Would you ever go on antidepressants?

[punkedoutriffs]

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During med school. If it gets to be too much. At what point would you consider going on antidepressants? What would you try (exercise, meditation, etc.) before you'd consider it?

 

[Arbor Vitae]

I think excercise and antidepressants work great for some people, and I wouldn't see anything wrong with students or physicians taking them.


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[AdrianVeidt]

If prescribed by my psychiatrist, why not?

 

[mmmcdowe]

If I needed them. Stress and adjustment problems isn't the same as depression though.

 

[ES2]

A lot of students are on antidepressants. Just as many are on other medications like stimulants for ADHD. If the person can benefit from the medications and it helps them manage their lives, I believe it is an intelligent option under the guidance of a physician. Unfortunately, many students will self medicate, and that can always be risky business.

 

[plumhill]

There are residents, attendings, med students who are on antidepressants. If they help you perform better, there's no reason to not take them. For some individuals, diet/exercise isn't enough.

 

[def1]

I wouldn't. I don't like to rely on drugs.

But this is coming from someone who didn't even take pain pills after getting my impacted wisdom teeth removed, so Im kind of weird.

 

[0TopCat0]

I wouldn't. I don't like to rely on drugs.

But this is coming from someone who didn't even take pain pills after getting my impacted wisdom teeth removed, so Im kind of weird.

 

[jshei0625]

It is perfectly acceptable to take antidepressants if you believe that you have a mental health issue that will negatively affect your education. You should try to start the medication before medical school so you can find the right dosage and titration level.

 

[Ruhroh]

I have tried them in the past but I didn't feel any kind of psychological benefit.

 

[Marika11]

It'll be tough to find a worthwhile answer on an internet forum. This is a personal matter that will be unique to the individual. And a situation that's meant to be between a physician and patient.

 

[Procyon]

Trust me, if you need antidepressants, you'll know it. It'll get to a point where you just never want to get out of bed, or you won't be functioning properly on a day-to-day basis. It's a tough place to be in, and sometimes medication is the only thing that can help you out of that kind of rut.

 

[thlaxer]

Trust me, if you need antidepressants, you'll know it. It'll get to a point where you just never want to get out of bed, or you won't be functioning properly on a day-to-day basis. It's a tough place to be in, and sometimes medication is the only thing that can help you out of that kind of rut.

Completely agree 👍. If someone needs medications to get better because other things aren't working, then they shouldn't be afraid to get the help they need.

 

[Narmerguy]

I guess if it came to that and I exhausted all other options I would, but I'd much more likely start to reconsider my goals/self-expectations/approach before that happened. It's very likely that I could have been putting too much pressure on myself and need to modify my activities or goals.

Sometimes you just can't do certain things that others can, and that's OK. I'm not suggesting that antidepressants aren't appropriate for some people, but simply that sometimes you have to know when to just let go. You can't have it all, or at least, most people can't.

 

[MedPR]

I wouldn't, but only because I want to be able to drink whenever I want.

 

[def1]

I wouldn't, but only because I want to be able to drink whenever I want.

Well drinking in itself can be considered an antidepressant for some 🙂

 

[MedPR]

Well drinking in itself can be considered an antidepressant for some 🙂

touche. Bourbon is delicious.

 

[BABSstudent]

Never needed medicine before for stress or sadness. However, I have never suffered from depression. Healthy eating, exercise and stress management is enough to keep me happy.


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[Geebeejay]

During med school. If it gets to be too much. At what point would you consider going on antidepressants? What would you try (exercise, meditation, etc.) before you'd consider it?

At the point that you're depressed, such that you need a psychiatrist, and he thinks you need to be prescribed antidepressants.

 

[KnuxNole]

Does healthy eating really help people not feel depressed? :O

I would imagine cake/ice cream are things to lift spirits 🙂

 

[punkedoutriffs]

Does healthy eating really help people not feel depressed? :O

I would imagine cake/ice cream are things to lift spirits 🙂

Just the opposite. I feel a mixture of guilt and self-loathing.

 

[kasmir8199]

I've had mild doses of antidepressants prescribed to me for treatment of medical migraines. Worked!

 

[thlaxer]

Does healthy eating really help people not feel depressed? :O

I would imagine cake/ice cream are things to lift spirits 🙂

Eating healthy stuff certainly helps for me. I'll take some nice lean protein, fresh vegetables and fruits over fried junk any day. A little bit of ice cream helps too in moderation 🙂. It's hard to stop after a spoonful though.

Just the opposite. I feel a mixture of guilt and self-loathing.

