Antidepresents

[niceblueice]

Although it's not an antidepressant, I used to take valium. I built up a tolerance to it pretty quickly and then got addicted to it, so much so that my doctor took me off it completely and I had to acquire some illegally to wean myself off it.
I'm pretty sure that if you take a drug for long enough your body will eventually build up a tolerance towards it but then becomes so dependent upon that you get addicted to it. Although to be honest I'm not that familiar with sertaline.
Perhaps you should consult your doctor they'll actually know what they're talking about.
Wishing you and your daughter well

 

[johnny on the spot]

Although it's not an antidepressant, I used to take valium. I built up a tolerance to it pretty quickly and then got addicted to it, so much so that my doctor took me off it completely and I had to acquire some illegally to wean myself off it.
I'm pretty sure that if you take a drug for long enough your body will eventually build up a tolerance towards it but then becomes so dependent upon that you get addicted to it. Although to be honest I'm not that familiar with sertaline.
Perhaps you should consult your doctor they'll actually know what they're talking about.
Wishing you and your daughter well

Went down the valium route before I was diagnosed. We had a uni GP who would hand out valium like skittles to anyone under 25 claiming depression in spring term. Bad news.

 

[blumoon]

My Dad is nearly 11 weeks in hospital now having been diagnosed with Psychotic depression, breaking my heart to see him like this. Seems to have settled down a bit and he is on Lithium. Doc's have said the next step for him would be shock treatment, am kind of freaked out at the thoughts of that and pray he picks up from the despair he seems to be immersed in :-(

 

[johnny on the spot]

My Dad is nearly 11 weeks in hospital now having been diagnosed with Psychotic depression, breaking my heart to see him like this. Seems to have settled down a bit and he is on Lithium. Doc's have said the next step for him would be shock treatment, am kind of freaked out at the thoughts of that and pray he picks up from the despair he seems to be immersed in :-(

Mate, that's rough. I can't tell you to disregard the doctors, they know a damn sight more than me, but if your family are unsure please get a second opinion before you allow them to proceed with anything like this.

 

[KPXBLN]

My Dad is nearly 11 weeks in hospital now having been diagnosed with Psychotic depression, breaking my heart to see him like this. Seems to have settled down a bit and he is on Lithium. Doc's have said the next step for him would be shock treatment, am kind of freaked out at the thoughts of that and pray he picks up from the despair he seems to be immersed in :-(

Mate, that's rough. I can't tell you to disregard the doctors, they know a damn sight more than me, but if your family are unsure please get a second opinion before you allow them to proceed with anything like this.

Remember although they are the experts and will make their recommendations, you're not obliged to do what they're suggesting. So like Johnny says you can always seek other advice too. And manic depression (which is presumably what your dad has if they're giving him lithium), like any mental illness, is going to take time to overcome. If you wait a week or a month or a few months while you think about your options and different treatments, that's not the end of the world. So allow yourselves the time and space, don't get rushed into something you're not happy with.

 

[uwe28]

blumoon dont know what to say.hope things work out for u and ur dad.this life shit aint easy!!!!!

 

[bainy]

My Dad is nearly 11 weeks in hospital now having been diagnosed with Psychotic depression, breaking my heart to see him like this. Seems to have settled down a bit and he is on Lithium. Doc's have said the next step for him would be shock treatment, am kind of freaked out at the thoughts of that and pray he picks up from the despair he seems to be immersed in :-(

Your dads got a very complicated and serious illness. The good news is that there is every chance he will recover. ECT (shock treatment) is used for a very small cohort of patients. There are some NICE / evidenced based guidance on its use. it is very carefully monitored. Have a look on some of the mental health websites such as 'rethink' or 'MIND' which have some very helpful information that may help you during this dificult time.

 

[brass neck]

I guess a few things spring to my thoughts after reading some very thoughtful and some very saddening posts. 1. We are NOT alone. There is great advice and support out there. 2. If a simple post on a football forum can get 5 pages of serious stuff like this, then what IS the picture nationally?! I wouldn't mind betting its a frightening stat. 3. If the kind of posts here are reflective of what's going on out there that is known about and relevent action is being taken, what the hell is the true figure as many many many people and their families suffer in silence due to the stigma of mental health that despite some good tv programs recently (ruby wax, john Richardson) is still very prevalent. 4. I think I heard somewhere that mental health takes up 25% of NHS reasourses but Strangley only gets about .5 of the funding. For me I think that stigma may even reach the highest echelons (government). And many previous administrations have no doubt concidered it a Pandora's box that they just are not prepaired to open!!! Many thanks blue moon off topic, I appreciate your support and feedback. B.N.

 

[Stoned Rose]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news guys but there is actually no evidence whatsoever that depression is caused by a lack of any specific chemical (the usual 'culprit' cited by doctors is serotonin). The human body is simply to finely tuned to allow homeostasis to be disrupted by one of several thousand chemicals within the body. It just doesn't happen.

There is also no evidence whaysoever that the SSRI drugs actually effect either serotonin production or serotonin uptake.

Check the literature on pubmed or google scholar.

Best 'cure' for depression is frequent moderate cardio exercise, eating a diet which 'agrees with' your body's chemistry, getting ample sunlight and ample good quality sleep.

 

[brass neck]

And there we have it. It's the old church of Scientology line, it's nothing to do with what the elite of medical research recon it is and in fact it's more to do with x.y and z. Have the findings of whoever it was who said its more diet, excersises etc been thouroughly researched? have they been researched as much as the medication that coincidently has helped many people ( presumably that has all been a placebo effect) has been researched? Sorry, i would prefer to listen to scientists as opposed to crazy cab drivers with a interest in medication. "a little knowledge"!!!!!!!!!