<p>I tried Zoloft for about a month, and felt very strange. It was hard to describe, and there weren’t any obvious symptoms I could point to, but when I went back to my doctor and said the drug me feel “weird”, she said “I know what you mean. Some patients complain about the same sensation.” She tried another anti-depressant from the same family, and there weren’t any side-effects.</p>
<p>Yes, it wold have been better if she had started the medication while at home but she wanted it now. Perhaps we should have pushed her harder when she was in high school to see someone but she was not willing. And I guess we could have asked her to wait until the end of the semester but she feels she needs it now. </p>
<p>I don’t know what opportunites she might be missing because of the meds–maybe some top security clearance or something but I am not sure how to balance actaul present issues against possible future issues.
.</p>
<p>It is disqualifying for military service, and I don’t know what else. Maybe OP doesn’t care about that. My point is that her daughter walked into some doctor’s office away from home and got a prescription. If the medication is necessary that’s one thing, but this doesn’t seem well thought out.</p>
<p>What exactly do these drugs (Zoloft, Prozac, etc) do for the depressed person? My best friend’s D has just been prescribed (depressed, grades dropping, etc), and I am wondering what do these drugs do? </p>
<p>Do they prevent you from becoming upset? </p>
<p>Do they make you feel more “upbeat”?</p>
<p>Do they just keep you on an “even keel”?</p>
<p>What is it that they do?</p>
<p>“It’s not that far to the end of the term.”</p>
<p>That’s what I thought last semester, about my son. Let me tell you, even a week can be critical! He ended up in the student health center the first day of final exams, and he was in bad enough shape that they called me immediately. He was able to take his exams, and ended up doing really well, but we got him in with a psychiatrist right away. She said if we had waited any longer, the results could have been disastrous. Now he’s stable and will finish his second semester successfully.</p>
<p>His doctor explained the risk of suicidal thoughts to him. She gave him ALL her phone numbers, even her cell, and told him to call him any time, day or night. He never had any problem, however.</p>
<p>He did get a “Letter of Accommodations” from the Office for Students with Disabilities. It allowed him to drop one class just a week or so ago, long after the drop deadline. His professors have been really understanding.</p>
<p>My mom said that before she started Zoloft, she felt like her brain just wasn’t making connections like it should. She also didn’t feel ANY joy at any time, even when she was visiting her grandchildren or traveling overseas. The Zoloft puts her on an even keel, lets her be happy, and helps her think more clearly.</p>
<p>My son has told me only that he feels “better” when he’s on Prozac. He doesn’t feel down and he has more energy.</p>
<p>Medication is a wonderful and often necessary tool in treating depression. It has beeb a life changer in my case and in members of my own family. Especially teens or young adults that you do not want self medicating. With that said there are some real concerns the OP needs to consider especially since her daughter is away.</p>
<p>Zoloft is usually the default RX with seratonin being the first chemical they treat. It is not what all people need and can be very bad for someone not needing an SSRI. Personality changes can occur and one might not even realize it while taking it. Thus putting someone on Zoloft (or any AD) should be done under the supervision of a doctor but also family or friends who will be in a position to monitor a d be aware of such changes.</p>
<p>I was prescribed this ad it was not the right drug. Initially I felt a bit better but then became 'comfortably numb and could not feel anything. It was quite awful. I ended up needing dopamine instead of seratonin but had to go through hoops and agony to convince doctors that SSRIs were not working. Bottom linr is you meed to educate yourself an monitor your daughter extremely closely and not rely on some college staff to do it for you. The wrong ADs can be worse than no medication at all. Therapy. Is as important as ADs. Maybe even more important.</p>
<p>That’s a good point about therapy. My son sees his doctor every week. He signed a consent form so that I can talk to the woman. She told me that one thing she does is reassure him that some of his experiences really are normal for an 18-year-old away from home for the first time. She’s also helping him with social skills.</p>
<p>“I am wondering what do these drugs do?”</p>
<p>When they work, they do not make you feel happy. They restore the ABILITY to feel happy. Depression feels like your mood is chained in a pit, and there’s no hope that it will ever change. Effective medication enables your mood to travel up and down appropriately with life events. You will still feel rotten when bad things happen. But you won’t feel that everything is pointless and that there is no hope of improvement, and when good things happen, you can feel joy.</p>
<p>Medicine that works also alleviates other symptoms of depression besides depressed mood, including eating/sleeping disturbances, lack of energy, and suicidal thoughts.</p>
<p>When they work properly they can lift the fog. Make the walls of the box disappear. Allow light to be seen where previously it was not. However, if they are not working properly they can make you feel like a zombie, worse than before, anxiety ridden, maybe manic. Thus, it’s imperative to make sure the medication is correct and the dosage is proper.</p>
