What Am I Supposed To Feel After Taking An Antidepressant?

Comments · 568

• BU

  @buzzyboo6673 · 2 years ago

  I have never watched anyone who can explain things as well as you do, Dr. Marks.  You are so thorough and go into such depth and yet you can still make all the complicated, scientific information easy for us to understand.  Thank you.

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• WA

  @wardka · 2 years ago

  My sertraline dose for anxiety was recently doubled from 50 to 100mg.  What a difference!  After only four weeks I actually noticed I was at peace and happy for a change.  The side effects are a little severe, but it's worth it for me to finally feel this way after a couple of decades of living in constant fear, worry, overthinking and perfectionism.  Don't be afraid to let your doctor determine what's best.  Sometimes it really works.

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• CO

  @codyplz94 · 2 years ago

  Wellbutrin was the one that made a difference for me. I can actually wake up in the morning, ready to start my day and actually enjoy my day without brain fog, constant tiredness, and I'm not cynical and depressed anymore. Finally. It's a shame that it took me until almost age 30 to feel normal. I still have my not-so-great days, but at least I can feel just okay again, content. That's all I need.

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• LE

  @Lew114 · 2 years ago

  Antidepressants and counseling make life bearable most of the time for me. I still have periods of crippling depression. It's an endless cycle. I'm 55 and I'm fucking tired of it.

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• DI

  @DihelsonMendonca · 2 years ago

  Depression is the hell on earth. 8 years, guys. 8 long years. 😮😮

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• PL

  @planetkvax6813 · 2 years ago

  I prefer numbness over struggling.<br>However, the numbness is not so severe after a few weeks, you just feel a little less than the normal, so that you can cope with everyday stress.

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• RA

  @ramenatay · 2 years ago

  Over 10 years, antidepressants and antipsychotics made me feel numb and dumb

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• QU

  @quake2u · 2 years ago

  There is no hell like the human mind. Is an understatement. &nbsp;If you get help from a doctor you&apos;re one in a million or you just thought you had a problem.

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• BI

  @BigIndianBindi-jy1cz · 2 years ago (edited)

  The way i interpret is that depression is having needs and desires that you believe or feel you can&apos;t meet, and feel unsupported to get those needs and desires met. &nbsp;(desires such as wanting to feel loved or valued, or have friends, or just not be ignored and neglected) The harder the pull of &quot;wanting&quot; to meet those needs, the worse the depression feels. &nbsp; &nbsp;Basically, the belief that you can&apos;t meet those needs is like a chasm in between you and the thing you desire. &nbsp;<br><br>The meds decrease the pull of the desires. &nbsp;It makes you not care or want the desires anymore, or think that it&apos;s that important. &nbsp; That&apos;s the &quot;Numb/Zombie&quot; feeling. &nbsp;Blunting desires. &nbsp;But then... you can tell it&apos;s blunted, and also doesn&apos;t feel good or normal. &nbsp; The meds can also make it easier to distract yourself from what your true wants are. &nbsp;<br><br>I know my depression comes from mere neglect. &nbsp;I used to think my depression was so random, and until I understood that my &quot;Depression only goes away sometimes&quot; because I find ways to distract myself, until that distraction is used up, and I have to find another one, and finding another distraction isn&apos;t always practical. &nbsp;I have to sit around, feel depressed, and wait for one to become available. &nbsp;Hence, the random.

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• BL

  @Blue-e6d · 1 year ago (edited)

  It&apos;s amazing that we wouldn&apos;t leave someone in physical pain for weeks but we have to wait weeks or months to try and lift intense mental pain.

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• ZI

  @zigzaglychee7324 · 2 years ago

  I wouldn&apos;t say I feel numb. I&apos;d definitely say that my emotions feel quieter, but that&apos;s exactly what I wanted. I mostly started them for anxiety with depression, and it feels like it turned down the volume of those thoughts to a more normal level. The only point at which I felt &quot;numb&quot; was shortly after beginning them, I think because I was so used to feeling intense negative feelings that having those gone did feel &quot;numb&quot; in comparison. I don&apos;t think my ability to feel joy has been affected, I feel excited to see people I love and for making delicious meals and feeding the birds, though one thing I would say I don&apos;t do as much is laughing. I feel a lot more chill and peaceful. I realised last month when I had a progress meeting that in the past I might&apos;ve got a lot more anxious about that meeting. It was really nice to be able to get on with preparing for it and not being distracted by the horrible physical side effects.

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• JU

  @JuanRodriguez-ce8vs · 2 years ago

  When your dose is just right you won&apos;t notice anything at all. You&apos;ll notice a gradual improvement after two months. It&apos;s not magic, and unrealistic expectations are why people stop taking their meds. The only exception that comes to mind is Wellbutrin. I took it for depression, and stopped smoking without even trying.

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