I feel the same way when I pig out on those stuff 😳.

 

[cuculici1]

I'd probably consider working less first lol. That being said, newer SSRIs like Prozac supposedly have fewer side effects and many people take them without problems.

 

[Spinach Dip]

I would rather go to a doctor who has been prescribed SSRI's than one who is self-prescribing anything.

 

[lobo.solo]

Trust me, if you need antidepressants, you'll know it. It'll get to a point where you just never want to get out of bed, or you won't be functioning properly on a day-to-day basis. It's a tough place to be in, and sometimes medication is the only thing that can help you out of that kind of rut.

This is the only poster that makes sense. If you are clinically depressed, working out, eating healthy, etc aren't going to do sh!it.

 

[mimelim]

I'd probably consider working less first lol. That being said, newer SSRIs like Prozac supposedly have fewer side effects and many people take them without problems.

Prozac has been FDA approved since 1987. It is generic now...

 

[Frazier]

When it comes to this mantra of "eating healthy/exercising makes people feel not depressed", I think there might be a slight disconnect on what actual clinical depression feels like.

Eating healthy and working out gives me energy (nothing like a quadruple fat burger with a double serving of fries to encourage sluggishness), but that doesn't mean that by avoiding lethargy I am thereby avoiding depression.

Disclaimer: I haven't experienced clinical depression on a firsthand basis (ergo I cannot claim to know precisely what it feels like either); however, I've witnessed it in several other close people... salads and exercise wouldn't cut it for any of their successful treatment plans.

 

[Cudi]

I eat healthy and work out 3-4 days out of the week, and im still on antidepressants been on them for about 5 months... I don't see why anyone wouldn't take them if they were recommended by your doctor

 

[punkedoutriffs]

I eat healthy and work out 3-4 days out of the week, and im still on antidepressants been on them for about 5 months... I don't see why anyone wouldn't take them if they were recommended by your doctor

How have they affected you?

 

[Cudi]

well i take it at night because it pretty much knocks me out 😛 but it has improved my depression somewhat... i stopped taking them for about 2 weeks and i noticed a huge difference in my mood and thoughts, so i have started back

Huge help for anyone who is depressed, allows you focus a lot more when not thinking about "Depressing things"

 

[punkedoutriffs]

So it actually changes the content of your thoughts? Or the emotional reactions TO those thoughts?

 

[Cudi]

So it actually changes the content of your thoughts? Or the emotional reactions TO those thoughts?

for me it changed the content of my thoughts.. i don't want to dwell into what exactly they were but I've been told that it fits into the major depressive category

 

[punkedoutriffs]

Wow, that's crazy.

 

[mouthwash4hobo]

for me it changed the content of my thoughts.. i don't want to dwell into what exactly they were but I've been told that it fits into the major depressive category

Just wanted to second this. The thoughts I was having during that time... they just aren't there anymore. I feel like I'm functioning with the rest of the world now.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

for me it changed the content of my thoughts.. i don't want to dwell into what exactly they were but I've been told that it fits into the major depressive category

Well, rumination is a symptom of depression and by taking your anti-depressant you reduce it. Amazing how seretonin works eh? Modulating dopamine really has major effects on a lot of cognitive and behavioral function.

Also I would if I ever had a long lasting depressive episode.

 

[cuculici1]

Prozac has been FDA approved since 1987. It is generic now...

Yeah that's true, I suppose by my definition all SSRIs would be considered "new" since Prozac was one of the first. However, it's hard to call a drug new when it has been around for 25 years.

Anyone know why there is a stigma associated with taking psychiatric medication? Seems like if you have a problem like depression and it can be alleviated with psychiatric medication, assuming the side effects are tolerable, you should take the medication.

 

[Frazier]

for me it changed the content of my thoughts.. i don't want to dwell into what exactly they were but I've been told that it fits into the major depressive category

Wow, that's crazy.

An interesting choice of words, sir.

😉

 

[touchpause13]

I just have to put this out there. I have been on antidepressents for the past 7 years. I believe I will continue taking them for the next 7. And the 7 after that. I have a disease that is treated through the usage of this medication, it's not about improving performance it's about being able to get out of bed in the morning and not wanting to kill myself. I would encourage everyone on this forum to try and dispel some of the myths about anti-depressants and please do not contribute to the sigma surrounding their usage. I am not ashamed of having depression or of taking medication in order to help control it, just like a person with type II diabetes should not be ashamed of having to take insulin.

 

[touchpause13]

Also I have been an athlete my entire life. I play a DII sport and eat healthy enough. Diet and exercise is not a realistic treatment option for many people who suffer from depression.

