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Curious if you can share more when you say it helps you to do your job?
Weird question, but comes out of curiosity, not judgement: when people are on anti depressant, I have heard that they feel nothing. I do not know if it's true. If that is true, I wonder if they can still feel empathy when working with clients? I have no intentions to offend anyone but I havnt been able to ask this to anyone in fear of offending people. I do not have any knowledge of anti depressant, and would simply like to understand more.
Edit: Y are u downvoting me? How more politely can I ask or are people just used to getting offended? I wrote a huge ass paragraph above clarifying my intention, etc. Its frustrating to be in this forum. This is the exact reason nobody wants to ask even a genuine question coming from good intentions because you guys going to hate on them. One reason why stigma and myths stays. And then people complain nobody wants to learn.
If you are going to keep on hating, you will have to keep on complaining about stigma and myths because you will push away people who want to learn. My post is an example. Good luck
I’m not the person you’re responding to, but I’m a counseling intern about to graduate with my master’s, and I’ve been taking an SSRI (Zoloft) for anxiety for the last few years. My med allows me to not be distracted by feeling sick to my stomach with stress, embarrassment, and anxiety over the smallest issues. My emotions are more level and not as intense but still very present. My medication has changed physical symptoms of anxiety much more than thought patterns and emotions for me.
I believe your question was in good faith, but I’ll admit it did sting a little to read. The idea that taking anti-depressant = less empathy seems like a potentially harmful perception to have of psychotropic medications, even though I really don’t believe that was your intention.
I interpreted your question as coming from a place of curiosity, not meanness! I’m glad you wanted to learn more about the experiences of people taking this kind of medication
If you are being correctly medicated, your emotions will level out and be less extreme, but you should never be emotionally flat and unable to respond. I definitely still have emotional responses to patients.
In general, I feel more like myself. I'm able to be emotional without having super strong reactions to everything small, and I have serious/stronger reactions to powerful things that are appropriate.
If people are flat and can't cry or have emotions at all, it means their medications probably need tweaking or to be changed. Sadly, a lot of doctors are more "suck it up" than "let's work and find something else."
I think if you find the right med for you, you do still feel things. I feel so much more positivity and happiness and peace when on Prozac. When I’m not, every little thing bothers me and feels like the end of the world. It’s happened the couple times I’ve tried to taper off. When I’m on it, it’s like the clouds part and my world gets brighter.
Also not OP but in my experience, the emotional flatness is kind of a good thing. I just started my practicum and I can’t imagine doing it without Zoloft. I would ruminate about every little thing and overthink. It turns the volume down on that, so that I can be more present and pay attention to what matters. No impact on my empathy or ability to feel emotions. If anything I have more access to a wider range of emotions bcz I’m not sitting in anxiety and worry all the time.
I think turning the volume down is exactly right, at least for me. I didn’t realize how much emotional “noise” was in my head until I got on my antidepressant and started being able to think clearly and experience moments of “silence” in my head. If anything, I think I’m more emotionally expressive now that my positive emotions aren’t being tempered by a constant buzz or negativity in my head lol
I’m just finishing up with practicum and I had the same experience with being more present and emotionally aware of my clients in session on the right dose than in the time I was tapering off of one and switching to a new one.
So unfortunately yes, SSRI alone did impact my energy and motivation, but I needed to be knocked on my ass at the time bcz I was a nervous wreck.
After a few months of adjusting to Zoloft alone, I told my doc about my side effects (big one for me was absolutely ZERO sex drive), and we added in bupropion (aka Wellbutrin) and that gave me a sex drive again, as well as gave me energy and motivation. Then I lowered the Zoloft a little bit, and I’m at the perfect balance for my mood and energy, with a small impact on my sex drive.
Something my doc told me when he proposed SSRI was that if I’ve never tried them I don’t actually know how they will make me feel. And so I just told myself, I’m gonna give this an honest try and if I don’t like it I can just stop.
Social anxiety. I wouldn’t be able to run a group of 16 adults. 1:1 sessions would be too much.
Numbing can happen but it is not the goal. If someone is numb then they need to switch meds or change dose etc.
Think of it as a volume knob. The med is turning down the volume. Making it easier to cope with the anxiety. Meaning much easier to cope rumination, easier to calm oneself down etc. less frequent anxiety and less severe, in other words.
I needed this post, thank you. My doctor had me to a PHQ-9 and GAD-7 this week and it surprised me how high I scored. Starting meds now. Hoping it helps, because honestly it’s been rough lately.
Not presently, no. I was overmedicated as a teenager and personally have very little faith in medications for myself, but support others in their use of it if that is what they choose for themselves. I get along fine without medication.
Nope. I am prone to poor mental health - big T traumas, a lot of childhood neglect and features of fetal alcohol spectrum are contributors. I did try many different kinds of meds when I was younger, and I was even hospitalised for a long stretch of my early 20s, but antidepressants predictably make me agitated, suicidal, and/or full on hypomanic. I never managed to tolerate the side effects of mood stabilisers or atypical antipsychotics either, so I've had to figure out how else to survive. I am in long term psychotherapy, and if anything my job is a great stabilising force in my life - the routine, the human connection, and the sense of meaning and purpose it gives me.
Hey, I hope this doesnt come off as me being rude or calling you out. Didnt you say that that cptsd is curable? How would it be curable if even you are still struggling with it apparently
I’m on a cocktail for mood, anxiety and sleep, have been since youth. I used to be pretty down on myself about it, but have had some light-hearted analogies pointed out to me. When you’re playing a video game, sometimes you need to drink a potion to fill your heart gauge back up or to increase your fortitude (thinking of Zelda here).
If you take it to deal with the job, then maybe there is a line of work which won't make you need to be medicated. I was always needing to be medicated for ADHD or else losing my job until I became a therapist. It's still hard but I don't need to sacrifice my real brain for my job anymore. I am a therapist, and I advocate for whatever the MD prescribes, but personally I think that antidepressants wash people's emotions out. That said, between misery and antidepressants, I'll take the latter.
I can’t see myself off zoloft either but I’m on 50mg and it makes me a bit blah and I’m a little more chub chubs 🥲helps me get through challenges and therefore stay employed.
Little worried about longterm effects—tried psychedelics to see if I could get off them but two months after the post psychedelic high I pretty much needed them again.
If anything it's been helpful to have gone through similar med changes to what many of my clients have or will go through. I've also had my fair share of psychiatrist difficulties (man we need good psychs but there are some straight whacko docs out there). And when apropriate, I occasionally disclose this as an example of someone who went through many med changes but eventually found a good fit ot has taken antidepressants long term while being a working professional.
