r/antidepressants

Hi all. I am new to this sub, so apologies if this kinda post isn’t allowed. I’m looking for some community encouragement and insight from those who have travelled this path. This is a bit long, sorry about that.

I have been struggling for the past 2-3 years with a cluster of adhd symptoms, anxiety, bouts of depressive symptoms, perseverative thought loops, obsessive compulsive and impulsive behaviors. After working with a Psych-NP for a year trying various things I’ve agreed/am ready to start lexapro. We’ve tried gabapentin to reduce anxiety, low dose adderall to induce focus, stratera at one point to try non stimulant adhd med… the gabapentin is fine but I absolutely hate stimulants and the stratera made me feel psychotic and angry. My NP had recommended an SSRI basically on day one, but I have always resisted for the common reasons as many others- scared of weight gain, losing (an already pretty low) sex drive, and general fears about side effects/ symptoms etc.

I’m a 34F grad student working on my dissertation research/writing, and I really can’t tell if it’s just that a PhD is extremely difficult or if I really do need some pharmaceutical assistance. It’s like writers block and anxious procrastination are just my baseline now, and I feel like I have tried everything. I find myself constantly recommitting to routines of exercise, healthy diet, reduce scrolling, smoke less weed, etc, so that I can maintain a daily 2 hour writing practice but weeks later I find myself back in the same place of having given up and being so frustrated with myself. I maybe have 1-2 days a week where I can actually sit down at my desk and successfully do the analysis and the writing I need for my dissertation and academic career, otherwise it’s a mix of frustration, self hatred, so much planning around creating the perfect writing conditions, etc. I am very easily emotionally thrown off about my ability to get my work done and sometimes I find myself like “welp, not gonna happen today!” and will literally give up sometimes at like 11am. It’s such a waste of time and energy. Even writing this now I’m getting so irritated by how pathetic it all sounds. Like… just do it!

My partner and I work with a couples therapist who also sees me individually, and we talk at length about my emotional attachment to my work and how I want it to be so good but I feel like a huge failure bc I can’t actually sit down and do the writing I need to do. Everyone has so much faith in me and I just feel like I’m not cut out for academia sometimes. I oscillate between being so inspired by my work to then being so drained by it, and I think it’s largely due to the way I relate to myself / my past failures / my fears about the future, etc. I’m so sorry for rambling.

Landing the plane: my big sister has always struggled with chronic depression. Its debilitated her at points in time, and wreaked a lot of havoc on her relationships. Finally back in January she got on lexapro and says she feels the best she has ever felt in her entire life. When I told my own therapist about this and about how idk if an SSRI is right for me bc my sister was “actually depressed” and I’m just anxious and inattentive, she was like “you know, it doesn’t matter if you *have* depression, if it helps you, that’s all that matters.” She also cited research on prescription success across siblings. So now I am ready to try it, but I feel my anxiety and fear creeping in about the medication itself. How much more time will I waste trying to figure this out? What if it doesn’t work and I lose all that time? The thing is, I’m not the typical profile of depression, I sleep great, I am generally a happy person, but I feel like I need something bc I can’t live having no command over my focus anymore. I feel powerless.

My husband and I are going to Europe for 2 weeks in June and then I’m starting when I get back in about 4 weeks, but have read a bunch of things here about needing to give it 6 weeks, and I really need to get good research and writing done on my dissertation this summer. I’m low key freaking out.

So anyway here I am seeking input and support from the community. I’m obviously desperate. Anyone have similar experience with anxiety/ inattention that leads to depressive episodes and low self esteem??

I took 50mg fron 7april-4th may .And from the fifth of may taking 100mg.I start small talk with strangers,and compliments like your shoes lookk nice etc.These are small improvments but I wanna be the fully sociable person I am at home with my family. Im not sure if i will see this effect with 100 or dose will need to be upped.

Hello everyone, this is my first post on here, I have been struggling with anxiety and depression for most of my life but mostly strong depression. I have been on sertraline 100 mg for almost a year already and I want to stop being dependent on them. Currently, I am transitioning into a non-toxic lifestyle and would like to find herbal or natural alternatives to antidepressants that would work as an SSRI would. If anyone has any suggestions, I am very open. I am not asking for medical advice just what has works for other people for natural alternatives to relieve their depression or help getting off their medication using natural alternatives.

Just curious what people are thinking who take anti depressants about what RFK is bringing up about SSRIS.

I started with the minimum dose, and currently I’m taking 150 mg of venlafaxine. I’d like to hear your opinions and experiences. Personally, I have a low libido, I sweat terribly, and I’m not sure whether my sleep problems are caused by the medication or by something else. How do you feel? How long have you been taking them?

