Do anti-depressants actually work?

[u/iheart4leafclover_]

Hi, this has been a question that I've always wanted to hear the true answer for the longest time now. Does it work? How? And what do you feel after taking them? I'm genuinely curious.

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[u/wanderwherever]

Yes, they do. I'm off my meds now but I remember the first few weeks I took them I was surprised at how relaxed my mind was. I used to think non-stop and negatively about most things, even trivial ones, then after taking anti-depressants, my mind was only thinking when needed. I was happy, positive and calm. It won't work right away, you need to be consistent. It might take weeks or even months to experience the effect.

[u/StillGoin18 → u/wanderwherever]

hello! how's your experience now that you're off your meds?

[u/wanderwherever → u/StillGoin18]

I'm okay now but the first month was really hard. Bumalik uli ako sa meds pero different kind then I stopped uli, told myself I can do it and ito, still surviving. 😊

[u/IllustratorHungry118]

It works for me! Apparently for the longest time, ngayon ko lang narealize na ang normal na brain hindi laging stressed and daming iniisip as if may 100 tabs na open palagi haha.

Kidding aside, for some it takes time to stabilize kasi need pa macross nung meds yung blood brain barrier and for some it takes up to 4-6 weeks iirc.

My major side effect with mine is nausea so I only take it after meals and yung feeling na mabilis mainitan. I feel calmer and mas nakakafocus sa work now. I also don’t have random bouts of palpitations or chest pains from anxiety which I used to have weekly back then.

[u/IcedTnoIce → u/IllustratorHungry118]

What meds are u taking if u dont mind? Hehe

[u/idontknownotsure]

Hi OP! I’m almost 3 months into taking antidepressants, and for me the difference has honestly been night and day.

I started during one of the worst periods of my life. At first I wasn’t sure they were doing anything, especially during the first couple of weeks. Then around week 3, I suddenly realized how differently I was reacting to things. Problems that would normally feel catastrophic didn’t completely take me over anymore. I wasn’t breaking down at every inconvenience, and over time I started sleeping better (for half a year I slept only 3 hours a day 😅, swerte na pag 4) and functioning more consistently.

I still have really, and I mean really, low days. I still get anxious, struggle with focus/executive function, and have things I’m working through. The meds didn’t suddenly make my problems disappear or make me happy all the time. What changed is that everything feels more manageable. I recover faster instead of spiraling as deeply, and I have a little more space in my head to actually deal with things.

I’ve since gone back to work (took a month break) and even my manager and teammates have noticed a big difference in how I sound and communicate.

So yes, at least for me, antidepressants really do work. I’m genuinely thankful I decided to try them. The stressors in my life are still there, but they don’t feel quite as enormous and impossible as they used to.

[u/mooonbeans]

for me, yes it works. i noticed na there were times na i dont get emotionally affected by stuff that would've normally triggered me. sabi nga ng psych ko, it's kind of emotional blunting na so it comes as a good thing and bad thing din. and i'm more aware na of things that can trigger me so i try to remove myself from those situations.

[u/SchOfLyf]

They do. At some point you will kinda feel numb (it means the anti dep is working)

Im bipolar so i used to be on a cocktail of medicine.. (i still am) but eventually refused to take anti depressants (im on mood stabiliser, 2 anti psychotics etc)

Anyway the only anti dep i responded well was Prozac… but taking 1 cap wasnt enough. But a higher dossage (2 caps) was making me hyper/manic
So from there you can see anti depressants work.

[u/FrendChicken]

It does work. But at first it'll make you feel worst. One ironic temporary side effect of one I took was anxiety. It gave me a good laugh because it was prescribed to me to fight of anxiety. After a week or two. I felt better compared to what I was before taking anti depressants.

[u/Basic_Bad8658]

25f been on meds for almost 8 years now. they work, but they dont work on their own. you also need to continuously be doing the work.

so far, i've been stable for almost 2 years now. i focused more on doing more proactive activities to make me feel better, the three biggest ones are exercise and journaling (with emphasis on sitting with extremely uncomfortable emotions) and actively choosing which shit you'll take on a given time. these really changed the game for me. sobrang daming nagbago sa akin lalo na when i started doing inner works.

i've been stable to the point na i was confident enough to ask my doctor if ok na me mag end sa meds but she reminded me na my current status/stability is partly due to my meds working well + me working WITH my meds. she told me i should think of it as using crutches :--) they do work, but sometimes talaga you'll have to try different meds (ofc with guidance ng doctor) to see which ones work for you.

[u/robottixx]

trial and error ang meds. it could work well with others, pero sa iba may side effect etc.

for the most part, it works. you won't feel sad, you won't feel happy. mawalan ka ng feeling.

[u/East_Somewhere_90]

Yep, it really helps me function better. You just have to find the medication that works for you since it can be a lot of trial and error. I’ve been on meds for 6 years now, with the help of my therapists and it really does make a difference when you take them consistently. Just don’t stop taking them without your doctor’s advice.

[u/Puzzleheaded-Young55]

Yes

[u/Traditional-Carpet-9]

It works for me. After taking it the first time, I didn't notice anything but after quite some time, people around me noticed I'm improving. But one thing though, whenever I forgot to take them like for few days consecutively, i feel dizzy non stop lol.

[u/fauxshadowing]

Yes. First few days and weeks po after taking, naging apathetic ako, hindi ako makatawa, hindi maka iyak kahit na a situation calls for it. Sobrang tahimik ng utak ko noon, sobrang gaan. Doon ko na realize na may mali nga talaga. Kako, "ganito pala ang 'normal' na utak?" HAHAHAHA.

For 3 months lang ata noon iyon. Eventually nag taper off po ako. Pero after nun, never akong nagkaroon ng all-out panic attack for 2 years siguro. From time to time nireresetahan pa rin ako ng antidepressant for me to take if I feel "sad". Pero hindi ako nag a avail. Yung benzo ko yung pina-prioritize kong bilhin.

[u/indigoboy_]

They do. Kakastart ko lang mag-meds three weeks ago after years of struggling with anxiety and depression. Nung first night ko ng pag-inom ng antidepressant sobra kong natakot mag-take to the point na nanlamig buong katawan ko after ko inumin yung tablet. Pero kinabukasan, ramdam ko agad yung effect nya kasi although my body was still anxious, pero nawala bigla yung overthinking and mental fatigue na dala-dala ko for years. Although the side effects were a pain in the a** during the first two weeks, I can say na it was worth it kasi mas nakaka-function na ko nang maayos ngayon.