Efficacy over time

[Liz9]

I have been dealing with depression, now that I think back,  my whole life (i'm 49). I was officially diagnosed approx. 15 yrs ago. I have been thru a few different kinds of meds. I have definitely come to the conclusion that no meds is not an option for me. My  First med was Prozac;  worked great, but sexual side effects (numb) How depressing. I have been on celexa. . . no luck. . .  I think I stopped all meds for about a year and eventually had to get back on. Originally, my GP (reg doc) was prescribing my meds. He eventually referred me to a psychiatrist for med mngment. That has been really helpful because he really listens to what's going on and we tried a few other meds and would replace anything that didn't work and try something different. My symptoms are anxiety, sometimes a little paranoid, weepy, uninspired to be productive (gardening, sewing, decorating, etc.)and extremely irritable. It's really hard to get a grasp on perspective.. . really scary and lonely feeling and it's really hard to talk to someone that hasn't experienced that feeling; they just kind of look at you, like, Huh? When I try to tell people that it's a physiological condition, they don't get it. . . anyway, I have most recently, for the past 5 yrs been on Wellbutrin 450 mg. First started on time release. I had a really racey feeling, . . it was horrible. So the the other kind of wellbutrin has been great. . . until recently;  i have been experiencing some of my symptoms. I have also been going thru some challenging things in my life and it's hard to discern between reg. everyday stressors and symptoms of depression.  Paranoid, anxious, and weepy.It really seems to be a chicken and egg situation.  I wonder if the effecacy of the W.butrin has worn off. Is there anyone who agrees that meds definitely make a diff. and has experienced this and was able to get on another med that was helpful. I'm going to talk to my doc and will let you know what he says. I was just wondering if anyone else had any experiences like these.

[Liz9]

I just spoke to my doctor and told him that I hadn't been feeling like myself for a while. He told me that because I am not taking the brand-name med (welbutrin), it may be why I haven't been feeling right. The generic companies have to have the active ingredient (buprorian) in their med, but the delivery system in all of them (all of the other ingredients)don't have to be the same. Therefore, the generics may not have been effectively dispensing the active ingredient into my system. I was really relieved to hear that. I'll have to pay more for my copay in order to get the brand name med, but the way I have been feeling lately, I'm willing to see if I can swing it. I can't believe it. I have been feeling awful for the last few months for nothing. I still have to try it first and see if it makes a difference, but I'm optimistic that it  will. I sure hope so.

[Cindee56]

My son, who is 21, has been on many meds for depression since he was about 12 yrs old, believe it or not.  He also had ADHD.  He goes on and off different meds. Always complains about side effects.  Now he's taking Lexapro.  We'll see how it goes.

Good luck.