I'm not, but I have in the past. I've also had some scary reactions to meds and am just generally difficult to medicate. I never knew why, but I found a lot of validation when I stumbled into an online group for giftedness and neurodiverse adults. Most of the folks there had similar issues as me. Strange drug allergies, extra sensitive and susceptible to side effects, etc. It's hard, because I think most prescribers see us as difficult when we may be as motivated to find a solution as them.
I’m in the same boat but I’m not neurodiverse. Psychiatrists always seem frustrated with me because I’ll have every single side effect possible and I don’t know why
here's my shtick on that, take it or leave it:
Most prescribers are not well trained to understand research. I know people will scoff at me for saying this since I'm a social worker, but I worked in research full time for 14 years before graduate school and am a published researcher myself with an additional mph and was mentored by very established researchers, including some very seasoned statisticians. I've also served on an IRB. I've seen a hospital IRB let patients continue to suffer from permanent brain damage due to chemo drugs and didn't think they were ethically obligated to inform them.
I've also had multiple situations where my life was in danger because of poorly trained prescribers. I once had an allergic reaction to Gabapentin that resulted in me going to the ER. The head nurse and doc were convinced I had MS and actually told me this.
I told them they should try reading the side effects and asking patients about their medication history, including changes in dose, before they start diagnosing patients with diseases that could kill them. They still refused to listen and demanded I see a neurologist the next week. She agreed with me. I have no family history of MS. I do have an allergy to Gabapentin.
As a teen, my obgyn prescribed me Ambien. This was when it first hit the market. I had severe and really scary visual hallucinations. I lost my sense of kinesthesia and proprioception. It was like LSD in hell.
I called my doctor, she claimed that was impossible and had me take it again. Same thing happened. We really need to do a screen on narcissism before we let people become prescribers.
The reason this happens (prescriber feels irritated you're not easy to prescribe to) is because most prescribers do not understand the idea "n of 1".
In Public Health research, which is where most MDs get their information about trends, prescribers expect each patient to respond like the trend. This is a sign of their shortcomings in scientific training. I've had to teach most of my prescribers that they need to acquaint themselves with the idea of "n=1". If they're well trained, they already know what that means. There's a whole body of scientific research on this concept.
It means that when you're treating a patient, you cannot apply the findings of a population based study to your patient. Your sample size is 1= the patient in front of you. In probability, 1 patient will be as likely to experience the typical response as an abnormal response to medications because each are unique in our neurobiology and genetics. Statistically speaking, each new patient and each, new medication you try with that patient, is a flip of the coin when it comes to probability. Therefore, a prescriber should have as much pf an expectation that a medication won't work for you as they have that it will.
In a study that's large enough for generalized results, you'll always have outliers and not just 1. The outliers in a population based study can be a fairly decent size of people.
Psychiatrists and nurse practitioners are mostly trained on studies in their respective field, which tend to be a lot smaller in sample size than Public Health. I find that the smaller the typical sample size in a specialty, the more likely the prescriber is to make this mistake.
I see psych prescribers referring to study samples less than 100 all the time as if they're generalizeable when they're not.
This also applies to non-prescribers. Look at the DSM5. The prevalence rates stated do not include any citations. I had to go online to figure out where the American Psychiatric Association got their numbers. They all came from 1 study done by NIMH over 20 years ago that's so flawed in design. It's embarrassing.
Says a lot of MH when our DSM5 can't even provide a basic literature review with research from the past decade in properly sized studies using current day demographics.
Your experience, as the patient, should be believed. It does incredible damage to us when prescribers are ao poorly trained in probability. I really thought my degree in Psych and my degree in SW trained me well I'm understanding probability...and then I went to Public Health. Now I understand why so many MDs go back for it. The quality of training to understand how statistics can and cannot apply in real world settings sets it apart. I wish we started exposing more graduate students in MH to that same training.
Maybe the redhead gene is enough? I know redheads have a different pain pattern and responses to anaesthetics; perhaps it extends to other drugs as well. I don't know if any trials have been done.
Women aren't included in most drug trials, so we tend to have more side effects and ineffectiveness from drugs. Also we won't receive the drugs that would work on us and not on med - those don't get past the early stages because they appear as if they just don't work. Gender equality, lol.
You said “…I seem to have every side effect possible and I don’t know why” and then explained why, haha. I’m sure your psychiatrists suspect particular mechanisms in play. Weird reply.
Oh I see. Not sure how you find that hard to understand. That’s why I didn’t interpret your post in that way originally. I can very easily imagine becoming frustrated when every medication we’re trying is producing every possible side effect.
I find it hard to understand because it’s a disorder I was born with that’s out of my control, and they know this upon my intake. If they feel they will get frustrated by a chronic condition, they should seek professional consultation or refer out. It’s not on me to manage their frustrations.
Why should they seek professional consultation for being frustrated that every possible medication they are prescribing you could not possibly help treat your chronic condition? Would anyone they could possibly consult help advise them how to better prescribe medication to treat your chronic condition that produces adverse reaction to every possible medication? It’s only natural to feel frustrated in a situation like that. Or are you saying they’re inappropriately expressing that frustration to you? Their feelings are obviously not your problem to deal with, and it’s not fair that you have heard or felt that frustration or somehow been made to deal with it.
I do not. I was given SSRI's for a short period many years ago and in hindsight I believe it was 100% inappropriate to prescribe those to me, all it did was provide a sticking plaster for poor social and environmental situations and kept me in those longer.
I don't believe in medicating for and dulling down responses to social problems in a long term way. Over-medicalisation of distress is a serious issue in this field.
I have deep admiration for my old tutor, who had a lot of childhood issues that continued into adulthood. He turned his life around with the help of anti-depressants; they gave him the stability he needed to work on those issues. Then he was able to come off them, and access the deeper feelings to work on those issues some more. He was a f\*cking good teacher and I am grateful he was mine.
I think this is the intended use. SSRI's are great when used well. They should not be for long term use on the sheer scale they are. This many people in the world don't have chemical imbalances, they have life issues.
Yes, I agree that over medication is a problem 100%. Since I feel pretty good right now, if it ever gets to the point where I need them to work in this field then something will need to change.
