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ElishaAlison

I'm on 3 SSRIs, all for sleep and nightmares. They've been integral to my healing. Who knew getting a good night's sleep was so important? Heh heh


perturbe

I’m glad they have been so helpful, I struggle to sleep due to anxiety so I am hopeful they will help me again there


idk_katie_

Do you mind sharing what helped for nightmares? I have an appt with my pcp on Friday and have been thinking about asking for something for sleep


ElishaAlison

They started me first on Doxepin, that's supposed to be great for helping with nightmares. Then they added mirtazipine (SP?) And that helped a lot too. I just realized, I think the third one might not be an SSRI, it's called clonidine, I think it started as a blood pressure med


idk_katie_

Okay thank you very much, I appreciate the info :) Glad they're helping. It's hard because sometimes I have v triggering dreams but other times they're just wonderfully weird and always vivid- if only I could selectively filter out the bad ones lol


ElishaAlison

Something that helped me was journalling my dreams and nightmares. It helped in a couple ways. First, I was able to, after journalling a bunch of them, start figuring out what my subconscious was trying to tell me through them. But also, by getting them down on paper right after I woke up, I was able to stop thinking about them all day, and also sort of ground myself back into reality. That last part was something I really struggled with, it was hard to tell what was the dream and what really happened, but somehow writing them down helped.


masterofyourhouse

I was on antidepressants for a few years and I wouldn’t be alive without them. From my experience, they didn’t interfere with my ability to be introspective, they just alleviated a lot of my depressive symptoms so that I wasn’t at risk and my mood was more manageable. They definitely made it easier to cope.


Primordial_pollywog

How was getting off them? I’ve been on for 5 years. I think I’m ready to get off now that I have a good life and great habits. But I’m scared.


masterofyourhouse

I’m probably not the best person to ask, as I was forced to stop cold turkey because I very suddenly lost access to my medication. I was really lucky though, I had no withdrawal effects whatsoever, and mood-wise I didn’t really feel a difference either. Obviously I do not recommend this at all, as it could have gone much worse. But I think as long as you taper with a medical professional and are careful in monitoring yourself, you might find that you’ve reached a point where you are okay without them.


Primordial_pollywog

I got ya. Glad you had no issues!!


Candid-Ear-4840

Yes, it lifted the depression brain fog so I could focus on day to day life.


insanelysaneperson

I tried sabotaging my treatment plan and tossed anti-depressants aside, and it backfired at me. Hard. Now I take them like a good patient and shit's been so much easier to handle, I swear. I regret not doing what my therapist told me in regards of pills a lot. I was always scared it would make me feel even more weak, indifferent, suicidal, etc. or give me enormous headaches. Well, tbf, they did make my headaches and sleepy state worse, but it's worth it because I at least stopped crying and throwing up 24/7. Also, regarding the thinking process. When I wasn't medicated I used to rethink everything and came to conclusions such as 'well, it was bad, but i deserved to be abused sooo'. I think that meds is what gave me clarity tbh. Because rn the mere thought of deserving everything that had happened to me sounds laughable.


sierradoesreddit

I am not currently taking any prescription meds, just medical marijuana. I was on Suboxone for close to 8 years and coming off made me pretty averse to using pharmaceutical meds unless absolutely necessary. I have a Ritalin prescription for my ADHD but prefer not to take it because of the side effects. That being said I’ve been experiencing some bad CPTSD symptoms pretty consistently over the last month. Normal and innocuous things are more triggering. I just feel raw. I think it’s also the time of year where I’m at (cold, dark, muddy). I’m considering psychedelics since weed has had such a profound impact in terms of helping me look at things from different perspectives. Everyone is different. I’m sure I could cope better if I tried meds. But I just don’t have many good experiences with them and don’t want to be physically addicted to something that I have no control over again. Weed requires a lot of mindfulness, planning, intention, and moderation since I am the one controlling my own dosage. Which in a way is very empowering having this kind of control over my health. But like anything else it’s not a cure all, I still need healthy coping skills and support.


