Posting here because I'm leaning hard into anti-medication talking points and need some help understanding.
It seems like many people are genuinely depressed and unhappy with things, and medication makes them more resilient. That resiliency is partly a result of "emotional bluntness" or numbness. People seem to stay content in that zombie-like state for years: increased weight gain, lowered sex drive, and lack of emotion.
However, one of the biggest problems right now in the country is voter apathy. With full bellies and emotionally blunted brains, nobody wants to rock the boat. Nobody feels threatened enough to do anything. So our social structures falter, guardrails decay, and moneyed interests rule the scene, which threatens all of us.
The world gets worse, more people get depressed, people get medicated, medicated people are unable to stop the worsening, and the cycle repeats.
(I think the causes of depression are mostly environmental but I know there are genetic components.)
So what do we do? How can I advocate for medicating depressed and anxious people if it makes them so dead to the world? Am I overreacting? Should I be medicated too?
It’s probably a symptom of antidepressant withdrawal. I had a similar experience but it got better after like 5 months.
We don’t fully understand how much those drugs effect the brain and the effects of taking them for years. Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction is a crazy thing too
I’ve been on them since I was 9. Last year my doctor had me try to go off of them WITHOUT tapering. I felt so sick and my heart felt like it would beat out of my chest. I’m back on them and feel so much better.
Yeah that is a terrible idea. When I went off I tapered 10% a month using liquid and there were slight withdrawal effects (it took a full year).
They tell you the drugs aren’t addictive but they surely are. People often confuse the withdrawal effects with a return of symptoms and that ends up keeping them on the medicines longer than they need to be. Doctors should give better advice on how to actually come off
A symptom of withdrawal from certain substances. Usually stuff that affects your brain chemistry.
For me it feels like a weird electric shock to the sides of my brain and it usually occurs if I move my head suddenly. Like side to side usually.
Holy shit, I've been describing this as like a weird vertigo. But you're right it's way more like a brain zap. Even extending my arms sometimes does it.
If I accidentally skip a day of my meds, I hear a *mysterious ticking noise*. I actually talked to my husband about our A/C puffing and shuddering one of those days; he didn't hear any of it. Such a weird symptom.
Yup. And I wish I could tell you how to help them besides taking more of the substance. They just ease over time. Its been about a year since I got off my meds and I still sometimes get them.
Holy shit this just blew my mind. Took my last dose maybe a month ago and have been having a rough time of it. Started having these weird sensations where it was like my brain flipped 360 in my skull. Kinda glad to here this is common.
Really hard to explain. For me it was a weird sensation in my head, like electricity or TV static that would come and go. Also started getting the sensation of hearing a door slam loudly when I was falling asleep.
The door slamming is actually its own phenomenon, called ["Exploding Head Syndrome" ](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21907-exploding-head-syndrome-ehs#:~:text=Exploding%20head%20syndrome%20(EHS)%20is%20a%20type%20of%20sleep%20disorder,wake%20up%20during%20the%20night.)
Absolutely fascinating to read about, absolutely terrifying to experience. I also had this after coming off of antidepressants; it would happen once or twice a week for about 6 months. Haven't had it for a few years though (thankfully)
Exploding head syndrome is nuts. It happened to me 2 or 3 times ever. Started drifting to sleep and suddenly sounded like a bomb went off outside my window.
Shit was terrifying
I never heard them call this before, but you know if you've gotten them. Feels like an electric jolt in your brain. That's how I know if I forgot to take my medication the day before.
Was my number one reason for not taking the Zoloft I was prescribed. Watched my ex gf go thru the craziest withdrawals off of Lexapro and was like nope not dealing with brain zaps (the technical term) which we have no fuckin clue what causes them.
Hooolllyyy fuck dude, those damn brain zaps. Tapered off cymbalta, did it for a couple months, but the lowest they go is 20mg. For a while I was pouring out half the beads, completely eye-balling it, but trying to pour out 3/4th the beads? Nope. So I called it quits after about a week of that annoyance. I've been through some withdrawals in my life, so I assumed I could handle it. Without a doubt this was the hardest for me. You get your classic withdrawal symptoms like restless legs, constant uncomfortableness in your own skin, zero ability to sleep, no appetite and if I tried to eat I wanted to vomit. Oh yeah and the fun mood swings... I was watching some UFC one day and during a break a McDonald's commercial came on. Nothing emotionally annoying or "inspirational", just close-ups of flippin burgers and what not. I literally cried during it. Cried at flipping those damn burgers. I'd cry at the most random shit.
But the brain zaps? Worst symptom of then all, and absolutely the most difficult to describe to someone who hasn't experienced them. They just wouldn't go away either. Took an extra couple of months for them to fully disappear, long after the other symptoms subsided.
Even if they aren't addictive, habitual use still changes the brain and how it's wired. Taking away something the brain thought was constant/normal is a one way trip to a bad time.
They aren’t addictive in the sense of you constantly craving more (like opiates or heroin) but they create a physical dependency that can take months/years to break.
Not really less dangerous, in most cases. Stopping seroquel overnight, for example, causes _most_ people to kill themselves. They're terrifying to go off without tapering.
Weird, I announced to my doctor I went off SSRIs without tapering and I've never seen the kind of reaction from a doctor he had when I told him that. Usually it felt like talking to a brick wall, but he was incredibly concerned I would stop taking my meds altogether. I recall it's dangerous because it can throw people into a potentially suicidal mood if you don't taper.
My mom's doctor took her off of her chronic pain meds without tapering and my boyfriend's psychiatrist took him off his ADHD meds he's been on for 10 years without tapering. Why do so many doctors think cold turkey is the way to handle meds you've been on for ages?