<p>As far as medication limiting future options. Yes, it could and it should be a consideration if you are planning on joining law enforcement, enlisting in the military, or becoming an air traffic controller as it’s historically prevented being hired for those jobs. Times are changing. Mental health issues are now recognized as being a critical part to having healthy employees in those jobs. Still, it’s a red flag in SOME professions. Ironically, professions which have a large number of people who would benefit from them.</p>
<p>Personally, as a pacifist, I was happy to know that my son’s medication likely would prevent him from being drafted for combat. A welcome benefit to the medication in my POV. I realize not everyone will feel the same.</p>
<p>*“I am wondering what do these drugs do?”</p>
<p>When they work, they do not make you feel happy. They restore the ABILITY to feel happy. Depression feels like your mood is chained in a pit, and there’s no hope that it will ever change. Effective medication enables your mood to travel up and down appropriately with life events. You will still feel rotten when bad things happen. But you won’t feel that everything is pointless and that there is no hope of improvement, and when good things happen, you can feel joy.</p>
<p>Medicine that works also alleviates other symptoms of depression besides depressed mood, including eating/sleeping disturbances, lack of energy, and suicidal thoughts.</p>
<p>When they work properly they can lift the fog. Make the walls of the box disappear. Allow light to be seen where previously it was not. However, if they are not working properly they can make you feel like a zombie, worse than before, anxiety ridden, maybe manic. Thus, it’s imperative to make sure the medication is correct and the dosage is proper.
*</p>
<p>Ok…this is very interesting. </p>
<p>Friend’s D has felt like there’s “no hope” in things getting better…that she’s in some kind of situation where nothing she does will make things get better. She’s mentioned that she needs to “move away” or “get away” from her surroundings and start “afresh” because everything in her current environment is “bad” (it’s not bad, but she feels that way). She thinks that “running away” so-to-speak will somehow change the “negative path” that she’s on. The D is college-aged and likes her major and everything, but still gets in these moods of thinking that the only solution is to “run away” and have a change of scenery (which has been done with spring break and other times). </p>
<p>My friend says that when things are going good, then at THAT MOMENT, her D will say that things are going good, but THEN, a few days later, she seems to have no memory of those good things and begins the mantra of “everything is going badly.” </p>
<p>The D will even blame my friend (her mom) for things that aren’t the mom’s fault or anything the mom has control over. When the D is rude to her mom (and dad), she’ll later claim that they “deserved it”…even if a reasonable person would easily see that that isn’t true.</p>
<p>She’s been on meds since last week, so hopefully…</p>
<p>My son already has a genetic condition (not a big deal) that makes him ineligible for the military, so taking medication won’t matter, anyway.</p>
<p>OP You may want to look into alternative treatments for depression such as Niacin or other supplements instead of Zoloft. I have nothing against meds if necessary, but I do think they are often prescribed when a simpler solution could be tried first.</p>
<p>Lots of interesting opinions here. While I believe and have read that cognitive-bahavioral therapy has the longest lasting success rate in treating depression and anxiety, often times medication is needed initially to let the person recover enough to benefit from therapy.</p>
<p>To the poster who asked what the drugs do: Depression and anxiety are caused by serotonin levels in the brain. Cognitive behavioral therapy has been documented to change the brains structure in the same way as medications to. The meds allow for more serotonin to remain in the brain, which lifts mood or calms anxiety. Other lifestyle changes can help - exercise, proper sleep, meditation, etc.</p>
<p>However, particularly with depression, the person may be so hopeless or distraught that he or she cannot begin to do the work needed for CBT. Or they may be so anxious or have panic attacks that they cannot leave their house.</p>
<p>Medication has been a godsend for people in my circle. I do think some people or doctors may be too quick to prescribe, but for those who truly need them, they are wonderful. It pains me to hear people say that people who struggle should just be more disciplined or something, instead of seeking help. And it is most unhelpful to continue the stigma of these medications. Yes, so perhaps a patient cannot get a job as an airline pilot, or in the military. But other conditions like asthma or diabetes may also preclude these things too.</p>
<p>Bottom line, get help, from Rx if needed and CBT or other therapy.</p>
<p>I had anxiety and cognitive behavioral therapy was ineffective. The problem was that my fears were all rational, just taken to the extreme so CBT didn’t really help me to acknowledge what was wrong with my worries. Maybe I just had a bad therapist though.</p>
<p>Zoloft gave me some anxiety issues. Nothing severe, but I had to switch to a different med. Every med has different effects on different people. </p>
<p>I would not be okay with this “see you in six weeks” business. She needs to be checked in on to note the progress with the meds and observe if there are any negative effects to her mental health, and she should be seeing a therapist regularly. Not a professional, just my two cents. For myself or my family, I would want more involved treatment than that.</p>
