Anti-depressants?

[tammy753]

My therapist has wanted to put me on anti-depressants for a while. I am thinking I need them to quite the negative thoughts in my head. Has anyone been prescribed them while on HRT. Anything I should watch out for. I fear living in a fog.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

I have been on antidepressants since 2010 with no break but have changed types. For me there is no fog or any identifiable symptoms from using them. If I forget a day then I know about it however! That said other people have different experiences and do get side effects, so it really depends on the person.

In terms of HRT there was no interaction at all. I'm on Venlafaxine which is a second line SNRI antidepressant. You'd probably start on a SSRI like Sertraline or Fluoxetine as they are far less stressful on your system and have very few interactions.

There is no problem being on them if you feel you need that help. And as long as you need too.

Charlotte 😻

[ChrissyRyan]

No, I have not been prescribed any antidepressants.  I would think a MD would know of any side effects or adverse effects of you taking them with your HRT.  Each of us do react differently to meds but maybe the replies here would shed some light also.


Chrissy

[CosmicJoke]

My therapist has wanted to put me on anti-depressants for a while. I am thinking I need them to quite the negative thoughts in my head. Has anyone been prescribed them while on HRT. Anything I should watch out for. I fear living in a fog.

I take an antidepressant and it really doesn't interact with my HRT at all. I recall going off the antidepressant once and it only really resulted in high anxiety and feeling on edge. (Nothing good.)

If you need to be on an antidepressant it's best to remain on it in my opinion.

[tammy753]

My Agoraphobia means I haven't been to a doctor in over 10 years. So this will be through telehealth. They will probably make me go get blood test first. None of this is making me excited but my depression has been really bad the last few weeks to the point I have finally realized I need them.

[big kim]

I was on Sertraline for 2 years from 2011 til late 2013. No side effects.
 

[PhilippaRees]

I'm not on HRT but I have been on anti depressants for just over a year. Even though I knew they would be OK I still took some persuading that I needed them. It turned out I absolutely did need them, they helped me through some of the lowest points of my life.
My view of them is that they are not the solution for depression they are there to stabilize your mood to give you the chance to fix the actual cause of it and you only need them for as long as it takes.
In my case I had improved enough to consider coming off them until something happened to tip me back down the rabbit hole somewhat. However out of that incident I discovered that I am probably trans and my mood improved massively.
I am optimistic that I will stop taking them in about 6 months when they have done their job. I do know people who have been on them for 10 years because they still need them but are completely fine with that. Its what is right for you.

In terms of side drug effects I have no fog with mine, in fact the fog I did have has cleared up so clearly this one is right for me. I did however have one of the major side effects listed.
I started on half dose but at my lowest that got increased to the max dose. After that I found myself being very very agitated to the point of pacing up and down a lot.
Once I went back to half dose everything returned to normal so half dose is about right for me. What got me through this I think is the combination of half dose and a good counselor.
I suspect that HRT won't interact very much but only a doctor can tell you for sure.

I hope this helps anyone considering anti-depressants.they are nothing to be afraid of and can be enormously helpful with good guidance.

[Claire Rose]

I'm not on HRT, but I recently started seeing a therapist and a psychiatrist.  I've never taken anti-depressants before, but recently on prozac.  It's been life-changing in a good way. So much more brain space, and it has been years since I have been this happy.  Really didn't know I was as depressed as I was, and how much time I was obsessing on gender was tied to it. (Still do but not have a bit more brain space and can think so much clearer) - Anyway, I figured I would share - hope that helps!  Best of luck to you!

[tammy753]

I have been to afraid to bring it up with her again. I almost did but she said she was worried about some of the things I was telling her and I was afraid she would have me on psych hold. Maybe that would have been better I don't know. I am much better today.

Thanks for sharing your experiences with me I will probably bring it up with her next week. She is moving my appointments to Mondays after that so its closer to when I am the most depressed.

A idle mind is filled with monsters, well mine is.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

Hope you get the support and if appropriate meds you need Tammy. I know thess feelings all to well and wish them upon nobody.

Hugs
Charlotte

[Petunia]

I'm also not on hrt

I left work at 11am on Christmas eve 2018 and went to my doctors surgery.

He had no appointments so I said I would wait.

After his last patient left after 6pm he said you've been here for a while, you better come in.

It probably saved me from a psych ward or worse.

I've been on desvenlafaxine ever since. It has kept me steady.

The last couple of months I've come to accept who I am and because I'm riding a wave of euphoria I feel like I've never been depressed.

If you are thinking about it you probably need antidepressants.  It's not a cure all though

[tammy753]

I have been prescribed Lexapro. Today is day 4 and the first 3 days I was a zombie and it made me nauseas. Today I had a few brief episodes of nausea was really tired. then all of a sudden I am wide awake. I still feel like an emotionless robot but thought I would share my experience so far.

[Laura Squirrel]

My endo and my GP have brought that up to me before, and I always shoot them down. I'm not doing that. I'm on enough medications as it is. Besides, I remember what Finasteride did to me once I started HRT. Plus, I had a crazy experience the week I was on Trazodone, in an attempt to banish my psychogenic non-epileptic seizures.