 

[Laurlaur]

Trust me, if you're going through a major depression, you know. You physically feel it, and medicine can help put the ground back under your feet. Therapy helps too. Point is, if you're actually depressed, seek treatment! If you had diabetes, you'd probably start taking insulin, it's the same thing. Also, since people were wondering, exercise really can help with depression. After I stopped my medicine, I started training for a half marathon, and it has helped to make the transition easier and has helped me to avoid slipping back to where I was before. Almost any psychiatrist will recommend exercise to a patient with depression, although I wouldn't suggest that it can replace medicine in treating somebody with severe depression.

 

[Bangersandmash]

Trust me, if you need antidepressants, you'll know it. It'll get to a point where you just never want to get out of bed, or you won't be functioning properly on a day-to-day basis. It's a tough place to be in, and sometimes medication is the only thing that can help you out of that kind of rut.

Completely agree 👍. If someone needs medications to get better because other things aren't working, then they shouldn't be afraid to get the help they need.

This is the only poster that makes sense. If you are clinically depressed, working out, eating healthy, etc aren't going to do sh!it.

Ill throw my two cents in here.

I was diagnosed as clinically depressed a few years back (when I was fairly young in the end of middle school / beginning of high school). Long story short, we're talking self-harm, truancy issues in school and suicidal ideation. Did the whole therapy/psychiatrist thing (including with my parents) and found it was a crock of **** (for me). Went on anti depressants for a few months and they didn't do anything. I don't think they made me feel worse, but I didn't get better.

Another long story short, I learned to deal with my life issues while struggling with physical, chemical imbalances. By no means do I suggest this is how others deal with clinical depression. Even today, no amount of exercise, healthy food and supportive relationships will eliminate the occasional day that I feel like dying. I've struggled with it and I cope with my own philosophy of doing what makes me happy. If I want to have two desserts before dinner, I do it. If I just don't feel like working out for a few days, I don't. If studying for an upcoming test stresses me out, I stop until I feel ready to start again.

If antidepressants will work for you, take them. Living with clinical depression is something I wouldn't wish upon anyone. I'm personally averse to taking medication (I usually fight through headaches and colds and don't get flu shots), but I'm not ignorant of the positive effects medications can have.

 

[punkedoutriffs]

Has anyone seen Kirsten Dunst's performance in Melancholia? Is that how clinical depression presents?

 

[MaenadsDance]

My personal experience with psychiatric medication - particularly anti-depressants - is that while they appear to have some beneficial effects during a crisis, as prophylactics or maintenance meds they just aren't that useful. Anti-depressants have got me through crises so that I was alive and alert enough to get some kind of benefit from intensive therapy; the therapy is what allows me to live a more or less normal life.

Funnily enough, anti-MANIC drugs are (at least for me) highly effective. Why it should be that it's easier for psychiatry to get rid of euphoria than depression I don't know; it's one of life's cruel little quirks, I suppose!

 

[MaenadsDance]

Has anyone seen Kirsten Dunst's performance in Melancholia? Is that how clinical depression presents?

Heh, funny you should mention that... I sat down with another family member who has also suffered from depression, and we both liked Dunst's portrayal quite a bit. From the beginning of the film, with her confusion and fear and sense of unreality, to her apathy and almost catatonia, to the petty cruelty in her interactions with her sister, and then finally to her almost complete lack of fear of death... a lot of that I could identify with.

 

[touchpause13]

Has anyone seen Kirsten Dunst's performance in Melancholia? Is that how clinical depression presents?

why don't you look it up in the DSM-IV before asking questions based off of terrible movies?

 

[MaenadsDance]

I didn't think Melancholia was terrible. I liked it a lot, actually. What about it did you dislike?

 

[Bangersandmash]

While I haven't seen that movie, it's most likely a glamorized, purposeful presentation of depression. I myself didn't necessarily have "outward" projections of depression that people around me would notice. Many other people I know don't either. You'd be surprised how chipper someone can be with you on a day to day basis even if they are suffering.

 

[def1]

I think there is a disconnect between the OP and talk of clinical depression. I was under the assumption that the OP was referring to tough times during medical school when you feel like **** cuz your so stressed.

Obviously if you are clinically depressed go get some happy pills.

 

[punkedoutriffs]

why don't you look it up in the DSM-IV before asking questions based off of terrible movies?

A DSM-IV entry is one thing, an accurate visual portrayal (or maybe not, hence my question) is another. If it were that easy, anybody w/ a DSM-IV in hand could be a walking psychiatrist.