So ive tried quite a few anti-depressant options and here are my thoughts.
1 Wellbutrin;
150mg, then upto 300mg.
It took about 6 weeks to kick in. After it kicked in i felt calm and stable with a mood brightening effect. It boosted my libido by shutting off my thoughts. I felt more assertive on this med.
Side effects included... some anxiety, which got worse at the 300mg dose which is why i stopped.
2 Lexapro, Celexa
5mg, 10mg
I didnt tolerate this med very well. Felt dull, and apathetic on it. Didnt really like either. I tried both Lexapro, and Celexa which are essentially the same med but Lexapro is stronger.
3. Prozac
cant remember the dose
Prozac was actually decent. Stayed on this for about 6 months. But again, I found it made me a bit apathetic. Not as much as Lexapro or Celexa but i found myself just spinning my wheels in my life. I didnt accomplish much during my time on Prozac.
4. Lithium
300-600mg per day at bedtime
This was actually amazing for me. I felt normal for the first time in years on Lithium. I stayed on this med for about two years. Unfortunately it started fucking up my kidneys so i had to come off it. I wish I could still take it.
Side effects included weight gain but not too much at the dose I was on. Didnt hurt libido either.
This is actually a great med even with all the negative press on the internet about it. You just have to monitor the levels so you need a good doctor when you take it.
5. Sodium Valporate
Shitty. Couldnt tolerate this med.
6. Lamictal
I tried Lamictal several times. It had a nice mood brightening effect so i wanted to stay on it. But i couldnt tolerate this med. It made me feel dissasociated from myself. I cant really explain it. But i felt like a different person on this med. Tried unsuccessfully several times to take it.
There is a side effect that is life threatening too. Some sort of rash.
7. Fishoil
Fishoil has actually been good to me. I find if I take 6cps per day that has a mild mood anti-depressant effect. Im currently taking 6cps of fish oil per day with food. Alone its not enough but its a nice supplement.
8. Vitamin d3
I dont know if i get any benefits from it but i take 5000ius a day with food.
9. Sam-e, Sam adenosine phosphate
This is a really good over the counter supplement. Nice mood brightening effect. I would compare it to a pharmaceutical anti-depressant even. I am currently taking Sam-e but i have found i have had to increase the dose over the years and now I take so much it is costing me an arm and a leg. But i still take it because of the mood boost and no side effect profile.
The only side effect i have is a bit of GI discomfort because of the high doses i take.
10. Excercise
This is a legit anti-depressant. If i didnt excercise 3-4x a week I would fall into depression. But its sort of like Fish oil. Just doing it alone doesnt help. But its part of an overall protocol for me.
11. Testosterone
When I am in the right range for testosterone i believe it has a mild mood benefit. But again, alone its not good enough. And subjectively i might even feel better off testosterone mood wise.
12. DHEA
No benefits. Didnt like it.
13. Pregelelone
Didnt like it. Gave me anxiety.
14. tCDS device
This is something new that i am experimenting with. It is a device that stimulates your brain directly and has been proven in clinical trials to have the same benefits as low dose zoloft. So far i am finding it does have some mild mood brightening effects but its too early to say the full effect.
I think i covered most of the meds ive tried. In my trial and error ive realized i do need mood supports but some supports are better than others. And the side effect profiles vary.
I am currently on;
Same 400mg x 5 = 2000mg per day
Fishoil 6cps per day with food
Vit d3 5000ius per day with food
tCDS device 20-30 mins per day, with two days off
Excercise x3-4 times per week
I feel like my mood is a bit low now but I recently came off T so i dont know if its correlated. I feel like i could use a bit more of a boost. Im not on any pharma anti-depressants right now.
Also keep in mind my experiences with meds will be different from yours. You might LOVE Lexapro but it didnt work for me. Its trial and error with this stuff and you have to keep an open mind.
I would also say its not a big deal to admit you are depressed or need a boost. Theres no shame in it. It took me awhile to accept i had some mood issues and it wasnt until I did could I fix the problem. Some people will never admit they feel low, and they just live with it because theres stigma around it. Its not a big deal and its better to try to solve it than ignore it.
