Return to Anti-depressants that Stopped Working

Posted by johnhans @johnhans, Oct 12, 2016

Has anybody tried returning to an anti-depressant that stopped working and then tried to go back to it many years later to see if it would work again? I have been on just about every anti-depressant there is. Some never worked, others gave bad side effects such as Cymbalta, and others stopped working after a while such as sertraline. I was on this many years ago and since I have been on most all anti-depressants, my doctor decided to try sertraline at a higher dose of 150 mg. I have been having trouble with insomnia, but still have depression. It works to a degree, but not enough to take away the fog and tiredness. Of course insomnia can be contributing to that. I am also taking 150 mg of trazodone. I have had depression since a child. Depression and anxiety has run in my family for generations.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.

@henrymb

I am BiPolar, take 300mg of lithium (for manic) night, with 100mg of Quetipine, if I am having problem with depression I have 25mg of Quetiping take one if it does not work I add 1 more, to date I have never had to go above175mg, as I am felling better I start cutting back to the 100mg & morning, I am now sleeping 8hrs a night - have done that in years.
Every morning I take 300mg of lithium + 300mg of XL Bupropien. I also take magnanese, CoQ10, and B12.

Jump to this post

Nothing like a good success story to brighten a day! I play pickleball, to which I am addicted, 3xs a week as well as water aerobics. It does help to get the body moving around.

REPLY
@johnhans

Hi Susan,
Yes we need to keep our hope up. My great-great grandfather spent the last 25 years of his life in a mental hospital with the same thing I have. Now with the advances we have, I am able to live and take care of myself without hospitalization. I was told by a psychiatrist I had years ago that without my meds I would be where my g-g-grandfather was. We can all be thankful for the advances in treatments for depression and anxiety. When I was young all they had were tranquilizers. I do have some chamomile tea bags that I forgot about and you are right about it being a calmative. I'll have to go back to drinking it. I will talk with my doctor about Tizanidine. I do get tight muscles and my legs tend to jerk at night. Thank you for these suggestions.

Thank you for posting for the first time. I am glad that you have found a combination that is working for you. May you continue on in good mental health.

Jump to this post

I take Wellbutrin AND Prozac - prescribed by a Board-Certified Psychiatrist and it's working great for me. I take the Wellbutrin daily, the Prozac every other day.

REPLY
@johnhans

Hi Susan,
Yes we need to keep our hope up. My great-great grandfather spent the last 25 years of his life in a mental hospital with the same thing I have. Now with the advances we have, I am able to live and take care of myself without hospitalization. I was told by a psychiatrist I had years ago that without my meds I would be where my g-g-grandfather was. We can all be thankful for the advances in treatments for depression and anxiety. When I was young all they had were tranquilizers. I do have some chamomile tea bags that I forgot about and you are right about it being a calmative. I'll have to go back to drinking it. I will talk with my doctor about Tizanidine. I do get tight muscles and my legs tend to jerk at night. Thank you for these suggestions.

Thank you for posting for the first time. I am glad that you have found a combination that is working for you. May you continue on in good mental health.

Jump to this post

@berit, I use a C-Pap for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Lost 30 lbs. last year & kept it off, & the Sleep Medicine Dr. lowered the pressure on my machine. Much easier to deal with. Working to lose another 15 lbs., maybe resolving the Sleep Apnea & not have to use C-Pap. It's a royal pain, and I hate traveling with it. However, it's necessary for people with this condition. There are tips on the Mayo Clinic Web Site for avoiding Sleep Apnea, & keeping a healthy weight is near the top of the list. I'm certain smoking is another risk factor.

REPLY
@johnhans

Hi Susan,
Yes we need to keep our hope up. My great-great grandfather spent the last 25 years of his life in a mental hospital with the same thing I have. Now with the advances we have, I am able to live and take care of myself without hospitalization. I was told by a psychiatrist I had years ago that without my meds I would be where my g-g-grandfather was. We can all be thankful for the advances in treatments for depression and anxiety. When I was young all they had were tranquilizers. I do have some chamomile tea bags that I forgot about and you are right about it being a calmative. I'll have to go back to drinking it. I will talk with my doctor about Tizanidine. I do get tight muscles and my legs tend to jerk at night. Thank you for these suggestions.

Thank you for posting for the first time. I am glad that you have found a combination that is working for you. May you continue on in good mental health.

Jump to this post

I learn something new everyday! I take Prozac, Cymbalta and Clonzepam 2x day!<br><br>

REPLY
@johnhans

Hi Susan,
Yes we need to keep our hope up. My great-great grandfather spent the last 25 years of his life in a mental hospital with the same thing I have. Now with the advances we have, I am able to live and take care of myself without hospitalization. I was told by a psychiatrist I had years ago that without my meds I would be where my g-g-grandfather was. We can all be thankful for the advances in treatments for depression and anxiety. When I was young all they had were tranquilizers. I do have some chamomile tea bags that I forgot about and you are right about it being a calmative. I'll have to go back to drinking it. I will talk with my doctor about Tizanidine. I do get tight muscles and my legs tend to jerk at night. Thank you for these suggestions.

Thank you for posting for the first time. I am glad that you have found a combination that is working for you. May you continue on in good mental health.

Jump to this post

@berit, thank you for sharing your story. And thank you telling others about Mayo-Rochester's 2 week outpatient program. What about the program would you say helped you the most?

