Anti-Depressant and Suicidal Thoughts

[Cheery Cherry]

I remember reading about some of you being depressed and taking anti-depressants so hopefully, you can help me out.

My younger sister has been on Zoloft for about a year now. I never understood why she's even on it since the depression she was going through last year was just because she broke up with her boyfriend and it was around Christmas. Recently, she tried getting off of Zoloft, on her own, and just stopped taking it. She started falling apart and seriously thought of killing herself. From what her doctor told her, she can't just stop taking Zoloft, cold turkey...that she needs to wean off of it but he prescribed her 5 more months of Zoloft and didn't lower the dosage. Why is that? And how serious are the suicidal thoughts?

Cheery Cherry Reviewed by Cheery Cherry on 11-29-2006. Anti-Depressant and Suicidal Thoughts I remember reading about some of you being depressed and taking anti-depressants so hopefully, you can help me out. My younger sister has been on Zoloft for about a year now. I never understood why she's even on it since the depression she was going through last year was just because she broke up with her boyfriend and it was around Christmas. Recently, she tried getting off of Zoloft, on her own, and just stopped taking it. She started falling apart and seriously thought of killing herself. Rating: 5

[TallulahGreen]

I remember reading about some of you being depressed and taking anti-depressants so hopefully, you can help me out.

My younger sister has been on Zoloft for about a year now. I never understood why she's even on it since the depression she was going through last year was just because she broke up with her boyfriend and it was around Christmas. Recently, she tried getting off of Zoloft, on her own, and just stopped taking it. She started falling apart and seriously thought of killing herself. From what her doctor told her, she can't just stop taking Zoloft, cold turkey...that she needs to wean off of it but he prescribed her 5 more months of Zoloft and didn't lower the dosage. Why is that? And how serious are the suicidal thoughts?

NEVER go off of anti depressants without consulting your doctor first. You need to be WEENED off of them. I did the same thing as your sister. I was put on Paxil, I took it for like a month..decided I didn't like how it made me feel (I was either really giggly or sleeping)...so I stopped taking them cold turkey without consulting my doctor...and I freaked the FUCK out. I would lash out at my family and friends....just be pissed all the time...break shit...etc. You go through withdrawel symptoms and it can be was worse of depression and bad thoughts than before.

It is really too bad how easily prescribed those are these days...practically given out like candy.

They are dangerous and serious, and yes your sister needs to be weened off...otherwise it can and will cause adverse affects.

[orangeman]

...See that is why I just don't fuck with that shit period .

[Skink]

Yup any drug need to slowly leave your system but,,,be sure the doc doesn't try to scrib somthing else,drugs are their business...

[BONG0]

She sould of never been on it, doctors are pushing psychoactive drugs on our children for anything and everything, people get a little depressed its normal after a break up or whatever , but then the doctors say its serious push thies drugs on children and teens and after tking them it really does mess with there head and they are worse off than befor, this i an epidemic people we need to stand up and say NO! to thies pharmacys and doctors that wanna push there mind altering substances on us, you need to SUE people have sued the shit out of doctors over Zoloft, it is very dangerious!

[BONG0]

Jury convicts teen of murder, rejects 'Zoloft defense'
2/15/2005 12:50 PM
By: Associated Press

(CHARLESTON, S.C.) - A South Carolina jury has convicted a 15-year-old boy of murder for killing his grandparents when he was 12-years-old.

The lawyers for Christopher Pittman had blamed his actions on his use of the anti-depressant Zoloft. They said the drug left him unable to know right from wrong.

But prosecutors said that was a smokescreen. They said he knew exactly what he was doing when he shot his grandparents, set fire to their house, and drove off in their car.

The teen could get 30 years to life in prison.

The trial comes at a time when the use of anti-depressants by children is coming under scrutiny.

[TallulahGreen]

I don't think children, and ESPECIALLY teenagers should be put on any form of anti depressant or benzadiapine unless it is an extreme circumstance and will benefit them.

It angers me so much that SO many fucking teens are put on anti depressants. It's like, HELLO do you REMEMBER BEING A TEENAGER? It's hard, you have all kinds of crazy emotions...things are shitty...things are great..feelings and emotions are off the wall crazy...It is a major developmental part of your life where of course all kind of emotions and feelings are flying around..yet so many freaking doctors are prescribing them anti depressants when it is totally unnecessary. I mean SERIOUSLY it is NORMAL for teens to feel depressed at times...
...here we are prescribing drugs for completly normal feelings, and in the end making it worse.

I do believe that anti depressants can be good and are necessary for some people, I do however think that they are over prescribed..and it's getting ridiculous. It seems these days you need to be really informed before even going to the doctor.

[Nochowderforyou]

I agree, a lot of doctors are prescribiing these anti-depressant medications without a full body, and brain examination. Oh, you're depressed, here, take these. That's why some people are having such a bad reaction to these meds (increased anger, suicidal thoughts, manic behaviour). It's because they don't really need them for the depression they are after. Someone breaks up with their boyfriend or gets dumpled, that is NO reason AT ALL to go on anti-depressant medications. Those things are called dealing with life as it comes, and drugs will not help you. In some rare cases, it makes things even worse.

Anti-depressants should only be given out when there is a lack of seretonin flow in your brain, and no matter what life you lead, you are still depressed. Bad things happening in life is called life. That is no reason to go on a medication to numb your feelings, because feeling is part of being human.

I'm bi-polar myself, it runs from my mothers side of the family. She has it, and her mother had it. I NEED those meds, and without them, I would have shot myself loooooong ago. I have the lack of seretonin flow in my brain, and even if I had all the money in the world, a hot wife, and wonderful kids, I would still be depressed. There is nothing I can do about it.

A full body examination and CAT scans should be performed before any doctor gives you anti-depressants. Teenagers tend to go through, "everything and everyone hates me" kind of phase. It's part of the brain developing and the eyes are being opened to the bad things going on in the world. It is a shock, I know it was for me, at first, and they get feelings of anger and depression until they get over the shock of things.

Some people need these meds, but in a lot of cases, these pills are being handed out like candy to numb the natural feelings one feels. I agree, doctors are not being responsible with these meds., and it can short out ones brain when it isn't needed.

[TheToonToker]

give her a joint :rasta:

Hope it works out for the best

[slipknotpsycho]

if she is really desperate to get off them, she can wean herself off of them, but she definately needs to wean off of them.... it can take a good 3-6 weeks too.... you'd need a pill cutter as well unless there's like 4 sections to the pill (which i only know one pill like that, xanax) you very gradually lower the dosage a week at a time, like the first week take 3/4 of a pill, then 1/2 the next, finally 1/4 the third... or if it's a larger dosage pill (say 200-300 mg doses) you'd need to reduce about a 1/5 or 1/6 at a time....

there are risks, your sister would need to be absolutely positive she doesn't need the medication (which means that her suicidal incident would have been caused entirely by quitting the anti-depressant, which isn't unheard of but somehow i doubt it) also i'm only telling you this because i do know what i'm talking about, i've been on countless and countless meds and went to diffrent ones probably over a hundred times (not all of those would have been purely anti-depressants or anti-depressants in general, unfortunately for me, meds don't really work for me, so i just keep getting switched and switched.) doesn't sound like the doctor is going to let her go off of them... either way, i'm not entirely suggesting this, as like i said it's not unheard of to go suicidal upon just quitting a med, but i doubt somehow that's what caused it.... i'm just telling you so that if she is going to continue to stop her meds, atleast she has the info to do it correctly...

eitherway good luck.