Why Anti Depressants Take so long to work

[steveo]

Just found this link and thought that you guys might find it interesting. Some very good analogies in here too.

http://www.oxfordmhf.org.uk/blog/2012/03/why-do-antidepressants-take-so-long-to-work/

[Spot-the-frog]

Thanks for the link, very interesting :)

[BobbyDog]

A very interesting publication, I didn't know how SSRI's worked and now I do, thanks.

[kittikat]

Interesting read, thanks steve.

[Magic]

My GP gave me anti depressants a bit back now-- I forget the name of them.
Anyway it was just before Chritmas one year. She said --if I were you I would
start to take them after Christmas. She said no more.
Silly me. took one, took another the next day. Blimey what a state I was in.
Talk about Panic from 9am untill 3pm. Then all of a sudden everything lifted from
me and i felt really good. Funny how these things work.:)

[steveo]

Thought it might be interesting!

It seems daft though doesn't it!! We are suffering from anxiety/depression and we are given medication that is going to increase that terribly for at least 2/3 weeks first!!!!

Absolutely daft!! Imagine being given a paracetamol for a high temp and headache, only to find out it gives you a HIGHER temperature and worse headache for a couple of hours first and then that there's no guarantee that it will work at all!! No one would take one!!

Unfortunately that's what we have to suffer with. We are already as low as we can possibly be with depression and anxiety when we start medication, only to be pushed down further into that hole for a few weeks with no promise of improvement on that particular dose or medication.

It's a real shame because I'm currently on my 2nd SSRI without success so I have to go through the wash cycle again soon and I know that coming off this drug and on another is going to give me a hellish couple of weeks.

[Pipkin]

Steven,

I'm going to read this article in a minute but I've been reflecting on your med situation. You retried citalopram which didn't work and now you're on escitalopram and it's not having much effect. Regardless of what Lundbeck may say, they are effectively the same drug (albeit escitalopram has a reduced side effect profile as it's more selective) so it's probably not surprising that you're having a similar result. It could be time to ask your GP for a change of med class?

Pip x

[Dnvgraphics2k12]

I knew this before but makes a good read :) Thanks

Cameron