Never. Turns out my issue was undiagnosed ADHD and trauma. Therapy and adderall have done wonders for me. I was trying to treat depression by itself, not as a side effect of another issue.
Similar case for me, but I would recommend OP or anyone reading to work it through with their doctor (or even switch), being honest with them and oneself.
Yes exactly. It took me a few doctors to figure out what was going on because the first couple didn't ask the questions that the doctor who diagnosed me did.
Venlafaxine (SNRI).
Took a couple weeks to settle into side effects, and about half a year to dial up the dosage (with side effects being a few days to a week after dosage changes).
But it was pretty immediate. I think a big part was the act of treating it, the act of getting help.
Had a lot of ups & downs, took a while to "trust" it, to recognise it working. And building the habit of taking meds helped maintain a schedule.
Define 'working' becsuse a lot of strife can come from the differences between what you're expecting it to do and what will actually happen. For me, it just made it easier for me to lift myself out of bed in the morning and that's about where the progress ends. And that's the one I found after years of trying ones that were worse. They're not happy pills, they just let you deal with the horrible shit instead of becoming immobilized by it.
Escitalopram fixed my Raynaud's at a low "taper up" dose basically immediately. Although it wasn't prescribed for that, this was just a happy side effect. I guess some SSRIs do that.
For depression, it took about a month to ramp up enough to see a difference. It did ease the anhedonia, but it also masked my emotional flashbacks until it was too late to disrupt them.
I also had SEVERE issues with my sodium while on it, which is why I didn't stay on it past a month. However, I don't snack or eat salty stuff so someone with higher sodium intake might have fared better.
I would have tried to get used to it to see if the masking of the early signs of flashbacks got better as I got used to it if it hadn't messed up my sodium so badly.
I started Escitalopram 4 weeks ago. Not motivated for anything yet and my brain still feels like it's filled with cotton, but I can at least sleep again and don't panic about every small thing anymore.
Depression: Faster than immediate - I felt much better the instant I finally decided to treat it as an illness.
As fir the medication itself, ignoring not feeling too good from side effects, I was most surprised how it *immediately* fixed my sleep patterns, like day 1.
That felt like the foundation on which the rest of the improvement was built.
Months. It took months of my med schedule before I was like "maybe these are working". My motivation and functioning was like zero still, but I wasn't depressed anymore.
Then doc put me back on a stimulant and it was so much more drastic an improvement I was frustrated we didn't do that first.
They never worked. For some unlucky people, anti-depressants just straight up don't work. If you're new at it, keep at it, but if it's been a few months it might be time to switch medication. if you've already switched a bunch of times, they might not work for you and your only option is probably therapy
"Some unlucky people" turns out to be 85% of people with depression. What that suggests to me is that depression is a syndrome with multiple causes, and typical antidepressant drugs treat one of them.
Seems to only mention SSRI specifically, not about antidepressants in general
Also this: "suggested that the active ingredients in 10 of the most popularly prescribed antidepressant medications made a meaningful difference in only 15 percent of the patients who took them, almost always in those patients suffering from the most severe depression"
There actually are other options for treatment-resistant depression, which is defined as depression that has little or no response to standard treatments like antidepressants.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS): uses magnetic currents to stimulate the brain while awake, typically provided 5x per week for 6 weeks (although there are now newer protocols that are much shorter in duration)
Ketamine: a general anesthetic drug typically provided via a nose spray 1-2 times per week for 8 weeks
Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT): uses electricity to induce a small seizure in the brain under sedation, typically provided 2-3 times per week for 3-4 weeks
I try to spread the word about these treatments when I can because TMS helped me immensely after trying just about every antidepressant out there with no luck.
Immediate. I tried prozac and it was absolutely horrible. After a week of taking it, I was so utterly miserable that being depressed was a step upwards, and I felt great not so bad after coming off it. That kept the depression away for quite a while.
Depends on the meds, and they can have a drastically different effect on people.
Duloxetin: days, full effect after about a month (side effects after a year or so)
Sertraline: never worked, in fact made stuff worse
Prefaxine: about three weeks to feel noticeable effect.