<p>“Medicine that works also alleviates other symptoms of depression besides depressed mood, including eating/sleeping disturbances, lack of energy, and suicidal thoughts.”</p>
<p>“Depression and anxiety are caused by serotonin levels in the brain.”</p>
<p>Went back and forth about responding here, so I may end up editing, but as far as I know, there is little evidence to suggest SSRI’s reduce suicidal thoughts and behavior, nor is there any proof of serotonin as the case of depression and anxiety.</p>
<p>ParentsMedGuide
The Use of Medication in Treating Childhood and Adolescent Depression: Information for Patients and Families
<a href=“http://www.parentsmedguide.org/parentsmedguide.htm[/url]”>http://www.parentsmedguide.org/parentsmedguide.htm</a></p>
<p>One aspect to be aware of, when dealing with anti-depressants whilst away at university is the follow up. One of my DDs was at a school where they seemed to pass out the meds like candy, she knew half a dozen girls on her floor who were on Prozac and there did not SEEM to be much follow up. Make sure your DD forms a relationship with her physician/counselor and gets regular follow-up to ensure she is on the right med for her.</p>
<p>Some depression is brain chemistry and needs drugs, permanently, I have a family member who will be on serious meds for the rest of her life. Some depression is situational, and happens for very valid reasons, and that person may need an Rx temporarily, to get over the worst part, to feel like themselves again, but then can go off the meds as they adapt to the situation. I know students who did take a helper medication temporarily, until they could get back to ‘normal’</p>
<p>I do agree with the above poster that there are still ramifications, for instance, applying for life insurance, treatment for depression or anxiety will be considered and affect your rate, along with dozens of other things like high cholesterol. Being treated is not something to avoid if you need it, but some physicians may jump too quickly to the drugs. Drugs work faster than talk therapy, if they work for you. So, it’s not that one should not take drugs if they need them, but that it would be smart to ensure that is really what you need before taking them.</p>
<p>Though when depressed and overwhelmed it would be difficult to be your own best advocate!</p>
<p>The alternative to not treating depression is living, or trying to live, with the disorder without any changes for the better (it could get worse). That won’t make a person a candidate for anything taking the antidepressant eliminates. Delaying treatment means delaying feeling better/normal. Current drug therapy is so different from when I had my medical student rotations through the Psych wards. Taking a low dose of Zoloft is like taking thyroid medication, oral diabetes meds or a host of other chronic pills when one would still be alive for some time without them but subnormal. Like with all medications there are differences in effects and side effects. I know a physician who was able to finish medical school, residency and practice for years because of newer drug therapies. Not every disorder can be treated with “mind over matter” nondrug therapies, treating a chemical imbalance with drugs can be the definitive therapy just as drugs treat hypothyroidism and diabetes mellitus.</p>
<p>Society is slowly learning that depressioin and other mental disorders are the same as nonbrain physical disorders- they are not character flaws. A problem with things in the brain is that it is hard to make a diagnosis without being able to sample the tissue without devastating effects, we do more by “trial and error” than if we could. We also treat many infections in the same way- try the probable antibiotic and switch if it doesn’t work. The length of time it takes for full effect of antidepressants is weeks- spending time and money on a followup appointment before it can occur is a waste of time and money for the patient. Not everyone can do every job- some of us have had lifelong vision problem, eg myopia, that preclude some.</p>
<p>Remember hearing about the bad old days when women were excluded from many occupations with monthly hormonal changes and other factors being the excuse? Views of mental illnesses are slowly changing like those attitudes did. With so many treatments with so many fewer side effects rules and policies can change.</p>
<p>It is frustrating when therapies take months, not minutes, hours or days to achieve the full result. Also frustrating to adjust to side effects or wait out the body’s adjustment to a drug, or to find a change in timing/dose is needed. Psychiatry is a slow specialty. A lot is done in medicine without knowing the underlying mechanisms. Anesthesiology is one field where they still haven’t figure out how general anesthetics work in theory, many newer and better ones have been developed and used successfully while researchers try to figure out how things work at the subcellular level (sort of the Holy Grail of the specialty- finding out how those gases specifically work). Another thing about medicine (can you tell I just did some CME?)- what is true today can change tomorrow. We treat with the best available knowledge today, needing to be ready to change our minds in the future. This means quoting old studies or textbooks may not work and the latest papers’ results may be proven wrong in the future. Maybe that’s why it is forever the “practice” of medicine.</p>
<p>Zoloft causes weight gain . I now take a generic of Paxil ,and can get 3 months for 10 dollars . No side effects , and I don’t cry about everything anymore ! It’s been 2 years now on Paxil generic .</p>