REPLY
@johnhans

Hi Susan,
Yes we need to keep our hope up. My great-great grandfather spent the last 25 years of his life in a mental hospital with the same thing I have. Now with the advances we have, I am able to live and take care of myself without hospitalization. I was told by a psychiatrist I had years ago that without my meds I would be where my g-g-grandfather was. We can all be thankful for the advances in treatments for depression and anxiety. When I was young all they had were tranquilizers. I do have some chamomile tea bags that I forgot about and you are right about it being a calmative. I'll have to go back to drinking it. I will talk with my doctor about Tizanidine. I do get tight muscles and my legs tend to jerk at night. Thank you for these suggestions.

Thank you for posting for the first time. I am glad that you have found a combination that is working for you. May you continue on in good mental health.

Jump to this post

What didn't help? It was all terrific. Probably least useful for me were the didactic classes but that is only b/c i have a mental health background. I think the truly innovative part of the program was the data collection we did on ourselves. People are always telling you what to do - keep to a routine, go out with friends, get enough sleep, exercise, blah blah blah . . . But this program has you plan your own routine and activities, THEN have you track how you feel when you do them, note if other people are around or involved. The result its that you prove to YOURSELF that you actually DO feel better when you keep to a routine, exercise, etc etc.

For me, this was the best. No one was telling me what i should be doing. I was demonstrating to MYSELF that doing this stuff actually worked for ME. Doing self data collection and showing OURSELVES what works was a positive GENIUS idea of whoever it was at Mayo who came up with it. It turned my life around. I convinced MYSELF to do all these things people had been telling me to do for years b/c I had PROVEN to MYSELF that they made me feel better.

Really, they need to take tis show on the road. Not everyone has the time or money to go to MN.

REPLY
@johnhans

Hi Susan,
Yes we need to keep our hope up. My great-great grandfather spent the last 25 years of his life in a mental hospital with the same thing I have. Now with the advances we have, I am able to live and take care of myself without hospitalization. I was told by a psychiatrist I had years ago that without my meds I would be where my g-g-grandfather was. We can all be thankful for the advances in treatments for depression and anxiety. When I was young all they had were tranquilizers. I do have some chamomile tea bags that I forgot about and you are right about it being a calmative. I'll have to go back to drinking it. I will talk with my doctor about Tizanidine. I do get tight muscles and my legs tend to jerk at night. Thank you for these suggestions.

Thank you for posting for the first time. I am glad that you have found a combination that is working for you. May you continue on in good mental health.

Jump to this post

I'm a non-smoker but unfortunately I am an emotional eater. When I get depressed the first place I turn is to chocolate, donuts and other goodies. i've tried juicing, which worked for a while, but I got hooked on donuts again and that's a hard habit to break. Still I'm trying, and i exercise a lot so at least that is one good thing.

It's not good to overeat, but some days it just comes down to whether you would rather be fat or dead.

REPLY
@johnhans

Hi Susan,
Yes we need to keep our hope up. My great-great grandfather spent the last 25 years of his life in a mental hospital with the same thing I have. Now with the advances we have, I am able to live and take care of myself without hospitalization. I was told by a psychiatrist I had years ago that without my meds I would be where my g-g-grandfather was. We can all be thankful for the advances in treatments for depression and anxiety. When I was young all they had were tranquilizers. I do have some chamomile tea bags that I forgot about and you are right about it being a calmative. I'll have to go back to drinking it. I will talk with my doctor about Tizanidine. I do get tight muscles and my legs tend to jerk at night. Thank you for these suggestions.

Thank you for posting for the first time. I am glad that you have found a combination that is working for you. May you continue on in good mental health.

Jump to this post

I'm so sorry you are struggling with problems surrounding food. You almost<br>sound fearful, hopeless and loathsome. I have empathy for you. I have<br>experienced similar food addictions. Felt sick. Was overweight. Developed<br>illness. You can change. Or stay miserable. You should research an<br>elimination diet. A person will crave their poison. I can tell you my<br>story, but it is long. For the last 10 months I have been successful in<br>making the choices and changes I needed and now I am the perfect weight and<br>I feel so much better! The only thing you can control in a mindful manner<br>is what goes into your mouth. Think about it. Let me know if you need to<br>talk more.<br><br>

REPLY
@johnhans

Hi Susan,
Yes we need to keep our hope up. My great-great grandfather spent the last 25 years of his life in a mental hospital with the same thing I have. Now with the advances we have, I am able to live and take care of myself without hospitalization. I was told by a psychiatrist I had years ago that without my meds I would be where my g-g-grandfather was. We can all be thankful for the advances in treatments for depression and anxiety. When I was young all they had were tranquilizers. I do have some chamomile tea bags that I forgot about and you are right about it being a calmative. I'll have to go back to drinking it. I will talk with my doctor about Tizanidine. I do get tight muscles and my legs tend to jerk at night. Thank you for these suggestions.

Thank you for posting for the first time. I am glad that you have found a combination that is working for you. May you continue on in good mental health.

Jump to this post

lorraine,
What is an "elimination" diet? I never heard of that one before. To say i feel loathsome is a bit strong, but i do feel frustrated, discouraged and out of control, eating-wise. Advice/suggestions appreciated.

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.