A
female
age
36-40,
anonymous
writes:I have been depressed off and on for some years and am thinking about going on an anti-depressant. What have you heard? Any suggestions? I know that most of them have the same side-effects. I was on Prozac before and it didn't work out. I know this is not a relationship question, but any help would be greatly appreciated. I am thinking about trying Lexapro.
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male
reader, rcn +, writes (28 January 2008):
 The reason I asked, not giving too much detail, is BPD is a disorder that the main element is past trauma. Working with people with this disorder, they have had close relations die tragically, have been rape victims (which may include being sexually molested as a child.) It's something so great that they develop an altered sense of self.
It sounds like your down on yourself for not taking part in the possible destructive behaviors many your age do. That's OK, from my view, it's better than OK. So much negativity and you have been able to avoid it. Not taking part in drugs and alcohol makes you a stronger person. Not going out to have sex has allowed you to not fall into one of the biggest temptations both girls and boys face. All though it can get loneley, be proud of yourself. That in itsself is a major accomplishment.
All though it must of been difficult. What are you going to do with it now? Being intelligent is only as good as what you choose to do with it. Life can be happy and exciting if you choose for it to be. We so often loose track of that our roles are in life. Life begins to run us, instead of us taking control. When we become off balance, our depression kicks in because we're lacking in one or more areas. To develop your roles you look at who you are. Who are you as you, as a student, a friend, a employee, etc. From each area there are 4 different areas of health for each one. Spiritual, physical, mental, and social. During the week you take your roles, write down four areas you can improve, one from each category, and on each role. Then you schedule the time each week to work specifically on each one. This will enable you to begin bringing yourself back to being in balance.
I hope this works for you. Remember, what you call depressing, someone else sees as amazing.
A
reader, anonymous, writes (28 January 2008): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionI understand what you are saying. That in itself confuses me as well. I told the psychiatrist that I had done what I did because nothing was ever good enough- I made A's, am a virgin, didn't smoke, drink, or do drugs, and I was not good enough. I guess he thought I meant that I felt I wasn't good enough for the world, but at the time I meant that I wasn't good enough for my grandpa or my maternal figure.
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A
male
reader, rcn +, writes (26 January 2008):
OK the, Borderline Personality Disorder. I'm not saying, you personally would choose to use it as a cure.Let me ask you this. Asside from hurting yourself, what was your diagnosis of BPD based off of? BPD is much different than depression, and antidepressents generally don't have much affect on BPD because it's much deeper and much more complicated than even major depressive disorder.When you went to the hospital. What was the reason behind hurting yourself? I don't mean to bring up past hurts, I'm just trying to see how psychiatrists that meet you in a hospital base their diagnosis for one of the most complex disorders to diagnose.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (26 January 2008): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionI am also going to therapy, so I am not just planning on taking it and that being the cure.
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A
reader, anonymous, writes (26 January 2008): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionrcn, after I was placed in the hospital for hurting myself, some psychiatrist that I don't know was called to go there, and he diagnosed me with Borderline Personality Disorder.
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A
female
reader, anonymous, writes (26 January 2008): I suffer from aytipical major depression and am currently taking two antidepressants. They do not give me any side effects and work very well for me. They are wellbutrin xl and cymbalta. Normally one only takes one antidepressant but in very severe cases more than one med can be used. However, you may find yourself switching meds. I used to be on Zololft and the dosage was changed three times and then it no longer worked. Right now this new cocktail works for me and my quality of life is so much better. Also consider cognitive therapy as well. I get cognitive therapy to help me deal with my depression since it will never completely go away. But my case was severe. Good Luck!!=)
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A
male
reader, rcn +, writes (25 January 2008):
i'm on lexapro, it works well for me, with no side affects. of course their may be with any medication if you just stop taking it, instead of slowly getting off of it. as far as the depression is concerned, lexapro works well. you're able to have the doctor raise and lower your dose depending on what you need.
I want to mention, taking a medication should not be considered a solution to a problem. These don't cure depression, they take the negative edge off the affect of the disorder.
To have a better idea of what might work best for you. Could you give a bit more information. You mentioned being on Prozac. Why was that the medication they chose for you, and was their a mental disorder diagnosis that prompted their decision?
Thank you, take care.
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A
female
reader, MissKin  +, writes (25 January 2008):
 First of all, whatever you decide to take, make sure it's properly prescribed through a qualified GP/Doctor. Secondly, I'm a strong believer that medication doesn't work well, at least not on it's own - if you're depressed i'd suggest counselling of some kind, studying psychology this is what i've come to think is the better therapy.
As for anti-depressants... They can become very addictive and you can become very dependent on them and the effects of being 'happy' when on some of them can soon fade away and you may have to switch to another set. I recommend talking to your family Doctor about this issue, talk through the best medications to take.
Side effects of some can actually be 'mood swings', which you don't need if you're feeling depressed in the first place. Constant use of anti-depressants can sometimes lead to the need for them for life aswell. I'm not a doctor or a chemist, so i can't tell you everything. There's lots of advice online on reliable websites though if you want to search for more information.
I hope all works out well for you.
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