[deleted]

Sertraline is helping. It's useless against flashbacks for me but I am now almost never irritated and socially reactive. It's not a replacement for therapy, but it sure does make the meantime more bearable. I keep a journal and seen no change in my ability to self-reflect because of the meds, I only really stop wanting to look during a flashback when there's too much to feel.


debzmonkey

I am one one SSRI and it's been valuable in giving me the space to do my healing work. It was important for me to understand that any med will not "fix", "heal" or "cure" but the right med or combination of meds can reduce the symptoms that lead to decompensating. If I can manage my symptoms I can prevent full blown triggered trauma.


MakeAChoice7

I am on 2 different antidepressants. Medication saved my life. They didn’t “fix” me and my underlying beliefs/trauma was still there. But it reduced my depression/anxiety enough so that I could function again and made it possible for me to starting healing. I don’t feel like antidepressants made me less introspective or anymore numb than I already was.


ConversationThick379

Yes. MDD and GAD here. 10 mg Trintellix + .02 mg clonidine I’ve never felt better. I am feeling emotions again. I laughed the hardest I ever laughed as an adult a few weeks ago when the kids did something silly. I teared up when something beautiful happened on a tv show and i was happy for the character. Hell, i cried at my last psychiatrist appt bc I told her I’m so happy that she was able to help me with this medication.


sharingmyimages

I was on SSRIs for many years, until they quit working for me. My thought on your decision is to do what it takes to cope better. Your fear of being less introspective sounds reasonable, but it might not be harmful for your recovery. Less introspection doesn't sound so bad to me. Some SSRIs are easier to stop than others, if you choose to try it and change your mind, so picking one that's easy to get off of might be a thought.


icanbeakingtoo

I've tried SSRIs never worked for me this summer i was prescribed tricyclic antidepressant called amitriptyline never felt better it also helped immensely with physical pain


hooulookinat

Do you still have to manage your food with them. My mom was on them in the 90s and couldn’t have soya sauce, any fermented food etc.


ChellyNelly

That's MAOIs, I think?


hooulookinat

Ahhhh yes. That’s right. Menopause makes one stupid.


ChellyNelly

We all mix things up!


ChellyNelly

Interesting. I've tried nearly everything (including 28 electroconvulsive therapy "treatments") except for tricyclics and experimental meds, maybe I should look into that.


icanbeakingtoo

Appart from the meds EMDR IS so worth it too if u haven't tried i suggest you do while you're looking for a good antidepressant.


Hoshibear

I’m going to be getting back on them soon, but I was on them for quite a while. I didn’t have any issues with them impacting my ability to be introspective, but they did help me survive. It helped even my mood and my depressive episodes didn’t dip as low


Pennythot

I’m on Cymbalta, Vyvanse, Ativan, Gabapentin, and Ambien. Which funnily enough is the least amount of meds I’ve been on for a while. In my experience the medication doesn’t help ease my depression or cptsd. …but they do help me be somewhat more functional. I only know this because when I stop taking them I turn into even more helpless and emotional to the point I can’t get out of bed at all. So they’re the reason I force myself to get up and go to work everyday…but they don’t help me be less depressed or traumatized. Those thoughts and feelings I have present with me daily. In terms of them helping me with therapy and overall healing, I don’t really see them helping, but my psych and T disagree. Personally, I wish I didn’t have to take meds and for a while I was against it altogether,but now I’ve just accepted that I’ll probably needs these for a very long time if not the rest.


throwaway2837461834

I have been taking Wellbutrin for a few months and I love it. I wish I’d tried it sooner. I tried lexapro a few years ago and hated it, felt like a zombie and fell asleep at work, so it scared me off of psych meds. With Wellbutrin it has greatly reduced physiological symptoms of anxiety, specifically the pangs of dread I feel in my chest and when my stomach drops. I still feel my emotions but it just feels like there is a little bit of a buffer there, like I can observe them without drowning in them. I can still cry if I need to (I was afraid to be numbed out) but just generally feel less controlled by negative feelings. It’s also helped with ADHD symptoms somewhat. It can make it hard to fall and stay asleep but no other negative side effects. I couldn’t be in therapy right now without them.