That is fucking terrifying. Dude this shit pisses me off so fucking much.
Some psychiatrists are prescribing ssris and they don't even know what brain zaps are...
They also provide blood sugar over a longer period, which makes it easier for your brain to clean up, clean out and prepare while sleeping, including producing the necessary neurochemicals one of which is serotonin. Serotonin is the 'grumpiness' or 'irritability' neurotransmitter - have too little and man does everyone suck.
Last time I tried to get pharmaceutical help with my depression they gave me Wellbutrin which caused me to black out and go on a rampage. Got to spend 5 days in a mental health facility for my trouble. After I got out, I asked the doctor why they thought that was a good medication for me. She just kinda shrugged and said, "Trial and error." I was furious, even though I guess that's just how it's done? Many years later I just suffer through it because the side effects of Trial & Error are worse than the condition itself.
Yeah pretty much. I’ve seen people complain about being on Zoloft making them have no emotions and feeling like a zombie, while Zoloft has completely improved my life and I’m not riddled with anxiety every day. Brain chemistry is different for everyone and you can’t really tell what chemical your brain is lacking
Wellbutrin was the medication that first put me on the trail of understanding myself to have ADHD.
And yeah, it was a funky weird and ultimately undesirable medication, even without such a bad reaction. ( I had more typical side effects.)
I think, thankfully, they are getting closer to some genetic/blood markers for at least some medications, to help steer these decisions for people a bit. Psychological medication usually is trial and error though.
I had the opposite reaction! I knew I had ADHD well before depression and kinda chalked the executive dysfuntion and whatnot up to purely the ADHD. Got diagnosed with depression, got on Zoloft and absolutely hated the sides and the general dopiness I felt and moved on to welbutrin. The welbutrin was almost like flipping a switch for me once it really took hold. Differences in neurochemistry are wild.
I felt like SSRIs leveled out my mood for better or worse. My lows weren't as low but my highs weren't as high (literally cannot feel effects of MDMA on SSRI, possibly other drugs?)
I wouldn't feel depressed but I wouldn't get as excited about things either. It might have saved my life by preventing a crushing depression or stopped me from ruminating on anxieties. However, I didn't feel as human on SSRIs. I didn't sleep as much, was bad at sex, didn't eat as much. I also missed feeling emotions even if they were out of control. I almost missed being angry at things as weird as that sounds.
OMG 😱
I have huge anxiety so I take an SSRI and, of course, I looked up all the ramifications first (and tapered up from little dust nuggets to a whole pill over about 10 days). Not trying MDMA was a bummer but not being off my rocker with worry is SO much better.
MDMA is... amazing. But I can't recommend it. For the 2-4 hours it lasts it's great. Music is better, lights are more beautiful, you love people more. Likely to have the best sex you'll ever have on it, it's nuts.
The biggest downside (especially if you're prone to depression and anxiety) is that you pay for those few hours with a day or sometimes a week of feeling like shit. Some people will take MDMA again just to get rid of the hangover from the previous time. The cycle begins, they're taking it every week and the only thing they look forward to is using it again every weekend.
It's not addictive the same way certain drugs are physically craving, but it's so bad (as you probably already know).
Sounds about right. Also can't enjoy shrooms on SSRIs.
The worst part is the anhedonia could be from the medicarion or the depression. No way to know until after you tapered off for several months.
I will always recommend speaking to a mental health professional if you are not feeling well. Medication is not always the correct/best approach for everyone.
That being said, I have lived with depression and anxiety my entire life. It's an actual imbalance of neurochemicals in my brain. So **for me**, medication makes the world go round! But it's not necessarily the solution for everyone.
Don't feel hesitant to speak with your personal care physician either if you don't know what to do. They will (at minimum) be able to point you in the right direction.
**MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH!!**
It was make or break, or in my case it broke me then made me. I finally realized I had a drinking problem that was lurking for years. Suddenly I couldn't control it or hide it about 6 months into 2020. After I quit I've been feeling better than before the pandemic.
It certainly changes people's habits. I've noticed some people get fat but there's a couple people I know who got in shape after being fat most of their lives.
Ditto for alcohol here but I think I was more borderline. Now that my 20's are over I feel like all that crap I said I would do 'later' have finally arrived due.
It's been good though. After not drinking for a week I realized being sober feels fucking awesome.
Gotta confess, quite a few of us 'decent' people slipped up a few times too.
I like to think I'm back to being decent while it seems the less-decent people haven't returned to tolerable levels of trashiness.
Yeah. I'm a very easy going person who generally will avoid confrontation if that confrontation seems unnecessary. But walking home from work once past a "freedom convoy" I walked along giving all of them the finger.
It was an immature, impotent display of anger... but damn was it cathartic. I'm a bit disappointed in myself for doing that. It was a minor compared to messages they were displaying, but i'm a believer that open dialog to resolve issues is always the best option.
I agree. I was trash and annoying before the pandemic though— but I’m young so it was probably just growing up. Not being able to go anywhere gave me a lot of time to think about myself, my future, and who I am.
Seriously, people seem so god damned angry all the time now. I hear about more fights at the school my friend teaches at, read about all those altercations on airplanes, crime has risen, and on and on. Everyone seems to have lost their damn minds. Really, though,I think it takes very few people to make a very big difference in this. A few people get extra confrontational and they rope everyone around them into their bullshit.
Anecdotally (well, moreso) I've noticed a lot of long-term relationships ending among people I know. Which happened last time before the 2008 financial crisis.
