Meds

I took Celexa for almost 2 years after a traumatic death in my family. It was a huge help at the time and I went to therapy as well to work on the core issues. Once those were better, I did not like being on the AD. I felt "flat" emotionally, in other words, I did not feel like I had normal reactions and ranges of emotions - happy, angry etc. I stopped taking them. WARNING! If you do decided to take AD's, you must come of them slowly. I went straight off and did have terrible side effects. Trembling legs at night and just crazy feeling. I eased off over a 6 month period with no side effects after that. I have learned from that experience that AD's can be a tool for situational depression when used in conjunction with good therapy. I have learned to get help now so the AD's have not been necessary again. Good luck and I will suggest that you try some good exercise too :)

works wonders for my depression & panic attacks. When you take an antibiotic for an infection is not cheating - it's healing the infection. No different with psychoactive meds.

Cheating would imply you have the upper hand in healing. You don't, you're in the middle of grief and suffering. To prevent yourself from spiraling further out of control, meds will help. There's nothing wrong with asking for help, and taking it. You'd bandage a wound, wouldn't you? It's the same thing, only our wounds are on the inside this time. Anxiety and depression, among other things, are chronic in my family. Co-morbid with NPD, apparently, on both sides. Somehow, I skipped out on the NPD part, thankfully. I've been on Paxil, Zoloft, and Prozac, all at various points, for the treatment of depression. Yet, I still had panic attacks, and continued depression. Not to mention night terrors, obsessive, continuous thoughts, unprompted and uncontrollable crying fits, on and on. It turns out, I've had anxiety all this time, and possibly symptoms of ptsd, that went on for long enough periods, that it was triggering me into depression. Talk about a long journey! Now, I'm on Pristiq and Effexor. Combine that with diet and exercise, when I'm being good, and what a difference! If that means I'm cheating my way through it, then to hell with it. I'm still standing, so I'll consider it a win. N didn't get the better of me. Neither of my N parents got the better of me. I'm still here, and so are you. Please, don't be afraid. All that meds will do is just give you a little "umph," so you can come out of the fog long enough to function everyday. Ultimately, you still have to do the work yourself. Your life is still totally up to you. Meds aren't a cheat sheet through recovery. They're meds, not magic pills. Meds aren't evil, but insurance companies are! :0) Hope to hear that you're feeling better soon.

Taking meds for your depression is not cheating, it's taking a gun to a gunfight, rather than a knife. Take the meds. I've been on Lexapro and Effexor for many years, and have no side effects. My depression is hereditary and chronic, so I probably won't ever get to go off of them, but you'll likely only need them for a few months and they will greatly improve your quality of life while you're in recovery. xoxo Lynn

That article is crap... Really? I don't have a tooth drilled without novacaine..for sure I don't want to feel that pain.. Look, getting help is important.. I too took lexapro myself I would not have been able to function other wise.. The crisis has past I no longer need the pills.. Doctors have years of training.. They must know more than we ,the patient .. why would we go to them for help.. EVERY DRUG ON THE MARKET HAS SIDE EFFECTS.. An Expert in his field from the 70's.. Yes he does have quite the pedigree Hunter

"In the long run, all psychiatric drugs tend to disrupt the normal processes of feeling and thinking, rendering the individual less able to deal effectively with personal problems and with life’s challenges. They worsen the individual’s overall mental condition and produce potentially irreversible harm to the brain." http://breggin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=187&Itemid=93 Peter R. Breggin M.D. What this psychiatrist has to say is important. I urge you to investigate his opinions. He is a leader in his field. http://breggin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=41

Lexapro saved my life. And I only took 10 mg which is a very low dose but I had anxiety that spiraled into serious depression and it helped both tremendously. The side-effect profile is really, really low. Don't be scared. The most that can happen is in the beginning you get some stomach upset and a headache which goes away. I didn't take it forever either, so don't worry about that right now. You need to take care of yourself sometimes and situational depression is just as real as clinical chemical depression and sometimes the two really become one. Please PM if you'd like to talk!

which is a cousin of Lexapro. I tend to have every side-effect in the book when it comes to meds and this one was no exception. I felt like I was having an "out of body" experience and was very spacey when I tried to get my work done. I went off after a couple of weeks and about 5 lbs of weight gain. Every person is very different when it comes to meds so I say if your symptoms right now are overwhelming and your doctor thinks you should try it, then do. If you absolutely hate it after a 4-6 weeks and don't feel any symptom relief, then you will at least have given it your best shot. There is no "cheating" when it comes to getting over the N/P experience...if you can find a shortcut, then by all means, take it!

Don't know much about Lexapro but just saw the subtance present is Escitalopram and it's a serotonin reuptake inhibition to avoid the obsessive thoughts. For the same thing my therapist prescribed Paroxetine. I have to start with 1/4 a tablet for six days, then 1/2 for 2 weeks and after that period 1 tablet. This means when I need to stop taking it, I'll have to do the reverse. They're meds to help but I read Paroxetine can bring addiction. I really hope Lexapro doesn't. My biggest problem is the anxiety and I was also prescribed Lexotan, taking 1/2 a tablet 3 times/day after meals. It helps me to feel more relaxed. To sleep, and this has been my best "friend" is Lendormin. At least at night I can now sleep, because before that I was having insomnias each single night due to the thoughts and anxiety.

i take zoloft and i have for years now due to anxiety attacks and depression...my dr told me that if i had diabetes i'd take insulin so what is the difference here? For some reason we view taking anti-depressants in a shameful way and it's quite the opposite...were reaching out for help and that is a very courageous thing to do. As long as your dr has recommended it and it helps you to feel better and live a good life then i think it's worth a shot :) best of luck to you!