edited

This post has been edited by Brielle123: Mar 30 2014, 10:34 PM

Antidepressants has tonnes of side-effect.

Gaining weight and feeling lethargic and acne are quite common.

Ask your doctor for another change if you don't feel it's working.

Don't stop from taking pills unless you are instructed by a doc to do so, something very bad will happen to u..sometimes u think u are ok, but act u are not..

you can try benzoyl peroxide to control your pimples.

Common side-effects of mirtazapine include dizziness, blurred vision, sedation, somnolence, malaise, increased appetite, weight gain (as a result of increased appetite), dry mouth, constipation, and joint and muscle pain. Less common side-effects that tend to occur more often at higher doses include restlessness, irritability, aggression, apathy, anhedonia, difficulty swallowing, shallow breathing, decreased body temperature, pupil constriction, nocturnal emissions, spontaneous orgasms, impaired balance, restless legs syndrome, and vivid dreams.[2][46][47][48] Rare and potentially serious adverse reactions of mirtazapine include allergic reaction, edema, fainting, seizures, bone marrow suppression, myelodysplasia, and agranulocytosis.[14]
Mirtazapine is not considered to have a risk of many of the side-effects often associated with other antidepressants like the SSRIs, and may actually improve certain ones when taken in conjunction with them.[2][40] These adverse effects include decreased appetite, weight loss, insomnia, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, urinary retention, increased body temperature, excessive sweating, pupil dilation, and sexual dysfunction.[2][40]
In general, some antidepressants, especially SSRIs, can paradoxically exacerbate some patients' depression or anxiety or cause suicidal ideation.[49] Despite its sedating action, mirtazapine is also believed to be capable of this, and for this reason in the United States and certain other countries it carries a black box label warning of these potential effects.

I think the best one is "spontaneous orgasms".

This post has been edited by th3.h04rd3r: Sep 19 2013, 10:40 AM

stop the pill, get some execirse, stop facbooking, coz it will definitely increase ur depression, get well in natural way not pill

walao.. spontaneous??

will it work on everyone?

depends on the individual. apart from benzoyl peroxide, topical Dalacin T might works too.

for benzoyl peroxide, if 5% not strong enough for your pimples, try 10%.

alright... will try n inquire about it.. thanks

the side-effect that i have experienced before was extreme grogginess/sleepiness after waking up (causing me to knock on two cars on the way to work)

another one would be weight gain. i gained 5-8 kgs after consuming the medication.

This post has been edited by JessicaAlba: Sep 20 2013, 12:19 AM

It depends act,
if he/she have biological Mdd, he should take the medication. Mean he/she Lack of serotonin, so need medication that increase the serotonin. But if he/she just psychology Mdd, he can stop the medication after he not depress anymore and the dr will teach about psychological treatment.

All drug have side effect and suppose to be the Dr need to inform u about the side effect of the drug. Im working in medical field, and I had seen a lot of patient with Mdd. I have encountered pt with no serious problem at all but depress most of the day, feeling useless, had suicidal attempt and most other symptom of mdd. After medication he become well. What i want to mention is, if he is real mdd patient (lack of serotonin) he should replenish back his serotonin to normal. But if he just have problem, and feel depress and meet dr to relieve the depress mood, it is not right. Good dr will be able to distinguish real mdd and fake mdd.
Yes there is dr that want to take profit from others, but not all like that. not just dr but all others jobs also like that.
I have not seen yet the movie, but i will.

Sorry if i have grammar mistake.

Medical knowledge is a lot but i will learn it till the end of my life.
yes, most of the times its on prescribing the medication, but i had been taught to prescribe the medication only to those who truely needed the medication and not all. Luckily, in Malaysia, most of the drug is free from government clinic and hospital. But bare in mind all those medication is paid by all tax payer in Malaysia. The pharmaceutical company take this opportunity to make profit by it. I dont want to talk about those party that want profit. We cant stop them. In medical field esp in psychiatry, u can manage patient either phamacological or psychology ways. If u dont like taking medication coz of side effect or whatever the reason, u can meet psychology dr to learn way how to cope/against all those symptoms.

mm actually why are you taking antidepressant? its not good to take for long term unless you're prescribed by specialist such as a psychiatrist.

Best anti depressant is still "friend(s)"

support from family, friends, spouses are good, but there are times when professional help is needed (and sometimes medication). so, really, case by case 1

Ya agreed. Combo of those that you mentioned. But the main ingredient is still friend. Because many a times, one is not so willing to confide with family members. Friend usually is more approachable.

yes true, but most people who dont know what is 'depression' often think it's just feeling down, or people will just brush it off saying "i'm sure you can cope" or "i'm sure you'll be better soon".

a real depression, is not like that at all.