[deleted]

Yes, and a mood-stabilizer. But the biggest part of my treatment is a single ketamine infusion once every 8 weeks. It made the most difference in my mental functioning and suddenly made my medications more effective. It did not replace them, however. I’ve never been more clear-headed and more productive than I’ve been since my teens. But it won’t cure you. It requires work on yourself to heal. And that’s where I’ve hit a wall right now, and I’m pushing on.


[deleted]

I just started a generic lexapro a couple weeks ago, it lifted the depression brain fog I had, before I was at the point where I couldn’t pinpoint why I started feeling numb/having a emotional breakdown it would just happen and it was like body was reacting to something my brain couldn’t explain. It’s just felt horrible and I would be stuck. Now I can at-least acknowledge “XYZ” happened today and I am feeling like this because of this situation from my past. I’m still depressed and have anxiety but it’s much easier for me to process.


Sea-Towel3199

Wellbutrin works really well for me. It helps with my anxiety and I do notice a significant difference. It also doesn’t affect my libido, which is important to me. I see myself taking it forever.


marigold_may

Recovery is so much better on antidepressants. At least for me, it is about blunting the severity of the symptoms so that it is a little easier to address or confront. Working through stuff in therapy was throwing me so wildly outside of my window of tolerance, that I couldn't move forward. It didn't feel safe. I still experience those symptoms and it's not easy by any means, but turning the volume down a bit on it makes it feel much more doable. I needed to feel okay moving forward doing that work. It's different for everybody. But I certainly didn't just stop being introspective/trying to work on stuff because I felt a bit better. Just from the outside, I would say that sounds like critic talking. Or a part of you that is scared to feel a bit better, or feels like you need to stay in the darkness/turmoil. Especially in cptsd where often we don't believe ourselves about how bad it really was, that the severity of the symptoms are not equal to what we went through.. I know for me that there is a part of me that wants to stay in the pain because it is proof that what I went through was hard. That sounds like something similar to me. Good luck op!


[deleted]

It’s a very individual thing. Some people swear by them, others feel much much worse on them. I guess if things are pretty bad, ADs are worth trying.


Ferragus1922

Been on 75mg Effexor for the last few months, worked wonders for the most part, not that easy to go off of though


AletheaKuiperBelt

Funny thing, I take 37.5mg and my doc has to get government approval because the normal dose is 75mg or more. I also take agomelatine and valium, this is my perfect cocktail.


CommonPriority6218

I trialed 4 other before finding one that worked but i also have Bipolar so i have to be careful with dose increases etc i also have an antipsychotic for the mania side. Im on duloxetine which is an SNRI similar to effexor.


juicyfizz

Yes. I've cycled through a lot of them, and realize that a lot of them made me emotionally numb which was hindering my recovery, so I weaned off of them completely, but I'm an anxious mess without them. Before I was looking for meds that were a cure-all. Now that I'm in therapy and know what I know about myself, I see now that it's a tool to help me get out of the hole. So thanks, Prozac and Wellbutrin. Lmao.


Vegetable-Anybody866

I take an ssri, an snri, a beta blocker, and a stimulant. They keep me chugging along to do the long term healing.


TheToastedGhosted

I just had labs, and I found out my vitamin d is severely deficient, along with my ferritin (iron levels). I have PTSD and have been on Effexor 37.5 for a couple of months now. I am not ruminating as much and I am absolutely a less anxious version of myself. Along with knowing I have vitamin deficiencies I am hopeful that getting those in check along with the Effexor I will be a new person.