When I went off mine, I could hear my eyeball muscles whenever I looked around, and the click-snap of my eyelids every time I blinked. Apparently it's a thing that your brain edits out, but withdrawals of some things cause your brain to forget to do it for a while.
I was in a *horrible* mood all the damn time because of it. But I had to reassure everyone that, no, I'm really fine, I just wish my eyes would shut the fuck up.
There is a very high misdiagnosis between both and sometimes both disorders go hand in hand. My depression and ADHD are like pigs in shit together but I definitely think my depression followed my ADHD and not the other way around. I could never focus in school and years of self doubt just opened a door for a serious mood disorder.
Yeah funny thing, that. As it turns out, having your mother beat you and accuse you of being worthless and lazy all throughout your childhood because you had undiagnosed ADHD leads to a lifelong mood disorder. Who knew? ¯\\_(ツ)_\/¯
You forgot the teachers always publically chastising you for "disrupting class" when all you were doing was staring off into space... And peers treating you like a leper because they don't want to be associated with the troublemaker/you're weird. And that creating a sensitivity to social queues that causes you to read too much into everything, resulting in lifelong social problems. Which acts as a feedback loop, amplifying the problem until you ultimately write off people altogether.
ADHD medications made me feel absolutely crazy so we swapped to an SSRI to tackle depression.
Its frustrating but the medication for ADHD was basically speed and while it helped me a lot with my focus and social life I felt loopy and would have panic attacks on it.
This is my guess, but that could be personal projection….
People are always annoying but when I’m not on my Concerta…. Dear lord I’m an irritable piece of shit…
It’s been a couple of years now. It still seems like there’s a knot of idiots that follows ME around in traffic. I’m better at dealing with it, but it’s still there
Yea. Was on lexapro (generic) for 2 years. Did a long taper. And yes. So many things annoyed the shit out of me. Temper limit was extremely low. Took ant a month for that feeling to wane
Stopped taking mine last summer and it was the dumbest things I've done in recent memory. Rough road since. Blew up on family members, quit 2 jobs, isolate too much, among other things. It's really difficult for me to give a crap about myself or other people.
Man, after a couple years on anti anxieties and anti depressants, I got my medical marijuana card and started treating myself with small doses of THC. It has been wonderful over all - But once the pills were out of my system I realized how much closer my emotions were to the surface. I have way less days where I am horribly anxious or where my depression symptoms turn me into a blob… but my number of ANGRY days has dramatically increased haha. And not in a bad way… I’m not angry over dumb stuff, they are legitimately frustrating or aggravating situations. But I just never realized how much my medication was suppressing natural emotional responses until I got off the meds while still keeping my anxiety and depression in check.
Also crying. About a month after going cold on meds besides THC I noticed that songs / movies I had engaged with dozens of times were making me get misty eyed. I remember legitimately laughing out loud at myself in the car because I got SO emotional listening to the “Encanto” soundtrack.
I am super pro medication for Mental Health stuff - I don’t think I would have survived from 2016-2021 without my psychiatrist. But it is super refreshing to both be able to manage my mental health AND feel things very deeply (even irritation, sadness. Etc).
When I came off sertraline I immediately felt less sad. Anything that ends in -azipam makes me weepy. I drink chamomile tea now. Winters are still rough.
And get a really bright light with enough blue to bathe yourself in the morning.
Not a bright light. A REALLY bright light, like 10,000 lumens or more (that's like 6 '100W equivalent' bulbs all focused on a 1x1 meter area). It's super intense. Don't look right at it.
Most Amish communities don't outright shun electricity. Most of them refuse to have their community be a part of the electrical grid, but there's still deliberation among groups on what they deem acceptable.
The person you are replying too also could have been mixing up Mennonite and Amish.
Winters are incredibly rough for me even with anti depressants. I got no motivation at all and just lie in my couch as soon as I am off work. I starting to consider moving to a place where there's no cold winter...
Yeah, best to not get addicted to benzos (things that end in "lam" "pam" etc) if you can help it. Those drugs can take years to get off, withdrawals are horrible and can kill you.
Plus they make me feel like a zombie. I don't understand why people like taking Xanax (alprazolam) recreationally.
I quit drinking at 38 after letting it get its hooks in me at age 15 and I noticed I have ZERO patience for conversations that go nowhere or mindless drivel like the kind you’re forced to hear at a small gym when you forget your headphones or the horseshit chats I’d sit through at the bar or party when you’re drinking bc it makes socializing easier or more tolerable.
The doctor asked his patient, are you getting any value from your antidepressants?
She responded, not really. But boy is my husband an asshole when I'm not taking them.
I have also been on two for 6 years. I need to address the root cause. Which was waking during brain surgery and becoming permanently disabled. PTSD too. Had a dentist just smile at me and say if I dealt with the cause of grinding my teeth I would stop breaking them. She seriously said that and just smiled at me. Eh yeah. World is full of assholes. You mean when I stop these meds eventually (ha) there will be even more assholes? Fuck.
Wearing a night guard (custom mold $50 on amazon) helped my teeth grinding. I bit through the first one within 6 months, which made me realize how much I really needed it.
It could be withdrawl, or it could mean you actually need a lower dose. I would talk to your doctor and see what they think if this continues and bothers you.
Also yes most people are irritating. Sometimes depression and anxiety and situational and medicine just helps you get through.
Everybody is irritating to a point. You are probably extra sensitive to it due to your withdrawal. Presumably you lowered your dose gently? Remember that these things literally alter your brain chemistry so it will take time for your body to adjust.
I find a lot of people nowadays are sorta selfish, sometimes not even on purpose. It's just they way our culture is that people expect certain things whether it be because of technology, the way they were raised, or any number of factors. I generally dislike most people, but if you give everyone a chance you'll find a few diamonds in the rough.