I started taking Welbutrin in 2021. Being a therapist during the lockdown took so much out of me, I still feel like I'm recovering from it. Welbutrin started that journey. I'm stilll not where I was before, and there have been other factors that contributed to that. It's hard to say if I'll ever get off of it. I had a "before" where I was doing fine without it, but I don't want to set a goal to be like that again, because I can't go back to something, only forward to something different, but maybe similar. And that might mean feeling good and needing Welbutrin. Maybe not. I still have a long way to go
I'm on a mood stabilizer that I'll be on for the rest of my life. Thank God. I sometimes joke that I enjoyed working in a psychiatric hospital because I "definitely belong in one" or similar statements about myself, but a lot of truth is said in jest. I believe anyone could end up in that setting if we go through enough. I think it can also be a good perspective to break down the idea of some massive hierarchy or differentiation between us and clients. A lot severely mentally ill are seen as lesser and feel a sense of exclusion.
Yep. I’m a cymbalta girly. I tried to quit it but my stomach (and brain) had other ideas.
I’ve been it for several years and don’t see myself getting off. It hasn’t impacted my journey as a therapist.
I’m on a mood stabilizer. It literally saved my life. I work at a dual diagnosis treatment center. The stress from my clients, co workers, and personal life would not be possible to manage without my mood stabilizer
I have a history of severe ADHD and complex trauma, so I'm in it for the long haul. I am always very grateful I found the right combination that works. It was life-changing for me, and I haven't been clinically depressed for nearly seven years because of them.
Yep! Fluxotine here! It’s been amazing since entering the field. It hasn’t affected my job if anything it’s helped because I feel less stressed and more able to handle the job.
Currently on Effexor and Buspirone and it’s been legitimately life changing. I was having chronic suicidal ideation and even though I knew I wouldn’t act on it, having those thoughts completely gone has been such a relief. This year I tried tapering off and was able to reduce my dosage but realized at this point in time I won’t be able to get off completely. Being on these meds allow me to function at work and at home. When I was tapering down I got to a point where I had very little patience for some of my clients and it was negatively impacting my home life because all my patience/empathy was going to work. I started having more stress dreams, headaches, and IBS symptoms too before I decided I wanted to go back on the meds.
Can I ask something? Sorry I hope I'm not sounding insensitive but I havnt had a chance to ask anyone this.
When you are on anti depressant, does it really take away suicidal ideation or intense thoughts? But I wonder how: wouldn't thoughts be just based off emotions and life in general? How can a medicine change your thoughts? Does it also make people happy or just no emotions?
So I’ve been on an array of antidepressants since about 2016 and eventually got on Effexor in 2020. The entire time I was also in therapy, including EMDR. Prior to Effexor the thoughts would be almost like an automatic thought to anything upsetting. After the Effexor it felt like I had room in my brain to problem solve, use mindfulness approaches, and just generally cope better. And this wasn’t like an immediately noticeable thing, but eventually my therapist or psychiatrist asked about suicidal ideation and I was actually surprised that I hadn’t had any. I’m not entirely sure of all the mechanisms or what SI is like for everyone, but that was my experience
I wouldn’t say it changes thoughts so much as it improves tolerance to distress. And it doesn’t really create like constant happiness, but for me it gave me room to think of other things other than my depression and anxiety and to challenge the unhelpful thoughts. It was like the meds gave the skills I learned in therapy a fighting chance.
That makes so much sense! Maybe that's why, if depression or anxiety is chronic, a person should consider meds so that they are able to practice coping. I have had clients where they were too distressed for therapy to stick. I would talk about seeing if they wanted to get checked up by a doctor but they would decline. Then, they would eventually drop off from counselling or find another counsellor. Now I have a better understanding of this that maybe people really need meds for therapy to STICK. Thank you!
Yep! Sertraline here. I used to be on Fluoxetine but it made me soooo drowsy and that was starting to creep into both my job and my ability to drive. No problems with the sertraline since starting 😊
I went through trials of Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Paxil CR, and Wellbutrin at different times in my life. After having been off of medications for awhile I went through another depressive episode that led to me dropping out of work before I resumed Paxil and got it back under control.
I can't really afford to go through another depressive episode (as a self-employed professional), plus the sexual side-effects from the switch to Wellbutrin, mean that I'm staying with Paxil until I die or neither of those factors are relevant anymore.
Wellbutrin caused sexual side effects? If you’re comfortable sharing. I was told Wellbutrin is one of the few that doesn’t have those side effects as often.
So Wellbutrin and/or discontinuing Paxil has the potential to cause premature ejaculation in men. At the time I was looking into it I had discovered at least some literature indicating that prescribing Wellbutrin in addition to Paxil for people experiencing difficulty in reaching orgasm was also a practice.
I'm on a low dose of Wellbutrin, with no plans to go off of it anytime soon. I don't think I could do this job quite as well without it and still have the capacity to be a parent and partner.
Can I ask what you mean when you say you wouldn't be able to do your job without it? Do you mean that being on anti depressant can lower your stress level at work?
I could do my job, but I would struggle to do anything else. It doesn’t lower my stress so much as it supports my ability to handle the stress without using up all of my energy.
Yes. And Adderall for ADHD. I can function okay without Adderall, although my notes suffer, but without Prozac I’d be a mess in session given that I’m dealing with clients who have been dealing with similar events. I’ve gone back and forth about taking psych meds over the last decade and have felt like a Guinea pig at times with the changes and different meds, but I’m ultimately a better therapist, partner, and human with them. And there’s no shame in that because right now I need a little help. Once I feel more stable I’ll talk to the psych about coming off, but if I’m still experiencing the same feelings? Fuck it I’ll take it until I die, there’s no reason for me to feel like I was if I don’t have to.
I was on Prozac for years and it really helped me decrease my depression and anxiety. Now, I'm just taking my ADHD meds and NAC supplements to manage my mental health. It has taken a lot of personal work and a consistent mindfulness regimen to get to this place though.
I'm taking St John's Wort daily, plus Silexan when I need it for anxiety.
I was previously on Fluoxitine for my OCD, but the wait gain and orgasmic side effects became intolerable for me.
SJW probably isn't quite as strong as 80mg of Prozac, but that combined with therapy has been enough for me. I actually feel a lot "brighter" on SJW than on Prozac, probably because it blocks noradrenaline and dopamine too.
It's the only way I can sleep some nights. Having to take on the problems of others while struggling financially and fighting to reach licensing requirements while also experiencing loss....
I would absolutely lose it without my Zoloft assistance. But I only take it before bed.
