Starting Over
Dear Community,
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
A few questions about antidepressants?
I have never taken anything before but I am having trouble coping since finding out about my husband's affair almost one month ago.
- Is there a difference between anti depressants and anti anxiety meds?
- What drug is considered "mild" with the fewest side effects?
- Can my ob/gyn prescribe it if I don't really have a general practicioner?
- Anything else I should know before taking this step?
Thanks so much. Really hoping it helps because I am having trouble going it alone.
Re: A few questions about antidepressants?
Ditto all of this. I've rec'd anti-depressants from a GP before (still not a great idea), but I don't know that I'd ask an OBGYN for them. I'd highly suggest that you find a psychiatrist and/or a psychologist to help you work through the issues that are causing your distress.
"You don't get to be all puke-face about your kid shooting your undead baby daddy when all you had to do was KEEP HIM IN THE FLUCKING HOUSE, LORI!" - doctorwho
I agree with the pp's. I've been on both antidepressants and antianxiety meds in my life and they were prescribed by a psychiatrist. A GP or OBGYN might have some info on them, but it's better to go to a specialist who can diagnose you as either clinically depressed or suffering from anxiety. Going on medication when you don't need it can worsen depression. You never know the side effects of all of these meds so it's important to be under a specialist's supervision (i.e. psychiatrist).
Example: I was prescribed Wellbutrin for depression by a psychiatrist and after 3 years I got terrible anxiety about a life event. The psychiatrist prescribed Zoloft to help. Even though she knew more about the meds than a GP, I got terrible debilitating vertigo from the Zoloft that neither myself nor the psychiatrist realized was related to medication. I battled vertigo for 5 years before weaning off Zoloft when I was TTC and then realizing my vertigo went away.
Are you exercising? Exercise helps with depression and anxiety and it's a lot healthier than pills.
You do not want to go see an obgyn for psych meds. It is like going to a podiatrist for your eye problem.
Make an appointment with a psychiatrist. They are specialized for a reason. As for which one is the most "mild", it really is different for each person. Keep in mind that the first drug may not be the best and that some may take several weeks before you feel any effect. Are you have more anxiety or depressive symptoms?
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OP--If you're seriously depressed and think you might hurt yourself, please don't wait around for answers on the internet. Here are some resources.
Suicide Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
Crisis Chat: http://www.crisischat.org/
Depression Forum: http://depressionfallout.com/messageboard.php
I've taken both at different times. I currently take anti-anxiety base on as needed basis.
My psychiatrist advised me to not take most type of anti-depressants along with my anti-anxiety because I might have a chance of having hyper mania. If I take anything like Paxil or Prozac, it will shoot me through the roof with the mania factor. This is why it is critical to have a psychiatrist to analyze you first.
I need something that relaxes me and brings me down and not the other way with my type of depressions. Having highs results me to have a crash with lows which causes me to be depressed.
I really hope you get the help and the type of help that you need, life is really tough when you are depressed and getting the right helps will make a world of a difference. Many people are going through the same thing you are so you are not alone.
Same thing happened to me. I had never taken any depression medicine until my ex cheated and left me.
About six weeks after this happened I realized I needed something to get me through this. It was the worst six weeks of my life and I wish I would have gone to the doc sooner. I mainly went because I couldn't even sleep. I would be up all night long fretting and anxious about what happened to me.
So my regular doc prescribed ativan which is an anxiety med. I would take it when I was feeling overwhelmed. In the beginning it was twice a day for a short period of time. Then reduced to once a day for a few months and now I only take it every once in awhile when I feel a lot of anxiety. You cannot stay on this medication for long periods of time. It is really only to get you through the roughest times. My doctor told me that now when I feel a lot of anxiety rather than taking the medicine I need to excercise and talk to friends/family/therapist. Only if measures like that don't work should I take a pill.
You should ask your therapist for a recommendation to a psychiatrist. The psychiatrist will analyze you and decide which medications will be most helpful to you.
I'm not currently taking anything, but I have taken antidepressants in the past. If you're having depression mixed with anxiety, there are medications to help with that. At one point I was on a combination of two pills to balance out the depression and mixed anxiety.
Hang in there and keep taking care of yourself! You'll get through this!
Anti depressants aren't a quick fix, they are meant to be used in combination with therapy.
also, stay away from alcohol while on anti depressants!!!
AD's and anti-anxiety meds won't solve anything, but when used and monitored correctly, they can "take the edge off" so you can deal with the real problems, through counseling and developing new coping skills. Prescribing is as much of an art as it is a science, and really should be done, especially initially, by a psychiatrist. Every single person will react different to different classes of meds and doses, so there is no universal "mild" or "least side effects" pill. There are constant changes in the world of psych meds, especially since depression and anxiety are the mental health problems du jour for pharmaceutical companies, and most GP's don't have much experience with them aside from med school and what pharma sales people pitch.
The biggest difference between AD's and anti anxiety is how you take them- AD's are taken daily to keep a steady level in your blood stream. Anxiety meds should be taken only as needed, and generally not frequently for long term use. AD's can absolutely be used to treat anxiety, and if your anxiety is not well managed with an occasional xanax, AD's would probably be the way to go. Alcohol and other negative coping skills will really hinder your ability to get better and will make AD's less effective.
Good luck.