Antidepressant Concerns and Use in CFS Population: Your Experience or Research?

[DataDude]

Thanks @heapsreal - one explanation for why you may have experienced an improvement followed by a return of symptoms while on an AD is that the brain seems to adapt itself to the chemical. For instance, when an SSRI blocks a reuptake channel to increase serotonin availability in the synapse, the neuron eventually grows new reuptake channels to replace the blocked ones. In some folks, this change might be permanent, explaining why depression becomes chronic in so many of the people that use antidepressants.

I have had good and bad experiences with ads. I aactually asked my dr at the time for a prescription of zoloft after reading how it helps some cfsers with energy.

My wife was on zoloft at the time, probably post natal stuff. But i took half of her zoloft so 25mg. I read it can take a week or two to start working. I had this constant fog for quite awhile. I vividly remember sitting on the back veranda and only 2 hrs afterctaking zoloft my head totally cleared up. Everything looked brighter and instead of half a brain it felt like my whole brain was working . This helped for several months and worked well.

eventually it stopped working and some workplace type dr said i had depression not cfs so put me on effexor . At first on lower doses it was ok, i did feel better about feeling like crap but still had alot of symptoms . This dr dsid i needed to get the dosrs up from 75mg to 225mg to get full benefit and it will help me recoover.

my little brain didnt like these high doses . My brain was doing mickey flips. So i slowly cut back the dose and felt immediately worse. So i increased. No good , my brain was now a mess and during that experience i could understand someone being suicidal, but i knew it was the meds talking not me. Dr at the time was useless so i stopped effexor altogether and started back on zoloft. I had been able to wean off zoloft much easier and knew how to do it. So that was my plan. Waited till i stabilized and then tapered off. Hard to imagine or explain other than it was hell going through that .

I blame the dr for pushing the doses high and trying to treat me as a depressive patient. I didnt feel depressed just frustrated and buggered.

low dose tricyclics like doxepin were great for sleep the first few years. But these were low doses.

I think ads have there place but need to be used in very low doses and titrated up slowly . Also they aren't a miracle drug and they aren't for everyone. Different ads have different effects also.

I think if mood is low and things are stressful supplements like 5htp are definitely a good alternative to pharma stuff. Also can help with cognitive issues .