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Is this medicine right for me? Starting an antidepressant Is this medicine right for me? Starting an antidepressant
I had been feeling pretty down for about six months before I finally decided I needed to do something. I thought if I didn’t even enjoy bushwalking with my friends or going to a movie with my husband any more – things I used to love – maybe there was something wrong. Maybe I had some sort of vitamin deficiency that made me feel tired all the time, or maybe it was chronic fatigue syndrome? I finally made an appointment with my GP, and I was pretty shocked when she said she thought I was depressed.
My GP talked about going on an antidepressant, but I wasn’t at all keen. I didn’t like the idea of taking medicine to make me feel happier, and I was worried that an antidepressant would cloud my thinking. My GP said that didn’t usually happen, and often, it was depression that clouded people’s thinking, and treatment could actually make it better. She also said an antidepressant would help with my sleep problems, and give me more energy.
I asked if there were any natural ways I could make myself feel better. My GP said exercise sometimes made a difference, but I would have to be pretty committed and do it every day. And it might be better to do this as well as taking antidepressants. I wanted to give exercise a go, and for the next two weeks I got up early and went for a half hour run. I also tried to eat better and cut down my drinking. I suppose I noticed a little bit of a difference, but still found I was waking up worrying in the night, and feeling teary over little things in the day. I was actually still really down, and got to the point where I couldn’t bear to go on feeling like that.
I wanted to do a bit of reading about antidepressants before I went back to my GP, because I was worried about things I had heard, especially side effects. I Googled ‘antidepressants’ and had a read about side effects. Nausea, headache and sexual dysfunction didn’t sound like much fun, but when I weighed it all up in my mind I was at the point where I would rather brave the side effects than keep feeling that miserable.
I went back to my GP and told her I wanted to try an antidepressant, but that I was worried about the side effects. She said the nausea and headache usually go after two weeks or so, and the sexual problems only affected some people, and she would start me on a lower dose. So I filled my prescription and started the antidepressant. As promised, I had a rotten headache and felt sick in my stomach for about two weeks, but then I started to notice a change in my mood. Gradually I started to feel a lot better, and at last I was sleeping well too.
My GP talked about going on an antidepressant, but I wasn’t at all keen. I didn’t like the idea of taking medicine to make me feel happier, and I was worried that an antidepressant would cloud my thinking. My GP said that didn’t usually happen, and often, it was depression that clouded people’s thinking, and treatment could actually make it better. She also said an antidepressant would help with my sleep problems, and give me more energy.
I asked if there were any natural ways I could make myself feel better. My GP said exercise sometimes made a difference, but I would have to be pretty committed and do it every day. And it might be better to do this as well as taking antidepressants. I wanted to give exercise a go, and for the next two weeks I got up early and went for a half hour run. I also tried to eat better and cut down my drinking. I suppose I noticed a little bit of a difference, but still found I was waking up worrying in the night, and feeling teary over little things in the day. I was actually still really down, and got to the point where I couldn’t bear to go on feeling like that.
I wanted to do a bit of reading about antidepressants before I went back to my GP, because I was worried about things I had heard, especially side effects. I Googled ‘antidepressants’ and had a read about side effects. Nausea, headache and sexual dysfunction didn’t sound like much fun, but when I weighed it all up in my mind I was at the point where I would rather brave the side effects than keep feeling that miserable.
I went back to my GP and told her I wanted to try an antidepressant, but that I was worried about the side effects. She said the nausea and headache usually go after two weeks or so, and the sexual problems only affected some people, and she would start me on a lower dose. So I filled my prescription and started the antidepressant. As promised, I had a rotten headache and felt sick in my stomach for about two weeks, but then I started to notice a change in my mood. Gradually I started to feel a lot better, and at last I was sleeping well too.
This is a fictional account for educational purposes.
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Date published: 2011-01-24 00:00:00
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