I’ve been on and off lexapro for a few years now (only because I kept thinking I was better and would get off) and the second time I went to get back on it I mentioned to my doctor I felt like a lot of anxiety was linked to my cycle and around PMS issues.

His “prescription” was that I take lexapro one week a month before my period and then cold stop until the next month! Knowing what I know from previously being on it and the hard adjustment period I was shocked he would tell anyone to do that.

Some doctors know nothing and it’s scary and sad for those who would follow that information.

Im a 17 year old girl and I just started zoloft earlier today. I've suffered from depression, anxiety and various eating disorders for about eight years and recently hit my breaking point. I feel like everything I do takes 100% of my effort and I get so incredibly burnt out so easily. Like even doing things that I usually enjoy seem like climbing a mountain. I'm a very existential person and get crushingly overwhelmed for no particular reason, but I am also usually capable of feeling deep love and enjoyment. The love and enjoyment feels like its gone. I have had depressive episodes for about 8 years but they have started to get more frequent and dehabilitating.

I've been in a pretty weird one for a couple months now. Last weekend I went to a festival with my friends and saw modest mouse. This band has got me through so many hard times and I genuinely feel love for their music. I felt NOTHING watching them preform. I felt like I was pretending to be happy, even while being drunk. Drinking cant even break the clouds up for me anymore. The numbness terrified me and I broke down to my best friend and just sobbed for over an hour. I felt so empty and realized that I literally cannot keep living like this.

I thought it might just be the alchohol and I would feel better sobered up. But I went into a fucking terrible depressive episode for 3 days. I genuinely could not see another way out of this. I don't think it is normal to have such bad lows. I live a healthy, active life, an amazing childhood, loving and supportive parents, friends that constantly validate me, and no lack of a romantic life when I want it. Because of this I felt so fucking guilty about starting antidepressants. I am feeling terrible about it right now. Maybe I am just a more sensitive person? Maybe I just haven't found the right thing to channel my emotions with? Maybe I just need to go to therapy and be more greatful for my life? I dont know if this is the right choice but I need to get rid of this weight on my chest. The only way I can think of making it feel better is dying. I cannot do that to the people that love me.

Anyways. I took 25mg 5 hours ago and I am feeling EXTREMLEY anxious. Like I understand anxiety but this litterally feels like I am going to die. Is this normal? does this mean I shouldn't be taking it? I keep convincing myself that maybe I don't even need to be taking it. Maybe I'm fine and being overdramatic and just need to "toughen up". But then I remind myself about the amount of times I've canceled plans because I felt to depressed and anxious or genuinely fantasized about killing myself. Maybe I just feel this way because I'm a teenager and I just need to let it pass? But I can't go to college next year feeling this way. I'm scared that there is nothing wrong with my serotonin levels and this medication will give me serotonin syndrome and kill me. If I'm worried about it killing me then maybe that means I don't need it?

I DONT KNOW. All I know is that I do not feel stable. Should I stop taking it and see if I feel better without it? Should I just give it a try for a while? Is it normal for a mentally ill person to convince themselves their not? I really don't want to be reliant on medicatition to feel ok for the rest of my life. I'm terrified of permanently fucking my body and life up.

Edit: This is really what I need answered. If I don't need it and I take it how will I know. Can the anxiety I feel give me a heart attack? Is this safe? If my symptoms feel this extreme in the first day are they going to get worse?

I’ll start this by saying my partner is the one on them I am not and have not ever been on any medication, both of us 30. Bare with me I have never posted online like this about personal info. We have been together for 10 years, fairly heathy relationship no cheating, very subtle arguments, nothing fancy. We have two kids now and have lived together for almost all of the 10 years. After our first kid 4 years ago, she had very bad postpartum and long story short it resulted in her getting on them, forgive me I don’t know the name of which brand. She’s been on them for maybe 3ish years now and I feel like I’m with a whole different person. Our very sexually active life changed to maybe a few times a year, which was the first sign something was off and was the first time I brought it up to her. I have a very high sex drive and I feel awful even at the thought of initiating sex when she isn’t into it, so I never try. The emotional blunting and explosive behavior has only gotten worse aswell resulting in fights about things we’ve never had. Her lack of interest in anything I ask as if she’s never interesting in my opinion on anything . I have since done research and realize these are all side effects of the drug. I also realize her well being will always be above how I feel about the relationship, I wouldn’t ask her to get off something I believe helps her for my own sake. I guess I’m here kinda venting but also asking if there’s anyone out there who’s experienced this and how did you adapt? I feel like im alone here. At the end of the day above all she’s the love of my life I have no intentions on leaving her, I believe this will get better with time

I'm a minor. I've been taking Prozac 20mg for depression since early April.