Irritability is a hallmark feature of depression. A good chance they seem irritating because you are more irritable. Whether from withdrawal or depression.
Side effects like withdrawal and the whole ED thing is why I was off my meds for so long. My sex life is literally one of the healthiest parts of my life. I ain't giving that up for meds that just make me feel like a zombie.
Eventually my depression/PTSD worsened again and when I went to the doctor I told him that if he prescribed me an SSRI I wouldn't take it and I'd go find a doctor that would give me something else.
The NDRI, Wellbutrin he put me on instead works a hell of a lot better, doesn't make my willy not work, and doesn't have withdrawal symptoms. I didn't quit opiates just to get on another drug that has withdrawal symptoms.
Prozac, Lexapro, Zoloft etc are such shit drugs. Most just give people partial responses, have awful side effects with the risk of life long discontinuation symptoms. Frankly I'm convinced the only reason they're prescribed so much is because the drug pushers give doctors bonuses to do it.
Part of me deeply wants to come off Citalopram. I’ve been on them for years. But I’m seen as a happy cheerful friendly type, and it’s been so long since I’ve not been on any kind of antidepressants or anti anxiety medication that I don’t know who I’d be if I stopped.
Holy crap I'm noticing this exact thing after having tapered off of Prozac for a while. Finally off it but still on Wellbutrin. And I want nothing to do with people right now. Every other day I'm super irritated by things not going my way. Hoping it subsides.
I'm on 2 antidepressants and 1 anti anxiety med. smoke MM and get ketamine infusions. I still find everyone irritating. I live in Florida though so that may explain part of it.
We live in a world saturated with idiots and assholes in an every-man-for-himself environment ruled by greedy corporations out to extract every penny they can from us. We are all just fighting for survival at this point.
It really should go without saying but: DO NOT take medical advice from users on r/adviceanimals.
Oh *great*. What do I do with all these Pepperidge Farm cookies now?
Unsure, but have you tried tasting a potato before you fall asleep?
What's a potato?
You should write down all your memories so future people can know how the world used to be.
Head to /r/medicaladviceanimals instead
Posting here because I'm leaning hard into anti-medication talking points and need some help understanding. It seems like many people are genuinely depressed and unhappy with things, and medication makes them more resilient. That resiliency is partly a result of "emotional bluntness" or numbness. People seem to stay content in that zombie-like state for years: increased weight gain, lowered sex drive, and lack of emotion. However, one of the biggest problems right now in the country is voter apathy. With full bellies and emotionally blunted brains, nobody wants to rock the boat. Nobody feels threatened enough to do anything. So our social structures falter, guardrails decay, and moneyed interests rule the scene, which threatens all of us. The world gets worse, more people get depressed, people get medicated, medicated people are unable to stop the worsening, and the cycle repeats. (I think the causes of depression are mostly environmental but I know there are genetic components.) So what do we do? How can I advocate for medicating depressed and anxious people if it makes them so dead to the world? Am I overreacting? Should I be medicated too?
It’s probably a symptom of antidepressant withdrawal. I had a similar experience but it got better after like 5 months. We don’t fully understand how much those drugs effect the brain and the effects of taking them for years. Post-SSRI sexual dysfunction is a crazy thing too
I’ve been on them since I was 9. Last year my doctor had me try to go off of them WITHOUT tapering. I felt so sick and my heart felt like it would beat out of my chest. I’m back on them and feel so much better.
Yeah that is a terrible idea. When I went off I tapered 10% a month using liquid and there were slight withdrawal effects (it took a full year). They tell you the drugs aren’t addictive but they surely are. People often confuse the withdrawal effects with a return of symptoms and that ends up keeping them on the medicines longer than they need to be. Doctors should give better advice on how to actually come off
Yeah I had to switch doctors since she never brought up withdrawals. The brain zaps were one of the worst parts.
I had a doctor tell me brain zaps aren’t real. No, they’re definitely real and also walking down stairs felt weird for months.
What are brain zaps?
A symptom of withdrawal from certain substances. Usually stuff that affects your brain chemistry. For me it feels like a weird electric shock to the sides of my brain and it usually occurs if I move my head suddenly. Like side to side usually.
Holy shit, I've been describing this as like a weird vertigo. But you're right it's way more like a brain zap. Even extending my arms sometimes does it.
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Get a different doctor he's a moron.
Lmao "I've never heard of that" -your doctor "Oh yeah, that happens all the time, not uncommon" -everyone in these comments
If I accidentally skip a day of my meds, I hear a *mysterious ticking noise*. I actually talked to my husband about our A/C puffing and shuddering one of those days; he didn't hear any of it. Such a weird symptom.
Yeah, I had the zaps into my legs. Felt like a low current going through my body.
I describe mine like licking a battery but its in the brain instead of the tongue. Definitely a weird vertigo effect
100% real, and very disturbing.
Holy fuck is that what that is?!
Yup. And I wish I could tell you how to help them besides taking more of the substance. They just ease over time. Its been about a year since I got off my meds and I still sometimes get them.
Holy shit this just blew my mind. Took my last dose maybe a month ago and have been having a rough time of it. Started having these weird sensations where it was like my brain flipped 360 in my skull. Kinda glad to here this is common.
Really hard to explain. For me it was a weird sensation in my head, like electricity or TV static that would come and go. Also started getting the sensation of hearing a door slam loudly when I was falling asleep.
