Antidepressants

[Anongirl]

Hi Porscha. Sorry I somehow missed your post, rushing as usual!

My mum is in the early stages but was prescribed Citalopram for anxiety. I think it does seem to help a little. She seems calmer but then again I don't know if her condition just makes her calmer. It's probably hard to get anxious about something if you don't really understand it, if you see what a mean?

I can't really comment on the later stages, I think as StanleyPJ says its a hard question. xxx

 

[Porscha]

I don't think anyone has responded to your question Porshcha. Off-topic or not, it's a perfectly reasonable question. Clearly there's no definitive answer, otherwise the doctor would have given you it.

Have you felt, at any stage since your mum's been on it, that the anti-depressant has been helpful? If not, it does seem that it would be worthwhile to stop. You might find that you then see a small improvement - you never know.

Ultimately, I would have thought that any medication that cannot be shown to be helping should be stopped on the grounds that it may be contributing to the problems. I'd certainly be looking though the patient information about side-effects before I decided.

But, as I say, it's a very hard question.

Thank you so much Stanley. Appreciate your input, and your trying to help with our dilemma. It does really seem like a question so hard that apparently no one on the 'web' !! has raised, or answered (by a doctor, physician)!

I spent many days searching, as i said, but nothing can be found in the medical literature, ref use of these drugs in cases of very advanced dementia.

Wish you and your loved ones, better year.

 

[Porscha]

Hi Porscha. Sorry I somehow missed your post, rushing as usual!

My mum is in the early stages but was prescribed Citalopram for anxiety. I think it does seem to help a little. She seems calmer but then again I don't know if her condition just makes her calmer. It's probably hard to get anxious about something if you don't really understand it, if you see what a mean?

I can't really comment on the later stages, I think as StanleyPJ says its a hard question. xxx

Thank you Anongirl. It's the thought of thinking about our problem, that matters really. Appreciate the attempt to answer.

PS. Note to Stanley! Sorry for missing important point you mentioned, ref whether the antidepressant made a difference to her psychological/emotional condition. Of course it did, but that was clear and notable at the early and mid stages of the dementia, not now. Now we can't tell what's she is feeling, cause facial expressions are hard to come by (for her).

 

[wobbly]

If you were diabetic or epileptic you would take medication to stabilise your illness so I take the same thinking with anxiety and depression. I had post natal depression after my daughter, well it sounds more like PTSD as I had a long labour and then an emergency section, I never accepted I was depressed or anxious, mainly because I was a nurse and midwife myself and had my head in the sand. When we couldn't conceive no. 2 baby I had an acute depression and took antidepressants, I had pnd again after having baby no.2 but that time I accepted it and took the treatment which worked in days. And basically on and off since then I have been on them, Prozac at first now Effexor which is meant to help with hot flushes and meno problems....the joy or it all....I had breast cancer on 09 and no way would have coped without them, it was the anxiety that got me but they really helped. I suppose what Im saying is that sometimes you just really need help to get over things and to cope with things, so if a pill helps, take it.....I take my medication for the cancer and my Effexor too, I think my hubby would leave home if I wasn't on them, or I'd be done for mass murder....mwahaha....

 

[Shash7677]

Glad I made you smile. Them bloody dogs they very nearly were the death of us!

Hubby got home from work one day, came in the back door thankfully to the overpowering smell of gas! One of the lovely mutts had managed to switch the gas in the hob on, it was integrated at the time so there were no cut offs if the glass lid was down. Hubby being a smoker had just put his cigarette out before he opened the door, thank god he wasn't just lighting up! He could have blown up! Or heaven forbid he had gone in the front and switched the light switches on!

I got home a good few hours later and there was he and the 2 dogs sat in the garden! Partly waiting for the smell to go and partly waiting for me to go in to make sure it was safe to switch thing on!

The stories I have about those dogs! It's. I wonder I needed antidepressants. Lol

X x

 

[Anongirl]

Wow Shash, you certainly have your hands full! That said my two year old son thinks its hilarious to go into the kitchen and turn the knobs round so I'm constantly checking them! I guess we would only get bored if we didn't have all this though eh?! )

 

[jaynem]

Hi

I went to a counselling session and found out what I really needed wasn't to talk about my feelings but some concrete, practical advice and help and the alzheimer's society and age uk helplines did a fabulous job many times over many calls.

