Posted by CatSparkle on November 27, 2000, at 20:26:36
stjames said: "Because you have been "penny wise and pound foolish" you now have treatment resistant depression, which may only respond to lots of meds or not respond at all to any med(s)."
Well, I haven't commented on this, but I suppose I will now.
I wanted to clarify: I have not become "treatment-resisitant" because I went off Zoloft. I don't know whether I even warrant that label yet or not, and if I do, nothing I've done has caused it. I discontinued Zoloft (after four years of taking it continuously) because in the final year it had begun to lose effectiveness and I was having side effects which, after so many years, I felt were unacceptable - the sexual difficulties, the inability to write (or even think!) creatively, the inability to feel anything deeply (either sadness or joy). Therefore, a dose increase was not an option. So if my depression has become "resistant," so far it is only to the Zoloft. And it became "resistant" to Zoloft before I stopped, not because I stopped.
I have just begun taking the Serzone, so I can't say yet whether or not I am "resistant" to it. Currently, it is helping the anxiety and panic, just not the depression (but it has only been a week).
My doctor and I decided that I would try to go drug-free for awhile, because my husband and I were thinking about becoming pregnant. They (MD and psychologist) felt that as long as I was vigilant about return of symptoms (which I admit wasn't, and (believe me) I've learned my lesson), I might not have to take meds continuously. Once I'm better, if I want to try again, they might let me taper off. But if I get bad again (particularly if I can't last more than a year off drug), then I know that I may need to be on them for life. I admit I wasn't as good as I should have been about watching for symptoms of the depression's return. I won't make that mistake again.
Try to understand, it's difficult when a person has to make a decision about having children. I am pretty far into my childbearing years, so it's an important issue for me. I won't become pregnant with these drugs in my system. No matter what anyone says, there's no drug that can be guaranteed not to have an adverse effect on a baby. So having to be on meds forever (to me) means not having children. And that's a difficult thing for me. I would want my child to have the best start possible, and I worry as it is about passing on (genetically) a predisposition for depression and about my ability (due to a strange childhood) about my ability to even be a parent.
Well, I've rambled enough. But I did want to comment on your opinion that stopping Zoloft made me "treatment resistant." That isn't what happened.
Anyway, I appreciate everyone's thoughtful responses to my post (even though I can't read French :-)).
Thanks for listening,
Cat
poster:CatSparkle
thread:49512
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/49512.html