Need advice about depression meds

[pickles]

Hey everyone-
Last week, I went to the dermatologist so that I could get something to help with my breakouts that I have been having lately. Well, of course on the day I go, I actually didn't look that bad. So when they called me back there, the nurse looked at my back and arms and face and said that I didn't have acne. I got really upset when she said that, because I do get very bad breakouts, and of course that's when I pick the most! Anyways, the doctor finnally came and the first thing he said to me was, the nurse said you look really sad. I was kind of in shock when he said that. I was sad, but I wasn't thrilled to be there either b/c my counselor really wanted me to tell the doctor that I had csp. Telling other people is really hard for me, so i guess I didn't look the happiest b/c of that. After he looked at my skin, he told me what he was going to give me, and then he said not to pick or pop anything while on the medicine. Then I told him that I had a problem with that, and before I could say anything else he asked if I was ocd. I said yes and then he told me that I should see a psychiatrist so that I could be put on depression meds. I was really upset because I haven't been diagnosed w/ depression, but he said that I showed all the signs of it.

Anyways, the point of my long story is- I was just wondering if anyone out there could tell me what meds have worked for you and which ones haven't? I know everyone is different, but I am really paranoid about this because I have heard a lot of bad things about some of these depression drugs. I just want to get some kind of idea about these drugs before I see someone about this. Thank you so much for any advice! Take Care!

pickles

[Carree]

Hi Pickles-

Earlier this year I went to the doctors because I was really stressed out and having a hard time dealing with it all. While talking it became apparent that I have some characteristics of OCD and depression (at that time I did not tell her about the skin picking). First she tried me on prozac, it made me really tired but it did help somewhat with the stress. When I went back for a checkup she asked how the medicine was doing and I told her that it made me really tired but that it seemed to be helping. She asked if maybe I wanted to try another medicine, something she said might not make me so tired. She then prescribed Celexa for me. I was on that for awhile but it still made me really tired but besides being tired I felt really good. I almost felt like a different person. My next checkup my sister talked me into telling the doctor about my skin picking. My doctor then decided to give me Effexor, she said that I would be able to take this in higher dosages and it may not make me as tired and it may also help with the skin picking. Finally I am really happy with this medicine. I am not so tired anymore and I think that it helping somewhat with the picking. I think my whole state of mind has changed making everything in life so much easier to handle. The key is to find a medicine that works for YOU. Like you said everyone is different and it took me three trys before I found one that has really helped. Being on medicine is not something to be ashamed of especially if it can make your life so much better in so many ways!

Hope I helped!
Carree

[pickles]

Thanks Carree! You did help. You made me feel a lot better about going on some meds.

pickles

[theta]

I haven't told my psychiatrist about my picking yet (it's invisible to people since I mostly pick at my feet), but am on meds for depression.
I've been on Prozac and Zoloft. Both of these did absolutely nothing for me. Now I'm on Effexor, which is helping a lot.
As Carree said, you have to try things out. My girlfriend was on Effexor, but it made her really sick.. so she's been put on other things. It can be difficult, but you will find something that helps you in the end.
Eva

[Carree]

Pickles-

I also want to say that you do need to give each medicine some time for your body to get used to it. When I first started taking Effexor it made me really tired. I take it at about 6pm and at first I had a really hard time getting up in the morning but one day it was like my body finally got used to it and I don't feel so tired anymore. I actually sometimes even wake up before my alarm or my son!

Good Luck.
Carree

[Icyblackkat]

I've been on Effexor XR for around a year now, I've just recently been upped to the maximum dose of 225mg.
I've found it's done nothing to help with my "problem" and only helped with depression in the begining but no longer seems to make much of a difference. However, I guess a lot of people have found Effexor to be usefull, the key really is to try different meds untill one works.
I'd be interested to know if you find an anti-depressant that works well for you as it looks like I'll be switching mine yet again
Good luck ;D

[pixelmonkey]

Just wanted to chime in here -- I've been on just about every SSRI in the book (for both CSP & depression) & wanted to share my experiences.

I took Effexor XR for six months and found it made my picking much worse. It's one of the more "activating" of the SSRI family, and a lot of people tend to find it actually makes them very wired. My personality changed drastically while on it. I became a way more agressive person that I normally am. I just didn't feel (or act) like myself and it didn't help with the picking.