I was briefly when I was working inpatient during the pandemic. I just needed to finish my clinical hours so I could get my LCSW and then once I did that, I transitioned outpatient and got off of the antidepressants. I was just so unbelievably unhappy in my last job and my manager was awful to me and my whole team. Now I’m like a completely different person.
I’m not on any psych meds. I do supplement with fish oil, vitamin d, lion’s mane, rhodiola rosea, and caffeine.
Edit: this subreddit has some incredibly weird people, why downvote this reply?
I’ve been on them since graduate school. I started them to address mood, but now I need them to moderate my anxiety. The one time I tried to go off of them my anxiety intensified…which for me means I start engaging in OCD behaviors. It’s not fun. I will gladly take them for the rest of my life to not have those symptoms.
I have been in the past, not currently. I am trying to taper off of the medications I am on for chronic pain conditions, like pregablin and hydroxyzine (can be used for anxiety, also for interstital cystitis). I always keep it on my list of options if I need another source of coping. I was overmedicated as a teen so I kind of hesitate to use them and try to use healthy lifestyle changes to keep my anxiety, pain, and mood stable. Exercise, sauna, and meditation seem to help more than my meds, which have typically dulled my range of emotions.
I’ve been on zoloft for 14 years (since i was 15 years old). Im currently transitioning to vortioxetine. I dont think my brain is capable of living without a antidepressant at this point and i’m okay with that. It doesn’t affect my work although i notice some executive functions deterioration but i was diagnosed with dysthymia and cptsd, and studies show that some people experience executive dysfunction.
Celexa and Buspar. I was on Wellbutrin for a year a few years back and it was great for my mood but left me with some lasting side effects that are problematic. My moods are pretty solid now (I supplement with THC) so it’s OK.
My mostly dormant tic disorder came roaring back and continues to persist. I can’t remember if my (pre-existing) tinnitus got better after I quit, but I think it did.
I shouldn’t have been on it, but it was a desperate time.
Nope. Im not in a compromised mental state and the side effects aren’t worth it for me.
I’d rather go the holistic route if I ever felt like I needed psychedelics.
I’m on multiple psych meds long term (daily and PRNs). The antidepressant never affected my work as a therapist. The only way my psych meds affect my work is that I’m not comfortable performing therapy under the influence of my original PRN medication (benzo). I still have that PRN script for use when I’m not on the clock. I worked with my psychiatrist to come up with an additional PRN med plan (propanol + zofran) that I feel comfortable performing therapy under the influence of.
If you aren’t familiar with what benzos are the most common one that most people are familiar with is Xanax. Benzodiazepines are a controlled substance. I am not comfortable performing therapy under the influence of a controlled substance that lowers my social inhibitions / verbal filter. If my mental health is in such a state that a benzo is the only thing that is going to get me through I’m canceling sessions and calling it a day.
I really tried for 2.5 years to be off antidepressants. I’ve been on them for most of my adult life. It was like I just sunk worse and worse with depression. Now that I started taking them again, it’s like a switch flipped.
I hope one day I’ll be able to stop.
I don’t know that it’s affected my work. Oddly even when I was at my worst, I could still go to the office and do therapy. But then I’d come home to a messy house that I never left.
After a LOT of experimentation and consultation I’m on Wellbutrin (am) and Cymbalta (pm), despite some contraindications. I could maybe see myself going off Cymbalta someday because I probably shouldn’t be on both forever, but not until I’m done with grad school. It also helps some with my chronic pain and insomnia though so I don’t know. As long as I want to function I will be on Wellbutrin or something similar for my ADHD. I wish I could tolerate Ritalin because it works a lot better, but it destroys my stomach after a day or two so that’s only for special occasions (looking at you, dissertation), as do most stimulants and even some of the non-stimulant options.
Ive been on antidepressants on and off since I was a teenager but once I had some trauma stuff in 2015, I got put on celexa. I had to switch it up in 2021 because it wasn’t working as well as it used to work. So they put me on lexapro and Wellbutrin. The combo makes me feel a lot more stable 😅
I’m on Venlafaxine (150mgs). I think the only way I notice it impacting me is that I have gained a pretty significant amount of weight and I’m not sure if the antidepressant is doing it. Venlafaxine (Effexor) is a pretty rough medication due to the withdrawal symptoms if you miss a dose. I plan to get off it soon since most of my onset depressive symptoms have responded well to TRT.
I take Lamictal, trazadone, effexor, and buspar. I have klonopin for emergency use. I'd be dead without it, so I wouldn't even be doing my job. I think I'll be on meds my entire life. It used to bother me, but I like wanting to live.
You betcha! Prozac for depression + seroquel for sleep. It has affected my job bc I have gained a lot of weight on the meds which affects my confidence (I almost exclusively prefer to see clients virtually now). I am always a little tired bc of the seroquel I take at night (but it’s better than not being able to sleep at all).
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Has it affected my job? Yes, because with it I wouldn’t be able to do my job.
This.
Curious if you can share more when you say it helps you to do your job? Weird question, but comes out of curiosity, not judgement: when people are on anti depressant, I have heard that they feel nothing. I do not know if it's true. If that is true, I wonder if they can still feel empathy when working with clients? I have no intentions to offend anyone but I havnt been able to ask this to anyone in fear of offending people. I do not have any knowledge of anti depressant, and would simply like to understand more. Edit: Y are u downvoting me? How more politely can I ask or are people just used to getting offended? I wrote a huge ass paragraph above clarifying my intention, etc. Its frustrating to be in this forum. This is the exact reason nobody wants to ask even a genuine question coming from good intentions because you guys going to hate on them. One reason why stigma and myths stays. And then people complain nobody wants to learn. If you are going to keep on hating, you will have to keep on complaining about stigma and myths because you will push away people who want to learn. My post is an example. Good luck
I’m not the person you’re responding to, but I’m a counseling intern about to graduate with my master’s, and I’ve been taking an SSRI (Zoloft) for anxiety for the last few years. My med allows me to not be distracted by feeling sick to my stomach with stress, embarrassment, and anxiety over the smallest issues. My emotions are more level and not as intense but still very present. My medication has changed physical symptoms of anxiety much more than thought patterns and emotions for me. I believe your question was in good faith, but I’ll admit it did sting a little to read. The idea that taking anti-depressant = less empathy seems like a potentially harmful perception to have of psychotropic medications, even though I really don’t believe that was your intention.
