This is my 4th question. my first was is this from depression for any background that might help answer. Its been 6 months since my life fell apart and brought me to this point. I have a beautiful daughter which I love very much and has now become the only thing that comes close to making me happy. with that being said I'm never happy I'm usually very angry and/ or sad all the time. even when I laugh its fake or fleeting. I try not to direct my emotions at anyone and internalize most of them. I tend to hate myself alot for letting myself get this low and hate my wife for doing what she has done to me and my daughter. I dont feel utter dispair though and no thoughts of ending it so Im guessing the meds are working . People do say I seem better. But I still dont really know. How do you know if you need a stronger dose or a different med? I'm on zoloft and zanax mix.
Q: When do you know your antidepressant isnt working anymore?
Hi Jay,
The answer may related, in part at least, to your own perception of the effectiveness of medication. For years now the medical profession has referred to a group of people as 'treatment resistant' but the latest research suggests that antidepressant medication only really has a significant effect in those with the most severe depressive symptoms. Those with milder forms of depression may be better off considering lifestyle changes such as diet, regular sleep, regular exercise, no alcohol, no smoking and when it comes to treament cognitive therapy may be more effective.
Jay, have you talked to your doctor about how you're still feeling? Sometimes a medication that has worked for a while becomes less effective because our bodies kind of develop a tolerance for it. It doesn't sound to me like it's working all that well. Also, do you have a therapist? I really believe therapy can play a large part in healing as a way to understand how the way we interpret what happens to us can affect our feelings about ourselves and others.
I wish you the best and hope you will feel free to keep writing here.
Hi Jay,
I remember feeling the same way. Things were not "fixed" but I remember driving to work one day and not having that sad, scared feeling and wondering if this meant the meds were working. Things were still hard, but they also were dealable. I didn't feel like I wanted to hide out from the world as much. When it stopped working, those feelings started coming back. My doctor would eather up the dose, or try a new one.
Just to let you know, it's been awhile since my life fell apart. The pain and anger are less now than they were at 6 months after it happend, but I still am coping. I think I had to just accept everything and eather deal with it, or prolong the changes I had to make. It's hard but things get better.
Hi, Jay -
I spent many years taking antidepressant medications that didn't really work, but I always thought - well, I'd probably feel even worse if I stopped them altogether. While on different meds, I had all those feelings you mention, and they were all telling me that depression was alive and well. The medications didn't do much, if anything. I kept on blaming my wife for a lot of things that weren't really her fault but I never even thought of that anger as part of depression. I took it for granted that it was a justified reaction. I also learned to stop expecting that medication alone would be enough to cure me - I not only needed to combine meds with therapy, I also needed to put myself in charge by working constantly to understand my own behavior and use specific strategies to counteract the symptoms. But to look just at your question about medication, what others say about your behavior is not a good indicator of effectiveness. If you experience life as negatively when on meds as you did before, and if most of the same symptoms are making life hard, then it's quite likely the medication is no longer effective.
I hope you can find additional help.
My best to you -- John
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