Connect
How long can you be on anti-depressants?
I've been taking anti-depressants daily now for over 10 years, and a thought came to me, how long can you take these kinds of medications? Are we able to take them only a few years, or is it a lifetime commitment?
I've been taking Nortriptyline and Duloxetine Dr together for the past 9 years. I feel like it does help me get through the days of pain and numbness from my osteoarthritis and neuropathy. Some days are better than others, but I'm afraid of what may happen if/when I discontinue taking one or both of them.
I'm currently taking 9 different prescription drugs, along with a handful of health supplements, which means I'm having to take almost 40 pills every day. I am so tired of taking pills. On a couple of occasions, I either forgot or intentionally skipped taking both of them overnight and then again the next morning, and it was scary. I got very anxious and almost had a panic attack, which I'd never experienced before. I also became suicidal and needed to get out of the house, so I jumped into my truck and started driving. I pulled into a parking lot and called one of my sisters, and we ended up talking for over an hour before I went back home and immediately took my meds. I didn't want to call my wife because I didn't want to bother her while she was at the office.
I guess I should just ask my doctor this question the next time I see him and see what he says.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.
Connect
Maybe you need to find the right combustion of antidepressants.
I truly feel sorry for you if your life sucks. Self medicating with alcohol is certainly not the answer.
My opinion is that if you truly suffer from clinical depression finding the right combination is critical. Try exercising and eating right and maybe your life won’t be that unpleasant.
Once I got my depression under control I had a very successful business career with two great kids and five great grandchildren.
I hope you find that balance.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionPeople following this discussion may be interested in these related discussions:
- Depression: What medication can I try after so many years? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/when-you-are-much-older/
- Depression and Anxiety at an older age https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/depression-and-anxiety-at-an-older-age/
- Side Effects of Rx Behavioral meds as you age? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/side-effects-of-rx-behavioral-meds-as-you-age/
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction@mrmacabre, these are great questions to ask your doctor at you next appointment. Pharmacists are also a great resource for reviewing medications. They are trained in recognizing drug interactions and how prescriptions may be adjusted as our health changes. See this related discussion:
- Medication reconciliation: Who do I talk with to review all my meds https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/stop-all-medicine/
It might worth a discussion with your pharmacist as a starting point.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsI've never consumed alcohol in my 66 years of life, or smoked. I have been going to the gym ever since I had to retire in late 2015. At one point, I was lifting weights and walking at the gym 5 days a week. However, as time rolled on, my physical ability to work out began to lessen to the point that I had to cancel my membership a few months ago because physically, I can't do it anymore.
The neuropathy in my feet has become so severe than I'm no longer able to drive my wife's minivan because of the pain from keeping my foot on the accelerator and the brakes. I can still drive my truck, but only for short periods
of time. I'm basically house bound now.
I was on Effexor for about 20 years. For probably fifteen of those years it helped, but after being on it for so long I experienced a rare but documented reaction: I got suicidal. For about three years I experienced daily thoughts of taking my life, and finally went active on it, standing in my driveway with a gun pointed at my head. I wound up in the psych ward. Under the presumption that I was already adapted to it, they kept me on the Effexor and added a mood stabilizer. About five months later I got actively suicidal again and quit my drugs in a rage (I do not suggest doing this, the withdrawal symptoms are miserable). It was a self-harm attempt. I wanted to wreck my life. Despite the withdrawal issues, however, my mood began shifting within days. The suicidal thoughts simply went away. I went from daily thoughts of killing myself for three years to not a single thought of it since quitting the drug nearly a year ago now.
I found studies on PubMed and BMJ that documented what had happened to me. Both describe it as rare, but known. I called my psychiatrist and told her I felt that maybe this explained what had happened. She was initially skeptical, but when I went to see her about ten days after quitting the drug, she could not deny what she saw with her own eyes. My behavior and communication had completely changed. She knew about the studies, but had never seen a case like mine before. By summer she had more or less cut me loose (I've opted to keep going in every few months for the time being because of how close to suicide I came; even nearly a year afterward, I want to be sure it really is over). She told me in July she was going to use what she learned from me moving forward in case she sees evidence of it again in another patient.
My counselor also was astonished. I went from non-comicative and monosyllabic for months to open and engaged in the two weeks between the session I had the day after I quit the drug when I kept it from her and told her nothing, and the next session when I told her everything. It was a complete flip. I can still see the shock in her eyes when I started talking before I had even sat down.
If you're feeling suicidal, I would look into this. Again, it is rare. But it does happen. Maybe bring it up with your psychiatrist, and also your counselor. My experience since all this happened is that counselors seem to be more aware of the potential than prescribing doctors. One friend of mine in the field was well aware of it, and the wife of a friend, who's a retired clinical psychologist, told him, "Oh my God, that's dangerous" after I told him and he told her. She knew all about it.
I'm not saying that this is what's making you suicidal, but it is worth considering, especially if those thoughts have set in in the past few years as they did for me. You do not want to be in that place. I've dealt with depression all my life, but nothing like what hit me during the last three years especially that I was on that drug. It's worth considering.
I went off of lexapro because it didn’t work after 12 years of taking it. You go to the doctor and get advise before you go off of anything.
Aren't some people on anti depressants ALL their life?
If one doesn't seem to have side effects, isn't staying on better
than being depressed? It is hard enough to age so shouldn't we look
for ways to combat negative feelings?
I don't see an answer here as to how long one can be on anti-depressants....
I will give you an answer. If you truly suffer from clinical depression all your life.
I have taken Zoloft since it came out with the other SSRI’s years ago. I have tried others over the years that promised to eliminate the sexual side effects but always came back to Zoloft/Sertraline.
I have cut my daily dosage from 100 mg to 50 mg and combined with Wellbutrin , Bupropion and Buspar I have settled in to a very nice life in retirement.
Throughout that whole time I have maintained a steady dose of clonazepam with 1mg in the morning and 1mg before bed.
I have never taken a gun to my head and I have two great kids and five great grandchildren.
My wife passed away and I have found a beautiful woman to spend the rest of my life with.
Hopefully that answers your question.