I'm probably skipping over a bit because my memory of these two weeks isn't the strongest, just fyi.

Two weeks ago, I had a very sudden bout of disassociation followed by a total loss of identity, then a switch in identity(i typically use they/them, this no longer seemed to fit), a massive uptick in body dysphoria(my body literally didn't feel like it was mine, like I was a skinwalker), and an urge to self-harm that I haven't really gotten before. My name also no longer seemed to fit. When I went to sleep I think I heard two voices speaking to me(More like thoughts that were'nt mine than actual voices)(One trying to calm me down) but I'm not sure, could have been imagining things. I woke up back to normal.

A day or two after this, I had a period where I had something similar with the disassociating and identity loss, but this was followed by what seemed like a regression in age. My name and gender again no longer seemed to fit, and my body dysphoria again went up(same skinwalkery feeling). I spoke and walked a lot differently too. I was much much happier than before. Again I woke up normal.

A few days after this, i had another period of disassociation followed by a loss in identity and then a change in identity. Now I was a man, kind of? Like in a detached way. I used he/him for myself. I also swear I had, like, phantom wings??? Which sounds stupid but it was pretty intense and not fun. I was thinking and speaking in a much more flat, monotone, kinda like... professional manner I guess? I also walked without a slouch which is NOT normal for me. And I had way more motivation, I was able to do homework and shower and get water and stuff way more easily. But I couldn't really do art or anything creative like I usually do, it was way more of a struggle than usual. This lasted forrrr I think two or three days.

After the two or three days, I didn't immediately go back to normal. Instead, I had the same dissociative period etc, but now I was like... I felt like a man? I was a lot more flirtatious for some reason, way more boisterous and full of energy than I usually am. This lasted for like an hour, and then I had the dissociative period and went back to normal. Also, I think i sort of recognized this like male version of myself as one of the voices I heard on the first day? But that could easily have been me making things up.

Similar things have been happening constantly since. Several more personality states have popped up.

The first "personality state" returned around a weekish ago and I ended up hurting myself which isn't something i'd ever done before. The child personality i mentioned has had a few returns as well.

I'm confused because as far as I know, I'm not traumatized. And OSDD is a trauma disorder, I have a history of totally forgetting trauma so that could be it?? But I was raised pretty sheltered, homeschooled most of my life and stuff.

I feel like I kinda remember this happening in the past but i really don't know. My memory for stuff like that kinda sucks. I've always had a kinda fluid gender and sexuality and level of dysphoria, and I've had mood swings for ages, I know that.

I know Endogenic systems exist but those always seem to be like. Voluntary? And this was super not voluntary.

I just would like to know if this is at all something that could be caused by Prozac???? Because if it is I'd really like it to stop, lol

I can provide more information if it's needed!!!!

Just as the title says im asking for people's experiences on bupropion. My psychiatrist just prescribed me this and I want to hear from people what they went through while on it, just curious and wanting to know what to expect. Of course everything affects everyone differently so ill keep that in mind:) thanks!

Hey guys,
I feel kinda lost and uncertain about the long term effects of SNRI medication. I suffer from generalised anxiety and thus Ive been on venlafaxine for 5 years on doses from 37,5 to 150 (with several decreases and increases) and now my psychiatrist put me on 225mg; He says the range of efficiency of this medication for generalised anxiety is higher than for depression and that my current dose is too low (150mg).
He is categorical that there is no long term dependance.

I find it hard to believe it, since from what I understand there is no strict consensus on the topic, and I find it quite difficult to 100% trust my practitioners. I feel like they re not totally transparent with it, or maybe influenced to prescribe too much medication.
I know the withdrawal effect is severe but thats not what Im talking abt, im worried about real long term impact on the brain and nervous system.

Also, my overall feeling about my treatment is that even tho it felt good at first, my overall mental state is only getting worse with the years, to the point I dont really see myself live without treatment again. Tbf, Ive had some bad relapses when trying to quit it/forgot the pills and I guess that doesnt help with this sensation. But now I have such strong anxiety I feel like my brain is deeply unbalanced and it feels impossible to me to achieve anything in that state.

I’m looking for testimony of ppl whove been on this medication at this dose/long term and maybe successfully quit it, thanks for reading this big piece 🙏

I’m 9 days currently on venlafaxine/effexor. I feel so so high and detached and just so so weird. It’s freaking me out. I also have the worst brain fog!! I’m on 75mg XL. is this normal?? I am also on clonazepam 0.125mg which I am coming off in the next few days. Please tell me this is normal?

