Struggling with Medication for Mental Health

Medication can save lives, but the mental health community has a weird aversion to talking about how they can also ruin lives. Mine nearly killed me and I didn’t notice bc so many people told me to just “give them time” and I was discouraged from seeking a full medical work up (my ‘depression’ turned out to be ADHD, autoimmune illness, and CFS). Do your own research, listen to your body, seek several opinions, and be your own biggest advocate.

I hate taking meds

This was years ago and I didnt try it for very long at all. I have heard that you almost have to give it a chance to "even out." I really would rather try therapy. Just talking would help. But Im not even sure how much that is.

I agree with some of these comments ^ medication could make you feel a bit strange, like you’re not yourself and you’re struggling because you’re not use to it. You feel different but it’s a good thing. It DOES force your brain to be productive and because it’s a strange feeling you can feel depressed from it but eventually you get out of that state and then it becomes better and you start to feel better as a person

I can only share from my experience but... It's complicated. The emotional change from medication is only part of it. It's the constant change/effect of the medication that forced your brain to adapt and think in ways that are supposed to be more productive. In my experience, just sticking with it for a while allowed myself to see the intended effect, but I have also had to try a few in order to get a good setup. I know this may be hard, but at the end of the day as long as you stay committed to getting better something will come up and it may help you.

I've tried dozens of medicines over the past 20 years. Sometimes I feel better for a while. Sometimes they need to be adjusted or changed or increased. Sometimes it takes months for the true effect to show. Sometimes it helps almost immediately. Sometimes I stop taking medicine and then crash and have to start all over again. The point is, do not feel weaker for taking or not taking medicine. If you need it, you need it, and it may take some time to get it figured out but it is worth the time investment because it can drastically change your life, even if it doesn't end up perfect or ideal, it can get at least a little better.

How long did you try the medication? The thing about it is that it can make you feel worse before you feel better. You also may not have been on the right medication. Sometimes you have to try a few before you find the right one for you. And it’s not magic. You’re still going to feel feelings. You’ll still have bad days. But they’ll be not as bad and you’ll end up feeling like you can cope with things, where right now everything is too much. Hang in there. Give meds another try. Also therapy.