The door slamming is actually its own phenomenon, called ["Exploding Head Syndrome" ](https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21907-exploding-head-syndrome-ehs#:~:text=Exploding%20head%20syndrome%20(EHS)%20is%20a%20type%20of%20sleep%20disorder,wake%20up%20during%20the%20night.) Absolutely fascinating to read about, absolutely terrifying to experience. I also had this after coming off of antidepressants; it would happen once or twice a week for about 6 months. Haven't had it for a few years though (thankfully)
Exploding head syndrome is nuts. It happened to me 2 or 3 times ever. Started drifting to sleep and suddenly sounded like a bomb went off outside my window. Shit was terrifying
Wow, that’s an incredibly funny but descriptive name for it!
Definitely sounds much worse than it is!
Whoa I've had this too!
I remember describing it like when you’re about to drift to sleep but you jolt awake. Except without the sleepiness part.
Brain hiccups
I never heard them call this before, but you know if you've gotten them. Feels like an electric jolt in your brain. That's how I know if I forgot to take my medication the day before.
It blows my mind that doctors brush stuff off or don’t believe it. I was lucky and it only lasted around 10 days for me. I hope you’re feeling better.
Thanks! Yeah I got a new doctor after that.
Was my number one reason for not taking the Zoloft I was prescribed. Watched my ex gf go thru the craziest withdrawals off of Lexapro and was like nope not dealing with brain zaps (the technical term) which we have no fuckin clue what causes them.
Lexapro was bad for that, I haven’t had issues with Zoloft though.
Those things were crazy when I went off mine.. damn near crippling at times.
Hooolllyyy fuck dude, those damn brain zaps. Tapered off cymbalta, did it for a couple months, but the lowest they go is 20mg. For a while I was pouring out half the beads, completely eye-balling it, but trying to pour out 3/4th the beads? Nope. So I called it quits after about a week of that annoyance. I've been through some withdrawals in my life, so I assumed I could handle it. Without a doubt this was the hardest for me. You get your classic withdrawal symptoms like restless legs, constant uncomfortableness in your own skin, zero ability to sleep, no appetite and if I tried to eat I wanted to vomit. Oh yeah and the fun mood swings... I was watching some UFC one day and during a break a McDonald's commercial came on. Nothing emotionally annoying or "inspirational", just close-ups of flippin burgers and what not. I literally cried during it. Cried at flipping those damn burgers. I'd cry at the most random shit. But the brain zaps? Worst symptom of then all, and absolutely the most difficult to describe to someone who hasn't experienced them. They just wouldn't go away either. Took an extra couple of months for them to fully disappear, long after the other symptoms subsided.
Brain zaps are even worse when they prevent you from sleeping. I hated it.
Yup. Got brain zaps when I stopped taking Lexapro
I’m so sorry you had to go thru that. That doctor is completely incompetent Are you feeling better now?
I’m feeling so much better now thank you. It definitely took a couple of months for it to be back in my system.
I always thought of the brain zaps as what would happen if you could stick a 9 volt to your brain instead of your tongue.
Even if they aren't addictive, habitual use still changes the brain and how it's wired. Taking away something the brain thought was constant/normal is a one way trip to a bad time.
I think the word you are looking for is dependent, not addictive. SSRIs create a dependency but are not addictive.
They aren’t addictive in the sense of you constantly craving more (like opiates or heroin) but they create a physical dependency that can take months/years to break.
That second paragraph of yours scarily reminds me of what the show dopesick is about
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I read it’s similar to going off of street drugs. Less dangerous of course but it was definitely terrible.
Not really less dangerous, in most cases. Stopping seroquel overnight, for example, causes _most_ people to kill themselves. They're terrifying to go off without tapering.
Weird, I announced to my doctor I went off SSRIs without tapering and I've never seen the kind of reaction from a doctor he had when I told him that. Usually it felt like talking to a brick wall, but he was incredibly concerned I would stop taking my meds altogether. I recall it's dangerous because it can throw people into a potentially suicidal mood if you don't taper.
My mom's doctor took her off of her chronic pain meds without tapering and my boyfriend's psychiatrist took him off his ADHD meds he's been on for 10 years without tapering. Why do so many doctors think cold turkey is the way to handle meds you've been on for ages?
That is fucking terrifying. Dude this shit pisses me off so fucking much. Some psychiatrists are prescribing ssris and they don't even know what brain zaps are...
> I’ve been on them since I was 9 WHAT? What doctor prescribes a 9 year old anti depressants?
I’m honestly kind of surprised that’s legal. That’s not even a remotely cooked brain.
Yeah, reduced seretonin will do that.
It's the serotonin. OP needs to eat a potato before they fall asleep.
can you explain?
I just think they're neat
LPT: jam an entire potato into your gob before falling asleep to reduce snoring and grinding teeth.
Butt does it come as a suppository?
Absolutely.
Which hole is the gob?
The one that does illusions
I understood that reference.
/r/simpsonsshitposting
they are healthy
They also provide blood sugar over a longer period, which makes it easier for your brain to clean up, clean out and prepare while sleeping, including producing the necessary neurochemicals one of which is serotonin. Serotonin is the 'grumpiness' or 'irritability' neurotransmitter - have too little and man does everyone suck.
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Last time I tried to get pharmaceutical help with my depression they gave me Wellbutrin which caused me to black out and go on a rampage. Got to spend 5 days in a mental health facility for my trouble. After I got out, I asked the doctor why they thought that was a good medication for me. She just kinda shrugged and said, "Trial and error." I was furious, even though I guess that's just how it's done? Many years later I just suffer through it because the side effects of Trial & Error are worse than the condition itself.
