Risks of Introducing AD

[[Kr...]]

On 05/06/2024 at 00:05, [[j...] said:

I am considering introducing an AD as the depression I am suffering is becoming debilitating. I am over 4 months off and it doesn't show any sign of letting up any time soon. My worst symptom I would have said was anxiety, but it seems to have swaped places regarding severity with depression. To be honest there both still bad.

From posts I've read and the Ashton manual etc I am under the impression that depression is commonly one of the first symptoms to let up so part of me wants to keep gritting it out and see if it lets up soon.

If it doesn't though then mabey I'm going to try it. The worry I have is that I took an SSRI in the past and had side effects going onto it. Also I am aware of the, it works for some,not for others, and makes some worse scenario. Is it really a big risk to try it? Could it potentially set me back?

Thanks.

I started the AD in January to help with the rapper and this time i am off 9 weeks off. Last time I tried, without AD, after 6 weeks, I came back to benzos. 
 

I am 10 days off from the AD. Hard but don’t know what is benzo what is AD. I think it helped my tapper

[[jo...]]

2 minutes ago, [[K...] said:

I started the AD in January to help with the rapper and this time i am off 9 weeks off. Last time I tried, without AD, after 6 weeks, I came back to benzos. 
 

I am 10 days off from the AD. Hard but don’t know what is benzo what is AD. I think it helped my tapper

Which AD were you on Kris?

[[Kr...]]

Just now, [[j...] said:

Which AD were you on Kris?

Venlafaxine! 75 mg per day 

[[De...]]

I started AD during WD. Just because my ex doctors didnt know What was happening with me. (They didnt know What benzo wd is / hell) Now i have new doctor And we agreed that as soon as i am simptom free i am off the AD. She told me she wouldnt put me on AD at all for this.  
I am thinking that this benzo wd mood change is so strong that you will feel it even on AD. Probably windows would m

be much nicer for you than without ad. But waves are still here. Unfortunatly 🫣

(today i had bad wave with sadness out of nowhere) 

[[Cr...]]

36 minutes ago, [[j...] said:

Hi Crono, Sorry to keep my AD dilema going it must be getting boring now. But did your ad help? and was it an ssri or a tetracyclic?

I sometimes consider asking my doctor about prozac as people seem to have success with that and apparently is easier to come off than most.

worried about the start up though. This depression is becoming a real problem. I'm trying to make it to my next window, whenever that comes, and then see if it returns after. If it does then I might have to really try and do something about it.

It was an SSRI, and at the time it was Sertraline (Zoloft). Therapeutic dose range is 50 to 200mg. To give you an ides of how cautious I was, i started at 12.5 mg and went up another 12.5 mg every 7 days until I reached 50 mg in 4 weeks. So it took 4 weeks for me to reach the typical starting dose. Luckily 25 mg pills were an option. I eventually switched to Lexapro some years later.

Since you know that no two people are alike, I feel ok with telling you my opinion and what issues some of the popular ssris are generally known for in regards to traits based off of prior research.

Lexapro (Escitalopram): generally considered the ssri with the least amount of side effects and quickest onset of action. 2 to 4 weeks (sometimes 1).

Celexa (Citalopram): like escitalopram but more side effects and longer onset of action (4 to 6 weeks)

Paxil (Paroxetine): known for drowsiness and difficulty in coming off. Onset of 4 to 6 weeks.

Prozac (Fluoxetine): known for long half-life which helps if you miss a dose or want to taper off. Known to be more stimulating than other ssris.

Zoloft (Sertraline): drowsiness for many. Typical 4 to 6 week for full onset, but often noticing changes within first 2 weeks.

Again, these are generalizations and anyone can react positively or negatively to each one. Even though Prozac had the reputation of being stimulating, you could experience sedation instead for example.

There are other ssris I didn't mention as well as other types of ADs likd SNRIs, Bupropion, etc.

[[jo...]]

2 minutes ago, [[D...] said:

I started AD during WD. Just because my ex doctors didnt know What was happening with me. (They didnt know What benzo wd is / hell) Now i have new doctor And we agreed that as soon as i am simptom free i am off the AD. She told me she wouldnt put me on AD at all for this.  
I am thinking that this benzo wd mood change is so strong that you will feel it even on AD. Probably windows would m

be much nicer for you than without ad. But waves are still here. Unfortunatly 🫣

(today i had bad wave with sadness out of nowhere) 

Thanks Despinaki. Sadness I can handel but what I am experiencing I would describe as brutal and crushing sometimes. If I can even reduce the severity it would be a big help. Thanks!

