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SunniMay

Updated 11mo ago

Seeking advice on mental health medication

I have depression, anxiety, some OCD tendencies and I KNOW I need to be on medication but I feel like I don’t trust my doctors advice and I’m scared to try meds that may cause terrible side effects. Just curious if y’all have any success stories with antidepressants, anxiety meds, or even if you take a mood stabilizer? It helps to hear when people are as nervous and health anxious as me have managed to try a med and it worked..

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Snowy

2y

It can be hard. I'm on my 3rd or so anti-anxiety/depressant med and it is helping me a lot. The first 2, not so much. I have a great GP who prescribes my meds and I trust her - but I was super nervous to start meds initially. If you don't trust your GP, maybe seeking out a psychiatrist is a good move. They study these specific conditions and the specific medications in great detail. They know exactly how to approach things. You can take heart that your GP will have some experience in that from their training/education, but if you want a specialist, it can't hurt. You may need a referral, depending on your healthcare resources around you
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SunniMay

2y

Thank you so much for responding with your experience. I do trust my GP .. the first medication they prescribed was Lexapro and it seemed to heighten my anxiety .. but I haven’t been back to try anything else .. do you mind me asking what you’ve tried that works for you? (I know everyone is different)
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Snowy

2y

Of course! I currently take buspirone, but it is predominantly for anxiety with "gentle anti-depressant effects." I was on sertraline (Zoloft) which didn't do enough unless it was a relatively high dose, which made me feel totally numb - which was worse than the anxiety and depression for me. I'd rather be sad and feel than not feel at all. Then I was on Wellbutrin which made my depression and anxiety both worse. I got off of that one relatively quickly. I think that buspirone was the next one I tried and it's been working well for me! I take it twice a day and it keeps my anxiety in check and, generally, my depression at a manageable level. Though usually, I would say that anxiety is my bigger issue. Howeved, lately it's been depression so idk if I need to look at other meds or to address it more aggressively in therapy or something.

The content in this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

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