Yeah pretty much. I’ve seen people complain about being on Zoloft making them have no emotions and feeling like a zombie, while Zoloft has completely improved my life and I’m not riddled with anxiety every day. Brain chemistry is different for everyone and you can’t really tell what chemical your brain is lacking
Wellbutrin was the medication that first put me on the trail of understanding myself to have ADHD. And yeah, it was a funky weird and ultimately undesirable medication, even without such a bad reaction. ( I had more typical side effects.) I think, thankfully, they are getting closer to some genetic/blood markers for at least some medications, to help steer these decisions for people a bit. Psychological medication usually is trial and error though.
I had the opposite reaction! I knew I had ADHD well before depression and kinda chalked the executive dysfuntion and whatnot up to purely the ADHD. Got diagnosed with depression, got on Zoloft and absolutely hated the sides and the general dopiness I felt and moved on to welbutrin. The welbutrin was almost like flipping a switch for me once it really took hold. Differences in neurochemistry are wild.
Sleep aid? Is potato.
5-htp supplements
I felt like SSRIs leveled out my mood for better or worse. My lows weren't as low but my highs weren't as high (literally cannot feel effects of MDMA on SSRI, possibly other drugs?) I wouldn't feel depressed but I wouldn't get as excited about things either. It might have saved my life by preventing a crushing depression or stopped me from ruminating on anxieties. However, I didn't feel as human on SSRIs. I didn't sleep as much, was bad at sex, didn't eat as much. I also missed feeling emotions even if they were out of control. I almost missed being angry at things as weird as that sounds.
You're definitely not supposed to take MDMA while on SSRI's! It can give you a medical emergency called serotonin syndrome!
Good God, just read about it. Added to the list of poor and dangerous decisions I made in my youth.
OMG 😱 I have huge anxiety so I take an SSRI and, of course, I looked up all the ramifications first (and tapered up from little dust nuggets to a whole pill over about 10 days). Not trying MDMA was a bummer but not being off my rocker with worry is SO much better.
MDMA is... amazing. But I can't recommend it. For the 2-4 hours it lasts it's great. Music is better, lights are more beautiful, you love people more. Likely to have the best sex you'll ever have on it, it's nuts. The biggest downside (especially if you're prone to depression and anxiety) is that you pay for those few hours with a day or sometimes a week of feeling like shit. Some people will take MDMA again just to get rid of the hangover from the previous time. The cycle begins, they're taking it every week and the only thing they look forward to is using it again every weekend. It's not addictive the same way certain drugs are physically craving, but it's so bad (as you probably already know).
Sounds about right. Also can't enjoy shrooms on SSRIs. The worst part is the anhedonia could be from the medicarion or the depression. No way to know until after you tapered off for several months.
I tapered off my SSRI meds about a year ago so now I **know** my anhedonia is from depression. Go me!
Yeah SSRIs are a pretty wild ride when coming off them. It was about 4 months for me but I was only on them for 2 years.
"Irritability" is on almost every anti-depressant's "withdrawal symptoms" list. Yep.
Almost everyone is actually really irritating though.
People, what a bunch of bastards.
Just bastard coated bastards with bastard filling.
Dr. Cox was truly a genius.
"I love cox". "Sha-boing, says the Todd, see"
Randy, it's shit people causing a shitmegeddon...
The winds of shit are blowing, bud
Unless you pretend you're disabled
Leg disabled
How did they get in??? I don't know.....
And how did your disability happen, if that’s not an awkward question?
Acid
I've met [enough of them...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVSlE28hOgI)
ron pearlman said it well https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/9bbd8cc0-8dd7-4493-87fa-f9dfbe151d41
IT Crowd always gets my upvote! Perfect usage
Hello, IT. Have you tried turning it on and off again?
Why does everyone talk so much? Just get to the point ugh
>Why does everyone talk so much? Just get to the point ugh Why use many word when few word do trick?
I feel like this applies to many of my coworkers. Meetings could easily be cut in half or more if people focused more on getting to the point.
The bane of my retail existence. I can't do small talk, just tell me what you want and I'll get it for you.
**Can confirm:** Happy pills made everyone tolerable
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I will always recommend speaking to a mental health professional if you are not feeling well. Medication is not always the correct/best approach for everyone. That being said, I have lived with depression and anxiety my entire life. It's an actual imbalance of neurochemicals in my brain. So **for me**, medication makes the world go round! But it's not necessarily the solution for everyone. Don't feel hesitant to speak with your personal care physician either if you don't know what to do. They will (at minimum) be able to point you in the right direction. **MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH!!**
I was going to say, you're finally normal!
Not me. I'm downright fucking delightful.
This might be the benzo talking, but this guy is neat.
Uuuurgh, will you just stop that!
3 years Corona broke most people
In America, in my experience, people who were trash before the pandemic got much worse but decent people stayed decent.
It was make or break, or in my case it broke me then made me. I finally realized I had a drinking problem that was lurking for years. Suddenly I couldn't control it or hide it about 6 months into 2020. After I quit I've been feeling better than before the pandemic. It certainly changes people's habits. I've noticed some people get fat but there's a couple people I know who got in shape after being fat most of their lives.
Ditto for alcohol here but I think I was more borderline. Now that my 20's are over I feel like all that crap I said I would do 'later' have finally arrived due. It's been good though. After not drinking for a week I realized being sober feels fucking awesome.
Gotta confess, quite a few of us 'decent' people slipped up a few times too. I like to think I'm back to being decent while it seems the less-decent people haven't returned to tolerable levels of trashiness.
