another week, so i wasnt really able to give him the full details, but he wants me to start weaning off the meds starting tomorrow so I can try something else when he gets back.

Anyways, back to the original topic, based on my short story, does it appear that the meds are working on my anxiety. I kind of want to get off the meds cause of the increased appetite, and the possibility that its not even working, but if it is actually working, maybe there are other options for me to decrease my appetite while staying on the meds (Wellbutrin?). For those of you that have had success, can you please let me know how you knew they were working, and what you felt. Maybe tell me your story.

Thanks for reading.


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## moke64916 (May 31, 2011)

It's when you stop worrying about every little thing. It's normal to get hungry. You will start to feel better when you stop thinking about it all. You are worrying about everything. You will never feel happy in constant worry. Just say screw it. I feel how I feel and I don't care. You'll feel better. If you stay in this mind frame, you will always find somethingvnew to worry about. It s endless. It all prevents you from feeling better. Just sto worrying and you'll feel better. It is as simple as that. The medication will have very little effect if you question it's effectiveness. Attitudes are habits and habits are formed by repetetition. You get what you put out there. You worry, you'll just receive more worrying about every little thing. Stop fighting. Surrender to how you feel now. Your sunconscious is fighting and fighting. You need to surrender otherwise you will keep feeling bad. Didn't mean to come across so blantant. But that's the truth.


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## habsfan31 (May 29, 2010)

moke64916 said:


> It's when you stop worrying about every little thing. It's normal to get hungry. You will start to feel better when you stop thinking about it all. You are worrying about everything. You will never feel happy in constant worry. Just say screw it. I feel how I feel and I don't care. You'll feel better. If you stay in this mind frame, you will always find somethingvnew to worry about. It s endless. It all prevents you from feeling better. Just sto worrying and you'll feel better. It is as simple as that. The medication will have very little effect if you question it's effectiveness. Attitudes are habits and habits are formed by repetetition. You get what you put out there. You worry, you'll just receive more worrying about every little thing. Stop fighting. Surrender to how you feel now. Your sunconscious is fighting and fighting. You need to surrender otherwise you will keep feeling bad. Didn't mean to come across so blantant. But that's the truth.


You make it sound like its easy to just stop worrying, like somehow i can just switch it off. If i knew how to stop worrying and thinking about every little thing, then i wouldnt have a problem.


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## QuietBoy99 (Sep 7, 2010)

I've used to be on these meds for many years and let me tell yah it never worked at least not for me so I cannot and will not speak for others. Please do further research on your meds including harmful side effects and such before you continue taking them. For me it made me more violent towards my family members and awful sexual side effects. I think I may have permenant brain damage. Good Luck.


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

QuietBoy99 said:


> I've used to be on these meds for many years and let me tell yah it never worked at least not for me so I cannot and will not speak for others. Please do further research on your meds including harmful side effects and such before you continue taking them. For me it made me more violent towards my family members and awful sexual side effects. I think I may have permenant brain damage. Good Luck.


I really hope your day in day out bagging of meds doesn't turn someone off trying them or even continuing them.


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## swim (Apr 4, 2011)

when an ad starts to work you just feel it...


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## QuietBoy99 (Sep 7, 2010)

blakeyz said:


> I really hope your day in day out bagging of meds doesn't turn someone off trying them or even continuing them.


I'm not "bagging" on meds; I'm simply expressing my opinions. If you have a problem with that than perhaps your the one with the problem not me. All I'm saying is for people do their research before taking these meds that is all. I don't have that much to tell someone to not take meds that is not my call. Thank you and have a good day.


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## insight girl (Jan 15, 2006)

Lexapro was very subtle for me initially... After awhile though, I loved it, but I gained like 40 lbs on it after two years. It was wonderful... It took away almost all of my anxiety... I would say 80-90% of it and I was happy. I don't know of you should give up on it yet... it takes quite awhile for the effects to really make a difference... with me anyway. It also took awhile to gain the weight, so you could just keep an eye on that while continuing to take it for a little while longer in my humble opinion  
Oh and I HATED the sexual side effects too... I would have to skip a day once in awhile so I could have a freakin' orgasm... Maybe that's too much over sharing...


