zjw

When i quit drinking i had brain zaps and it felt like electricity shooting through my arms and spine. I scoured the web looking for advice and tips and all i ever came accross was people who expierenced this after they quit anti-depressents. This was a big determining factor for me to opt against them. I was terrified when I read that it could be a possible side affect come time to get off of them. Some folks just stay on them for life I've read as a result too.

Gotta be careful I think with any of this it is all still chemicals / drugs etc..

tomsteve

going generic really helped me financially.
i had to accept there is something going on in me that no amount of work on me was going to fix- a chemical imbalance.
and theres absolutely nothing wrong with being on an AD
if the motive is right.

i got sober because i was all jacked up, not to be all jacked up.

sg1970

I take zoloft to deal with anxiety attacks. I mentioned to my psychiatrist the other day about hoping to someday get off of it. She told me that based on my family history (with depression) and the fact that I've quit before and they came back that I will probably need to take them my whole life. I'm ok with that. It really is a quality of life issue now.

soberclover

I'm not sure if my Cymbalta is due to my weight gain or my sobriety is......I'm still trying to figure out finding a happy balance. But I do know that I would rather be a little fluffier than an active alcoholic not taking her medication

murrill

I took anti-depressants several times before I was sober, but I never had much success with them. Of course, alcohol probably did not help....After a few years of sobriety, I found myself in the clutches of major depression, so I sought help. I took Zoloft, and for the first time in my life, I had a sense of what it meant to be "normal." I still had depression, but I could cope. I was also therapeutically available. Without medication, I was cognitively dulled, and it was difficult to engage. I took Zoloft for about 18 months, and by then it had done what it was going to do for me.

I am what some call a "double dipper." That is, I have dysthymia (or chronic low-grade depression) that I've probably had all of my life. I never realized it because I had always felt that way--sort of like telling a fish that it lives in water. The major depression was an additional "layer," and that is why I needed Zoloft. The major depression is no longer an issue, but I live with dysthymia. I am aware that I see the world through the lens of mild depression, and I have to remind myself that my perception may be a little skewed. I am often tired, and I have to take care of myself. I suppose that I could get a prescription, but I have weighed the pros and cons. At this point, I would rather manage my dysthymia than live with the side-effects of meds.