What was really awful, though, was when my doctor decided to switch me off of it. I really don't want to scare you guys but you should know that it has some of the absolute worse withdrawal symptoms of any SSRI. I couldn't move my head or eyes without getting this horrible "electric shock" sensation. There was one point, a week into my tapering off, where I was literally crawling around the apartment on the floor because it hurt too much to stand. Do your research -- when I was going off it I found loads of message boards with people talking about just how bad the withdrawal is.

I finally made it off, switched to Celexa, and am actually on 20 mg Lexapro at the moment (a purer form of Celexa). This med has the absolute smallest amount of side effects of anything I've taken. It has not, however, helped with the picking. But what it does do is help me to not worry and not blame myself when I do pick. I can go outside, go to social functions, without constantly worrying that people are staring at my skin. And best of all I still feel like myself.

I would just really advise anyone who's considering trying a new medication to do their research beforehand, and get real-life info from people who've actually taken it, not just your doctor with his Physician's Desk Reference in hand.

[Laura]

My doctor put me on Prozac, which didn't work, and now Zoloft. Zoloft works on my moods, my parents say I am alot happier. But it does nothing to help my CSP, and on the inside I still feel sad. When I see my psych, he might change my meds. But that won't be til January.

[jaclina]

I just wanted to let you know that pschy meds are all bad. I was on Prozac and it made me irritable and not allow me to sleep. I was constantly on a high rush to do anything, which was good, but the real me was hurting inside and being covered with meds. I would suggest Homoepathy and exercise, As far as the acne, I am still suffering from it and was using Pro-Active, it works! Or try the scarring cream Elicina!
You can check Hoemoepathy sites or check your local health store for a local Homeopathy specialist. Sometimes its a mienral deficinecy and your body needs to heal its self. Most of the remedies are all made from plant deritives or from the earth which is all natural, sounds crazy but I am living proof that you don't need psych meds. Its also safer because if you are young there are also other issues during the adolesence that TEXTTEXTthe remedy will heal the body from.
Check it out!
TEXT.

[jaclina]

I just wanted to let you know that pschy meds are all bad. I was on Prozac and it made me irritable and not allow me to sleep. I was constantly on a high rush to do anything, which was good, but the real me was hurting inside and being covered with meds. I would suggest Homoepathy and exercise, As far as the acne, I am still suffering from it and was using Pro-Active, it works! Or try the scarring cream Elicina!
You can check Hoemoepathy sites or check your local health store for a local Homeopathy specialist. Sometimes its a mienral deficinecy and your body needs to heal its self. Most of the remedies are all made from plant deritives or from the earth which is all natural, sounds crazy but I am living proof that you don't need psych meds. Its also safer because if you are young there are also other issues during the adolesence that TEXTTEXTthe remedy will heal the body from.
Check it out!
PS: MARE SURE TO EXPLAIN TO THE HOMEOPATHIST ABOUT ANY ALLERGIES OR MEDICAL HISTORY . CERTAIN REMEDIES THAT INTERACT WITH CONVENTIONAL MEDICINES CAN BE SERIOUS.

[Teresa =)]

mmh... it sounds very interesting....
i think i will take some streight and force and take off my panic to medicines... but i need some motivation!!! and money also..... another prob is that the treatment to expensive!! well all treatmets are.. oh shit.... i am making a storm on a glass of water
Teresa.

[downtimeheals]

I believe that one of the most important thing about using antidepressants (as well as many other psychiatric drugs) is to TAPER both on to and off of a med whenever possible...give your system a chance to adjust to changes of dosage in either direction. Find a psychiatrist who uses this approach, or tell your doctor that this is the approach you're comfortable with.

When going on a new drug, the gradual upping of dosage not only gives your body a chance to adjust, it gives you a chance to pay close attention to how it's affecting you--things that are working as well as things that are bothering you. Such close attention to the action of the drug as it's starting to take hold can give you the best sense of how it affects you, as well as what different dosages feel like. Trust your instincts--give a new med a chance, but DON'T talk yourself into staying on a drug if you realize you don't like how it's affecting you, just because you think you should or are hoping it's working when deep down you know it's not.

Similarly, when going off most antidepressants, it's true--withdrawal can be really awful, especially if you mistakenly think that all the feelings you're experiencing are just how you are without the drug! This isn't the case...taper as slowly as you can so as to suffer as little withdrawal as possible; know what symptoms you might experience, and remember that this too will pass. Your body is detoxing--it takes time to get your equilibrium back.