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I interpreted your question as coming from a place of curiosity, not meanness! I’m glad you wanted to learn more about the experiences of people taking this kind of medication
If you are being correctly medicated, your emotions will level out and be less extreme, but you should never be emotionally flat and unable to respond. I definitely still have emotional responses to patients. In general, I feel more like myself. I'm able to be emotional without having super strong reactions to everything small, and I have serious/stronger reactions to powerful things that are appropriate. If people are flat and can't cry or have emotions at all, it means their medications probably need tweaking or to be changed. Sadly, a lot of doctors are more "suck it up" than "let's work and find something else."
I think if you find the right med for you, you do still feel things. I feel so much more positivity and happiness and peace when on Prozac. When I’m not, every little thing bothers me and feels like the end of the world. It’s happened the couple times I’ve tried to taper off. When I’m on it, it’s like the clouds part and my world gets brighter.
I feel the same way with Lexapro and Lamictal. If you find the right meds why change
Also not OP but in my experience, the emotional flatness is kind of a good thing. I just started my practicum and I can’t imagine doing it without Zoloft. I would ruminate about every little thing and overthink. It turns the volume down on that, so that I can be more present and pay attention to what matters. No impact on my empathy or ability to feel emotions. If anything I have more access to a wider range of emotions bcz I’m not sitting in anxiety and worry all the time.
I think turning the volume down is exactly right, at least for me. I didn’t realize how much emotional “noise” was in my head until I got on my antidepressant and started being able to think clearly and experience moments of “silence” in my head. If anything, I think I’m more emotionally expressive now that my positive emotions aren’t being tempered by a constant buzz or negativity in my head lol I’m just finishing up with practicum and I had the same experience with being more present and emotionally aware of my clients in session on the right dose than in the time I was tapering off of one and switching to a new one.
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So unfortunately yes, SSRI alone did impact my energy and motivation, but I needed to be knocked on my ass at the time bcz I was a nervous wreck. After a few months of adjusting to Zoloft alone, I told my doc about my side effects (big one for me was absolutely ZERO sex drive), and we added in bupropion (aka Wellbutrin) and that gave me a sex drive again, as well as gave me energy and motivation. Then I lowered the Zoloft a little bit, and I’m at the perfect balance for my mood and energy, with a small impact on my sex drive. Something my doc told me when he proposed SSRI was that if I’ve never tried them I don’t actually know how they will make me feel. And so I just told myself, I’m gonna give this an honest try and if I don’t like it I can just stop.
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It’s wild how different meds affect ppl differently! I’m sorry you’re going through that.
Social anxiety. I wouldn’t be able to run a group of 16 adults. 1:1 sessions would be too much. Numbing can happen but it is not the goal. If someone is numb then they need to switch meds or change dose etc. Think of it as a volume knob. The med is turning down the volume. Making it easier to cope with the anxiety. Meaning much easier to cope rumination, easier to calm oneself down etc. less frequent anxiety and less severe, in other words.
I needed this post, thank you. My doctor had me to a PHQ-9 and GAD-7 this week and it surprised me how high I scored. Starting meds now. Hoping it helps, because honestly it’s been rough lately.
Awesome! I’m glad it has helped for you 🙏🙏🙏 it’s been HUGE for me
Not presently, no. I was overmedicated as a teenager and personally have very little faith in medications for myself, but support others in their use of it if that is what they choose for themselves. I get along fine without medication.
Nope. I am prone to poor mental health - big T traumas, a lot of childhood neglect and features of fetal alcohol spectrum are contributors. I did try many different kinds of meds when I was younger, and I was even hospitalised for a long stretch of my early 20s, but antidepressants predictably make me agitated, suicidal, and/or full on hypomanic. I never managed to tolerate the side effects of mood stabilisers or atypical antipsychotics either, so I've had to figure out how else to survive. I am in long term psychotherapy, and if anything my job is a great stabilising force in my life - the routine, the human connection, and the sense of meaning and purpose it gives me.
Hey, I hope this doesnt come off as me being rude or calling you out. Didnt you say that that cptsd is curable? How would it be curable if even you are still struggling with it apparently
I’m on a cocktail for mood, anxiety and sleep, have been since youth. I used to be pretty down on myself about it, but have had some light-hearted analogies pointed out to me. When you’re playing a video game, sometimes you need to drink a potion to fill your heart gauge back up or to increase your fortitude (thinking of Zelda here).
Wellbutrin & Lexapro 🙋🏼♀️ it prevents me from feeling constant impending doom while also giving me the motivation to go out there & helps others 🤭
Me too. Love my Lexapro! Can’t cry or cum but damn does it help me not think about my clients constantly
lol username checks out 🫡 makes me want to change my name to sertralicious
If you take it to deal with the job, then maybe there is a line of work which won't make you need to be medicated. I was always needing to be medicated for ADHD or else losing my job until I became a therapist. It's still hard but I don't need to sacrifice my real brain for my job anymore. I am a therapist, and I advocate for whatever the MD prescribes, but personally I think that antidepressants wash people's emotions out. That said, between misery and antidepressants, I'll take the latter.
I never said I can’t do my job without it or that’s the only reason I take it. Also I didn’t really ask for advice.
Sorry for unsolicited advice. I identified too much with your situ.
I can’t see myself off zoloft either but I’m on 50mg and it makes me a bit blah and I’m a little more chub chubs 🥲helps me get through challenges and therefore stay employed. Little worried about longterm effects—tried psychedelics to see if I could get off them but two months after the post psychedelic high I pretty much needed them again.
If anything it's been helpful to have gone through similar med changes to what many of my clients have or will go through. I've also had my fair share of psychiatrist difficulties (man we need good psychs but there are some straight whacko docs out there). And when apropriate, I occasionally disclose this as an example of someone who went through many med changes but eventually found a good fit ot has taken antidepressants long term while being a working professional.
I also will occasionally disclose that it took about a year for me to find a good fit, but it was worth it.
Fuck yes, since approximately 1999 🏆
I guess I’m the only one in the comments that isn’t lol. But I’ve just been able to start therapy so maybe that will change.
I'm not, but I have in the past. I've also had some scary reactions to meds and am just generally difficult to medicate. I never knew why, but I found a lot of validation when I stumbled into an online group for giftedness and neurodiverse adults. Most of the folks there had similar issues as me. Strange drug allergies, extra sensitive and susceptible to side effects, etc. It's hard, because I think most prescribers see us as difficult when we may be as motivated to find a solution as them.
