# antidepressants for life?



## Elizabeth Clemo (Apr 11, 2002)

I have IBS'C and have now for 3 1/2 years although I didn't know it until about a 1 1/2 ago. It took until now for me to come turns that this is actually the cause of my severe abdominal pain. A doctor put me on Paxil without any explaination which I later quit cold turkey







Now that I actually believe the doctors, I started on Celixa because I was very depressed. It is not perfect but overall I fell a lot better. My question for some of you that have been dealing with this for a while is: how long do must people take antidepressants? All their life?I am only 23 now and plan on having children but I don't want to adversely effect them with my drugs.ADVICE PLEASE or just someone the understands would be great. It is very hard for my husband to underdstand.Thanks,Elizabeth


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## carolauren (Mar 14, 2002)

Hi, ETC.I have been on Celexa for about 3 months. I asked my doc about how long I should stay on it and he said he recommends about a nine month course and then re-evaluates to see if the patient wants to go off it. Most of his patients say, "Are you crazy?" because they feel so much better on it. I also asked about long term side effects and he said since this class of drug has only been in use for about fifteen years no one really knows, but believes the benefits outweigh that uncertainty. I tend to agree with him. I don't know about its effects on pregnancy, since that isn't a concern for me.I'd say if it's helping you, stick with it for awhile, and if and when you decide to go off it, definitely follow your doc's guidance with that (probably not cold turkey)!







I find that it definitely lifted my mood and increased my ability to deal with things up until the last few weeks. Sometimes the good effects fade over time and then you might have to up the dose or try another drug. I've been on 20mg and am thinking about going up to 40mg for awhile.Is it helping with your C? I am IBS-D, and it seemed to help a bit with my bowel symptoms too, initially.


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## carolauren (Mar 14, 2002)

Ach! Double post. Sorry


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## slacker (Mar 23, 2002)

If you have Major Depressive disorder (severe depression) You should continue taking it even after feel better, for 6 months to a year.If after you quit taking it and you relapse, that increases the chance of further relapses, too, so with people with recurrent depression, it is suggested to take the medicine for many years, if not for life.slacker


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## Marriah (Mar 19, 2002)

Dear ECT, I will be on an anti depressant for the rest of my life (I am only 23 now). It doesnt really bother me because I've tried going off them many times and I absolutly can't do it. My body just doesnt make the right chemicals for me to survive emotionally. BTW, i was on Celexa for a couple of years, and it work wonders for me. How long have you been on it?


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## gasbob (Dec 4, 2001)

My wife has been taking ADs for the better part of four years. There are times when she goes off them for a while, but then needs to start them again.Her doctor re-evaluates her every 3 months or so, but trusts her judgement as to when she needs the meds. Incidentally, my wife's family has a history of clinical depression.So the answer is that you may be on them for life, but it is impossible to tell. You will probably be the best judge of when you need them, or when you can stop.Bob


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## Debra M (Aug 13, 2001)

Hi ETC...I have been taking anti-depressants for about 9 years now. I have been on several different ones. While I have never taken the one you are referring to, I can say that in my personal experience it seems as if every couple of years they stop working and my doctor switches me to a different one. I suppose like any medication, your body gets used to a particular one. Right now I take Luvox, and seem to be in one of those "lulls" again...and wondering if I just need my dosage increased. My doctor tells me I will take meds for the rest of my life. This is a genetic thing, and my father also takes meds for depression. The most important thing is to make sure you really do suffer from depression. For years I was told I was depressed, only to finally be diagnosed last year with OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and anxiety. What a relief when he first changed me to the right meds for my problem! So it's very important you take the RIGHT medication.Good luck to you!Debra


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## honichou (Jun 30, 2002)

A lot of psychiatric conditions are really neurological problems in disguise. For example, I have temporal lobe epilepsy which has something to do with a bipolar disorder problem which also has something to do with a migraine disorder, and, probably last but not least, with IBS. All my doctors (who are wonderful people) have said to me that just because they can't name what I have, that doesn't mean it shouldn't be treated.I will be on anti-convulsants and probably anti-depressants for life. I am not thrilled about this, but I don't like the alternative either. My point is, what we label as psychiatric can sometimes be an underlying neurological problem. The knowledge of brain chemistry is so rudimentary at this point that, if you find something that works, I would stick with it. As far as having children is concerned, you will have to weigh the risks of coming off the medications and what the change in hormones might to do you.I truly understand how you feel. It is something I struggle with as well. But, when I take my cocktail of medicines, I feel normal. When I don't, it's not good.Steven


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## KarenP36 (May 24, 2001)

I'm glad that there are others who feel the way I do. I have been struggling day to day to get through. I've been off of antidepressants for about a year now. My husband gets so "proud" of me when I get off of them and then acts like I'm a failure when I have to go back on them. The depression, the anxiety and the OCD symptoms feel like an elephant sitting on my shoulder. I KNOW that I need them, yet I keep putting it off. There are those people who KNOW that this is all caused by a chemical imbalance and can be hereditary (my dad suffered from severe clinical depression) but yet if we need medicine, we're looked at like crazy people. No one condemns a diabetic or a hypertensive person for taking medication to control it, yet we get this "oh, she's taking PSYCHIATRIC medication..."My husband keeps telling me, "just exercise!", or "snap out of it, just get mad, don't keep it in", or "you're not going to go back on drugs again?" Drugs, like it's illegal or something!Sorry, getting off of subject. Some people only need them short term, I hope this is the case for you...


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