Not sure what to do
Hello everyone! Im ulla, and im 27. I've been dealing with depression/anxiety for six years. In 2011 I started Lexapro and had a good run with it for a while. I stopped and went back to it in 2014. My serotonine levels are very low when I'm not on meds and I was going back to a bad place. About three or four months ago I began feeling terrible again, lots of panic attacks and feelings of hopelessness. My psychiatrist (who is also my psychologist) switched me to Paxil, and I was hopeful, but it's been over a month and I'm still very depressed and suicidal. I've been in therapy for years, I take my meds, try to stay positive, but I still feel like my life is filled with suffering and that I'm not strong enough to live like this forever... I don't want to end my life because I know it would ruin other people's life, but I can't stop thinking that it's the only way out for me... Should I wait on Paxil to work for a bit more? Should I look into other meds? Hobbies and friends and distractions work for a while but I really need to stop feeling like this all the time...
Hi everyone. It's been almost four years since I first posted this and I'm again in a very similar spot.
After I first posted this I began taking Paroxetine 20mgs and felt much better. After a while I lowered back to 10mg and felt great for a long while. Last year I tried to get off antidepressants and got to 5mg Paroxetine when my anxiety and depression began to creep back in.
On February this year I got blood work done that showed my cortisol was high and my serotonin low, so I went back to 20mg of Paroxetine. Felt better right away. Three weeks ago I complained to my psychiatrist that Paroxetine did affect my sex life, so she suggested switching to 10mg Vortioxetine.
I switched directly and it was rough from day one. Over three weeks later I'm super depressed and I don't know if I should give it even more time or switch back to Paroxetine.
I see my psychiatrist on Thursday and I'm busting my brain trying to decide what to do.
Isn't four weeks enough time for Vortioxetine to kick in, since I was on another antidepressant before and not just starting from scratch?
Is switching back going to be a pain too? Am I going to have to wait another full month until the Paroxetine kicks back in? Is it going to work again at all?
Please if anyone has any experience on any or both of this meds, help me out. Somehow apparently I was able to keep my mental health more or less on check for four years, but I'd really value you guys' advice right now.
Thank you <3