medication??

[torturing_myself]

My counselor gave me a recommendation for anti depressants.... I'm nervous to start them but excited to get rid of the anxiety and the depression and the ptsd.... Do you feel different?? How do they work?? Should I be aware of anything?? Should I expect any changes?? Ah I don't know.....

[anony mouse.]

It really depends on what kind of meds they are. The main thing to remember, though, is that medication is not a cureall. It's not like when you start taking them all your problems will magically disappear and you'll feel well again. I had one of my psychiatrists once tell me that they were more of a crutch--you use it to prop you up until you feel good enough to walk on your own. They're meant to be used alongside regular therapy appointments and the like. When I first started on Citralopram (which is an antidepressant) I assumed it would instantly make me feel better. That obviously didn't happen and I was right pissed off. I was like, 'Why am I wasting my money on these things if they're not even working?' But they do work, eventually. You start to be able to take a step back and look objectively at a situation that's upsetting you instead of letting your emotions take over. It's a really great and positive thing. Soon you'll be able to do it all the time and you won't need your medication anymore.

Every kind of medication has it's own side effects. If I knew what kind you were taking then I could find a list of said side effects, but I don't have that information. When you do get them, you can google the name of the pills and you should be able to find a list of side effects quite easily as well as more information regarding how the medication itself works.

Again, though, and I really can't stress this enough: medication is meant to be used alongside therapy. Make sure you keep in touch with your doctor or psychiatrist about how the pills are working for you. If you start getting extremely suicidal thoughts out of the blue--as this is a rare side effect of some drugs--then you need to inform someone immediately. There are many different kinds of pills out there so if one isn't working for you, try another. Most pills tend to take effects a month or more after you begin taking them, depending on the strength and amount of the prescription. I hope this helps and I'm always around if you need to talk.

[torturing_myself]

Thank you and it definitely helps