I've been started on zoloft.

2947 Views 47 Replies 21 Participants Last post by Elgar, Feb 3, 2005

Unicron

Discussion Starter · Jan 26, 2005

Part of my reason for going off to college was that I'd be able to go see a therapist, at little cost to me. I had already self-diagnosed myself with social anxiety and later depression, but I could not figure out how to cure them on my own. So, the second day I was out here I signed up for an appointment.

I was pretty nervous cause I was afraid i'd find there was something worse wrong with me than what I already figured. But the therapist only confirmed my thoughts and was pleased with my self-diagnosis

but, I had to be put on the medication zoloft as an anti-depressant and to deal with the social anxiety that has left me afraid of girls I like

, but it will take a few weeks for it to start working if it will at all.

My point? If you need it, get help. However you can.

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Boltzmann

· #2 · Jan 26, 2005

I applaud your initiative.
I hope the medication will make you a more productive person. Anyway, be prepared to change medication if it doesn't work as expected. Therapists often have to try several drugs before they get the right one to suit your needs (people's methabolism differ in significant ways, and what works for you may not work for me).

Unicron

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jan 26, 2005

:/ thats what they said, I really hope it works.

The only really dissappointing thing for me overall is that I wasnt able to self-medicate. I guess im kinda a self-reliant person.

Kaiser Sigma

· #4 · Jan 26, 2005

People who think of therapy as something wrong are idiots, good to hear that you had the guts to look out for help... best of luck man.

Kazuya

· #5 · Jan 26, 2005

Boltzmann said:
I applaud your initiative.
I hope the medication will make you a more productive person. Anyway, be prepared to change medication if it doesn't work as expected. Therapists often have to try several drugs before they get the right one to suit your needs (people's methabolism differ in significant ways, and what works for you may not work for me).

Seconded. It takes more than the average person to recognize they have a problem and to look for help when they have realized they it. :agree:

caipirinha

· #6 · Jan 26, 2005

and you know what, it does work

, hope you get lukcy and get better with zoloft. if not, there are many others to try hehe, think positive

The Captain

· #7 · Jan 26, 2005

I could probably use some therapy and medication myself, but I have a problem with my pride.

Hatorijr

· #8 · Jan 26, 2005

umm hi

guess there are others out there with something similar to what i have and di the same as me. i to suffer from both social anxiety and severe depression and last summer put on the same medication but after a few months i took myself off of it as soem of my friends noticed a change in behavior that was not good at all. i got angry very easily and started to fight with my friends which is very rare for me but it was happening quite often. but the help i need is help i doudt i can get cause of how complex a problem it is, just thought i share just a tid bit on myself that i rarely say to anyone.

p.s sorry for wasting anyones time...

Unicron

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 26, 2005

yeah I often worry (in person) that im not wanted or am being annoying. Dont worry, you aarent wasting my time at least. Good to hear from you.

Cid Highwind

· #10 · Jan 26, 2005

There's nothing wrong with expressing your feelings and accepting them. You can only solve a problem if you recognize it

@ swatgod: Feel free to post anything you want, as long as it isn't against the rules

Good luck to you both!

caipirinha

· #11 · Jan 26, 2005

swatgod nothing is impossible, it may be hard but just as you are sharing a little with us, you could try with ppl closer to you. there isn't only one medication available to treat these problems and they should always be taken together with therapy.

The captain, what does pride have to do with therapy? it doesnt diminish anyone, it's a natural problem just like a flu, but it could destroy your life. err or you could be talking about black/white/gay pride, whatev

Kirby

· #12 · Jan 26, 2005

not to cause concern and all, but zoloft caused a serious side-affect with me....while I was taking zoloft, I started to develop bipolar disorder. Not all people are the same, but zoloft only made things worst for me. The therapist took me off it right away and put me on Prozac instead....hadn't had any problems since

Aside from getting help, you need to get proper help too. For about 2 years I was seeing a previous therapist that wouldn't try anything other than Wellbutrin, even when it wasn't working for me. Unfortunately, the company the threapist works for has a big impact on their methods; sometimes for good, sometimes for bad.

If things don't work out, try a different therapist. It's useless paying co-pays if you hear the same **** every appointment, and he does nothing to make you better

The Captain

· #13 · Jan 27, 2005

caipirinha said:
The captain, what does pride have to do with therapy? it doesnt diminish anyone, it's a natural problem just like a flu, but it could destroy your life. err or you could be talking about black/white/gay pride, whatev

Uh-oh, you just opened a can of worms. Well, here it goes.

I am a very weak person with next to no self-confidence. I don't like being with other people, and I don't like being at parties. So sometime ago (I can't remember exactly when), I invented a new side to myself -- a front I can use so that I am not afraid (at least on the outside). This is what I refer to as my pride. This pride holds me to a certain standard and mandates what is considered weak and strong. Because of my pride, I am able to lead a normal life more or less. If you walked up to me on the street and started talking to me, you would find that I can carry on a conversation and smile at you reassuringly just as well as the next man. But inside, behind that front, I'm actually scared ****less. My goal is to slowly become the image that my pride invokes -- a person who is not afraid of anything or anyone -- a person who doesn't give a damn about what others think of him and can live independently of others.