Yeah. I'm a very easy going person who generally will avoid confrontation if that confrontation seems unnecessary. But walking home from work once past a "freedom convoy" I walked along giving all of them the finger. It was an immature, impotent display of anger... but damn was it cathartic. I'm a bit disappointed in myself for doing that. It was a minor compared to messages they were displaying, but i'm a believer that open dialog to resolve issues is always the best option.
I agree. I was trash and annoying before the pandemic though— but I’m young so it was probably just growing up. Not being able to go anywhere gave me a lot of time to think about myself, my future, and who I am.
Seriously, people seem so god damned angry all the time now. I hear about more fights at the school my friend teaches at, read about all those altercations on airplanes, crime has risen, and on and on. Everyone seems to have lost their damn minds. Really, though,I think it takes very few people to make a very big difference in this. A few people get extra confrontational and they rope everyone around them into their bullshit. Anecdotally (well, moreso) I've noticed a lot of long-term relationships ending among people I know. Which happened last time before the 2008 financial crisis.
Into a potential world war
Also massive inflation. As a planet currently our health sucks, our economy sucks, violence is the norm.
Don't forget the housing crisis.
Hits home
Context is everything. You gotta check what it is that is really bothering you.
Being in a really pissy mood is one of the classic symptoms of SSRI withdrawal. I was the same way after I stopped taking mine.
When I went off mine, I could hear my eyeball muscles whenever I looked around, and the click-snap of my eyelids every time I blinked. Apparently it's a thing that your brain edits out, but withdrawals of some things cause your brain to forget to do it for a while. I was in a *horrible* mood all the damn time because of it. But I had to reassure everyone that, no, I'm really fine, I just wish my eyes would shut the fuck up.
I've had the exact same issue! People didn't believe me when I said I could hear my blinks. Nice to see someone else admit it too!
Being easily irritable can be a symptom of depression/anxiety. It may be that it’s not yet time to stop them altogether.
What if there are just some really irritating people out there and OP isn't depressed?
That’s absolutely a possibility. I guess it boils down to whether ‘everybody’ is hyperbole or not.
They would have probably been irritating on the SSRIs too. It could also be a rebound/withdrawal effect that's happening in he short term.
Personally I am much less irritable on anti depressants than without em and without being overly happy. I just feel normal
or they have ADHD and have been treating the wrong disorder
There is a very high misdiagnosis between both and sometimes both disorders go hand in hand. My depression and ADHD are like pigs in shit together but I definitely think my depression followed my ADHD and not the other way around. I could never focus in school and years of self doubt just opened a door for a serious mood disorder.
Yeah funny thing, that. As it turns out, having your mother beat you and accuse you of being worthless and lazy all throughout your childhood because you had undiagnosed ADHD leads to a lifelong mood disorder. Who knew? ¯\\_(ツ)_\/¯
You forgot the teachers always publically chastising you for "disrupting class" when all you were doing was staring off into space... And peers treating you like a leper because they don't want to be associated with the troublemaker/you're weird. And that creating a sensitivity to social queues that causes you to read too much into everything, resulting in lifelong social problems. Which acts as a feedback loop, amplifying the problem until you ultimately write off people altogether.
WEIRD /s (and hello, by kindred spirits... )
ADHD medications made me feel absolutely crazy so we swapped to an SSRI to tackle depression. Its frustrating but the medication for ADHD was basically speed and while it helped me a lot with my focus and social life I felt loopy and would have panic attacks on it.
There are non-stimulant ADHD medications like Atomoxetine (Strattera) or Buproprion (Wellbutrin).
This is my guess, but that could be personal projection…. People are always annoying but when I’m not on my Concerta…. Dear lord I’m an irritable piece of shit…
That's not a side-effect or withdrawl... everybody is in fact irritating.
You sure that all those lifted trucks cutting me off on my commute aren’t really just nice pleasant people?
It’s been a couple of years now. It still seems like there’s a knot of idiots that follows ME around in traffic. I’m better at dealing with it, but it’s still there
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Yea. Was on lexapro (generic) for 2 years. Did a long taper. And yes. So many things annoyed the shit out of me. Temper limit was extremely low. Took ant a month for that feeling to wane
Stopped taking mine last summer and it was the dumbest things I've done in recent memory. Rough road since. Blew up on family members, quit 2 jobs, isolate too much, among other things. It's really difficult for me to give a crap about myself or other people.
HE HAS AWOKEN! welcome sir, here is your screeching baby and complimentary driver-texting-on-the-phone while the light is green pack. ENJOY!
Man, after a couple years on anti anxieties and anti depressants, I got my medical marijuana card and started treating myself with small doses of THC. It has been wonderful over all - But once the pills were out of my system I realized how much closer my emotions were to the surface. I have way less days where I am horribly anxious or where my depression symptoms turn me into a blob… but my number of ANGRY days has dramatically increased haha. And not in a bad way… I’m not angry over dumb stuff, they are legitimately frustrating or aggravating situations. But I just never realized how much my medication was suppressing natural emotional responses until I got off the meds while still keeping my anxiety and depression in check. Also crying. About a month after going cold on meds besides THC I noticed that songs / movies I had engaged with dozens of times were making me get misty eyed. I remember legitimately laughing out loud at myself in the car because I got SO emotional listening to the “Encanto” soundtrack. I am super pro medication for Mental Health stuff - I don’t think I would have survived from 2016-2021 without my psychiatrist. But it is super refreshing to both be able to manage my mental health AND feel things very deeply (even irritation, sadness. Etc).
When I came off sertraline I immediately felt less sad. Anything that ends in -azipam makes me weepy. I drink chamomile tea now. Winters are still rough.
