Posts by Andrew Peterson14

Donna Torres5 said:I’m joining the chorus of those mourning the death of libido here.😵 It can be incredibly tough for women, too; there are times when you feel completely numb, just lying there feeling absolutely nothing... just that one big void... even when you know you should be fully present and engaged. For me, I definitely need a little bit of a warm-up period to get into the right headspace. But anyway, I guess I'm drifting a bit off-topic now.

haha, you're such a legend, Doughnut... seriously🙂...
anyway, does anyone else deal with digestion issues???
the label says ExxonMobil doesn't lower your libido, but I don't know... I wouldn't say I agree with that at all...

Dennis Turner6 said:Andrew Peterson14, are you still on meds, or have you totally cleared everything up?

yeah, I'm still taking AT&T... 🙂... and honestly, I don't really sweat it—my doctor told me this should be the least of my worries right now. The main thing is just feeling okay, then we can worry about tapering off later..

granitefalcon26 said:Don't get upset now.😉
It feels like someone pops up on this forum every single day trying to act like an expert and pushing "natural" alternatives on everyone.🙂🙂

Man, every once in a while some genius pops up who clearly hasn't a clue—it’s honestly like telling a diabetic to just stop taking their insulin... people constantly mistake actual depression for just having a bad day. But depression (like, moderate to severe stuff) is a real medical condition, and if you don't treat it, things can get pretty serious.

Paul Newman5 said:I tried the alternative route myself. Spent nearly four months on bioenergy—believed in it, too—then moved on to crystals, herbal drops, all sorts of exercises... just a massive waste of time. If I’d just started antidepressants back in January, I might actually be feeling better by now. Plus, I could've avoided all the Messer nonsense. My therapist suggested Coaxil back in December, but I insisted on sticking with the bioenergy stuff for three months. Look, sure, you have to fight for yourself and dig for the root causes, but some people can handle anxiety on their own, and others can't. They need meds. Nothing worked for me. At least the guy doing the alternative stuff did it for free, so at least he was honest about it.

Yeah, I've been down that rabbit hole with alternative stuff too—tried everything under the sun. At first, I was totally against taking an antidepressant because I really thought some holistic approach would do the trick, but once I realized I was just kidding myself... I finally gave in and started the meds.

My therapist wasn't trying to force anything on me—honestly. She told me she’s totally fine with alternative stuff, but she just didn't think my situation could be fixed with herbal supplements alone. I'd actually tried some St. John's Wort pills I picked up while visiting Vienna, but those are mostly meant for much milder cases of depression... I guess they just weren't enough.

Paul Newman5 said:Personally, therapy didn't do much for me. Then again, I never really spiraled that hard—never missed work or spent all day stuck in bed. I started out on Lexapro, but my doctor switched me over to Brintellix, saying it was better. I’ve been strictly on Brintellix since last December because I was terrified of anxiety after a horrible experience with Cipralex and Lexapro. Things took a turn for the worse toward the end of March, though. Extreme nerves, too much Brintellix, so I decided to try something else (my psychiatrist suggested this or Wellbutrin back in December, but I stayed away from Wellbutrin because of the side effects). I went to my GP with her referral and he wrote the prescription. We'll see how it goes. He wants me back in seven days to check in and decide if we need to bump up the dose. Currently on Brintellix SR, 0.5mg three times a day.

Jason Vaughn482 said:But what actually pulled you out of the depths? Because, if I’m being honest, it feels like I am currently in the midst of a total meltdown. Oh, wait, I see now—was it Coaxil? I have some Seroquel and Abilify sitting here at home, but I'm terrified to take them. I also have Lexapro, though it never seemed particularly effective for me; perhaps I should bump the dose up to 15 mg? It's all I have on hand, since when I saw my psychiatrist the other day, they didn't prescribe anything at all... I'm going through a particularly rough patch with health anxiety right now, and I desperately need something just to steady my nerves.

People who say we should just stop taking these meds clearly have no clue. If I hadn't started antidepressants, I don't even know where I'd be. I tried pretty much every alternative method under the sun before that, and nothing helped—honestly, everything just made it worse.

Magdalena, I meant anxiolytics for those crisis moments—I usually just take some Xanax...
Jason Vaughn482, what saved me was basically a combo of antidepressants, Xanax, therapy, and a detox program I did in Vienna—plus just having a massive drive to get through it.
It was a rough ride...
And I was genuinely struggling—like, right on the edge..

Paul Newman5 said:I did psychotherapy for five months, then my psychologist suggested taking a break in early March—says that's just how it has to be. There aren't any psychiatrists near me who offer therapy, just psychologists. Thanks for the replies. We'll see. It's only day three... no point debating how things work right now. My biggest hurdle is the anxiety—the fear that I'll lose my mind and lose my job and my livelihood. That makes going into the office the hardest part. Luckily, I work from home part of the time, so I don't have to go in every single day... otherwise, I don't know. Were you dealing with anxiety too?

Oh yeah, I was in a total meltdown—couldn't even make it into work, so I ended up on medical leave for about three months. Anxiety, depression, just feeling completely sick... it was pretty rough, but thank God, I pulled through.
The anxiety will definitely dial down over time, for sure. What are you taking for those flare-ups alongside the AD?
Therapy helped me out a ton, too...

Paul Newman5 said:I'm just starting one, per my doctor. We'll see how it goes in a week. Dealing with some headaches and constipation. I don't get the part about symptoms breaking through, or the "rough patches"—was that from the meds or the illness? And that last bit about who can endure it. Endure what? The side effects? Sorry, just asking. Honestly, it doesn't matter if other drugs work faster or harder; when I was spiraling, I tried Lexapro and Lexus, and they were terrifying. Lexus actually gave me suicidal thoughts, even though I've never been suicidal before or now.

Well, when I say "storms" and "symptoms breaking through," I mean those heavy phases of depression and anxiety—basically, it wasn't like everything just vanished overnight, it's been a hell of a ride. My doctor actually mentioned it's a good thing the antidepressants haven't masked everything, because now I'm forced to actually deal with the root cause. And she's right, the worst periods have passed... I'm hoping to start tapering down in a few months, but I don't want to rush it... So, I guess it's best to just listen to your doctor and trust the process. Plus, you've got psychotherapy and all that grueling self-work to do... The pills are just there to give us enough strength to tackle the actual issues, not to magically fix everything on their own...
plus I take some Xanax if I really need to...

Paul Newman5 said:Anyone here used Coaxil before? Would love to hear some feedback if you have any experience with it. I know everyone reacts differently, but I'd still like to know what's been the consensus.

So, I've been on it for about a year and a half now. My symptoms were still poking through at first, but my therapist was pretty set on not switching things up—so, yeah, I'm doing alright. Survived the worst of it, I guess. I take it twice a day (the pharmacist told me that way and I didn't really catch the mistake, so I just stuck with it),
it basically knocked all my symptoms down to almost nothing. No side effects for me either, though I will say it's probably one of the milder antidepressants out there—so, well, if you can handle that... good luck...