To cope with feeling overwhelmed (i'm not sure depressed was the right term?) I did a CBT (cognitive behaviourial therapy - horrid name) course. It was free online at a website called living life to the full and I think you can do it for free at Mind centres as well. It worked beautifully for me and I still refer back to it when I feel stressed, even now mum is safely settling into a care home I was offered antidepressants, and if nothing else had helped first, I wouldn't have hesitated in going back to get them.

Strangely, mum was prescribed anti-depressants when moved to a home and she is so much better with them! My dad died 40 years ago, and maybe if she'd taken them at that point so much of her life would have been uplifted. But she wouldn't have entertained the idea... oh well, better late than never. She even got a 'miss sunshine' award at the home last week.

Good luck, make time and space for yourself and your own wellbeing. It's easy to forget, but it's very important. x

 

[JoshuaTree]

I've been on anti d's once for depression and then a few years later for anxiety.

 

[Anongirl]

Thanks Jaynem and Joshuatree. There does seem a good argument to try them.

Take today, I spent the day with the usual knot in my tummy. Just spoke to mum and she's had a good day from the sounds of it, visiting some relatives (who never return the favour but that's another rant!). If I could just relax for a minute and make the most of this time while she's able to function instead of worrying about her vulnerability all the time.

 

[Fed Up]

Just do whatever you think is right for you, I had counselling in a private hospital. It was great and very helpful not sure it is the same on the NHS. An intensive course of therapy with tailored stress relieving exercises. Yoga was the most helpful and visualizing the anger of suppressed feelings when caring for someone with little or no feedback.
Strange how the CARED FOR are asked how they you, the carer mostly never- its as if you become invisible. I had good advice and did do what was suggested so it was 1. take some time out, its hard but vital. 2. accept not superwoman 3. get enough sleep and take time to eat properly 4. try to have an interest that is outside the role of carer or partner of a patient.
Write down how you feel if you can , on here might be a good idea. It sort of makes sense of feeling down as sometimes depression is a releastic response to circumstances beyond your control.
Above all remember you are important, are needed and have your own needs, hopes and expectations.

 

[Bytheway]

Hi Bytheway! Do you just take a reduced dose now? My GP said they might make me more anxious at first. This worries me as I don't think I could cope with that! I'm a bit nervous about them affecting my brain, like slowing me down. I just need something to stop this awful panicky feeling inside me.

Hi Anongirl
I can't remember what my starting dose was but they were gradually increased and then after some time were gradually reduced to 20mg a day, which I have stayed on now for about a year. I see my GP every 4-6 months for a check up.
I think my main problem was anxiety, GP said underlying problem was depression which turn was causing the anxiety. It's all a bit of a blur now. I just remember thinking that something wasn't right (eg. finding myself in the loo sobbing at work for no particular reason & palpitations etc) & although I was still managing to go to work every day & most people would never have known there was anything up with me, (apart from close colleagues), when I got home I became a bit of a zombie! I didn't realise at the time. It wasn't until a couple of months of taking the tabs that I started being more like "me" again that I realised just how bad I'd been.
They certainly didn't slow me down, in fact I'd say the opposite. I used to be on "automatic pilot" while at work & then going to care for mom but would shut down when I got home.
I even found the motivation to join slimming world, do a bit of Zumba & lost 2 stone
I may be decreasing to 15mg next time I visit GP but to be honest I don't mind staying on them as I am. If I was at zero out of 10 when first seeing my GP, I'd say that I'm now at a very steady 8 which considering I'm the main carer for my mom, is fine with me.
Don't get me wrong, they're not a miracle cure to problems & I still have some down days but find I'm able to cope with life much better now. I don't get so worked about things or find myself in floods of tears as I used to.
I hope you find something that helps you as I've been helped. Everyone is different but there is no harm in trying them if GP recommends them. x

 

[dizzy the cat]

Hi Anongirl

I started on Citalopram 20mg last Thursday.
The first pill made me very slightly queasy about an hour after taking it but I had a lie down and a cup of tea and a biscuit and felt fine after.
Since then I haven't burst into tears once despite some rather challenging issues regarding mum. I used to cry in the shower, cry in the morning before hubby got up whilst making his morning tea and at various random times of the day go into floods of tears over nothing in particular.

