How do you not feel shame in taking anti-depressants long-term

I can’t answer your OP alcot as I’ve never taken antidepressants.

I was offered them a couple of times after life changing events, but felt compelled to decline. That’s just my choice - to try other methods first. It works for me as I must be very resilient, but I wouldn’t expect others to make the same decision as we’re all very different.

I've suffered with anxiety, agoraphobia and also depression and have taken medication since I was about 15, so can relate to how you feel about taking them. I was put onto benzos in my early 20's and just left on them and still take them. I was prescribed antidepressants in my 40's and am still taking them too. I hate taking them, I don't tell anyone unless I have to as I've come to realise that no matter what people say about there not being such a stigma, I actually think there is. My own sister actually thinks 'people like me that don't contribute to society' shouldn't get a State Pension, as if having a mental illness is something we have by choice!

Sadly there is very little help the NHS can offer with regards to therapy which I am sure would be more helpful than just dishing out medication. I always find it odd that there is so much help for people who want to stop smoking, stop drinking or stop taking hard drugs, but try to find any help for coming off prescribed psychiatric meds and there is nothing. Even my own GP, whose special interest is mental health has told me there is nothing he can do other than refer me for an 'up to date diagnosis', which I really can't think would be of any benefit to me. I often wonder what goes through the minds of some of these GP's, the first time I saw mine when he took over from my previous GP he looked at me and said 'oh my you would never think you suffered with a mental illness looking at you'. Not sure if he expected me to walk into the surgery with 2 heads or what, but comments like that don't exactly inspire confidence in how you feel society sees you.

No one would say "You've been on insulin for 25 years - isn't about time you stopped?" Or "Do you really need those blood pressure tablets?"
Depression is an illness - one that you are treating. Be kind to yourself, and do what you need to stay well.

you should not be ashamed of taking an anti depressant. They have a biological effect as they stop the re-uptake of serotonin. Serotonin help you to feel OK and so this medication stops your body breaking it down too fast. The pros and cons are dealt with by the NHS website
beta.nhs.uk/medicines/venlafaxine/

You need to monitor the possible side effects. If you are not getting any then you do not need to worry.

I suggest you live as happy and as balanced a life as you can, then if you ever did have side effects which as a result you might be advised by your GP to come off them very, very, gradually; you will feel you had a valid reason to do so.

I'm still wary of 'medicalising' feeling bad after adverse life events such as bereavement. The American disease categorisation manual known as DSM5 has classified the sadness felt after a death as a mental illness. Obviously there are implications around the big pharmaceutical companies funding the group compiling DSM5.
I truly don't think we need to pathologise sadness or expect a medical approach to treatment.

I would agree with that, even though I often feel like I'm going crazy with grief. I haven't been offered medication to deal with it though. I think its only if and when people aren't able to 'get over it' ( as if I ever will!) that counselling and maybe medication are considered.
I expect to feel grief. I want to feel it.

I agree with you Jane 10, but I thought we were discussing the need for medication for clinical depression, not the very natural feelings and reactions to the sad or bad things that life throws at us, that is very different.

I know that Nanna58 it's just that ADs are being prescribed for perfectly understandable reasons for feeling bad.

That’s very true Jane

Jane10, there might more chance of getting anti-depressants for reactive problems like grief after a death but presumably that only happens if you go to the Dr because you are not coping with it. It is surely better to get treatment quickly to help you through it and then you can come off the AD's. Most people will take them for less than 6 months. I suspect there are many of us who have had a more unsettled life than we realise until we go on AD's and see how the other half live! Those people will often stay on them for longer.

OldMeg it is good that you have never needed ADs but maybe that is because you have never really been clinically depressed? I just feel the need to say this in case someone reading your post will feel that they are someway inadequate because they can't do as you did.

Someone asked if you still feel emotions when on ADs. I would like to make the point that when very seriously clinically depressed you cannot feel anything. Everything is on a straight line, no ups or downs, not even able to cry. Anyone who thinks that you can in some way get yourself out of that without help is seriously mistaken.

Everyone is different nonnie. I know some people who can't bear how ADs make them feel.
There are other approaches that are proven to help but they're not rapidly available to everyone on demand. They should be though!

I have more faith in the medical profession than some here. I'm confident our GP's won't prescribe any medication if it isn't necessary. This doesn't mean everyone is as fortunate. I do feel that it's judgemental and can seem rather smug to suggest that everyone who is prescribed AD's is taking them to deal with "ordinary" life events like bereavement. Anyone who has any training in working with/supporting people who are struggling will be aware of what is sometimes called "the presenting problem". Spending any time with anyone who is depressed usually leads to an understanding that it's the straw that broke the camels back syndrome. Yes, some of us are more resilient than others - that doesn't mean that final straw may not cause us to fall over.