[[De...]]

Just now, [[j...] said:

Thanks Despinaki. Sadness I can handel but what I am experiencing I would describe as brutal and crushing sometimes. If I can even reduce the severity it would be a big help. Thanks!

I am so sorry you feel this way! I can only share my expirience And What i think that there will still be waves.  And there is one truth too- I don’t know how would i feel without it. Maybe I would be simptom free And Maybe i would feel worse. You really never know. It is hard decidion to make! 

[[jo...]]

4 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

It was an SSRI, and at the time it was Sertraline (Zoloft). Therapeutic dose range is 50 to 200mg. To give you an ides of how cautious I was, i started at 12.5 mg and went up another 12.5 mg every 7 days until I reached 50 mg in 4 weeks. So it took 4 weeks for me to reach the typical starting dose. Luckily 25 mg pills were an option. I eventually switched to Lexapro some years later.

Since you know that no two people are alike, I feel ok with telling you my opinion and what issues some of the popular ssris are generally known for in regards to traits based off of prior research.

Lexapro (Escitalopram): generally considered the ssri with the least amount of side effects and quickest onset of action. 2 to 4 weeks (sometimes 1).

Celexa (Citalopram): like escitalopram but more side effects and longer onset of action (4 to 6 weeks)

Paxil (Paroxetine): known for drowsiness and difficulty in coming off. Onset of 4 to 6 weeks.

Prozac (Fluoxetine): known for long half-life which helps if you miss a dose or want to taper off. Known to be more stimulating than other ssris.

Zoloft (Sertraline): drowsiness for many. Typical 4 to 6 week for full onset, but often noticing changes within first 2 weeks.

Again, these are generalizations and anyone can react positively or negatively to each one. Even though Prozac had the reputation of being stimulating, you could experience sedation instead for example.

There are other ssris I didn't mention as well as other types of ADs likd SNRIs, Bupropion, etc.

Thanks Crono! 

[[jo...]]

Just now, [[j...] said:

Thanks Crono! 

Quite a lot to choose from if i do decide. 

[[Cr...]]

Oh and to share my experience. My depression lifted around the end of week 3 (37.5, just about to go to 50 the next day).

It was almost like day 20 I was still suffering absolutely crushing depression and then day 21 it was 90% better overnight.

As to whether I would have improved at the same time without an AD i do not know. At the time I credited the AD and since that was the most horrific i ever felt mentally before, I stayed on the AD after that day just in case it was the reason I pulled through.

[[jo...]]

3 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

Oh and to share my experience. My depression lifted around the end of week 3 (37.5, just about to go to 50 the next day).

It was almost like day 20 I was still suffering absolutely crushimg depression and then day 21 it was 90% better overnight.

As to whether I would have improved at the same time without an AD i do not know. At the time I credited the AD and since that was the most horrific i ever felt mentally before, I stayed on the AD after tha5 day just in case it was the reason I pulled through.

Yeah thats the thing, knowing whats what I guess.

[[Cr...]]

5 minutes ago, [[j...] said:

Quite a lot to choose from if i do decide. 

Well who knows. If you decide to make an appt, get a prescription, bring it home, and then debate about taking it, the depression may subside on its own.

Sometimes just the act of doing something that you feel will help (making appt for AD) and having it at your house as an option is enough to keep you going and you may never actually take any.

[[jo...]]

6 minutes ago, [[C...] said:

Oh and to share my experience. My depression lifted around the end of week 3 (37.5, just about to go to 50 the next day).

It was almost like day 20 I was still suffering absolutely crushimg depression and then day 21 it was 90% better overnight.

As to whether I would have improved at the same time without an AD i do not know. At the time I credited the AD and since that was the most horrific i ever felt mentally before, I stayed on the AD after tha5 day just in case it was the reason I pulled through.

And you went on to heal just fine!

[[Na...]]

Usually trying to add an AD if you're in severe withdrawal makes things worse. Just depends though if your cns is hyper revved up with akathisia or anything. If not then you might be able to tolerate it. I just wouldn't do it if you're feeling severe nuerological symptoms or anything that resembles a hyper sensitive nervous system. 

Edited June 26 by [Na...]