HarleyDaddy

Yesterday I saw my Dr and we went over the usual stuff. I explained to him that I was still struggling with drinking. I had quit totally but i backslid a bit. We talked about work, social life, sleep habits, hobbies, etc. He said he thinks I'm dealing with depression and gave me a prescription for Celexa. Said it could take up to a month to notice any change.

I took my first pill this morning and I feel like a different person. I don't know if it is a placebo effect, but it just feels like I'm having the best day I've had in years. You know how you feel when you win something, or meet a new girl (or guy), or something of that nature? That's how today feels.

I'm not saying it'a a cure-all, and definitely not trying to suggest any medical advice.

I was wondering though, has anyone else been prescribed an antidepressant and did it help them? Cuz I feel freaking fantastic right now

Anna

Yes, I was depressed for many years before I began drinking but had no luck in getting properly diagnosed and treated. But, I persisted and knew that I couldn't recover from alcoholism without treating my depression. It took a few different meds to find one that worked but when I did, I noticed the difference almost right away.

IndaMiricale

So glad you feel better. But all anti-depressants take time to build in your system. So hopefully after a week or so , you'll really be a a big ol pink cloud.

But from all the people I know in AA that came in with it, working the program and putting down the drink really relieved it more that pills.

suki44883

Sometimes, just talking about the issue with a doctor, being heard and taken seriously can make you feel soooo much better in itself. I know I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders after I talked to my doctor.

I was on Paxil for years and it really made a huge difference in my life.

HarleyDaddy

Oh I'm not trying to relieve the drinking with pills. The pills came into play from the suggestion of a therapist and a q&a session with my doctor. It's me trying to pull my life back together and be happy. He never suggested, and I'm not anticipating that these will magically make me quit drinking or help me stay quit.

However, one of the applications of Celexa is the cessation of compulsion dissorders and may be applicable in the treatment of mild alcoholic issues. There's a whole list of other things as well. Which is why I asked if anyone else had been on it and if it helped them.

And I was told, and read, that it may take up to 30 days. But there are plenty of reports of effects starting within the first 24-48 hours. No matter, I seriously haven't felt this positive in years. So it's either working or placebo...but you generally don't have placebo effects if you are anticipating placebo effects

Innerchild

I am on Celexa it took over a month for me but we all have different body chemistry. I hope Celexa helps with your depression and I will warn you that if you drink on it it will stop the effect of the drug. It never helped me stop drinking but once I did stop drinking my depression has lifted. Good luck

yayday

i take it & it was prescribed to me while i was drinking, so it's probably not helped me. i'm on day 6 w/o a drink & hoping it will help now...feeling down since quitting :/

Pondlady

I've taken zoloft for approx. 10 years. I think it works more effectively without the wine I too noticed a change quickly, within a week. Glad you are feeling better

ACT10Npack

Taking one pill is a placebo effect. Just keep taking it for a month and see how your feel then. If you don't feel better after a month then go back to the doctor and he will give you something else for your depression.

Innerchild

It can take up to six weeks to kick in and it wont work if you are drinking and when I was drinking on it I experienced blackouts very quickly.

HarleyDaddy

Well whatever it is, rock and freakin' roll. I'll take a day like today for whatever reason. I feel like I won the lottery.

Dee74

Glad you're feeling better HD

D

dancinggirl

I took Celexa. My dr had told me it's one of the fastest acting anti-depressents out there and full effects are in force by the second week. I, however, got quite nauseous from it. Whether it's working already, or you're feeling just the sheer relief of having a plan of action, glad you're feeling better!

Zencat

I take Cymbalta, mood elevator drugs help me stay positive, hopeful and out of bed.

mfsteve1

My experience:

I've taken a few different SSRIs in the past. Lexapro was by far the easiest to live with and learn to live without. Paxil withdrawal sucked so bad I fired my doctor for writing the original prescription.

But, the important thing I want to mention is that I could drink all I wanted and never get a hangover. SSRIs are a great pain reliever and FDA approved as such (re: fibromyalgia).

sissy07

HarleyDaddy,

I am excited for you! If it is making you feel great, then just go with the flow, and enjoy the ride. Oh, and whatever you do don't drink. Take care. (p.s. keep us updated)

ReadyAndAble

If it's the drug, you're loving it. If it's a new outlook, you're loving it. I wouldn't spend too much time puzzling over it.

MemphisBlues

I have been on antidepressants for 22 years. I'm slowly weaning off of them now that I am approaching two years of sobriety.

As for the OP, I am no doctor, but there is a lot to be said about the placebo aspect of antidepressants. In fact, the drug trials for nearly all antidepressants rarely performed radically better than placebo. From what I have read, it's normally only five to 10 percent better than placebo.

I suggest everyone demand from the pharmacy the literature that is supposed to be packaged with each prescription. You know, those little folded up pamphlets that you have to use a magnifying glass to read. I wonder why manufacturers print those things so small? Maybe it would be bad for sales to provide such information is a digestible form?

Those little tiny packets of data show the drug trial results (always for short term use, by the way), side effects, and withdrawal warnings. Interesting reads.

DisplacedGRITS

I'm on several medications for my bipolar disorder, alcohol cravings and insomnia (5 meds right now). It took a while to get the right mix of medications but now that i'm being properly treated i feel so much better. I still have my ups and downs but my life has become manageable. I no longer have a never ending stream of dialouge in my head or the extreme, exhausting euphoria or crushing depression. My life has become much more even with what feels like emotional ranges that don't leave me in a state where i can't deal with reality. I'm even thinking about asking my psych about taking me off my anti-craving medication. Medication is just one of my tools in my personal toolbox for dealing with my alcoholism. I'm grateful it's there for me to take advantage of.

DisplacedGRITS

I'm really glad you've found something that seems to be working for you. Just remember to stay on it unless you talk with your doctor. I used to be on antidepressants, feel good, quit them, feel awful then go through periods of crushing depression. There was some misdiagnoses in there too but quitting my meds without talking to my doc didn't do me any favors. Take care and keep up the hard work!