I take the tablet around 10am and have noticed on a couple of days I have got really sleepy in the afternoon but have fought it instead of going for a lie-down and going for a little stroll and fresh air around the block has helped. Sometimes I feel rather "foggy", even more than normal o) but know that this is my brain adjusting to the Citalopram.

Feeling more able to cope than before. I had a real problem with making phone calls, sick to the stomach with fear and used to get very jumpy when people rang me in case it was mum all upset about something.....I just feel "better" than before and the doctor has said that it will get better still over the coming weeks and I will be more like my old self. It certainly won't make the problems go away but just help me to cope better.
The doctor has also suggested Talk Therapy as some find it helpful to let it all out to a skilled, non-judgemental 3rd party. My first appointment is in a couple of weeks, I'll see what it's like first as I think a lot of people "of a certain age" have rather a Keep Calm and Carry On attitude, so I'll be interested to see what it's like. Can't do any harm!

I've also been given Zopiclone sleeping tablets but only to take these on 3-4 nights out of 7 because I haven't slept properly for months and months and the doctor said it would be good to have a night or two where I don't lie awake worrying. These are only tempory due to their addictive nature, hence on only 3 or 4 nights and I've been given a months worth.

I think anybody who is depressed or think they may be going down that route (let's face it there are some truly challenging things out there that we are all trying to cope with), please see your GP because anxiety and depression has such a snowball effect on your health and they do take it seriously.

If one type of antidepressant doesn't suit you there are loads of others and they are not like the benzodiazepines of old (remember the term Mother's Little Helpers?). Modern SSRI's are not a chemical cosh but act to improve your seratonin levels.

I can let this thread know how I feel several weeks down the line.

 

[susiesue]

Hi
Whilst my husband was still at home I found it increasingly difficult to care for him and eventually my hair started to fall out in patches. In addition I was continually in tears as I just could cope no longer. Eventually my son insisted I went to the GP who prescribed Citalopram for me.

I thought they were absolutely wonderful and I was very lucky as I suffered no unpleasant side effects.

I stayed on the Citalapram for approximately 18 months, during the final months of my husband's life and I continued with them until approximately six months after his death.

I found they numbed me to absolutely everything and thus I managed to cope - I didn't even cry at his funeral.

I certainly could not have managed without them and my hair falling out was obviously an indication of just how badly I was coping. Delighted to say it has now grown back completely.

Love

 

[Soobee]

I've posted before about my experiences with antidepressants. I've been depressed on and off (in cycles) since I was about 10 but it was only diagnosed in late teens when it became post natal depression. Firstly I was on an old-style antidepressant which was fine.

When I next got depressed I tried prozac and that wasn't so good for me, it reduced my libido badly and I would say it has never recovered. It did the job in sorting out the depression but the side effect was not worth the risk.

I then tried citalopram but I found it increased my anxiety tenfold, I started having panic attacks whereas I had never had anything like that before. On starting and stopping them I had bad nausea too. My mum (vasD) takes citalopram which definitely helps her.

Finally I took Effexor. My wonderful (now retired) doctor had read some research that suggested if you took Effexor (venlafaxine) for over two years then you're less likely to get depressed again in the future. I think I took it for two or three years with no bad side effects and haven't been clinically depressed since despite some awful times over the last three years.

Whilst on antidepressants I found that although it dampened the lows it also dampened the highs and life became very monotonous as nothing was particularly enjoyable. To anyone considering them I would say they are good as a tool to help yourself overcome the worst of times, but be aware of the potential side effects (as with any drug). If I had known about the prozac risk to libido at the time I would have asked for something else. I would not recommend seroxat due to the negative press surrounding it, there have been a large number of reports of people struggling to get off it.

 

[soniasunny]

my husband is on Tomoxetin (Atomoxetine) 25 mg for about a year now and he seem to feel better now, no depression, no side effect. But I'm afraid he will get used to the medication and he won't be able to get off it...
any experiences with this kind of pills?

 

[soniasunny]

can't believe no one is on antidepressants here ......