Definitely. I need something different because I have some sort of treatment-resistant major depression that cannot be addressed with anything but medication, regardless of life circumstances, mood, health, or exercise. Although I'm not all that keen on psychedelics and disassociatives, I've tried at least 13 antidepressants and only 1 of them has done anything. The only one that's worked has been mirtazapine* with the caveats of partial GI paralysis and major weight gain. I was on it for 9 years. I tried others as my cognitive faculties and alertness have been declining over the past 2 years.
* Which is also a powerful antihistamine.
I'm beginning to wonder about the medical establishment's depth of understanding and nuance on treatment of serious depression and inability to address so-called treatment-resistant depression. For example, genetics, inflammation, auto-immune issues, diet, GI flora, and other factors that don't seem to be considered clinically. And then there's psychiatry, which is one of the few "medical professions" that doesn't directly test or examine the organ or systems they claim to treat. Psychiatry in particular seems unscientific, arbitrary, and crude.
I don't think there's any panacea, even shrooms, ketamine, or LSD, but the neuropharmacological field has a long way to go and depression is only going to become more commonplace.
> Although I'm not all that keen on psychedelics and disassociatives, I've tried at least 13 antidepressants and only 1 of them has done anything. The only one that's worked has been mirtazapine* with the caveats of partial GI paralysis and major weight gain. I was on it for 9 years. I tried others as my cognitive faculties and alertness have been declining over the past 2 years.
I’m also on mirtazapine and have been for a few years. It’s the first antidepressant I tried and the doc choose it because I also have insomnia and anxiety. It’s worked well for all three conditions so I’m happy with it. Are you saying you thought it was causing cognitive decline and that’s why you tried others? Wondering if it’s something I should look out for. I can understand the concern because
diphenhydramine has been associated with dementia, and it’s an antihistamine like mirtazapine. However, I read that the anticholinergic property of diphenhydramine was thought to be implicated here, and mirtazapine is not anticholinergic.
I actually used diphenhydramine nightly as a sleep aid for a few years while I was in college until a doctor told me to stop, long before I ever talked to a psychiatrist. Oops. It’s probably not a coincidence I ended up on mirtazapine.
* Which is also a powerful antihistamine.
I'm beginning to wonder about the medical establishment's depth of understanding and nuance on treatment of serious depression and inability to address so-called treatment-resistant depression. For example, genetics, inflammation, auto-immune issues, diet, GI flora, and other factors that don't seem to be considered clinically. And then there's psychiatry, which is one of the few "medical professions" that doesn't directly test or examine the organ or systems they claim to treat. Psychiatry in particular seems unscientific, arbitrary, and crude.
I don't think there's any panacea, even shrooms, ketamine, or LSD, but the neuropharmacological field has a long way to go and depression is only going to become more commonplace.