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#626422 - 01/07/08 05:46 PM
Re: SSRIs for depression
[Re: dmg]
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geministars
Veteran
Registered: 01/12/06
Posts: 597
Loc: The long and winding road
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Thanks guys, I appreciate your input. It isn't me though, not that I haven't had my own struggles with depression in the past. I was just lucky enough to be prescribed something that worked right off the bat. It is, however, a teenage relative of mine. The thing that makes it so hard with it being a teenager is trying to keep her from getting discouraged. She was very hopeful when she first went to the psychiatrist in Aug. Now, five months later, she is beginning to feel hopeless because she isn't any better. It's difficult to keep telling her to just hold on, that it will get better because I really think she believed it at first but is starting to think it won't get any better because it hasn't yet.
Thanks again though, and I would really appreciate hearing others' opinions too.
_________________________
Just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off. -Anonymous
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#626451 - 01/07/08 06:28 PM
Re: SSRIs for depression
[Re: geministars]
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greyman
Enthusiast
Registered: 01/14/07
Posts: 254
Loc: suicide
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Geministars, one could argue that the teen might be too young to prescribe any ssri (I am guessing paxil).
Paxil is awful. I have never tried zoloft. Celexa works well with me.
Your relative is discouraged. Likely about a lotta stuff. When I was that age (16,17,18) I hated myself, was as neurotic as a kid can be, fearful, full of despair, alienated from my "peer group," unable to make friends, I felt totally weird, scared, and generally stupid.
Now throw a psychotropic into the mix, and , well, don't be surprised at the reaction from a young mind.
Just a thought. I am 46, and NO WAY could I live those teen years again!!!
_________________________
goodbye forever
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#626460 - 01/07/08 06:46 PM
Re: SSRIs for depression
[Re: greyman]
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geministars
Veteran
Registered: 01/12/06
Posts: 597
Loc: The long and winding road
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You're so right, the teen years are hard. This is a girl who has everything going for her- extremely intelligent, beautiful, popular- and miserable, because none of those other things matter when your depressed. One well meaning person who obviously didn't understand depression even said, "Why would she be depressed? She's so pretty and smart." To me, that's like saying, "Why do you have diabetes? You have so many reasons to be healthy and happy." No one chooses to be depressed any more than anyone chooses to have any disease, and many people don't realize that depression is often not the result of something being "wrong". It sometimes just IS, for no apparent reason. I just wish I knew what to do to help.
_________________________
Just remember, if the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off. -Anonymous
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#626656 - 01/07/08 11:53 PM
Re: SSRIs for depression
[Re: geministars]
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thundr69
Enthusiast
Registered: 03/14/06
Posts: 244
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The thing that I've said to my daughters is this. "It is very easy to feel hopeless at this age. I felt that way too. You're becoming an adult now, thinking about things in a different way and unfortunately, finding out that life is often hard and you often feel like [censored]. I felt this exact same way. Very often you feel like things will not get better. I felt this way too. I know that you don't feel it right now and I know that you probably can't see it but the one thing I can tell you that I have learned and that ONLY comes from age and experience is this, bad times do pass. They will also come again. Sometimes we have bad days, you will find out that you will also sometimes have, bad weeks, bad months and even a bad year but, that always passes. It DOES get better and you WILL have good times again and even long stretches of good times. I lived through this and I know it for a FACT. Things will get better and the hugest problem I had at your age was believing that. But, it is the one thing that I do know for sure, bad times ALWAYS pass, we just MUST ride it out."
I have said this to my girls, one 20 one 24, very frequently last year because it was one of their most difficult years and certainly one of the worst I've had. They are miserable right now but holding on. Tell your relative, honestly, about some of the REALLY tough things you've gone through. Then, point out when that cloud lifted. Tell her, it never ever rains forever. Tell her to look up into the sky and know this one thing, the sun will come out eventually. Good luck to you and her. You're in my prayers.
_________________________
The only courage that matters is the kind that gets you from one moment to the next.
Mignon McLaughlin
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#634121 - 01/19/08 06:01 PM
Re: SSRIs for depression
[Re: geministars]
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stressedout
Pooh-Bah
Registered: 02/01/07
Posts: 1036
Loc: Lost
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I am not sure what to say. I have tried both and neither helped. I am now on Wellbutrin (which isn't an SSRI) and all I can say is it's a great drug, with the side effect of weight loss and increased engery. A great side effect for me I might add. 
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#636764 - 01/23/08 11:04 PM
Re: SSRIs for depression
[Re: fashana]
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DonVito
Member
Registered: 02/18/07
Posts: 183
Loc: Nunya
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First of all, increasing the dosage of a SSRI, such as Zoloft, may be effective. There is really no way to find out unless you try. There becomes a point where one certainly cannot increase the dosage any further, and must taper off and try something new, add another medication, lifestyle modifications, and talk therapy.
One must be vigilant when managing these drugs because of the side-effects when discontinuing them.
Depending on her symptoms, one could recommend other meds. It certainly takes time. There is no silver bullet. The task of actually figuring out where the depression is stemming from can provide relief and a certain freedom. Of course, chemical insufficiencies can be to blame, but life changes, boredom, anxiety and other issues may be at play.
I would suggest anyone who suffers with depression to keep a diary and look back on it as they go. What made those bad days so bad? How could it have been better? What made the good days good? How can you continue to incorporate the things that made you happy into your life on a regular basis?
A pill will not do all the work, but it can assist you with getting the work done.
Again, if she is not having success with SSRI therapy, please take her to a psychologist who have much more experience with those medications and have contacts to help you face the battle.
_________________________
VIP? Drinks on me!
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#637538 - 01/25/08 09:52 AM
Re: SSRIs for depression
[Re: DonVito]
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Rico1
Member
Registered: 05/05/07
Posts: 121
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DonVito~
Sorry to jump off subject here, but I loved your little doggie. I love Chihuahua's too!! Sorry for the interupt. 
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#639271 - 01/28/08 10:40 AM
Re: SSRIs for depression
[Re: Alyssa03]
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Alyssa03
Veteran
Registered: 0 | | | | | |