Unfortunately, the real me is nothing like the image that my pride manifests. As I said before, I am weak. I do care about what others think of me, and I know that I can't survive without help from others. I'm afraid that no one will ever love me, and I'm angry that the jack-off, retard guys around me can get practically any girl they want.

Most people in my situation would probably commit suicide, I imagine. But I can't. My pride is the only thing that is holding me back from giving up. I CANNOT lose this pride. Whever I think about giving up on life, my pride has an automatic life-preservation mechanism that kicks in. Instead of feeling sorry for myself, I am able to use my pride to change my feelings into aggression towards the outside world. I say to myself, "If they don't love me and don't want to be my friends, then they can just die."

Well that's me in a nutshell. I guess you could compare my pride to the speaker in "Sad but true" by Metallica. I've never told anyone else about this before, so you guys are the only ones that know, and I hope it stays that way. The reason why I don't get therapy or drugs is that I would have to reveal myself to someone else. I would have to throw away my pride and show how weak I truly am. In that case, I'm afraid about what would happen. As I said before, this pride has kept me from thinking about giving up or committing suicide, so it serves its purpose.

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caipirinha

· #14 · Jan 27, 2005 (Edited)

well, in other words, you are a very normal person

.

about the self-steem problem, everytime you pass by a mirror , look at yourself and say "I'm the man!" hehe , it worked for me

... hmm, well, the words above are serious, a lot of ppl are afraid, most ppl use masks to hide their true selves, and the only way to be loved is to love yourself.

one thing I believe is that love doesn't fade when a couple stops feeling passion, it continues on the acts of love they do for each other, you have to cultivate the strenght and will to do that. the same is with yourself, if instead of saying you are ugly, weak, etc. you think positively you will notice a change.

it's not easy , I'm not talking like some stupid guy that never knew wtf you are feeling, it took me 2 suicides attempts, a lot of therapy, medication, and patience from my friends until I finally saw how to live better. now I just wish the best for anyone trying to follow this path, it's tough but it's rewarding.

cooliscool

· #15 · Jan 27, 2005

I take zoloft.. great stuff, helps so much to get through the day.

Unicron

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jan 27, 2005

The Captain,

were you always like that? afraid of people?

For me it seems to be the rejections and commentary on my looks from every girl (but one) that I liked, and I just got so scared of them I cant function straight around cute women.

hellmasterx

· #17 · Jan 27, 2005

Unicron said:
The Captain,

were you always like that? afraid of people?

For me it seems to be the rejections and commentary on my looks from every girl (but one) that I liked, and I just got so scared of them I cant function straight around cute women.

im like that too, a weird feeling like you know that you can do something but you dont do it, fear of what? i dont know......

The Captain

· #18 · Jan 27, 2005

Unicron said:
The Captain,

were you always like that? afraid of people?

For me it seems to be the rejections and commentary on my looks from every girl (but one) that I liked, and I just got so scared of them I cant function straight around cute women.

It hasn't always been that way. I guess my problem stems from when I was in grade school. Many kids made fun of me, and I experienced a lot of rejection. Go figure.

caipirinha said:
well, in other words, you are a very normal person

I wouldn't say that. I am constantly comparing myself to those around me. Why does everyone around me seem much happier and less afraid than I am? When I see a couple holding hands and smiling, I become upset because I know I may never be that happy. If I'm normal, then what does that make everyone else?

Kaiser Sigma

· #19 · Jan 27, 2005 (Edited)

Unicron said:
For me it seems to be the rejections and commentary on my looks from every girl (but one) that I liked, and I just got so scared of them I cant function straight around cute women.

Well, people react differently to similar events... if you remember the reply I gave to your answer a couple of years ago you will realize that our backgrounds are rather similar... yet the persons we became are quite different. Moreover, I have experienced huge changes over my established persona (after the change I told you about), going from self-destructive to just destructive... the human behavior is such an interesting thing...

The Captain said:
I wouldn't say that. I am constantly comparing myself to those around me. Why does everyone around me seem much happier and less afraid than I am? When I see a couple holding hands and smiling, I become upset because I know I may never be that happy. If I'm normal, then what does that make everyone else?

You are just spiteful, there's nothing wrong with that... many people think that true happiness lies in... -insert something here- and the truth is that they are mistaken. Happiness is achieved in different fashions to every person... sure a huge bunch may think that happiness is the same as having a couple but that's just an euphemism.

Besides, humans excel at facades... just because they seem happy doesn't mean they really are... most likely one of the two (if not both) are thinking why their date doesn't have something bigger...

Unicron

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jan 27, 2005

Kaiser Sigma said:
Well, people react differently to similar events... if you remember the reply I gave to your answer a couple of years ago you will realize that our backgrounds are rather similar... yet the persons we became are quite different. Moreover, I have experienced huge changes over my established persona (after the change I told you about), going from self-destructive to just destructive... the human behavior is such an interesting thing...

true, I remember that. It is strange, maybe the difference could be whom we were surrounded with growing up, as we experienced these things.

The Captain said:
It hasn't always been that way. I guess my problem stems from when I was in grade school. Many kids made fun of me, and I experienced a lot of rejection. Go figure.

same here :/

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