These people are professionals darling...' Pro - fessionals' . Sit back, relax, leave it to the professionals.
Are you really going to take the word of a ' paranoid schizophrenic' a ' certifiable lunatic' , who's probably some, half baked delinquent, who doesn't pay his taxes. And probably got his theories from the back of a breakfast cereal packet, or concocted them, when he was probably out of his mind on illegal drugs. I mean really Darling, have you gone quite mad?
These people have had years of training darling, years. They are the crème de la crème, amongst the very upper echelons of society.
We all know what happens to people who swim against the tide darling, they get cast onto the rocks, by the shore

'I'm sorry, I can't help you, I pay my taxes, I go to church, what more do you want from me?'

Oh god, I need a gin and tonic, and valium

I agree with Larsi,
Seen them help a few people, hurt and kill others.
Had a 23 yr old friend after a night of drinking took a double dose of Amitriptyline, roommate found in on floor in convulsions, died. Had a tech, OD on them, left a 18 yr old son.
As a pharmacist, I would never take them. A shot of tequila then pull yourself up.
Pills treat the symptoms, not the cause.
Also read the side-effects:
Trouble sleeping, over sleeping, decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, suicide, coma & death just to name a few.
But if you want to help big pharma give it a try, would oxycodone manufactures lie to you???

I think it depends a lot on the underlying cause. For some it is a chemical disorder (imbalance) in the brain where they need the drugs to change their chemical balance. Without them, their ability to perform day to day routine tasks becomes difficult or impossible. They also help balance the emotions one feels and displays.

When used too much (wrong prescription or dosage) they alter the person's perspective of reality and can put them in a type of narcotic stupor! In most cases psychological counseling and coping strategies are necessary for the person to achieve a positive outcome. Just prescribing them because you have some negative or down feelings is at best a short term fix that does not address the underlying problems. It is like taking a pain med for that torn muscle - it isn't going to get better just won't hurt as much!!

How am I familiar with this? My ex was in treatment and on medication most of her life and still is! For those trying to learn and cope with some emotional difficulties, I might suggest a group called NAMI, there probably is a chapter near you which has programs for you to learn about mental illness and coping strategies to help you.

I think its important to remember the intent of the thread.
OP:

The issue at hand is not someone that is unable to function.
The issue is a mention of a slump and a general practitioner doctor suggests antidepressants.

Imagine the scenario.
If you are seeing your doctor chances are they know which insurance you have.
They also know your health history.
Consider that some patients are seeking antidepressants at the suggestion of someone other than a health professional.
For a GP to suggest antidepressants without doing more investigating is such a common trend, many people are on antidepressants that don't really need to be.
The issue is not the antidepressants but the assumptions GP drs make that affect your life.
If they truly did care about your health and well-being, they would refer you to someone that understands how to diagnose mental conditions.
But, the GP dr suggest and offers an antidepressant and most people will just accept them without being concerned if that is the treatment they really need.
Ramp that up and it makes you question every medicine the dr puts you on.

So very true and explains why we have an opioid crises in this country. Many people still will not question their Dr. about the meds being prescribed for the Dr. must know what is best!

It has been suggested to me to by a couple of medical professionals to take an antidepressant for a few years now..
Have I done so yet?
Nope.

I asked this a while ago, and got no real answers, just goofy ones..

Have any of you people plagued with depression/ anxiety ever tried CBD, or know anyone who has?
Did it do anything for them insofar as alleviating their symptoms?

In answer to your question bluegrass, yes, and no
I assume you mean the cbd oil, that has had other stuff filtered out. No, I have not tried that.
Have I tried various other things with cbd in them, that didn't have other stuff filtered out. Yes. Where most of them helpful for depression for me personally. Probably not.
However 1. Which was originally called reclining Buddha, and is now called Super Lemon Haze. An overwhelming yes. First it would make me sit for probably around 5 to 20 minutes, and think and reflect. After that, I felt like cobwebs had been blown away, and I felt much more motivated and got on with stuff.
I feel it's only fair to explain, that for me, depression and motivation go hand in hand. So before I'd lost motivation. Anyway, I don't know if that helps. But surely it's worth trying. Anyways, all the best

Yes, depression for ME involves losing my motivation/ "want to" as well....

The problem is, the CBD oil would cost me $60-$70 a month, which isn't cheap (for *me*)...while the antidepressant would only be a nomonal copay...

Sad...