I gained 10kg in one month.

Yes. A psychiatrist prescribed me the pills

My friends left me. I quitted college temporary. My family especially my mom go around and tells people that I'm crazy just because I went to see a psychiatrist.
If you've been in the same place or similar, you'd understand.

not me, but someone very close to me. so i witnessed the entire thing
i really hope u r feeling better now. follow the psychiatrist's advice. i'm sure he/she is able to help u. and no, u're not crazy. depression is a medical condition, can be biological. that is why professional help is needed most of the time.

I can't say I'm feeling better because everything happened to me is just too painful for me to take. It's like a knife stuck inside you. It hurts.
It's crazy. My parents are disappointed in me because of me stopping college temporary cuz I was just too scared to go. Even thinking about it makes me cry.
It really took me some time to finally talk/face my parents. I'm so embarrassed of myself and guilty.

It was tough.

thats the thing. if you have no problem sleeping then i suggest u to ask your psychiatrist to replace remeron with another AD

I got off remeron and i shed around 10 kilos +/-

Mirtazapine is notorious for causing weight gain.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/588676


Worse, mirtazapine has a far longer half-life in females, 37 hours,
which means that half the drug will still be in your system after one
and a half days.


http://bipolar.about.com/od/remeron/a/remeron_profile.htm


Mirtazapine acts on many receptors - serotonin, alpha, dopamine and histamine.
Because it does not act on noradrenergic receptors, it has hardly any risk
of side effects on the heart, unlike the older tricyclics.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirtazapine


It is classified as a tetracyclic, being modified from the first generation tetracyclic,
mianserin (Bolvidon).


Some life extensionists (people who are into anti-aging) take mirtazapine, because
one study on worms showed it extended their lifespan.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/18033297



You can try asking your doctor to switch you to one of the newer SSRIs, but be
aware that these are more difficult to withdraw from, and should be tapered off
slowly, not stopped abruptly.

You can also ask him about the older drug, buproprion (Wellbutrin), which is
not related to the tricyclics, tetracyclics nor SSRIs.


Some of these people reported weight loss with Prozac (fluoxetine, the first
generation SSRI) and Wellbutrin.

Others also say that Lexapro (escitalopram) does not cause weight gain, as well
as the older drug, Celexa (citalopram).


https://www.myptsd.com/c/threads/anti-depre...ight-gain.7099/



If you have depression without anxiety, this psychiatrist recommends Wellbutrin
as the only antidepressant that typically causes weight loss.

He also mentions that Lexapro does not usually cause weight gain, and Lexapro
and Wellbutrin are commonly prescribed together.

http://malaysia.answers.yahoo.com/question...10035813AAFgFg6

u wanna try another psychiatrist? or maybe bringing your family there together, at least they can understand the situation better? most people who don understand depression, will be very quickly to judge those who are under depression

After reading this topic I understand n feel TS
I had a different difficult journey that lead me to anxiety attacked and depression for sometime like 1-2 years

I almost went to see a psychiatrist like tomorrow (an example)
Thank God I took my hardest first step out of my depression and anxiety by just freaking do it no matter how much fear I had that time
It's dam tough

So I understand and today I'm ok and happy cos I faced my fear.

That was my solution to my depression.

antidepressant increases certain neurotransmitter in the brain thus tips of the other neurotransmitter. acne caused by imbalance of hormones are very natural. Cleanse tone moisturise and do masque will help prevent acne outbreak

I wonder anyone here has any experience with St John's wort. I have been using it for about 2 weeks now & it seems to be effective in terms of feeling more relax & fell less agitated when waking up in the morning.

Glad that you're well now.
1-2 years is short. I have been depressed for 6 years. and still finding a way to 'cure' myself.

Besides family support u need alot of friends support and last resort is still on yourself
Dont give up , Move on no matter how hard

Well yeah.. but I lost most of my friends coz of my depression and anxiety.
Family is disappointed in me. trying my best to think positive.

Yes just remember that ur mind is weak so it is controlling u
It suppose to be U control ur mind on what to think and what to ignore =)

Anyway start by exercising , do some jogging or anything that u prefer to make urself move around abit more and u will be surprise u might want more cos u will feel better
after that.

This post has been edited by paige.pc: Oct 13 2013, 12:26 AM

Those ''friends'' who dump you because you are depressed and having
personal problems are not sincere friends, and not worth keeping.

That's what I have found out over the years.


You could try the following supplements to see if they can help you with
your condition as well as possibly reduce your dependence on drugs.