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## moke64916 (May 31, 2011)

habsfan31 said:


> You make it sound like its easy to just stop worrying, like somehow i can just switch it off. If i knew how to stop worrying and thinking about every little thing, then i wouldnt have a problem.


Thats the problem right there! You make it sound like it's so hard. In reality it's not. I used to be just like her, worrying about everything, about every action i took, how I felt at every given moment. It's when you stop thinking about it all is when it goes away. It really is that easy, unless you truly aren't fed up with the way you feel? It really is that easy. Theres many techniques to change. Manifestation, surrender, Positive thought replacement, ETC. They all work. The easiest if you are are a fully conscious person is surrender. For this woman that wrote this most, her subconscious is in control. When is enough enough? Your fighting at an unconscious level which makes it seem so hard to do. If you want to find peace right now, and feel better. Laugh at the negative thoughts you get, observe your thoughts. chuckle about how truly rediculous they are. By doing that you are making yourself fully conscious. Your subconscious has no power at that point. You are in charge. Then once your fully conscious, you have a choice.


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## moke64916 (May 31, 2011)

QuietBoy99 said:


> I've used to be on these meds for many years and let me tell yah it never worked at least not for me so I cannot and will not speak for others. Please do further research on your meds including harmful side effects and such before you continue taking them. For me it made me more violent towards my family members and awful sexual side effects. I think I may have permenant brain damage. Good Luck.


 Hey I used to use drugs to the point where i felt permifried. The brain will always heal itself. No medication is going to give you permanent brain damage. It seems to be only when oxygen is deprived from the brain for a certain amount of time is where they is permanent brain damage. You don't have permanent brain damage. If anyone should, It should be me, haha.


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## habsfan31 (May 29, 2010)

swim said:


> when an ad starts to work you just feel it...


Feel it how? What changed for you, can you maybe give a little more details.


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## habsfan31 (May 29, 2010)

insight girl said:


> Lexapro was very subtle for me initially... After awhile though, I loved it, but I gained like 40 lbs on it after two years. It was wonderful... It took away almost all of my anxiety... I would say 80-90% of it and I was happy. I don't know of you should give up on it yet... it takes quite awhile for the effects to really make a difference... with me anyway. It also took awhile to gain the weight, so you could just keep an eye on that while continuing to take it for a little while longer in my humble opinion
> Oh and I HATED the sexual side effects too... I would have to skip a day once in awhile so I could have a freakin' orgasm... Maybe that's too much over sharing...


Thanks for the advice! Glad it worked for you. This may seem like a stupid question, but when you say it took away all your anxiety, can you perhaps give me a little more details in how it changed. Did you feel less anxious when thinking about doing something, or did you only feel less anxious in a situation? I worry so much before doing something, that i really never get to see if im less anxious in certain situations. Or was there still anxiety, but it didnt matter as much on meds. Hope thats not too confusing.


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## insight girl (Jan 15, 2006)

Makes sense habsfan... It took away my anticipatory anxiety and my anxiety in almost all situations. I was more confident too. It took away this horrible anxiety that I have for no reason every morning... and having currently. Almost like a panic attack. I'm hoping Pristiq will start to take that away. I really can't say enough good things about it... If it weren't for the damn weight gain and sexual side effects, I would still be on it :yes 

Oh and I lost all the weight after about six months of stopping it. 

God, the anxiety that I have right now brings me to my knees and I really wish I was several months into the Lexapro... I wouldn't care about the weight gain at this point... sorry bad morning... :cry


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## habsfan31 (May 29, 2010)

insight girl said:


> Makes sense habsfan... It took away my anticipatory anxiety and my anxiety in almost all situations. I was more confident too. It took away this horrible anxiety that I have for no reason every morning... and having currently. Almost like a panic attack. I'm hoping Pristiq will start to take that away. I really can't say enough good things about it... If it weren't for the damn weight gain and sexual side effects, I would still be on it :yes
> 
> Oh and I lost all the weight after about six months of stopping it.
> 
> God, the anxiety that I have right now brings me to my knees and I really wish I was several months into the Lexapro... I wouldn't care about the weight gain at this point... sorry bad morning... :cry


I guess based on what you are describing, the lexapro isnt working for me, since i dont feel any different, or at least notice any significant difference.