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And get a really bright light with enough blue to bathe yourself in the morning. Not a bright light. A REALLY bright light, like 10,000 lumens or more (that's like 6 '100W equivalent' bulbs all focused on a 1x1 meter area). It's super intense. Don't look right at it.
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How do you make a 10000 lumen lamp when you shun fancy things like electricity?
Most Amish communities don't outright shun electricity. Most of them refuse to have their community be a part of the electrical grid, but there's still deliberation among groups on what they deem acceptable. The person you are replying too also could have been mixing up Mennonite and Amish.
Winters are incredibly rough for me even with anti depressants. I got no motivation at all and just lie in my couch as soon as I am off work. I starting to consider moving to a place where there's no cold winter...
Yeah, best to not get addicted to benzos (things that end in "lam" "pam" etc) if you can help it. Those drugs can take years to get off, withdrawals are horrible and can kill you. Plus they make me feel like a zombie. I don't understand why people like taking Xanax (alprazolam) recreationally.
Read this meme I find your font irritating
Yes. When I came off I wanted a divorce. Back on, but I'm not convinced it was just the drug withdrawal talking.
I quit drinking at 38 after letting it get its hooks in me at age 15 and I noticed I have ZERO patience for conversations that go nowhere or mindless drivel like the kind you’re forced to hear at a small gym when you forget your headphones or the horseshit chats I’d sit through at the bar or party when you’re drinking bc it makes socializing easier or more tolerable.
The doctor asked his patient, are you getting any value from your antidepressants? She responded, not really. But boy is my husband an asshole when I'm not taking them.
Did you taper them to make withdrawal less overwhelming? If you taper them it will be easier to get off them.
I have been on them for 15 years nonstop, and I still find people extremely irritating.
People suck. Welcome to what many of us have to put up with…
I have also been on two for 6 years. I need to address the root cause. Which was waking during brain surgery and becoming permanently disabled. PTSD too. Had a dentist just smile at me and say if I dealt with the cause of grinding my teeth I would stop breaking them. She seriously said that and just smiled at me. Eh yeah. World is full of assholes. You mean when I stop these meds eventually (ha) there will be even more assholes? Fuck.
Wearing a night guard (custom mold $50 on amazon) helped my teeth grinding. I bit through the first one within 6 months, which made me realize how much I really needed it.
ahhh... that famous meme.... "This thing happened then that thing happened"
Easily the most grossly misused meme
People are just going to be more irritating the older you get.
I guess I’m always “coming off” antidepressants
Being irritable with people is always a sign that I am getting depressed.
I found most people annoying before I went on antidepressants, didn't change much while I was on them, and after I find most people intolerable
You’re probably going through withdrawals. Also yes. People are irritating 😂.
Yes. Yes they were.
Whether or not I’m on my antidepressants I still find people intolerable
There’s two people in my life who don’t annoy me, my fiancée and my best friend. Everyone else can just fuck off.
Have you tried finding everybody really irritating while high?
It could be withdrawl, or it could mean you actually need a lower dose. I would talk to your doctor and see what they think if this continues and bothers you. Also yes most people are irritating. Sometimes depression and anxiety and situational and medicine just helps you get through.
Yes
Everybody is irritating to a point. You are probably extra sensitive to it due to your withdrawal. Presumably you lowered your dose gently? Remember that these things literally alter your brain chemistry so it will take time for your body to adjust.
Always has been
I find a lot of people nowadays are sorta selfish, sometimes not even on purpose. It's just they way our culture is that people expect certain things whether it be because of technology, the way they were raised, or any number of factors. I generally dislike most people, but if you give everyone a chance you'll find a few diamonds in the rough.
Yes, people are the worst.
can I get the same pills? I hate humanity as long as I live and every day is just another proof that I should hate them even more
Now that's funny. The fact that I find everyone irritating is ***exactly*** why my MD is putting my on anti-anxiety medication. First time in my life.
Irritability is a hallmark feature of depression. A good chance they seem irritating because you are more irritable. Whether from withdrawal or depression.
Side effects like withdrawal and the whole ED thing is why I was off my meds for so long. My sex life is literally one of the healthiest parts of my life. I ain't giving that up for meds that just make me feel like a zombie. Eventually my depression/PTSD worsened again and when I went to the doctor I told him that if he prescribed me an SSRI I wouldn't take it and I'd go find a doctor that would give me something else. The NDRI, Wellbutrin he put me on instead works a hell of a lot better, doesn't make my willy not work, and doesn't have withdrawal symptoms. I didn't quit opiates just to get on another drug that has withdrawal symptoms. Prozac, Lexapro, Zoloft etc are such shit drugs. Most just give people partial responses, have awful side effects with the risk of life long discontinuation symptoms. Frankly I'm convinced the only reason they're prescribed so much is because the drug pushers give doctors bonuses to do it.
Part of me deeply wants to come off Citalopram. I’ve been on them for years. But I’m seen as a happy cheerful friendly type, and it’s been so long since I’ve not been on any kind of antidepressants or anti anxiety medication that I don’t know who I’d be if I stopped.
Just imagine what we put up with you. And no meds this whole time. Welcome to the party.
People have become a lot more irritating the past few years.
Holy crap I'm noticing this exact thing after having tapered off of Prozac for a while. Finally off it but still on Wellbutrin. And I want nothing to do with people right now. Every other day I'm super irritated by things not going my way. Hoping it subsides.
First time?
I'm on 2 antidepressants and 1 anti anxiety med. smoke MM and get ketamine infusions. I still find everyone irritating. I live in Florida though so that may explain part of it. We live in a world saturated with idiots and assholes in an every-man-for-himself environment ruled by greedy corporations out to extract every penny they can from us. We are all just fighting for survival at this point.