I’ve slowly gained 40lbs over the last 2 years on Viibryd, I’m 5’2 so it’s very visible & most of my clothes don’t fit anymore. but I’ve been at the same weight for awhile, so at least it’s no longer going up.

Viibryd works SO well for me (I tried probably 20 different psych meds over the years) and getting off of them is pretty much not an option. my psych has mentioned GLP-1s as a possible solution but they scare me, I already have weird eating patterns (I have ADHD so food is a chore) and a bit of a sensitive stomach. I also have Medicaid, so getting it approved is going to be really tough or even impossible, and paying out of pocket would be very hard. so I wanna read about as many other people’s experiences with this as possible while I decide whether or not to try it. thank you :)

It’s been 6 years since I took one 10 mg escitalopram pill. For 6 years I’ve been suffering from PSSD, and it’s been 4 years since stopping escitalopram that I’ve been suffering from post-SSRI symptoms 6 years in total. I need to read recovery stories after all these years please 🙏

Who here has been on moderate doses or high doses of benzos long term (3+ years)?

Can you please tell me if it's still effective for anxiety and sleep after all this time.

Also, can you please tell me which benzo and what dosage?

I am trying to find reassurance and hope that I can be on this medication long term because honestly it's the only thing that has really worked for my anxiety.

I am currently taking 50 mg pristiq, 100 mg zoloft in the morning, and 75 mg seroquel, 150 mg lyrica and 1 mg klonopin at night.

I suffer from severe depression and crippling anxiety. I tried reducing the benzo dose multiple times and each time around day 4 it becomes unbearable: rushes of anxiety, agitation, anger, irritability and insomnia.

A little background: I abused drugs in the past, from 2017 to 2024. I smoked weed daily for 4 years, had a period where I did 80 ecstasy pills in like 5 months, did LSD once a month for 22 consecutive months, then did heroic doses of LSD (1000mcg+), drank alcohol and fked around a little with ketamine, pcp and synthetic cathinones. In short, I fried my brain and ended up in a psych ward for 3 weeks.

I am on this med cocktail mentioned above for a year now and it's been very helpful.

I do have an addictive personality and I think I will always feel the need to ingest psychoactive substances till the day I day. But I prefer them to be pharmaceuticals since they make me stable, content and functional (without the madness of illegal/ hard drugs).

Is it possible to take benzos long term? I feel like the benzos are THE ONES that keep me from doing drugs again. I know about the addiction potential, the horrible withdrawal. But I honestly plan on taking them my entire life.

Any advice is welcomed. Please share your experience. I would appreciate it. Thank you very much

Hey everyone,

It is 3 months since jumping of mirtazapine (2month taper from 15mg before jumping off).

Last few weeks have been very stressful. Had a sinus infection. Also developed a mild sensitivity to crowded places. This all results in me being 'on edge'. I get a tinkling/tickling feeling around me body, muscles, head, and joints. Chest tightenss a lot. I become sensitive to all sorts of things.

The only thing that makes me calm is a benzo, specifically lexotanil. I use it very sparingly, but dozes around 1.5mg seem to do the trick. My cognitive abilities come back, body settles down. I keep tired and demotivated, but at least functional.

How are your experiences in controlling withdrawal through benzos? My doctor suggested that suffering through withdrawal and anxiety is also not an option, especially when I have responsibilities.

I try to use lexotanil very sparingly, and only when I need to. Last two weeks I have to take it every second workday. I don't take it on weekends, since I don't have to work.

So far I’ve tried Sertraline 50mg, Venlafaxine, and now Citalopram for the last 4 weeks. I only stayed on Sertraline for about 2 weeks because I was struggling badly with the adjustment period and wanted to stop. My GP suggested switching to Citalopram because it can be better for anxiety. I honestly can’t fully tell if the meds are working yet because I removed my biggest trigger before starting them. I think they might be stabilising my mood a bit, but it’s hard to know because the side effects are negatively affecting me and my overall mood.

The biggest issue is how much they’ve affected my relationship. My sex drive and desire for affection have dropped massively. It’s caused a lot of issues in my relationship. My brain also feels much fuzzier and my concentration is worse than before. I already struggle with concentration and I’m planning to look into a possible ADHD diagnosis, but the antidepressants have definitely made that side of things worse. I’ve also had mild headaches on and off. At first they affected my sleep and caused nausea to a point where it was harder to manage , so I had to experiment with what time I took them. Lately I’ve also been extremely exhausted and can easily sleep for another 3–6 hours during the day. The brain fog is crazy and I’ve locked myself out of my house (3-5 times) more in the last few weeks than my entire life.