Depression, Prozac. Approximately 2-3 weeks when the initial benefits kick in, which is also how long it roughly took for me to feel depressed again when I once accidentally stopped the medication
I took prozac for a little over a year. It never did anything for my depression or to help stop smoking, but it did give me ED while on it. So if you want to still be sad but also not ever jerk off or have sex, I'd recommend it.
I’ve taken a bunch of anxiety meds. The only one that worked somewhat was Ativan, but I stopped after a few weeks because I was too anxious about taking it regularly and developing a benzo addiction.
Anxiety meds typically a few days to start to notice. Depression meds either had severe negative side effects almost immediately, or positive effects would start showing up after 2 or 3 weeks.
I have now been on anti-depressants for almost five decades. In that time, I've used just about everything out there, and transitioned from one to the next. Unfortunately, the honest answer is that how long they take to kick in varies widely based on the specific medication. I'm sure the patient's condition can also change it by quite bit. My average has been around a month to get a useful effect, but my minimum is probably around a week and my maximum more like three months.
Never. Turns out my issue was undiagnosed ADHD and trauma. Therapy and adderall have done wonders for me. I was trying to treat depression by itself, not as a side effect of another issue.
Similar case for me, but I would recommend OP or anyone reading to work it through with their doctor (or even switch), being honest with them and oneself.
Yes exactly. It took me a few doctors to figure out what was going on because the first couple didn't ask the questions that the doctor who diagnosed me did.
Me too, only add autism
I'm not officially diagnosed autism but my doctor said I meet the criteria but didn't want it written down due to the political climate.
I took estrogen for depression, it started working within a week :p
Sounds like I should test if going on testosterone does the same someday.
@[email protected]
I may need to confirm this theory
wtf same?? 😮
solution: everyone gets free estrogen! /j
Venlafaxine (SNRI).
Took a couple weeks to settle into side effects, and about half a year to dial up the dosage (with side effects being a few days to a week after dosage changes).
But it was pretty immediate. I think a big part was the act of treating it, the act of getting help.
Had a lot of ups & downs, took a while to "trust" it, to recognise it working. And building the habit of taking meds helped maintain a schedule.
Define 'working' becsuse a lot of strife can come from the differences between what you're expecting it to do and what will actually happen. For me, it just made it easier for me to lift myself out of bed in the morning and that's about where the progress ends. And that's the one I found after years of trying ones that were worse. They're not happy pills, they just let you deal with the horrible shit instead of becoming immobilized by it.
It just kinda blended in, I don't have a real timeframe. I am very helpful.
Escitalopram took only one day for me. For both anxiety and depression.
Bupropion took 3-4 weeks. For depression.
Trintellix took about 2 weeks. For anxiety.
Escitalopram also worked quick for me, but killed my libido
It was my miracle cure until I switched to Trintellix. Yes, it killed my libido as well, but Trintellix is not as bad.
I'll talk to my Dr. Thanks!
I, too, would like to talk to your Dr. Thanks.
Dr thanks is the most greatful person I've encountered
Escitalopram fixed my Raynaud's at a low "taper up" dose basically immediately. Although it wasn't prescribed for that, this was just a happy side effect. I guess some SSRIs do that.
For depression, it took about a month to ramp up enough to see a difference. It did ease the anhedonia, but it also masked my emotional flashbacks until it was too late to disrupt them.
I also had SEVERE issues with my sodium while on it, which is why I didn't stay on it past a month. However, I don't snack or eat salty stuff so someone with higher sodium intake might have fared better.
I would have tried to get used to it to see if the masking of the early signs of flashbacks got better as I got used to it if it hadn't messed up my sodium so badly.
Also, the sexual side effects are real.
I didn't even realize my anxiety was bad until I started getting heart palpitations. I now take escitalopram and it stopped within like a week.
I started Escitalopram 4 weeks ago. Not motivated for anything yet and my brain still feels like it's filled with cotton, but I can at least sleep again and don't panic about every small thing anymore.
Depression: Faster than immediate - I felt much better the instant I finally decided to treat it as an illness.
As fir the medication itself, ignoring not feeling too good from side effects, I was most surprised how it *immediately* fixed my sleep patterns, like day 1.
That felt like the foundation on which the rest of the improvement was built.
Wellbutrin, somewhere in the week to a month to really start working.
