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Have you gone back on an antidepressant, or did you do so as part of your tapering off? How long were you off ADs before you reinstated? Did you go back on a the same AD, or a different one? What was your experience like? [i have been off Zoloft for 9 months now. When I have particularly bad days, I consider going back on Zoloft with the idea of restabilizing and then tapering off very slowly. I did go off zoloft once before, but went back on it within a couple months, before I had any issues with insomnia.]

Hi everyone, I desperately need advice. I feel I am too ill to work right now. I am about 11 months off a near-cold-turkey withdrawal. My central nervous system is completely fried. I cannot handle even the smallest bit of stress. I can hardly get to the grocery store, let alone work. What do you do when you are single and can't support yourself? I am 29 years old and currently living with my parents. But they are insisting that I have a full-time job. They do not believe how sick I am. They just think I have an anxiety disorder. I am really distraught. What do I do???

How were you able to keep working through withdrawal? I'm lucky that I'm self employed. When I cannot make it to work, my income takes a hit, but I don't have to worry about patients or a boss noticing any empty desk. How do you/did you handle work? And keeping life moving along?

My two cents about the AD-s in general. Thought to share it with you friends my view on AD-s, build up from a lot of reading and personal experiences during the last year. Normally from all that we know and the tests done AD-s are effective in max 40% of those who try them. Why does this happen on some and why not on the others? The answer according to my experience is simple. An AD can be effective on a person who has been all of his/her life depressed. Growing up in that way a person does not know what happiness is and do not have the capability to live a happy life even if no apparent problems are in front of him/her. So at the moment an AD is introduced the bad thoughts stop and a person finds some level of calmness which is translated into well being. In this way he continues to live his life without the rumination that bad thoughts cause so in a way he/she feels more content. For the normal people like most of us... who have not been depressed during their life, and who have lived the life into the fullness of it some how the AD-s fail if they are introduced. This seems to be the case due to the interruption of the positive emotional feelings that all of us have had during our lives. For example a person like me would suffer from normal problems during his or her life time but after the problem passed that person has the ability to continue and live life and experience the happiness that positive emotions bring. So for me a talk with my son, a funny joke with my friends and a calm walk in the park with my wife would do the difference and keep up the positive attitude toward life. At the moment an AD is introduced it affects both the negative thinking as well as the positive emotions. A person at this stage is not able to have negative thoughts but at the same time he is not able to feel anymore love and positive emotional feelings. He is transformed into a piece of wood which is totally different from the life he/she used to live before. For me it is clear that this was the case and Mirtazapine did more harm than any good into my life. As a conclusion AD-s might be good for a small amount of people who really have some level of natural depression but for those who take them due to a disruption of life due to normal stress and inability to properly manage it... they are a recipe for disaster. This is my opinion only and in case you think differently i would be very happy to hear objections. Only in this way I will understand whether my way of thinking in relation to this topic makes sense or not.

I hate my job - I'm an accountant. I have spent countless hours fantasising about changing my job. Literally hours and hours searching on the internet for different jobs. I think having a job with meaning would make such a different to my life because I don't really have a life. I have just a couple of friends who I see occasionally and I don't have any hobbies or any enthusiasm for trying something new. I could join a social club but I think it would be overwhelming stressful. I find it very difficult to make conversation with new people. Anyway in terms of changing my job I don't think I can afford it. I couldn't afford to pay the bills on £15k a year. I suppose people who can live on this sort of salary have a supportive partner who can help pay the bills. Do you have a job that you find meaningful or are you able to find meaning in life outside work?

Herbal medicine for the win! I tested hyperthyroid about 6 weeks ago…it made my iatrogenic nervous system chaos far worse. I took herbs (mostly a variety of different but particular nervine herbs which I made into teas and sipped therapeutically throughout the day) and did yoga, concentrating on a few poses for supporting my thyroid and also emphasized certain healthy foods in my diet. A few days ago I sensed I no longer needed the herbs (I continuously intuitively took what I needed, not what is generally prescribed by herbalists, even…I totally listened to my body and the energetics of the herbs) So I stopped the herbs a few days ago as they seemed to no longer be needed and in fact were not agreeing with me anymore and so I stopped them over the course of a few days. Today it’s been 6 weeks since I last tested and my thyroid test came back NORMAL. I’m off the medicinal herbs and feeling much better. A regular doctor would have put me on pharmaceuticals that are dangerous and have potentially serious side-effects. I would not have been allowed to play with my dose and intuit what I needed like I did with the plants. THIS is what healing can look like. I will stay attuned and continue to learn about what my body needs and test again if I feel I need to do that. The best part is I’m feeling better than ever. It seems that course of nervine herbs helped heal my nervous system in general. HEAL is the operative word. I am not taking them at this point. They did their job and when it was done they let me know it was done. I was able to know by tuning into the energetics in my body. That is how plant medicine works. The proof is in the lab result I just got this morning. Related posts: My healing protocol detailed… Mamma earth in action and my big brother Menopause can be a magical time of growth and transformation (reframing may be necessary) Protracted psychiatric drug withdrawal syndrome, chronic illness, CFS, Fibromyalgia. Yeah, they all have things in common. original post http://wp.me/p5nnb-aRn

Hello everybody, for the last few months I m feeling more depressed about the fact that Im still not able to work.I dont wan t to get up in the morning and I have crying spells. I also can t face people who are busy,who have a life.And I also feel more more ashamed of myself. And friends and family don t accept it anymore and don t understand why I don t try it!!!!! I m really scared slipping in a depression.But I just can t find any motivation doing something against it and the exhaustion is still killing me. In those last 5 years were so many phases of pure hell and I always fought it.Now I feel hopeless about my Situation. can anyone relate? lg solida

I am curious about w/d and work. I haven't been able to tolerate stress and have been unable to work. Since my parents are living and in good health, they have provided for me and paid medical expenses. As grateful as I am, I also feel like a burden. I'd like to work but doubt that's realistic right now. I could apply for disability but I am not sure what I would list as my disability. And, from my understanding, it would take a long time to get a ruling on my case. What criteria have the members of the forum used to determine if the time is right to look for a job or apply for disability assistance? What have been the experiences of others? Alex.I