Weight gain is a huge factor for me. I think that id rather be on no meds then gain weight, maybe id change my tune if i actually took a med that actually work. I gained a good 20-30 pounds on effexor in 6 months, and was able to lose most of it, but it looks like the lexapro has now stalled that loss, and might even be adding to it.

Why did you stop taking lexapro if it was working for you? Tolerance or the side effects? Hope your day has been better than your morning!


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## insight girl (Jan 15, 2006)

I didn't seem to have any tolerance problems. It was the weight gain and sexual side effects that made me stop...

Crap... I just started on Pristiq which apparently is the active version of Effexor... If I gain a pound on this medicine I don't know what I'm gonna do... It's supposed to have only a 2% of weight gain compared to 5% in most other SSRI's. I will probably discover that I am part of that 2%.... DAMMIT... :roll


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## kev (Jan 28, 2005)

My gut reaction is that if a med is working, then you should _know_ it. But AD's work very gradually, so sometimes it can be hard to remember what it was like before you started the AD. AD's work so gradually they can change you without you even realizing it. Trust me, I know this from experience, and I believe it is at least partially responsible for all the negative studies on SSRI's (not to say that the studies aren't twisted and manipulated by the drug manufacturors). And not to say SSRI's work especially well, but they usually have at least _some _effect, whether it is adequate or noticeable.

Just don't settle. If you feel like it is not helping adequately, there are other meds that might work better for treatment-resistant depression, like MAOI's and tricyclics (for some people).

From my reading in this new book I got "Before Prozac" melancholic depression often responds best to second-line treatments like MAOI's and tricyclics, despite the harsher side effects.


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## JudasEpoch (Jun 6, 2011)

I just started taking Sertraline (Zoloft) SSRI about a month ago, 50mg per day. And I can tell there is a dramatic difference in my anxiety panic disorder and I have many examples of what I can do now that I couldn't before.

One of the worst was when driving I would panic all the time, now my drives are just fine. I had a weird problem of addressing people or saying "bye" to people, I would get very anxious/panic-state before and after talking to someone I didn't know -- "Did they like me? Did I say something stupid? Do I look stupid? etc." Now I just talk to strangers like a "know" them... or how I perceive I should feel around most people = relaxed and not scared..

Hope this helped, there are fixes and 10mg/20mg sounds low maybe try a different tablet or strength.

Good luck! David


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## mojow (Oct 24, 2010)

You begin to notice when you think

"wow i wasnt actually thinking or worrying about something for the last 5 minutes" must be the drug


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## Inshallah (May 11, 2011)

When you can watch porn all day long without thinking of rubbing one out :teeth


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## habsfan31 (May 29, 2010)

Thanks for the advice guys and gals!!!!


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

hey habs, i am with you all the way on the worry thing
Its so easy for people to say "stop worrying about every little thing" "Its not that bad" and the worst one is "its all in your head" well obviously it bloody is or we would not need medication

Personally i do not think SSRIs are great for anxiety, they did work for my SA but remember not everyone has personality disorders and having one of those can make you do crazy social things
My hubby has SA and lexapro did nothing for him after tow months neither did fluoxetine and he has genuine SA and GAD so i would take them in conjunction with another more potent med maybe even a benzo or theres always good old kratom  just discovered it, its legal everywhere except australia for some reason


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## CD700 (Apr 22, 2010)

Arisa1536 said:


> hey habs, i am with you all the way on the worry thing
> Its so easy for people to say "stop worrying about every little thing" "Its not that bad" and the worst one is "its all in your head" well obviously it bloody is or we would not need medication
> 
> Personally i do not think SSRIs are great for anxiety, they did work for my SA but remember not everyone has personality disorders and having one of those can make you do crazy social things
> My hubby has SA and lexapro did nothing for him after tow months neither did fluoxetine and he has genuine SA and GAD so i would take them in conjunction with another more potent med maybe even a benzo or theres always good old kratom  just discovered it, its legal everywhere except australia for some reason


You and your husband both have SA ?
How did you meet ?