Months. It took months of my med schedule before I was like "maybe these are working". My motivation and functioning was like zero still, but I wasn't depressed anymore.
Then doc put me back on a stimulant and it was so much more drastic an improvement I was frustrated we didn't do that first.
They never worked. For some unlucky people, anti-depressants just straight up don't work. If you're new at it, keep at it, but if it's been a few months it might be time to switch medication. if you've already switched a bunch of times, they might not work for you and your only option is probably therapy
"Some unlucky people" turns out to be 85% of people with depression. What that suggests to me is that depression is a syndrome with multiple causes, and typical antidepressant drugs treat one of them.
Seems to only mention SSRI specifically, not about antidepressants in general
Also this: "suggested that the active ingredients in 10 of the most popularly prescribed antidepressant medications made a meaningful difference in only 15 percent of the patients who took them, almost always in those patients suffering from the most severe depression"
So yeah... that's me lmfao...
Hey OP, I'm glad you're fighting this fight. You're worth it and I'm glad to have you around.
There actually are other options for treatment-resistant depression, which is defined as depression that has little or no response to standard treatments like antidepressants.
Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/treatment-resistant-depression/art-20044324
I try to spread the word about these treatments when I can because TMS helped me immensely after trying just about every antidepressant out there with no luck.
Depression. Sertraline/Zoloft. Months.
Initially, it helped a small amount. Possibly placebo. It was well-tolerated, so the dose was doubled. Then months (maybe 3?) of slight improvement.
But when it really took hold it felt sudden.
Immediate. I tried prozac and it was absolutely horrible. After a week of taking it, I was so utterly miserable that being depressed was a step upwards, and I felt
greatnot so bad after coming off it. That kept the depression away for quite a while.Does alcohol count?
/s
If I could be just slightly drunk 24/7, I would be so successful.
There’s a movie about that. It’s pretty good
What's the movie?
It's not Drunken Master is it?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Round
This is the one I was thinking but drunken master fits as well!
Great movie
Fluoxetin: ~7 Weeks, 12 full effect.
Seratrelin: pretty much instant (side effects) main effect like never idk
Depends on the meds, and they can have a drastically different effect on people.
Duloxetin: days, full effect after about a month (side effects after a year or so)
Sertraline: never worked, in fact made stuff worse
Prefaxine: about three weeks to feel noticeable effect.
To fully work? About a year. To some improvement, 3 months.
Depression, Prozac. Approximately 2-3 weeks when the initial benefits kick in, which is also how long it roughly took for me to feel depressed again when I once accidentally stopped the medication
I took prozac for a little over a year. It never did anything for my depression or to help stop smoking, but it did give me ED while on it. So if you want to still be sad but also not ever jerk off or have sex, I'd recommend it.
I already have no clue how to jerk off anyways... never did it; I might already have it tbh lmao
Prozac gave me hyperhidrosis that never went away. I sweat like a pig now when there's the tiniest bit of humidity in the air.
Well it actually helped me, and I only get the ED from seratrelin.
This is why you are supposed to be under psychological observation while taking it.
Depression: SSRIs, within a few days Anxiety: Promethazine, within a few days
I took citralopram for a couple of years. It took about 3 weeks to kick in.
Never worked
About a month for me. I'm taking both. It needs to build up in the system if I understood what the doctor said right.
(Edit: and booze completely kills it, just saying)
I’ve taken a bunch of anxiety meds. The only one that worked somewhat was Ativan, but I stopped after a few weeks because I was too anxious about taking it regularly and developing a benzo addiction.
Anxiety meds typically a few days to start to notice. Depression meds either had severe negative side effects almost immediately, or positive effects would start showing up after 2 or 3 weeks.
Zoloft, it took three days to start working. It had been an absolute gamechanger for my anxiety and I love it. 10/10
I have now been on anti-depressants for almost five decades. In that time, I've used just about everything out there, and transitioned from one to the next. Unfortunately, the honest answer is that how long they take to kick in varies widely based on the specific medication. I'm sure the patient's condition can also change it by quite bit. My average has been around a month to get a useful effect, but my minimum is probably around a week and my maximum more like three months.
A lot of those FDA approved drugs have been proven to do nothing, or far less than therapies.
Sources please