Hacker News Reader

Comment by Lewisham | Hacker News Reader

Take the meds; if you aren't able to feel like you can do the other things, your depression might be too severe for those to help anyway. I didn't realize I was depressed for a number of years, until my wife forced me to go. I am now on medication and I feel much improved.

The wrong medicine will dull your focus (I had a very bad sedative reaction to Lexapro) but the right ones will make you feel more normal. My work is the same as it was before, except I am happier now.

View on HN

> The wrong medicine will dull your focus (I had a very bad sedative reaction to Lexapro) but the right ones will make you feel more normal. My work is the same as it was before, except I am happier now.

I'm really glad to hear that. It's surprisingly reassuring.

Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to decide Lexapro wasn't right for you?

You've gotten a lot of good advice here, and I just wanted to chime in on a related point to this--different anti-depressants may be more effective for you at different stages of your treatment. If you start on Lexapro/Prozac/Paxil, and it works great, but after six months you start to feel like it's not as effective, definitely talk to your doctor about looking at different meds, even other SSRI's. There are subtle differences in how they work that can make a difference (I'm not a doctor or bio guy, but they affect different receptors differently, even when they are primarily aimed at serotonin). Depression isn't a monolithic problem (it feels like it, but there can be multiple factors feeding into it), so as you do the talk therapy and the drugs your equilibrium between maladaptive cognitions, chemical imbalances, relationship and work patterns, etc. can shift, just be aware of how you're feeling (and if differently, how) and keep your doctor apprised. Also, therapy can be intimidating because you're talking about problems that feel insurmountable while you're depressed--but just spill it; they get less insurmountable once you've expressed them. Sometimes just hearing yourself say something out loud can make it obvious what the issue is, or how you could look at it differently.

Good luck, it's worth the effort. Something I read that I thought was useful to keep in mind when dealing with this stuff: you're not depressed because the world is shit; you think the world is shit because you're depressed.

Three days, and it was the introductory dose as well. I struggled to stay awake on Day 3 and couldn't recall things from my mind. It was bad. If you can avoid driving while figuring things out, that would be awesome.

I'm now taking Prozac which is way way better for me.

The important thing is that you have to keep trying at it; finding the right medicine and right dose will take time, but at least in my case (and it seems like others here too), there is a right formula. It's rough going for a while, but like I said before, I just feel more like the normal me, not like the angry, irritated, anxious me. And I have to believe that would have ended up a net positive productivity wise.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com