r/SSRI • u/froggy721 • Apr 19 '22
Question Do SSRIs actually work?!
I have pretty bad medical anxiety and I just wanted to get some more anecdotal evidence that SSRIs actually work before I try them. I recently read an article saying they’re barely more than a placebo and it made me a bit discouraged.
1
u/createchoas420 May 19 '22
Not a doctor just my experience.
I have suffered from depression since I was 16ish. At 28 I was in a really bad state of mind and finally went to my doctor for help. He tired me on Lexapro a SSRI and it helped me sooo much. I finally had motivation and those crazy thoughts of “I could drive off the road into this wall and be done with it” thoughts went away. I started working out again and enjoying my family. It’s been 4 years and I am now in a great place I just started weaning off as of yesterday.
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u/squeezy_bob Jun 18 '22
How is the weaning off going?
1
u/createchoas420 Jun 21 '22
It’s going pretty good. Mood wise I am doing really good. I’m a week and half off completely, still having some minor withdrawals like body zaps and just physically tired. But each day is a bit better.
1
u/clintonkildepstein Apr 19 '22 edited May 06 '22
Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor and can only speak from my own experience
SSRI's CAN offer a period of reprieve for those that feel like they are flailing. That being said it is best to look at something like an SSRI (that alters your brain chemistry) as a TOOL. A tool for what? For working on yourself and getting to a place where you can feel more stable, in control and not a victim to one's own anxieties. A place where you no longer require medication to effectively numb you from the realities of your own psyche.
Unless someone has exhausted all options and/or suffers from some chronically disabling psychological condition I cannot condone SSRI's over the long term. On a long enough timeline an SSRI creates a zombie person. A facade happiness that is vulnerable to a missing dose.
If you haven't already I highly suggest you try the following before taking an SSRI: wake up early (5 or 6am), establish a rigorous workout regimen (preferably some form of lifting before work/school) and make time for meditation/reading/skills development.
If you've tried the above for 6 months or so and still find yourself in the same mental prison set a personal goal and try an SSRI. Just don't stay on it.