I recently left my previous job because it wasn’t good for my mental health, and I wanted time to adjust to the medication before looking for something else. I wouldn’t say I feel severely depressed — more low mood, emotionally unstable at times, and frustrated — but I mainly started medication to help stabilise my mood. I’m mostly just too exhausted to even relax and concentrate on things. I’m eating healthy, drinking water and sleeping enough but still feel awful. I feel the symptoms hitting hard 2-3 hours usually after taking a dose. The nausea is awful. I’ve become a lot more irritated and struggling to engage in Threapy as I feel so exhausted

I know I’m only 4 weeks in and I’m willing to give it more time, but I’m worried about whether this is normal or if things actually improve. I can’t tell if I’m feeling depressed in general or if the antidepressants make it worse. I do know they make me feel not like myself and I felt better during the time I missed doses to switch to new medication. I want to take my mental health seriously so I’m willing to take meds if it helps but I just don’t seem to be having any luck. I was on Sertraline 25mg years ago and it really helped me through a rough patch.

Would really appreciate hearing other people’s experiences.

I started Venlafaxine back in 2022 and went up to 150mg at my highest dose. It was amazing how I felt. Depression and anxiety basically disappeared. I enjoyed life and was excited for things. Couldn’t cry if I wanted to. I started to have some negative side effects late 2024. Couldn’t orgasm at times during sex. Gained 15% Of my body weight. Kind of started to feel like I was on auto pilot. Granted the lows weren’t as low as they once were before, but I wasn’t really experiencing the highs either, I felt flat.. decided to start tapering off of it and I took this very slow due to reading about how horrible coming off venlafaxine was (it is…) Took my last 37.5mg dose December 2025.

I had been doing okay without being on it until March. I started to notice. I was just grumpy and pissed off about everything. Wasn’t excited about much, just in a bad mood.

Had a doctors appointment first part of April (different doc this time) explained my past experience with venlafaxine. He decided to have me try Wellbutrin xl 150mg (the generic bupropion xl)Anxiety has been much worse. I thought I was gonna have a panic attack at times. One good thing was it motivated me to increase my exercising because I couldn’t hardly sit still. Lost 6lbs during the month of being on it.

Had my one month follow up appointment. Explained the good and the bad. The doctor took me exercising and being motivated to do more as a huge plus of the medicine and encourage me to not stop taking it just yet. We did talk about switching meds completely or adding something else to help. I started the generic of Prozac last week to add to my Wellbutrin. Started at 5mg and am now on 10mg Prozac and 150mg Wellbutrin.

I just don’t know what to do. I cried my eyes out the other day, which was the first time in years that I’ve cried. I feel nervous about everything. Depression has been really rough and I’m having suicidal ideation’s which I’ve had in the past, but went completely away when I was taking venlafaxine.

Been on 150mg bupropion for 5 weeks and 10mg Prozac for a week. Should I just keep riding this out. How do I know when to say this med isn’t for me?

My GP seems to think that going from 100mg sertraline to 50mg for 5 days then switching to mirtazapine is a good idea. It frustrates me so much how incompetent doctors can be when it comes to antidepressants and dosages and how to safely taper. Almost makes it seems like they don't have your best interest at heart

Has anyone experienced anything like this? Also, has anyone done to switch from SSRI's to Mirtazapine, especially in a very short space of time?

I’m struggling with intense fear about PSSD and I don’t know what to do.

I’ve had severe OCD/anxiety for almost 15 years. After 5 years of trial and error with different antidepressants and medications, I finally found something that actually works for me: 225mg clomipramine and Risperidone LS.

For the first time in my life, my head feels calm. The constant fear, mental clutter, intrusive thoughts, and anxiety became much quieter. I can finally breathe mentally and feel somewhat normal.

But now I’ve become obsessed with the fear of PSSD. I keep reading stories online and my brain constantly tells me:

“What if this permanently damages you?”

“What if you lose emotions or sexuality forever?”

“What if you’re making the biggest mistake of your life?”

The fear is becoming so intense that I’m starting to panic even though the medication is helping me a lot. My OCD keeps seeking certainty and reassurance, and I’m stuck in endless checking and researching.

I genuinely don’t know what to do. Part of me wants relief from OCD and another part is terrified of long-term side effects.

Has anyone else gone through this kind of fear while finally finding a medication that worked? How did you handle the obsession and uncertainty around it?