Depression Forums

General => Welcome our 'NEW MEMBERS'!! => Topic started by: Muzzer7 on August 07, 2013, 10:41:57 PM

Title: Help -- getting worse rather than better
Post by: Muzzer7 on August 07, 2013, 10:41:57 PM

First time user to this site.

I am 42, I am currently on 225mg venafaline, been on them since Xmas.

I don't feel they are working As I had hoped, I am seeing my doctor on Friday and will ask her can I change to a different antidepressant. I was on sertraline for about 8 years and felt great on them.

Would it be worth asking to go back on them ?

Any help would be appreciated

Thank you.

Title: Re: Help -- getting worse rather than better
Post by: craig84 on August 08, 2013, 10:02:05 AM

definitely ! I was on fluoxetine for the past 2 years with no effect and recently asked for a change and am now on paroxetine which have helped me somewhat. suicidal thoughts aren't apparent since taking them :) hope you gp is one of the good ones and helps find the right meds for you!

Title: Re: Help -- getting worse rather than better
Post by: Pip on August 08, 2013, 11:41:17 AM

Welcome, yes it is worth discussing this with your doctor as we are all different.  What works for one person wont for another and the whole point of taking anti depressants is help feel better.

Title: Re: Help -- getting worse rather than better
Post by: SteveW on August 08, 2013, 06:19:32 PM

It is really up to you as to whether you seek a change in anti-depressant. You are aware that you are quite a way off the maximum dose of Venlafaxine ? This is 375 mg. I was happiest when someone had reached the max dose and stayed on it for 6-8 weeks, that would count as a treatment failure. You can't always do that with Venlafaxine because it has a tendency to raise blood pressure, especially at high dosage.

If Sertraline had a good effect on you I am pleased, as long it was the Sertraline. The nature of depression is to have periods of relapse sometimes after years of depression free living. I hope you didn't just experience the natural ebb and flow of depressive illness.

There is also the possibility of augmenting Venlafaxine with a second anti-depressant. The most common combination is Velafaxine and Mirtazepine. People would often opt for this when they had had some benefit from Venlafaxine but not sufficient. It isn't really possible to mix Velafaxine with Sertraline so the simplest solution is out.

But if you have faith in Sertraline that goes a long way. I would personally be making my way to the max of Venlafaxine as rapidly as possible, and then think about a change if nothing happened. But as I mentioned before it is entirely up to you, and your GP.

Last point, therapy. You haven't mentioned it as an option. In mild to moderate depression it can out perform drugs in many cases.

Title: Re: Help -- getting worse rather than better
Post by: kindersurprise on August 10, 2013, 12:39:03 AM

Hello, i have just joined today so i hope i am doing it correctly! I found Citalopram to be very helpful

Title: Re: Help -- getting worse rather than better
Post by: Pip on August 10, 2013, 02:35:43 PM

Welcome, kindersurprise,

Yes you are doing this correctly  :happy0158: and you're welcome to join in any thread and start your own.  Take your time looking around and post when / where you feel comfortable.

Title: Re: Help -- getting worse rather than better
Post by: Steed66 on August 12, 2013, 01:43:45 AM

I never found any of the tablets did me any good, i don't know if my gp was actually trying to help or just giving me something just to shut me up.

Title: Re: Help -- getting worse rather than better
Post by: Becky123 on August 12, 2013, 01:19:35 PM

Hey, welcome to the forum, I hope you can find some help on here and get your anitdepressants sorted