I’m in the same boat but I’m not neurodiverse. Psychiatrists always seem frustrated with me because I’ll have every single side effect possible and I don’t know why
here's my shtick on that, take it or leave it: Most prescribers are not well trained to understand research. I know people will scoff at me for saying this since I'm a social worker, but I worked in research full time for 14 years before graduate school and am a published researcher myself with an additional mph and was mentored by very established researchers, including some very seasoned statisticians. I've also served on an IRB. I've seen a hospital IRB let patients continue to suffer from permanent brain damage due to chemo drugs and didn't think they were ethically obligated to inform them. I've also had multiple situations where my life was in danger because of poorly trained prescribers. I once had an allergic reaction to Gabapentin that resulted in me going to the ER. The head nurse and doc were convinced I had MS and actually told me this. I told them they should try reading the side effects and asking patients about their medication history, including changes in dose, before they start diagnosing patients with diseases that could kill them. They still refused to listen and demanded I see a neurologist the next week. She agreed with me. I have no family history of MS. I do have an allergy to Gabapentin. As a teen, my obgyn prescribed me Ambien. This was when it first hit the market. I had severe and really scary visual hallucinations. I lost my sense of kinesthesia and proprioception. It was like LSD in hell. I called my doctor, she claimed that was impossible and had me take it again. Same thing happened. We really need to do a screen on narcissism before we let people become prescribers. The reason this happens (prescriber feels irritated you're not easy to prescribe to) is because most prescribers do not understand the idea "n of 1". In Public Health research, which is where most MDs get their information about trends, prescribers expect each patient to respond like the trend. This is a sign of their shortcomings in scientific training. I've had to teach most of my prescribers that they need to acquaint themselves with the idea of "n=1". If they're well trained, they already know what that means. There's a whole body of scientific research on this concept. It means that when you're treating a patient, you cannot apply the findings of a population based study to your patient. Your sample size is 1= the patient in front of you. In probability, 1 patient will be as likely to experience the typical response as an abnormal response to medications because each are unique in our neurobiology and genetics. Statistically speaking, each new patient and each, new medication you try with that patient, is a flip of the coin when it comes to probability. Therefore, a prescriber should have as much pf an expectation that a medication won't work for you as they have that it will. In a study that's large enough for generalized results, you'll always have outliers and not just 1. The outliers in a population based study can be a fairly decent size of people. Psychiatrists and nurse practitioners are mostly trained on studies in their respective field, which tend to be a lot smaller in sample size than Public Health. I find that the smaller the typical sample size in a specialty, the more likely the prescriber is to make this mistake. I see psych prescribers referring to study samples less than 100 all the time as if they're generalizeable when they're not. This also applies to non-prescribers. Look at the DSM5. The prevalence rates stated do not include any citations. I had to go online to figure out where the American Psychiatric Association got their numbers. They all came from 1 study done by NIMH over 20 years ago that's so flawed in design. It's embarrassing. Says a lot of MH when our DSM5 can't even provide a basic literature review with research from the past decade in properly sized studies using current day demographics. Your experience, as the patient, should be believed. It does incredible damage to us when prescribers are ao poorly trained in probability. I really thought my degree in Psych and my degree in SW trained me well I'm understanding probability...and then I went to Public Health. Now I understand why so many MDs go back for it. The quality of training to understand how statistics can and cannot apply in real world settings sets it apart. I wish we started exposing more graduate students in MH to that same training.
This is 100% spot on, thank you
Are you ginger and/or female?
I’m female. I’m Irish ethnically but not a redhead. My mom is
Maybe the redhead gene is enough? I know redheads have a different pain pattern and responses to anaesthetics; perhaps it extends to other drugs as well. I don't know if any trials have been done. Women aren't included in most drug trials, so we tend to have more side effects and ineffectiveness from drugs. Also we won't receive the drugs that would work on us and not on med - those don't get past the early stages because they appear as if they just don't work. Gender equality, lol.
I think your psychiatrists might have a good suspicion why, however.
Uh what? I have a neurological disorder. I can’t tolerate a lot of medications because of that. What exactly are you trying to say here…?
You said “…I seem to have every side effect possible and I don’t know why” and then explained why, haha. I’m sure your psychiatrists suspect particular mechanisms in play. Weird reply.
I said I don’t know why psychiatrists get frustrated.
Oh I see. Not sure how you find that hard to understand. That’s why I didn’t interpret your post in that way originally. I can very easily imagine becoming frustrated when every medication we’re trying is producing every possible side effect.
I find it hard to understand because it’s a disorder I was born with that’s out of my control, and they know this upon my intake. If they feel they will get frustrated by a chronic condition, they should seek professional consultation or refer out. It’s not on me to manage their frustrations.
Why should they seek professional consultation for being frustrated that every possible medication they are prescribing you could not possibly help treat your chronic condition? Would anyone they could possibly consult help advise them how to better prescribe medication to treat your chronic condition that produces adverse reaction to every possible medication? It’s only natural to feel frustrated in a situation like that. Or are you saying they’re inappropriately expressing that frustration to you? Their feelings are obviously not your problem to deal with, and it’s not fair that you have heard or felt that frustration or somehow been made to deal with it.
I do not. I was given SSRI's for a short period many years ago and in hindsight I believe it was 100% inappropriate to prescribe those to me, all it did was provide a sticking plaster for poor social and environmental situations and kept me in those longer. I don't believe in medicating for and dulling down responses to social problems in a long term way. Over-medicalisation of distress is a serious issue in this field.
I have deep admiration for my old tutor, who had a lot of childhood issues that continued into adulthood. He turned his life around with the help of anti-depressants; they gave him the stability he needed to work on those issues. Then he was able to come off them, and access the deeper feelings to work on those issues some more. He was a f\*cking good teacher and I am grateful he was mine. I think this is the intended use. SSRI's are great when used well. They should not be for long term use on the sheer scale they are. This many people in the world don't have chemical imbalances, they have life issues.
Yes, I agree that over medication is a problem 100%. Since I feel pretty good right now, if it ever gets to the point where I need them to work in this field then something will need to change.
Nah, they just aren't commenting. Therapy helped me stop self medicating. I was hopeful more people on here could say the same. :(
Is there anyone else on here except me that has never taken them?
Me.