I love bluegrass. I'm not sure which state you live. Or how easy or practical moving would be for you. Or even if you'd consider it. But as you probably know. Some states have legalized certain. Stuff. So if you tried it, and found it helped. If you moved, you could make it yourself. That's relatively easy. Though I'm not sure how to get the other stuff out.
But I do know 1 way, you could essentially do the same thing
You've heard of vaporizers right? Well you can get 1, that has different temperature settings. And the different compounds in Marijuana, vaporise at different temperatures. So you can do it that way. Although strictly speaking that wouldn't be oil. But it would be cbd.

No, moving is not an option with my finances and what not..
Hell, it was draining financialy and mentally just coordinating a 100 mile move after my husband died...I can't even begin to think about a move of more distance.

For me, and I can ONLY speak for myself but someone might find it interesting.

I know that my depression manifested mostly in my perception of how I measured up to what I learned about others expectations of who and what I am supposed to be.

Even the fact that I was depressed was someone else's idea that I was not as I should be.

I had to figure out if what I was really feeling was bad for me or just something I was taught was supposed to be bad for me.

I perpetuated their impression of my depression and I felt miserable.
When I realized that nobody else is an authority on me or my life, I started to realize that this is my life, according to me.
Nobody know me like I do.

When I started to understand that my life is my life according to me, and not anyone else, it got easier to make the changes I needed to find my own contentment.

I threw out everyone else's scale of what I needed to be happy in my own life.
They don't see the world thru my eyes.
They don't know what I know.

I put my recovery back into my own control where it needed to be in the first place.
I payed attention to others but I chose my own path to inner peace.

I see others that are depressed because someone else told them they should be.
They self-defeat themselves because they are convinced that is how it need to be done.

You can't pay your bills, okay, pay them or create less bills.
You can't bench press 500 lbs, okay, why do you need to?
Your spouse is a POS. Realize its them and not you. Find a solution or end the relationship.
Your kids won't act right, teach them how to act.

Ya gotta understand yourself first before you can deal with others.
You have to accept yourself before you can accept others.

You're depressed, so what.
Its your life and you live it, fix it.

Tom, that is good and healthy advice.
However, for me personally, that simply does not work
It seems that in a nutshell, you are advocating self awareness, that will then in turn bring empowerment.

Hi I tried Amiltryptine. It may have a slightly sedative effect. The side effects included a dry mouth and eyes slight loss of libido so not greatly encouraging. I found keeping busy exercising, practicing mindfulness sociasing help. It'quite easy to slip into a downward spiral and can be triggered but multiple reasons. Cbt is also useful.

So, as someone who's taken a variety of anti-depressants, you should know some things. If your symptoms have not persisted for 6 or more months, then you probably should avoid them. Prozac and a few others have a history of causing severe, very bad side effects.

Anti-depressants work differently for everyone. The first one doesn't always work. It also takes 30 days to build up in your system and work to it's best effectiveness. Look the medication up on drugs.com that has an extensive database of all medications and their uses, benefits, side effects, interactions and so on. Some anti-depressants also have serious withdraw symptoms and some antibiotics (mostly ones used in a hospital), will make your medicine stop working (I found this out the hard way).

Always ask before taking any new medication and check drugs.com to reassure yourself or talk to your pharmacist. Those folks know a LOT about interactions, side effects, etc.

Watch out for any changes. If you develop any of those listed in the moderate or serious side effects, call your doctor immediately. Most doctor offices now have an after hours service that contacts whatever doctor in on call for these things. If not, see if there is a nurse advice line in your area. They can help you determine what action you may need to take until you can reach your doctor. Of course, this applies to medication in general, but psych meds are particularly important because it can cause psychosis or worse and end up with potentially disastrous results. This isn't to scare you, but warn you ahead of time. If your doctor doesn't listen, see someone else.

My experience has been varied, but my best has been paxil and cymbalta, both of which worked quite well. I have bipolar, so I require multiple medications, but I have had plenty of time to be able to notice what changes I'm experiencing. If it doesn't help, you could either need a stronger dose or a different medication. Do not wait a long time from starting the medication before you see your doctor again if there is no positive difference in 45-60 days.

I hope this helps you.

I've tried various ones and now I'm on Trintelex*. It's new and still being pushed on TV. Out of the half dozen I've tried it's the only one I can tell I took. It's ok


*8 may be off on the spelling

Oh yeah, guess I'm lucky but I've never had any side-effect from any drug.

i suffer from anxiety bad so i take tablets to help me yes they do work

i prefer cannabis.

however, regular exercise or yoga can help with that as well.

cannabis works better for PTSD pills only make me feel drug out