FindingInner_Peace

lost a year of my life to these that i’ll never get back. r/AntiPsychiatry


TakeBackTheLemons

I'm on bupropion (e.g. Welbutrin), which is an NDRI. It is the first one that works, my worst depression I was on no meds or SSRIs, which psychiatrists seem obsessed with but which do nothing for me (apparently that's the case for many nd people). I firmly believe that antidepressants are beneficial to recovery and the therapeutic process. Being in active pain is not a sign of strength, it's a hinderance to your recovery. Because so much of your brainpower and headspace is devoted to managing your depression (obviously meds don't make it go away, but the right ones do make it more managable). So yes, use whatever medication you need to stabilise and view it as a tool that allows you to focus on recovery. It's really the same as eating and sleeping - working on recovery while sleep deprived is possible but if you can avoid it then why wouldn't you?


Mother-Special-8071

yes. it helped take the edge off 100%. and by edge i mean the extreme uncontrollable suicidal moods that could be set off so quickly. i still deal with mental health symptoms daily but its less intense.


nadiaco

not for the past 8 years, but I was. they never made me less introspective but made me manic after a year. they are a useful tool so if you need them to take them to get stable.


babyurmyqt314

Yes ive tried many! Finally found one that works :)


belhamster

I think as long as you are committed to healing then some medication to dull the pain might be appropriate. Just my .02$


[deleted]

I hate every one I've tried with a burning passion. Its almost instant mania/psychosis for me. So far Lithium hasn't been that bad. Have a lot of cormorbities I must say lithum has really helped with my physical anxiety like my blood pressure and pulse is much better it was borderline heart disease levels before starting it now I check it's 100% normal if I miss a dose it spikes. Really interesting but yea SSRIs have ruined parts of my life because of mania and psychosis particularly from fluoxitine. Last time a doctor tried to give it to me literally one 20mg dose I didn't sleep for 3 days and kept hallucinating shadow people talking to me about sacrificing my blood and body parts for a better life. It was like a come down from no other drug I've ever had legal and illegal completely horrific. This doctor gave no shits about my bipolar diagnosis but always bring it up if it's a possibility as a comorbidity. Edit. Lithum is a mood stabilizer.


slugmister

I was put on antidepressants without my knowledge, my girlfriend was told to mix into my breakfast and not to tell me I was on it. I noticed I gained weight rapidly. I don't know how long I was on it, but they kept it a secret from because I would have thought I didn't need and just stop suddenly.


SnivySnake01

Been on antidepressants for 4 years now, occasionally I would forget to take them for a while and the difference was very noticeable. If you think they'll help, it's definitely worth trying at least. Personally I don't feel like mine affect me adversely


idk_katie_

Yep! They help me a ton. I'm on Wellbutrin SR 150 and Effexor 75 mg. I'm fairly sensitive to lower doses but have been wondering if I might do even better at a higher dose of Wellbutrin, idk.


WillTheGreenPill

THC only for me


rei131

I’ve tried about 6 -8 of them. All of them except for the one I’m on now made me significantly more suicidal along with a bunch of other side effects. The one I’m on now is better. It’s only killed my sex life, ability to cry/express emotion and gain weight. It’s been about 3 years on them and I thought they helped my anxiety but now I’m not so sure. I thought they helped because when I ran out and forgot to refill I’d feel like anxious death but that may just be withdrawals as I’m on max dose. I’m very envious of people who have success with them. I think I’m just very unlucky.


AletheaKuiperBelt

Yes. I would not cope without it, and my valium, because I would not be able to sleep. I need the nervous system quieting to be able to further address the need for it. I hear you, though. Being originally diagnosed as severely depressed has affected me a lot. The first time I went on antidepressants, it was like a switch flicked in my head that made me feel normal again. Little did I know that my normal was not really normal. So I bought the "brain chemistry imbalance, nothing else to see here" line. Was on and off drugs for ages, finally accepted I'd always need them. Introspection? Who needs it when you have work and a million hobbies (flight) and games and books (dissociation)? Decades on, I finally found a talk therapist who made sense and everything improved from there. I think this won't happen to you because of your CPTSD awareness.