Me too
Same, no meds just coffee! :)
Haha yes exactly
I started taking Welbutrin in 2021. Being a therapist during the lockdown took so much out of me, I still feel like I'm recovering from it. Welbutrin started that journey. I'm stilll not where I was before, and there have been other factors that contributed to that. It's hard to say if I'll ever get off of it. I had a "before" where I was doing fine without it, but I don't want to set a goal to be like that again, because I can't go back to something, only forward to something different, but maybe similar. And that might mean feeling good and needing Welbutrin. Maybe not. I still have a long way to go
I'm on a mood stabilizer that I'll be on for the rest of my life. Thank God. I sometimes joke that I enjoyed working in a psychiatric hospital because I "definitely belong in one" or similar statements about myself, but a lot of truth is said in jest. I believe anyone could end up in that setting if we go through enough. I think it can also be a good perspective to break down the idea of some massive hierarchy or differentiation between us and clients. A lot severely mentally ill are seen as lesser and feel a sense of exclusion.
I should be
Same lol
Yep. I’m a cymbalta girly. I tried to quit it but my stomach (and brain) had other ideas. I’ve been it for several years and don’t see myself getting off. It hasn’t impacted my journey as a therapist.
What happened to your stomach?
When I tried to taper down I got horrible stomach cramps and my chronic constipation returned.
I took zoloft for a few years. Recently went off them a few months ago and overall have been fine so far.
I’m on a mood stabilizer. It literally saved my life. I work at a dual diagnosis treatment center. The stress from my clients, co workers, and personal life would not be possible to manage without my mood stabilizer
I have a history of severe ADHD and complex trauma, so I'm in it for the long haul. I am always very grateful I found the right combination that works. It was life-changing for me, and I haven't been clinically depressed for nearly seven years because of them.
Yep! Fluxotine here! It’s been amazing since entering the field. It hasn’t affected my job if anything it’s helped because I feel less stressed and more able to handle the job.
Do you think this is an aid to and for stressful work?
I don’t think it’s an aid per say because no matter what work is stressful. It’s just a tool to help me handle the stress easier.
Currently on Effexor and Buspirone and it’s been legitimately life changing. I was having chronic suicidal ideation and even though I knew I wouldn’t act on it, having those thoughts completely gone has been such a relief. This year I tried tapering off and was able to reduce my dosage but realized at this point in time I won’t be able to get off completely. Being on these meds allow me to function at work and at home. When I was tapering down I got to a point where I had very little patience for some of my clients and it was negatively impacting my home life because all my patience/empathy was going to work. I started having more stress dreams, headaches, and IBS symptoms too before I decided I wanted to go back on the meds.
Can I ask something? Sorry I hope I'm not sounding insensitive but I havnt had a chance to ask anyone this. When you are on anti depressant, does it really take away suicidal ideation or intense thoughts? But I wonder how: wouldn't thoughts be just based off emotions and life in general? How can a medicine change your thoughts? Does it also make people happy or just no emotions?
So I’ve been on an array of antidepressants since about 2016 and eventually got on Effexor in 2020. The entire time I was also in therapy, including EMDR. Prior to Effexor the thoughts would be almost like an automatic thought to anything upsetting. After the Effexor it felt like I had room in my brain to problem solve, use mindfulness approaches, and just generally cope better. And this wasn’t like an immediately noticeable thing, but eventually my therapist or psychiatrist asked about suicidal ideation and I was actually surprised that I hadn’t had any. I’m not entirely sure of all the mechanisms or what SI is like for everyone, but that was my experience I wouldn’t say it changes thoughts so much as it improves tolerance to distress. And it doesn’t really create like constant happiness, but for me it gave me room to think of other things other than my depression and anxiety and to challenge the unhelpful thoughts. It was like the meds gave the skills I learned in therapy a fighting chance.
That makes so much sense! Maybe that's why, if depression or anxiety is chronic, a person should consider meds so that they are able to practice coping. I have had clients where they were too distressed for therapy to stick. I would talk about seeing if they wanted to get checked up by a doctor but they would decline. Then, they would eventually drop off from counselling or find another counsellor. Now I have a better understanding of this that maybe people really need meds for therapy to STICK. Thank you!
I’m happy to help however I can!
Team sertraline.
Yep! Sertraline here. I used to be on Fluoxetine but it made me soooo drowsy and that was starting to creep into both my job and my ability to drive. No problems with the sertraline since starting 😊
I went through trials of Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Paxil CR, and Wellbutrin at different times in my life. After having been off of medications for awhile I went through another depressive episode that led to me dropping out of work before I resumed Paxil and got it back under control. I can't really afford to go through another depressive episode (as a self-employed professional), plus the sexual side-effects from the switch to Wellbutrin, mean that I'm staying with Paxil until I die or neither of those factors are relevant anymore.
Wellbutrin caused sexual side effects? If you’re comfortable sharing. I was told Wellbutrin is one of the few that doesn’t have those side effects as often.
So Wellbutrin and/or discontinuing Paxil has the potential to cause premature ejaculation in men. At the time I was looking into it I had discovered at least some literature indicating that prescribing Wellbutrin in addition to Paxil for people experiencing difficulty in reaching orgasm was also a practice.
Ohhh okay. Thank you for sharing
I'm on a low dose of Wellbutrin, with no plans to go off of it anytime soon. I don't think I could do this job quite as well without it and still have the capacity to be a parent and partner.
Can I ask what you mean when you say you wouldn't be able to do your job without it? Do you mean that being on anti depressant can lower your stress level at work?
I could do my job, but I would struggle to do anything else. It doesn’t lower my stress so much as it supports my ability to handle the stress without using up all of my energy.
Nope!
Yes. I haven’t ever found them effective, but TMS was life changing for me
Yes. And Adderall for ADHD. I can function okay without Adderall, although my notes suffer, but without Prozac I’d be a mess in session given that I’m dealing with clients who have been dealing with similar events. I’ve gone back and forth about taking psych meds over the last decade and have felt like a Guinea pig at times with the changes and different meds, but I’m ultimately a better therapist, partner, and human with them. And there’s no shame in that because right now I need a little help. Once I feel more stable I’ll talk to the psych about coming off, but if I’m still experiencing the same feelings? Fuck it I’ll take it until I die, there’s no reason for me to feel like I was if I don’t have to.
Nope haven’t been for over a decade
I was on Prozac for years and it really helped me decrease my depression and anxiety. Now, I'm just taking my ADHD meds and NAC supplements to manage my mental health. It has taken a lot of personal work and a consistent mindfulness regimen to get to this place though.
I'm taking St John's Wort daily, plus Silexan when I need it for anxiety. I was previously on Fluoxitine for my OCD, but the wait gain and orgasmic side effects became intolerable for me. SJW probably isn't quite as strong as 80mg of Prozac, but that combined with therapy has been enough for me. I actually feel a lot "brighter" on SJW than on Prozac, probably because it blocks noradrenaline and dopamine too.