Yes, St John's wort is well known as a herbal treatment for depression. Note that
if you take it, you may have to reduce the dosage of antidepressant drugs to avoid
additive effects.

Others which may help are 5-HTP, L-theanine, magnesium threonate, fish oil and SAMe.



WS 5570, the German standardized St John's wort extract is as good as paroxetine (Paxil).

Acute treatment of moderate to severe depression with hypericum
extract WS 5570 (St John's wort): randomised controlled double blind
non-inferiority trial versus paroxetine.

http://www.bmj.com/content/330/7490/503


Hypericum extract WS(®) 5570 for depression - An overview.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23808616



Augmentation of antidepressants with unsaturated fatty acids
omega-3 in drug-resistant depression.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23214161



Complementary and alternative medicine for the treatment of major depressive disorder.

http://www.cfp.ca/content/57/6/659.long



Omega-3 Fatty Acid Helpful in Medication-Refractory Depression.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/430191




SAMe: Treatment Resistant Depression


http://www.preparemd.com/supplements-vitam...-harvard-study/




Life Extension Foundation's protocol for depression.

http://www.lef.org/protocols/emotional_hea...s.htm#AnchorSug



Healthnotes :

http://www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/health/he...ful-supplements

No one mentioned exercise and diet yet?

“Above and beyond the standard benefits of exercise in healthy living and general well-being, there is strong evidence demonstrating the ability of exercise to in fact treat mental illness and have significant benefits on a neurotrophic, neurobiologic basis,”

"Patients who consume a diet rich in high-fat dairy products and fried, refined, and sugary foods are at increased risk of developing depression, whereas those whose diet is rich in fish, fruit, and vegetables are at lower risk of developing depression, a new study shows."

Exercise Gains Momentum as Psychiatric Treatment
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/774639
http://www.johnmcconnellphd.com/areas-of-p...rch-depression/

TS, I sincerely feel you as I experienced this before. Remember, depression is not a disease, it's a sign that you are holding into something or been strong for too long.

Now it's time for you to let go of your old self / detach and reborn again...

How? As mentioned by others, start exercising. If you feel dreadful to start, try walking in the morning instead. Do it at least 20 minutes coupled with deep breathing in a relaxed way. Remember attitude is important and keep it PERSISTENTLY everyday.

Avoid processed foods and stick to whole foods. Types of foods already mentioned in previous posts. Drink plenty of warm water. If your central nervous system is dehydrated, stress can kicks in.

Supplement? I prefer herbs than pills. I recommend ashwagandha herbs.
http://www.asianhealthsecrets.com/ashwagan...nervous-system/

Avoid coffee. Although it stimulate your alertness, you'll feel the after effect. Try chamomile tea, etc...
http://www.ayurvediccure.com/top-herbal-re...nxiety-attacks/

Since you don't have friends, you can get some motivation books / audiobooks to brain wash your mind for the time being. You need to master your mind as it can bring wonders or kills you.
Two good books I had read so far:
1. Be happy by andrew matthews
2. How to stop worrying and start living by Dale Carnegie

If you are the kind of person who always hook to facebook, search for Elliot Hulse and view some of his videos on anxiety / depression / etc...

But at least, try start to create more friends by joining some religious / spiritual gathering. Human bonding is important...go find a bf and fell in love

Thank you for the info.
But sadly my weight doesn't change much and my acne is still the same. I felt so embarrassed to go out, my jeans doesn't fit me anymore. I didn't eat much junk foods already but still the same.

This is your personal stigma my fren. You judge urself too much

I have a similar fren, its a guy btw who has this similar situation...he always complains that he is too skinny, said that all the clothes that he wears doesnt look good or fit him properly...he feels embarrassed when he goes to public places...when someone told him that he is too skinny, his anxiety starts to kick in coz he might b thinking he got illness or bla bla...

@activexxx wtf, it's a disease... what you experienced isn't the same as what others do. stop recommending "herbs".

@Brielle123
It's a good thing you decide to get help. Ignore your mom telling ppl you're crazy (mine did the same thing). But at this point, 0 f***s to be given.

If purely biological, take meds. If not, light dose of meds + counselling.

Ask your doc to switch if you're unhappy with your current ones. Try different ones. They don't always work, usually try a few months then see effect.

You can try Wellbutrin (some experience weight loss side effect). I've tried Lexapro and Prozac, both didn't do much.

What helped me a lot is STRUCTURE. You need to force yourself into a routine. Do little by little. Depression never really goes away, or it hasn't for me anyway. If I get an episode, I'll be crippled for a few days.

Compelling research evidence exists that there is often a neurophysiological basis for depression, particularly in people with a family history of depression.

