I was on Trintellex for approximately 3 years after my previous medications, sertraline and Wellbutrin stopped working and also had two rounds of TMS.
I’ve suffered major depression and anxiety my entire life, I’m 70 now. I also have been taking Xanax for 30 years which I continue doing with a small dose of lamictal to help stabilize my mood. No more antidepressants for me.
Trintellex was awful for me, not only did it not work it made me very nauseous. I would never take it again, I believe it actually made my depression worse. I hope you have a better response. Good luck yo you.

@ daveshaw

I have NEVER refused treatment! Who are you to assume I haven’t done everything I could do for the past 50 years if my life?? I took medication for 40 years with varying success.

My point was that antidepressants no longer work for me and haven’t for years. I have been under the supervision of the same psychiatrist for the past 35 years.
Zoloft, Wellbutrin and other antidepressants had worked for me over many years but then I became “treatment resistant. “
I don’t know what’s so hard to understand. Trintellex was the final antidepressant I ever took. Depression remains a part of my daily life but I’m done trying drugs that do not work for me and gave nasty side effects.

Don’t feel sorry for my family, they are educated and understand that for many, medication either doesn’t work or stops working. Your comment was insensitive at best and downright judgmental at worst!

@rosebookay and @daveshaw, I see that you both agree that not one size fits all and that finding the right approach to managing depression is as unique as the person dealing with it. I also acknowledge that both of you are here on Mayo Clinic Connect to share your experience, knowledge, and to support others along the journey. Thank you.

We only have words on the screen without the benefit of body language and tone of voice. Sometimes, the lack of body language and tone of voice can lead to misinterpretation of someone's supportive intent. As per the etiquette of this forum, I thank you for treating each other and other members with respect. 🙂

I have been diagnosed as bipolar 2, and coirrectly I believe since it pretty much explains my whole life. I was on antidepressants and got flipped. It can happen, and in my case it got pretty scary. Insane depression. Worse than I'd ever known. I went on lamictal about a year-and-a-half ago and have had remarkable success. It was originally administered for epilepsy, then showed significant promise with bipolar, and is prescribed "off label" for the condition. I went from severe depression to all but none, and when it does set in, it's pretty minor and passes quickly, more along the lines of the sort of normal depression everyone experiences from time to time. It never gets existential like it used to. It turned my life around. It's worth asking about.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2655087/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2655087/

A. Moderator sent me a message and I had the feeling this moderator was thinking we were bordering on “inappropriate” or rule breaking comments yesterday. I stand by my comments and today, the original poster, validated my response. He had found the posters response to be inappropriate and, from a professional standpoint, it was. When you are a mental health professional you are duty bound to calll out unskilled and inappropriate comments. I;m not sure what credentials the Moderator possesses but as I said earlier, I stand by my comments and am thankful I spoke up as it seemed to help the original poster to be validated in thinking someone’s comments were inappropriate. This moderator did also send the message to the poster who offended the original poster so it really felt like she was issuing a kind of warming. I don;t feel I deserved a warning even if it was disguised as something else and, as I say, I am curious as to the credentials of this Moderator.

I'm so sorry you are unwell. I know exactly where you are with your journey as I'm on the same journey. Have you considered Ketamine?

Thanks for the suggestion. I've looked into it. Neither the VA nor Medicare covers the therapy. Even though I have Parkinson's I'm able to work, but only part-time as an independent contractor, which means just enough money to get by and like too many others, no "real" health insurance. But I know I'm not alone. Far too many more people will be in crisis, and they won't even know what happened. We've been on a downward economic spiral for the past 40 years. At least I was able to live during some of the best years in history, and I have wonderful memories and my mind is still sharp. Inside, all is well. Except for when I'm alone in nature, I don't particularly care about all the external events beyond my control. I really miss my wife. We were supposed to stay young together. Stay well.

So sorry to hear what you’re going through. Abrupt discontinuation of BZDs is absolutely unacceptable care.
Two things I’d like to offer. First, please do discuss the suicidal thoughts with your mental health provider. “Mandated reporting” is for pediatric patients, it has no bearing on this. It’s very important to discuss this with your provider.
Separately, you might want to try medical cannabis as an adjunct therapy. Specifically an edible product with CBD (no THC). It’s not a cure, but it can help.
I know depression sucks. So does anxiety. You’re not alone.

Thanks for helping to cheer me up. It felt good having someone giving me a hello; broke through the numbness.

I've been on Trintellix 20mg since it came out. I noticed a difference right away. The nausea i found taking it after food helps.
I also had 22 rounds of ect electoral shock therapy. It really helped. I m 57. I started the antidepressants guess game 40 years old after my husband died.
Good luck to you.