Finasteride made me very suicidal and highly death-obsessed. It was so messed up. The last three days I was on it, I had given up. For three days straight, I didn't eat. It was only water and my medications. I was sleeping 16 hours a day. This stopped once I ran out. The two days I was off of it, I felt like a whole new person. I was a hell of a lot happier, that's for sure.

So, given those instances, the idea of being on antidepressants seems like an incredibly bad idea. Rolling the dice on something that could finally push me off the cliff and into the abyss doesn't appeal to me.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

It does seem everyone is affected differently by these meds. All the SSRIs I've been on made me feel no different at all. No side effects, no benefits. Now on SNRIs which have a very moderate effect e.g stop me waking up suicidal everyday. Just some daye instead.

I kinda wish they made me like a zombie but none do!

[Laura Squirrel]

It does seem everyone is affected differently by these meds. All the SSRIs I've been on made me feel no different at all. No side effects, no benefits. Now on SNRIs which have a very moderate effect e.g stop me waking up suicidal everyday. Just some daye instead.

I kinda wish they made me like a zombie but none do!

I'm going to look it up. But, for the sake of conversation, I will ask: What is that? I've never heard of these. My friend was on an SSRI when he was a teen. He always talked about how he didn't feel any different. But his parents and friends told him that there was a positive change. So, I don't know....

But, yeah, I'm not touching them.

[tammy753]

I posted this somewhere. My emotional issues meant we couldn't make progress in therapy. I would come through a weekend or holiday so depressed that we would spend my entire session on that and not the underlying issues. My therapist brought it up in my last session after a really rough week, it had been my birthday and the 4th of July and I was really depressed and lonely. I was a sobbing ball and had the "Dark" thoughts again. We both agreed I needed to try something so I could start making progress on my issues. I have resisted until now and it was time for me to accept that I need them at least for now to move forward.

I am not saying there for anyone, I don't even know if they will work for me. I do know I am not on the verge of crying all the time any more, so I am hopeful. I do feel like a emotionless robot now but I think that will go away once my body adjusts to the new normal.

Sorry for telling such personal stuff if that made anyone uncomfortable I am sorry.

[Charlotte Kitty ✅]

SSRI are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These are likes of fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram etc. The stop your body clearing up serotonin so fast so its amount in the brain is increased. They are first line because they are well tolerated in most people and can be effective. SNRIs are selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. They additionally increase the amount of norepinephrine in the brain so stronger. They are less well tolerated but second line when others are ineffective, so for major depressive disorder. They are hard to come off and can strain your heart. When i first took them i felt high like on stimulants! Now just keeps me a little better.

Charlotte

[Laura Squirrel]

I posted this somewhere. My emotional issues meant we couldn't make progress in therapy. I would come through a weekend or holiday so depressed that we would spend my entire session on that and not the underlying issues. My therapist brought it up in my last session after a really rough week, it had been my birthday and the 4th of July and I was really depressed and lonely. I was a sobbing ball and had the "Dark" thoughts again. We both agreed I needed to try something so I could start making progress on my issues. I have resisted until now and it was time for me to accept that I need them at least for now to move forward.

I am not saying there for anyone, I don't even know if they will work for me. I do know I am not on the verge of crying all the time any more, so I am hopeful. I do feel like a emotionless robot now but I think that will go away once my body adjusts to the new normal.

Sorry for telling such personal stuff if that made anyone uncomfortable I am sorry.

Hey, it's all good. I'm not going to be a jerk about it.

I remember when I was seeing my local therapist to get this transition ball a 'rollin. There were days when I was a motormouth and days when I barely said a word. For lack of a better way to phrase this, you just have to push through it.

[Laura Squirrel]

SSRI are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These are likes of fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram etc. The stop your body clearing up serotonin so fast so its amount in the brain is increased. They are first line because they are well tolerated in most people and can be effective. SNRIs are selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. They additionally increase the amount of norepinephrine in the brain so stronger. They are less well tolerated but second line when others are ineffective, so for major depressive disorder. They are hard to come off and can strain your heart. When i first took them i felt high like on stimulants! Now just keeps me a little better.

Charlotte

"They are hard to come off and can strain your heart."

That right there makes me say, "Nope. Nada. Nyet." I'm already scared to death about what could happen with the people running our government. If I lose my access to the pair of drugs that are keeping the psychogenic non-epileptic seizures away, I'm dead. It's as simple as that. I'm not even talking about doing anything myself. I WILL die if I lose those. You can't go cold turkey off one of them, and I found out how I would feel without one of them when red tape was yanking me around. It's killing you and killing me. (Gotta reference the Circle Jerks. Why not?) 

[Maid Marion]

I use retail therapy.  I buy way more clothes than I need.  Compared to the cost of seeing a therapist it is a lot cheaper to buy stuff. Fewer side effects.

My wife was on SSRIs to help with anxiety issues.  She also saw a therapist.