Happy pills- slight problem

[Brunhidden]

about a week ago i went to the doctor under the sneaking suspicion i had depression. turns out i have a lot of it, a crippling amount, and the big clue was that i suddenly had lost any interest in contacting other people to talk or otherwise socialite. snarking on forums continued but at about one fifth volume

these pills will probably take another week or so to kick in, after which i may or may not actually be sociable, who knows.


side effects may include:

-insomnia
-drowsiness
-nausea
-irritable bowels of a startling variety (wheee)
-vomiting
-dizziness
-loss of appetite
-change in sexual function (wait, what?)
-muscle spasms
-bleeding from orifices (what was that sex thing? im worried now)
-paranoia/panic attacks
-hostility
-and the sudden urge to stab yourself (this is an improvement?)

[Tapewolf]

Fun.  I seem to recall the antidepressants my Dad was prescribed about 15 years ago listed 'psychopathic tendencies' as a possible side-effect.

Anyway, I hope it works for you - the anti-depression, not the paranoia and bleeding.

[Mao]

"Side effects may include: dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, water retention, painful rectal itch, hallucination, dementia, psychosis, coma, death, and halitosis. Magic is not for everyone. Consult your doctor before use."

[Jairus]

Dang, Brun. That just sucks. Well, I hope the pills help out and you feel a lot better soon.

[Cogidubnus]

The answer is clear: these are irony pills. They make your life suck worse, but then, you don't care.

In all seriousness, sir, I hope they do work well for you, and with a lack of side effects.

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

I remember going through a psychology class and learning that increased thoughts and actions of suicide are more common in people recovering from depression. Apparantly the depressed usually can't muster up the energy or conviction to really kill themselves.

But don't let my gloomly thought infect you Brun. You were one of the few to welcome me into this site when I joined, and I wish you the best of luck with this treatment.

[Lisky]

... yea, it's actually the coming out of a depression that leads to suicide because they start an upswing, hit a speed bump that turns out worse than person in question expected, they suspect that it's turning into a downswing, and feels they can't deal with another extended period of being down, constantly at an emotional level...

so yea, just hang in there brun, and remember, there are people out there that'll help you out through thick or thin...

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

so yea, just hang in there brun, and remember, there are people out there that'll help you out through thick or thin...

And annoying dweebs like us too! 

[Tezkat]

Sorry to hear about your problems with depression. Believe me; I know what that's like.

Give the happy pills a few weeks to do their thing. They work by healing your brain!

side effects may include:

-irritable bowels of a startling variety (wheee)

Most modern antidepressants affect serotonin, and about 95% of the body's serotonin is found in the gut, not the brain, so it's not surprising that a lot of the side effects are gut related. Nonetheless, it's unusual for the drugs to precipitate irritable bowel symptoms in people who don't already suffer from some kind of gut disorder. And certain kinds of gut problems will actually see improvement under the medication.

-change in sexual function (wait, what?)

Um... SSRIs can decrease sex drive. It's a fairly common side effect, and one most responsible for noncompliance with therapy. (Probably not what you wanted to hear, but it's not like they're gonna make you sterile or anything... )

-bleeding from orifices (what was that sex thing? im worried now)

I wouldn't be too worried. Bleeding (in males--mainly gastrointestinal bleeding) is a very rare side effect of drugs affecting serotonergic systems (which, in addition to influencing mood, also mediate blood clotting). We're talking a fraction of a percent of the people using SSRIs, here (a level of risk comparable to, say, taking Advil).

-and the sudden urge to stab yourself (this is an improvement?)

As other have mentioned, these drugs aren't likely to make you suddenly want to kill yourself.


Just remember that there are people out there thinking happy thoughts for you.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

-bleeding from orifices (what was that sex thing? im worried now)
-paranoia/panic attacks

The comment may be related to the next item on the list. ;-]

Fun.  I seem to recall the antidepressants my Dad was prescribed about 15 years ago listed 'psychopathic tendencies' as a possible side-effect.

"I'm like that all the time." ;-]

[Tiger_T]

Also remember that the side effects aren't all likely to happen.
Sometimes they just have to mention all of them because there might be a very slight chance some might occure.