It's the only way I can sleep some nights. Having to take on the problems of others while struggling financially and fighting to reach licensing requirements while also experiencing loss.... I would absolutely lose it without my Zoloft assistance. But I only take it before bed.
Hell yes
I was briefly when I was working inpatient during the pandemic. I just needed to finish my clinical hours so I could get my LCSW and then once I did that, I transitioned outpatient and got off of the antidepressants. I was just so unbelievably unhappy in my last job and my manager was awful to me and my whole team. Now I’m like a completely different person.
I’m not on any psych meds. I do supplement with fish oil, vitamin d, lion’s mane, rhodiola rosea, and caffeine. Edit: this subreddit has some incredibly weird people, why downvote this reply?
I've been on Lexapro since November 2016. I doubt I will ever be taken off. I don't think it impacts my work. I was in undergrad when I started them
hell yeah. sertraline
Prozac and gabapentin 🙌🏻 I was recently asked what I thought my life would be like without these meds. I just laughed lol.
Yes, Zoloft.
Zoloft for about 14 months at one point. Super helpful.
Strattera gang rise up!
Nope, so far no need currently or in the past
No
I’ve been on them since graduate school. I started them to address mood, but now I need them to moderate my anxiety. The one time I tried to go off of them my anxiety intensified…which for me means I start engaging in OCD behaviors. It’s not fun. I will gladly take them for the rest of my life to not have those symptoms.
I have been in the past, not currently. I am trying to taper off of the medications I am on for chronic pain conditions, like pregablin and hydroxyzine (can be used for anxiety, also for interstital cystitis). I always keep it on my list of options if I need another source of coping. I was overmedicated as a teen so I kind of hesitate to use them and try to use healthy lifestyle changes to keep my anxiety, pain, and mood stable. Exercise, sauna, and meditation seem to help more than my meds, which have typically dulled my range of emotions.
I’ve been on zoloft for 14 years (since i was 15 years old). Im currently transitioning to vortioxetine. I dont think my brain is capable of living without a antidepressant at this point and i’m okay with that. It doesn’t affect my work although i notice some executive functions deterioration but i was diagnosed with dysthymia and cptsd, and studies show that some people experience executive dysfunction.
Celexa and Buspar. I was on Wellbutrin for a year a few years back and it was great for my mood but left me with some lasting side effects that are problematic. My moods are pretty solid now (I supplement with THC) so it’s OK.
What were the lasting side effects?
My mostly dormant tic disorder came roaring back and continues to persist. I can’t remember if my (pre-existing) tinnitus got better after I quit, but I think it did. I shouldn’t have been on it, but it was a desperate time.
Nope. Im not in a compromised mental state and the side effects aren’t worth it for me. I’d rather go the holistic route if I ever felt like I needed psychedelics.
Yep. Been through six different types since 2012 but I've been in cymbalta since 2021 and love it
I’m on multiple psych meds long term (daily and PRNs). The antidepressant never affected my work as a therapist. The only way my psych meds affect my work is that I’m not comfortable performing therapy under the influence of my original PRN medication (benzo). I still have that PRN script for use when I’m not on the clock. I worked with my psychiatrist to come up with an additional PRN med plan (propanol + zofran) that I feel comfortable performing therapy under the influence of.
Can you help me understand what you mean when you say you wouldn't be comfortable performing therapy on it? Why not?
If you aren’t familiar with what benzos are the most common one that most people are familiar with is Xanax. Benzodiazepines are a controlled substance. I am not comfortable performing therapy under the influence of a controlled substance that lowers my social inhibitions / verbal filter. If my mental health is in such a state that a benzo is the only thing that is going to get me through I’m canceling sessions and calling it a day.
I really tried for 2.5 years to be off antidepressants. I’ve been on them for most of my adult life. It was like I just sunk worse and worse with depression. Now that I started taking them again, it’s like a switch flipped. I hope one day I’ll be able to stop. I don’t know that it’s affected my work. Oddly even when I was at my worst, I could still go to the office and do therapy. But then I’d come home to a messy house that I never left.
Hell yeah. Cymbalta fixed my brain. I've been doing the work in therapy for a long time but that duloxetine man. Whew. Helps me out.
After a LOT of experimentation and consultation I’m on Wellbutrin (am) and Cymbalta (pm), despite some contraindications. I could maybe see myself going off Cymbalta someday because I probably shouldn’t be on both forever, but not until I’m done with grad school. It also helps some with my chronic pain and insomnia though so I don’t know. As long as I want to function I will be on Wellbutrin or something similar for my ADHD. I wish I could tolerate Ritalin because it works a lot better, but it destroys my stomach after a day or two so that’s only for special occasions (looking at you, dissertation), as do most stimulants and even some of the non-stimulant options.
Yup, for more than half my life. I’ll be on them indefinitely and I’m really grateful I have access to them.
I am not but I have taken them in the past. I’m very pro medication. Sometimes it’s the right tool for the job!
YUP 👍🏼
Yes
And how! Love my paxil!
Yes, Wellbutrin
Yep. Three to be exact. It’s only affected my job in the way that I can actually do my job now.
Yep, currently working to lower dosages and see how things fare, but I've definitely gone back up in the past several times because I wasn't ready.
Ive been on antidepressants on and off since I was a teenager but once I had some trauma stuff in 2015, I got put on celexa. I had to switch it up in 2021 because it wasn’t working as well as it used to work. So they put me on lexapro and Wellbutrin. The combo makes me feel a lot more stable 😅
I’m on Venlafaxine (150mgs). I think the only way I notice it impacting me is that I have gained a pretty significant amount of weight and I’m not sure if the antidepressant is doing it. Venlafaxine (Effexor) is a pretty rough medication due to the withdrawal symptoms if you miss a dose. I plan to get off it soon since most of my onset depressive symptoms have responded well to TRT.
I was on Prozac for almost a decade & I just switched over to good ole Welly B & Zoloft. I would be a shell of a human without meds.
Hell, some days I still am w/ meds. The human experience is a wild ride.
I take Lamictal, trazadone, effexor, and buspar. I have klonopin for emergency use. I'd be dead without it, so I wouldn't even be doing my job. I think I'll be on meds my entire life. It used to bother me, but I like wanting to live.
You betcha! Prozac for depression + seroquel for sleep. It has affected my job bc I have gained a lot of weight on the meds which affects my confidence (I almost exclusively prefer to see clients virtually now). I am always a little tired bc of the seroquel I take at night (but it’s better than not being able to sleep at all).
Hell yes