One more thought: the first time I was prescribed an antidepressant, I was abruptly flipped out of deep clinical depression into acute mania. Whoops...turned out I was bipolar (manic depressive) not unipolar (depressive without the manic flip-side) and really CANNOT be on an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer (as in lithium, carbamazepine, depakote, etc.) to keep me from tripping out in the other direction. If you have a really "out there" reaction to an antidepressant, as in it seems to send your system skyrocketing to the other end of the spectrum from depression (albeit in a bad way) consider this scenario. Your temperament might have TWO poles, not one, that you need to guard against when considering meds--and antidepressants without mood stabilizers are potentially downright dangerous for you. Yet another reason to up dosages GRADUALLY, instead of jumpstarting your system with a new med.

[Weirdo13]

I was diagnosed with depression about 6 or 7 years ago, before I began skin picking. I went on Prozac and its generic form for a long time. It worked. I had my moments but I was happier and more "normal." Then I seemed to have become tolerant to the medication and it no longer worked. Now I'm on Lexapro. It also helps but I have a lot of moments. I forget to take it a lot. Nothing will "fix" me, only help. I haven't noticed any side effects of either drug. You might want to see a psychiatrist to make sure you have depression. A dermatologist's field is skin, not emotional disorders. I don't think any anti-depressant will help with skin picking. While it seems that a lot of people who pick their skin have depression, they're 2 seperate problems. I hate to say this but, nothing will end skin picking except you. There's no magic drug or cream. It's gonna be hard but we can do it.

[aj]

Hi - I have to say I completely disagree that psych meds are all bad. I have been off and on meds for years, I have a chemical imbalance that causes chronic depression and I also have OCD. I've had OCD since I was a child was never diagnosed until my 20s. I tried to go off meds last year, I'm 37, to go the "all natural" way. I couldn't do it, the chemicals in my body are so whacked that I needed the meds. Not everyone is this bad and not everyone needs meds but please don't rule them out, they could be the best thing that ever happened to you. I'm a believer in holisitc healing, natural foods, I rarely get somehting that requires antibiotics, I would prefer not loading my body with various drugs but I have realized that I need antidepressants to make it through life. It was extremely hard to admit that, I thought I could beat the OCD and the depression on my own through Yoga and diet but I can't. Please, please don't give up on any help you may need to get through whatever you may have. I have been on several meds, Prozac, Zoloft, Serizone, Welbutrin, Paxil and Effexor. Prozac worked in the beginning, Paxil and Serizone were a nightmare, Zoloft made me sleepy, Wellbutrin gave me headaches. Effexor was the best for a while, then it stopped, I was up to 225 mg. It also made the skin picking part of my OCD worse. I'm now on Lexapro and it seems to be working so far, it's only been a couple weeks. I still have to take Ambien to sleep, I needed it because I just couldn't get the deep sleep on the Effexor. I have to say that I feel good, I am motivated, I don't have anxiety attacks or wish to be dead when I have the SSRI's in my system. It was sooooo hard for me to understand that, I thought I could beat these problems. I have a great therapist and I take one day at a time with the meds. It's truly amazing how good you can feel once you figure out what works for you. And sometimes, once you get that good feeling, if it's not chemical, you are able to get to a place that lets you come off the meds. NEVER GO COLD TURKEY THOUGH - IT CAN BE DANGEROUS. I also recommend a phychiatrist, not just your family doctor, these meds can be tricky and if you are on other drugs or have other health issues you may need that expertise.

Good luck to everyone. I hope this helps, I don't want to preach but I don't think one specific "fix" is right for everyone.

[sos]

Hi to all...
I completely agree with AJ, all anti-depressents are not bad, I have the same story as AJ, except Prozac was the only med that made me 100% normal...pick free for 2 whole years...then it stopped working for me...I tried Lexapro but picked more trying Effexor and seems to be working, we will see. If I miss one day off this med it makes me very sick with dizzyness and a tingling sensation all over my body... Like AJ said and most everyone knows DO NOT QUIT YOUR MED COLD TURKEY, especially when you've been on it awhile...I was on Buspar and Luvox together and quit cold turkey...FOR TWO WEEKS I THOUGHT I WAS DYING FROM A BRAIN TUMOR...I could hear my brain, I felt like that part in the movie "DAREDEVIL" when Ben Affleck's senses were going crazy and were very painful...went to the doctors and he said it was me stopping the meds cold turkey. Thats when I learned not to f around with any of my meds. ever again...
Much Peace & Love,
Sos