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## Hello22 (Feb 10, 2010)

I havent taken my meds in ages, and i feel fine without them. However i did get extremely depressed when i first came off them. I probably need something to stabilize my mood, as i can go high and low very quick (i dont get periods of mania, but just elevated feelings).

But when i was on them, i felt more carefree, and i socialised more, as my depressed feelings werent there to hold me back.
I came off them because they were giving me severe acid reflux, its like my stomach built up an intolerance to them. Even the lowest does was causing hours of severe acid relfux (heartburn), where i couldnt eat/sleep for hours on end, and it was really uncomfortable. It just wasnt worth the physical pain in the end.

I had a history of stomach problems before this though, so i was prolly a rare case.


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## Arisa1536 (Dec 8, 2009)

blakeyz said:


> You and your husband both have SA ?
> How did you meet ?


We met on this site 
Thank god for SAS, there is a thread too about it in the Triumphs over Social anxiety section Wedding thread
So there is hope


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## KurtG85 (Sep 19, 2008)

It can definitely be hard to consciously notice if and how a med is helping you, especially if you are new to meds. Usually stopping the med and returning to your normal 'baseline' ques people in to how a med was affecting them. Then it becomes easier to notice the next time. 

Based on the progress you stated it certainly sounds like it is helping you. Overcoming self-consciousness and fear to engage in self-expression is basically the essence of overcoming anxiety.


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## habsfan31 (May 29, 2010)

KurtG85 said:


> ...Based on the progress you stated it certainly sounds like it is helping you. Overcoming self-consciousness and fear to engage in self-expression is basically the essence of overcoming anxiety.


You may be right, but i feel that there was alot that led to me telling my friends about my anxiety. I mean i was very proud that i did, and never really thought i would be able to, but i was still a wreck doing it. If you and kev are right and SSRI's work gradually to a point where it is difficult to remember how much worse things were before, then maybe it is working. But if what everyone else is saying is true that the difference is significant enough that you should know if its working, then i dont think its working for me, since i dont notice any difference at all in my feelings.

Its tough because if its working, i dont want to get off of it obviously, even with the nasty side effects. But at the same time, my appetite has been ridiculously high the last 2 weeks, and i havent been getting much sleep lately, so i dont want to continue harming myself any longer for no reason. I figure i could take something else to help eliminate the increased appetite, and something to help me sleep.

And for everyone who says that they've stopped taking meds, i kind of wish i could stop taking them too. The side effects are HORRIBLE!!! But if i stopped taking them then it would feel like im giving up on my anxiety, since i dont think i can overcome it myself, and i havent tried every SSRI available. Im very skeptical about SSRI's, i dont think they really work for SA, and that its all in your head, yet i guess im still clinging to some hope that i could be wrong, so ill continue trying.

Anyways, i think im going to start weaning off the lexapro since the side effects are pretty nasty, and its probably not working on me. Hope its not the wrong choice.

Thanks to everyone who replied.


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## infinityplusone (Jun 5, 2011)

Arisa1536 said:


> or theres always good old kratom  just discovered it, its legal everywhere except australia for some reason


nuts to that :bah i wanna try kratom! wonder why it's restricted in oz?


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## A Sense of Purpose (May 8, 2011)

infinityplusone said:


> nuts to that :bah i wanna try kratom! wonder why it's restricted in oz?


Because the TGA are a bunch of neo-Na..'s and like to control every molecule you breathe :no


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## A Sense of Purpose (May 8, 2011)

Inshallah said:


> When you can watch porn all day long without thinking of rubbing one out :teeth


Crude but LOL :haha


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