Posts by Robert Collins2

So, what are you sipping on right now? You feeling any better yet?

😁

I'm doing awesome, man. I finally ditched the Helix entirely, so now I'm just sticking to Valtrex and taking some Lozan on the side just to stay ahead of things! 😁 🙂

Hey Michael Reed45, I haven't seen any posts from you in forever, how have things been going? 👋 🙂

Man, these new ADs, those SNRIs, they are freaking legendary. Forget about anorgasmia, seriously, what a game changer!!! 😍 👍

Nathan Kim10, where you at? Come on, I need to hear your expert take on this, hahaha! 😁

Do antidepressants actually cause addiction?

Look, some people end up on depression meds for the rest of their lives, but that doesn't mean they're addicted. If a doctor decides it's time to stop, you don't just quit cold turkey—you taper off the dosage slowly to stay safe.

Antidepressants aren't like stimulants, like speed or amphetamines. They work by gradually lifting the fog over four to six weeks until your mood stabilizes out again. That whole fear of being "hooked" is mostly just baseless anxiety; true addiction—where you're obsessively craving the drug, abusing it, or needing massive doses just to feel normal—just isn't how these medications work, even if someone takes them for months or years on end.

And when it comes to breaking those old habits... well, if you're looking for an excuse to ditch them because they don't fit your vibe anymore, clearly you're pretty comfortable with the way things are, especially since the older generation keeps enabling you...

Look, there’s no such thing as a physical addiction here—at least not in your case. You’re dealing with a psychological dependency, plain and simple. You’re just terrified of letting go of those crutches...

If we're talking about clinical depression, those symptoms should eventually just fade away on their own. With anxiolytics, though, things get way messier because you've got to deal with that benzodiazepine withdrawal—it’s honestly like some junkie's detox, and it all really boils down to your specific dosage and how long you've been on them. Personally, I'm tapering off slowly under my doctor's watch; I'm dropping the Helix first over the course of a week, while I'll probably keep the Effexor and Lustral going for another six months just as a preventative measure.

I've been taking Helix since the very start of my treatment, starting out at 4 mg a day, and now I'm down to just 0.25. I've been on it for five months now, but don't get it twisted—I didn't get hooked on it, it's actually the exact opposite. I'm planning to be completely done with it in seven days, but look, at the end of the day, most of this stuff is in your head. You can't just sit there like a zombie waiting for a little pill to perform some kind of miracle; that's just not how it works!

Roger Rodriguez, listen, you might be looking at a withdrawal situation here that feels just like some junkie coming off the hard stuff—we're talking puking, insomnia, nausea, night sweats, all that good stuff...

Check out this interesting stuff from an article by Ozren Podnar, Depression - the invisible killer, in Health Magazine:

What you actually need to know about depression
- depression is basically a malfunction in the parts of your brain that handle mood regulation
- there’s definitely a genetic component to why some people are more prone to it than others
- being depressed doesn't mean you're "crazy" or losing your mind
- it isn't just someone being spoiled or acting out for attention
- you can't just "willpower" your way out of it or decide to be happy through sheer effort
- it's not a lifestyle choice
- it isn't caused by just having a "negative mindset"
- there is no such thing as "unjustified" or "baseless" depression
- you can fall into a depressive episode even if nothing stressful is happening in your life
- both medication and psychotherapy are effective ways to fight it
- generally, the more severe or long-lasting the depression, the more effective meds tend to be compared to talk therapy alone

Look, it’s all different for everyone, I get that, but you’ve gotta prepare yourself for months of meds and therapy sessions. My plan is to taper off the Helix in about two weeks, but then I’m looking at a solid six-month stretch of staying on Luvox and Effexor just to stay ahead of things. Dealing with depression - the invisible killer requires a massive amount of patience and some serious soul-searching work...

Larry Howard8 said:Look, you didn't just fall into depression out of nowhere,
you mentioned having some trauma.
That’s what I meant.

But anyway, never mind.

The main thing is that you're doing better now.
🙂

Nah, I didn't, and clearly you didn't either, because something about your whole vibe and everything going on around you just isn't adding up...

Oops, totally slipped my mind—I forgot to mention the Xanax and Klonopin... 🙂

slywolf11 said:How long have you been on Effexor, and how are you actually feeling? How much longer do you have to take it? I don't have my follow-up appointment until next week, but I feel okay for now. I was dealing with some senseless depression—f39 episodes of choking sensations, mood swings, and just being tearful. When I got worked up, I even felt this urge to cough... nothing interested me, I had no desire to go anywhere, and I couldn't sleep at night...
Nowadays, I'd say everything is mostly back to how it should be, I guess. I get a bit more bored during the day, but then again, I sleep great at night, provided I take 0.25 Xanax along with a quarter of a Klonopin before bed...
The only downside I've noticed is that it takes me "longer" to get aroused during sex, but from what I've read, plenty of people deal with that. I'm just not sure how much time it takes for that kind of "blockage" to eventually clear up...

I've been on it since October 17, 2009.🙂

I don't know how you're dosing it, but I take 37.5 mg twice a day. I haven't had any side effects at all, not even on the sexual side, haha. Honestly, I started feeling things turn around for the better by the third day of therapy.

So, what else are you taking with it?

Dammit, why am I even asking if I wanted to end it all? It’s like, honestly, such a stupid question. Like, hello? Doesn't anyone realize that depression - the invisible killer comes with suicidal thoughts and attempts baked right in? It’s basic math at this point... about 60% of suicides are people dealing with depression.

IT’S A FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL, plain and simple. There isn't any bigger goal than just staying alive. I wasn't about to let myself end up in a cemetery when I was only 25 years old, as simple as that...

Before I started on Zoloft, I wasn't taking anything at all...

Gary Thompson6, you didn't just "make this up" in your head, and neither did I—you're dealing with a CLINICAL ILLNESS, okay? Understand me?

So, I’m currently on Effexor, Helix, and Luvox, and honestly? The pills alone didn't pull me out of the trenches. Don't get me wrong, they definitely helped, but at the end of the day, those little tablets aren't going to save you unless you actually decide to step up and fight for yourself. You've gotta be the one to make that move.

Larry Howard8 said:Well, 50 isn't actually that high a dose,
maybe you just haven't found the right medication yet...

🤷

That’s not even the point, man. I was already dealing with suicidal thoughts, and this stuff just pushed me right over the edge because that dosage absolutely wrecked my brain. Honestly, who knows, maybe Prozac would have actually worked if they'd tapered me on slowly or mixed it with other meds instead of just throwing me into the deep end like this. I mean, any idiot knows you don't treat someone who's potentially suicidal by just hitting them "straight in the head" with a dose like, "here, take 50mg and see how you feel"... what an absolute moron...

Hey, check this out—I found some solid articles on Wikipedia that actually break down depression and how they treat it:

Venlafaxine (Effexor said:an arylalkanolamine serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI). First introduced by Wyeth in 1993, it is licensed for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD), as an anxiolytic, and comorbid indications. In 2007, venlafaxine was the sixth most commonly prescribed antidepressant on the U.S. retail market, with 17.2 million prescriptions. In children and adolescents, venlafaxine (like other anti-depressants) has a potential to increase suicidal thoughts, attempts and events of self-harm.

Serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) are a class of antidepressant drugs used in the treatment of major depression and other mood disorders. They are sometimes also used to treat anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), chronic neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), and for the relief of menopausal symptoms.

SNRIs act upon and increase the levels of two neurotransmitters in the brain that are known to play an important part in mood, these being serotonin and norepinephrine. This can be contrasted with the more widely-used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) which act more selectively on serotonin.