Antidepressant Benefits

Do antidepressants help? The answer to the question posed is "on an individual basis". For me personally, the answer is no. I have tried two mainstream antidepressants and haven't had any lasting results with either. I have been "depressed" for as long as I can remember. The trauma I experienced as a young girl and teen follows me everywhere, without escape. I had never been diagnosed with depression until I was eighteen. That was when the new doctor I found noticed the signs for me. Shortly after the diagnosis, I became pregnant and therefore was not issued any medications. After I gave birth to my daughter, the depression seemed to get ten thousand times worse. It was then that the battle of finding an antidepressant to help me began. The
I was told by my parents, who could see that I was very unhappy, that I had to go on some sort of antidepressant recommended by my psychologist. At first I was bitter about being forced to take medication, but I had no choice and decided to hope for the best. Longing for a remedy to my gloomy disposition and a cure for my adolescent emotions I started taking antidepressant medications with the support of my family. The first antidepressant prescribed was Zoloft, now generically Sertraline, an SSRI that is said to act like some older tricyclic antidepressants, but with less pronounced side effects. The drug usually takes about two weeks to become effective. After the initial waiting period was up I still felt no positive side effects. My depression and anxiety became worse and I was experiencing muscle ticks and Akathisia, which is a feeling of not being able to rest or a constant desire to jump out of your skin. I had felt as if I had hit rock bottom and was admitted into an inpatient program. While in inpatient care I was switched to the well known antidepressant Prozac, or Fluoxetine, which is also an SSRI. I abruptly stopped taking Zoloft in order to begin taking Prozac; I experienced no withdrawal symptoms. After being on Prozac for several months it appeared to work better than Zoloft on the sole reason that I was experiencing no longer experiencing Akathisia or tremors. I did gain about 15 pounds during the first six months, but I also lost that weight after switching schools the following year. I continued to take Prozac until I graduated high school. To this day I am not convinced the overcoming of my depression and anxiety had anything to do with the antidepressant medication Prozac. Shortly after I graduated and moved out of my parent's house, I discontinued my medication. I abruptly ended my 2 ½ year daily dose of Prozac