The left frontal area of the brain is associated with positive emotions and approach motivation, which is a desire to be involved with other people. The right frontal area of the brain is more associated with depression and fear, accompanied by motivation to withdraw from and avoid other people. When there is more slow brainwave activity in the left frontal area, this part of the brain is more inactive and the right frontal area is more dominant. Such a person is predisposed to become depressed more easily, to withdraw from other people, and to be anxious.

It is interesting that research has found that antidepressants do not correct the type of brainwave pattern that we see above on the left. Thus, medication treatment for depression appears to still leave intact the biological predisposition for becoming more easily depressed when unpleasant life circumstances come along.

I am working in a proactive healthcare centre (non-drug approach) at Setapak as a psychologist. I am supervised by a medical doctor and a PHD level psychologist who specializing in biofeedback for more than 20 years. I am using clinical hypnotherapy and biofeedback methods to help my clients.
Our unique approach for depression appear very promising not only in bringing relief from depression, but in modifying the underlying biological predisposition for becoming depressed. Our unique therapy program focuses on retraining the brain, for example, reversing the frontal brainwave asymmetry, with the goal of producing an enduring change that does not require people to remain on medication indefinitely. Training often requires about 20 to 22 sessions.

This post has been edited by zeropoint9: Jan 9 2014, 10:34 AM

Thanks! I'll ask my doctor to change my meds. I'm glad I postponed it to next thursday!
As for now I tried to skip my medicine to see if I can live without it but I get the worst insomnia ever. lol.
and yea I had a lot of ppl recommending herbs for depression. kind of annoying tho..

the first thing in taking anti depressant is the withdrawal from it...you will have suicidal tendency ...mood swings ... better talk it out with your friends , go somewhere else for a while , meditate ...pills wont help you ..trust me ..it only stop the problem temporarily ..

thank you for your kind words.
Yes, my doctor told me I'm only taking it temporary. Not for long run. I'll stop it once she thinks I'm fine and stable.
I do have all the problems that you pointed out. But I've got no choice. I've got too much burden. And I do talk it out with my bff, it felt good but it doesn't solve my 'problems'. I do go out alone sometimes to read some novels, spend some time for myself. It is nice, but once I went home, everything goes back to original. I'm moody again. Locking myself in room.

The root of my depression isn't solved. It never will.

The mind-body connection is prevalent in many diseases.

The use of biofeedback and hypnosis in depression are viable and powerful
forms of nondrug therapies, and may well help to wean you off your dependence
on antidepressants and their side effects. I think you should contact Zeropoint9 above
for more information about his treatment centre.




Cognitive hypnotherapy for major depressive disorder.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/22655331



Suggestion in the treatment of depression.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23488249/




The power of belief and expectancy in understanding and management of depression.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23488252/




Out-of-illness experience: hypnotically induced dissociation as a therapeutic
resource in treating people with obstinate mental disorders.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/19711767





Feasibility of clinical hypnosis for the treatment of Parkinson's disease: a case study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23427841




Efficacy of hypnosis-based treatment in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a pilot study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23162510/




Antidepressants in the treatment of depression: the clinician and the controversy.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23488250




Treating depression with antidepressants:
drug-placebo efficacy debates limit broader considerations.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23488253





Game-based biofeedback for paediatric anxiety and depression.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/2294290




Is alpha wave neurofeedback effective with randomized
clinical trials in depression? A pilot study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21063132



A new neurofeedback protocol for depression.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21568194




Audio-biofeedback training for posture and balance in
patients with Parkinson's disease.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21693054/?




Biofeedback therapy for symptoms of bowel dysfunction
following surgery for colorectal cancer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21755415/



Bowel biofeedback treatment in patients with
multiple sclerosis and bowel symptoms.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21825891/




Biofeedback in the treatment of heart disease.

'' Preliminary data suggest that use of BFSM (biofeedback-assisted stress
management) by heart failure patients may actually cause cellular and
molecular remodeling of the failing heart in the direction of normal. ''

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21972325






This post has been edited by Tham: Feb 5 2014, 04:49 AM

Thanks Tham for all these useful information.
Hypnosis and CBT together are known to be far more effective than CBT alone.
Hypnotherapy naturally causes reduction in the need to take Antidepressant, it can help you reach your goal of coming off antidepressants. I have helped many clients to reduce their drug dosage (But make sure you get an advice from your psychiatrist about reducing drugs if you are taking any anti depressant or sleeping pill now)

Success Casehttp://www.newmindcentre.com/search/label/Testimonials

EFT tapping therapy will help too. If need any help for EFT, you can PM me. My friend is licensed therapist.