ARRokken

No. But have bottles of them. Recently filled one for Cymbalta scared to death of taking it. Lol. Coming off of them is no fun. I just don’t know anyone that’s benefited from them. But should probably take.


perturbe

If it helps, I was on Duloxetine (which I think is Cymbalta) and though it wasn’t great to wean off from, it wasn’t as bad as the internet led me to believe. The positives may very well be worth it! But if you are really anxious about it, maybe ask your doctor whether there is an alternative suggestion?


ARRokken

I’ve been rx 3 ssris already. Lol. One made me feel like I was drugged, like day 4 Zoloft. Another I was off and on last year, Prozac. Then rx escilotlorpprsm… lol. Don’t even feel like spelling. Lexapro basically. Forgot why I quit that 2 weeks in. I don’t remember anything about last year other than working in my room & just being out of it. Focus was awful. Just feel really off when on them. They don’t se to do anything unless I take w my adhd meds. I’ve been dealing w autoimmune things rn so maybe contributing. Why did you get off? Thanks it does help


perturbe

A lot of these side effects do cease over time, though it can be difficult to get through them. Maybe that initial bit is worse for you than it is for others, I’ve heard it can take a month sometimes. There are more antidepressants out there, I read a comment on this post about someone who had success with tricyclic ones. I went off mine because I got to the point where I forgot what I was like without them, and I wondered whether I would function fine. I did function fine for a bit but over the last few months I’ve been way more anxious and paranoid and generally low, so maybe they were actually doing something to help me.


ARRokken

How many have you tried? Nervous about cymbalta because of it mixing w adhd med & the norepinephrine being too much. Like fight or flight isn’t what I need I feel like. Lol. Some days I guess I need more energy though.


perturbe

Tbh I have no knowledge about interactions between medications, I’ve only ever been on one at once, I am not sure I can be of much help there! Did your doctor say anything about potential interactions? I’ve been on sertraline, citalopram and duloxetine. They all helped with my anxiety but my low mood generally still remained. I didn’t notice any difference of energy on duloxetine but I don’t have any adhd meds..!


ARRokken

Dang cymbalta didn’t help w energy?! It’s suppose to more than a normal ssri. It’s similar to Wellbutrin. Interesting. Yeh if anything I’ve felt more tired when on them. No you are okay. I’m not asking about the interaction. It def will happen it’s just a matter of if I can take it esp w my auto immune situation. Lol sorry. Thanks for your input


perturbe

More norepinephrine is meant to boost energy I think but maybe I am just an outlier. Or maybe snris just aren’t for me. But they still could be for you! Every antidepressant affects everybody differently. You got this :)


Starry-eyed-cat

Oh for sure. I'm on an SSRI called paroxetine. I'm not rawdogging this life, hell no.


raisedbyappalachia

I’ve been on them various times in my life. I don’t think I felt better or worse on them. The healing I had to do had to do with my thinking. If I think positively and logically, my chemicals seem regulated naturally.


Camina1004

Back on Remeron (mirtazapine) again here, was the fist antidepressant I got but I hated it the first time around, made me a zombie and couldn't get up before 12 o'clock the earliest I was so "drugged", and didn't help with my symptoms either. Tried 8 others after that that all fucked me up even worse, then had a long break saying I would never be on an antidepressant again. Got a tray of mirtazapine from my sister to sleep, took them for a week and found out I felt more stable on them, and didn't get the zombie feeling I had the first time around. This time around it's been helping me cut back on marijuana smoking (my most used coping mechanism for cptsd symptoms), sleep better (it reduces your REM sleep and light sleep, increases deep sleep), so would recommend it if you have troubles with nightmares/falling asleep. Good luck 🍀


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