Keep pulling through and read lots of DMFA.

May you recover soon and become well again!
*offers a hug*

[Zedd]

Well I hope they all work for you I hope

[Lysander]

Well if you want you kill yourself you'll know what to blame. Please don't do that, or bleed from random places. Hope you can be healthy and have a happy mind soon.   

[Brunhidden]

thanks for all the positive feedback, early on i had expected people to have some hateful and snarky things to say, which shows that the pills are at least lessening my self loathing enough to be considered to 'work' by now

and apparently the sexual function and bleeding thing are a little different then i expected, i am not exactly happy with the results on that part....

The answer is clear: these are irony pills. They make your life suck worse, but then, you don't care.

originally i had thought they slipped me weight loss pills by the list of side effects.... my suspicions of this have not allieved after my experience thus far

[Gabi]

Ouch. Sorry to hear that. I hope you get better soon. Remember there are many people who care for you, and things are not as bad as they may seem.

[superluser]

Geez.  Sorry to hear about that, Brun.

If you're seasonally affected, it should get partially better in the spring, and you can get lights to help.  Apart from that, I can only suggest talk therapy, which has always done fairly well for me.

[Redeyessoul]

Love! 

Fear not! 

I wish you good luck in your endeavors!  Depression is a punk, I deal with it myself, but thankfully we can muster and be awesome whenever we want.  it's just hard sometimes.  Don't give up!  We rock.

You rock!

And on a more serious note: Mashed potatoes as bandage is ineffectual.

[Kamunt]

side effects may include:

This is specifically why I avoid prescription medicine for such ends. I'd rather be depressed than have to worry about my face randomly hemorrhaging.

[PinkKitty]

Hmm... I know exactly what that feels like actually, Brunhidden... Usually I avoid medication for basically anything (tough out colds, stay away from pain-killers, etc etc) ...but after several years of absurd amounts of stress and the only pleasant times at all were time spent with friends (which my foster father tried to avoid letting me have) as well as just using games as a nice outlet to calm with (...he also tried to avoid letting me play those) ...it became too much and I basically went through a whole semester of university unable to concentrate on anything and constantly feeling down.

I realized I needed some help (usually prefer to be independent), so I eventually gave in and talked to my doctor. The pills work, really... I found after around 3 weeks I was able to concentrate again and was able to return to learning new things without it slipping away. Often the cause of depression is chemical which is why it is so near impossible to shake it off on your own... In most cases you only take the pills a year and usually after a couple months you no longer see any new effects anyways.

I hope they will work out for you as they have for me... Remember, the most important thing about life is living. Even when I was down I never lost my outlook of "there are many years left, things will improve as long as I keep trying"... Just believe in yourself, keep striving for your goals, and do not be too hard on yourself if you need some help along the way. I am not sure what else to say though...

[Brunhidden]

update- the one month trial period is over, the doctor has been consulted, the results are not pleasing


first off i was more depressed then i thought, it turns out the meds i was on were pretty heavy duty and they were only doing somewhere less then half the job. in the evening i could actually feel them wearing off.

second, it seems the higher dosages or change in prescription i most likely need will not happen for another month

third, seems some of the side effects i was afraid of were true. albeit far different reactions then i anticipated.


things were going better, now it looks like they're taking a nose dive in a dangerous way


in other somewhat related news it seems i have a permanent back problem stemming from a spinal injury i sustained as a child (my parents had me hang drywal when i was about thirteen) results in me having sporadic extreme back pain set off by things like picking up my children. the medications i need are muscle relaxants and heavy duty anti inflammation agents as this appears to be a problem with muscles screwed up and not the actual spine. however i can get neither of these, and i have been told to make do with poping advil like they were candy

[Jairus]

Ah, Brun... all of that just sucks, buddy. (gingerly) I can't offer much, but I hope things start working out better soon for you.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Indeed. Much suckitude.

We'll be here for you.

[Lysander]

Yeah, sorry to hear that. Hopefully when the medication change does come it will clear up a few things.   

[Teh_Hobo]

I too know exactly what it feels like. Started on those in middle school. Not much else to say that hasnt been said already, and since I'm new I dont really know you, but good luck, and I'll keep you in my prayers.