Hope this post helped.
1 Wellbutrin;
150mg, then upto 300mg.
It took about 6 weeks to kick in. After it kicked in i felt calm and stable with a mood brightening effect. It boosted my libido by shutting off my thoughts. I felt more assertive on this med.
Side effects included... some anxiety, which got worse at the 300mg dose which is why i stopped.
2 Lexapro, Celexa
5mg, 10mg
I didnt tolerate this med very well. Felt dull, and apathetic on it. Didnt really like either. I tried both Lexapro, and Celexa which are essentially the same med but Lexapro is stronger.
3. Prozac
cant remember the dose
Prozac was actually decent. Stayed on this for about 6 months. But again, I found it made me a bit apathetic. Not as much as Lexapro or Celexa but i found myself just spinning my wheels in my life. I didnt accomplish much during my time on Prozac.
4. Lithium
300-600mg per day at bedtime
This was actually amazing for me. I felt normal for the first time in years on Lithium. I stayed on this med for about two years. Unfortunately it started fucking up my kidneys so i had to come off it. I wish I could still take it.
Side effects included weight gain but not too much at the dose I was on. Didnt hurt libido either.
This is actually a great med even with all the negative press on the internet about it. You just have to monitor the levels so you need a good doctor when you take it.
5. Sodium Valporate
Shitty. Couldnt tolerate this med.
6. Lamictal
I tried Lamictal several times. It had a nice mood brightening effect so i wanted to stay on it. But i couldnt tolerate this med. It made me feel dissasociated from myself. I cant really explain it. But i felt like a different person on this med. Tried unsuccessfully several times to take it.
There is a side effect that is life threatening too. Some sort of rash.
7. Fishoil
Fishoil has actually been good to me. I find if I take 6cps per day that has a mild mood anti-depressant effect. Im currently taking 6cps of fish oil per day with food. Alone its not enough but its a nice supplement.
8. Vitamin d3
I dont know if i get any benefits from it but i take 5000ius a day with food.
9. Sam-e, Sam adenosine phosphate
This is a really good over the counter supplement. Nice mood brightening effect. I would compare it to a pharmaceutical anti-depressant even. I am currently taking Sam-e but i have found i have had to increase the dose over the years and now I take so much it is costing me an arm and a leg. But i still take it because of the mood boost and no side effect profile.
The only side effect i have is a bit of GI discomfort because of the high doses i take.
10. Excercise
This is a legit anti-depressant. If i didnt excercise 3-4x a week I would fall into depression. But its sort of like Fish oil. Just doing it alone doesnt help. But its part of an overall protocol for me.
11. Testosterone
When I am in the right range for testosterone i believe it has a mild mood benefit. But again, alone its not good enough. And subjectively i might even feel better off testosterone mood wise.
12. DHEA
No benefits. Didnt like it.
13. Pregelelone
Didnt like it. Gave me anxiety.
14. tCDS device
This is something new that i am experimenting with. It is a device that stimulates your brain directly and has been proven in clinical trials to have the same benefits as low dose zoloft. So far i am finding it does have some mild mood brightening effects but its too early to say the full effect.
I think i covered most of the meds ive tried. In my trial and error ive realized i do need mood supports but some supports are better than others. And the side effect profiles vary.
I am currently on;
Same 400mg x 5 = 2000mg per day
Fishoil 6cps per day with food
Vit d3 5000ius per day with food
tCDS device 20-30 mins per day, with two days off
Excercise x3-4 times per week
I feel like my mood is a bit low now but I recently came off T so i dont know if its correlated. I feel like i could use a bit more of a boost. Im not on any pharma anti-depressants right now.
Also keep in mind my experiences with meds will be different from yours. You might LOVE Lexapro but it didnt work for me. Its trial and error with this stuff and you have to keep an open mind.
I would also say its not a big deal to admit you are depressed or need a boost. Theres no shame in it. It took me awhile to accept i had some mood issues and it wasnt until I did could I fix the problem. Some people will never admit they feel low, and they just live with it because theres stigma around it. Its not a big deal and its better to try to solve it than ignore it.
Hope this post helped.
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