Medications to relieve depression and anxiety

Currently, there is no specific medicine that is suitable for everyone and can completely cure depression and anxiety. All drugs/interventions that can improve mood must match the individual's emotional severity, physical tolerance, and living habits. There is no absolute "optimal solution" and only the one that suits you will be effective.

Let’s talk about the prescription drugs that everyone is most concerned about. In the past two years, I went to more than a dozen psychiatric outpatient clinics with a friend who was diagnosed with moderate depression and anxiety. I went through many pitfalls and talked to several doctors. The most intuitive feeling is: this drug is really effective for thousands of people. When my friend started taking sertraline, she was so nauseous that she couldn't eat for the first two weeks. She lay in bed tossing and turning until three in the morning and couldn't sleep. She almost stopped taking the medicine privately. Fortunately, when she went for a follow-up visit, the doctor said that this was a normal tolerance reaction and she could just stick to it for another week. By the third week, she told me that it wasn’t that she suddenly became particularly happy, but that the heavy stone that was pressing on her chest seemed to be half lighter. She used to have to spend half an hour mentally building up to even get up and brush her teeth, but now she can cook a bowl of noodles for herself normally. The attending doctor told us that the commonly used SSRIs and SNRIs drugs are essentially to regulate the imbalance of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine in your brain. They are equivalent to lubricating the stuck brain. They are not filling you with happy water. Many people feel "feelingless" after taking them. In fact, as long as you don't get stuck in an emotional quagmire and can't get out, and can eat and sleep normally, then it is working. Here is a solemn reminder: Prescription psychotropic drugs must be issued after evaluation by a psychiatrist. You must not buy them after searching on the Internet, nor take them just to see what others are taking that works. Everyone's tolerance and suitable drugs are completely different.

I have heard many different voices regarding whether or not to take medicine. For example, a cognitive-behavioral counselor I often work with said that she has met many patients who took medication for two or three years and stabilized their condition. However, they immediately rebounded when faced with stressful events such as layoffs and love breakups. This is because taking medication only solves the physiological problem, and the core beliefs in your mind of "I can't do anything well" and "I'm not worthy of being loved" have not changed. It's like if your water pipe leaks, and you only mop the floor but don't fix the leak, it will never be wiped clean. But she also admitted that if the patient is so severe that he cannot sit down and chat for five minutes, cries whenever he talks, or even has a tendency to self-harm, then he must first take medicine to stabilize his mood, otherwise psychological consultation cannot be carried out at all. There have been disagreements in the industry about whether to use medication for mild mood disorders. Some doctors believe that early medication intervention can prevent the condition from worsening, while other scholars believe that mild symptoms can be improved through psychological intervention, exercise, and adjustment of work and rest. There is no need to bear the risk of drug side effects. Both opinions are supported by clinical data. The final choice depends on your own feelings: If it has affected your normal eating, sleeping, and work, don't force yourself to go to the hospital for evaluation by a doctor.

In addition to prescription drugs, various "mood-regulating supplements" that are popular online are also considered "mood medicines" in everyone's mind, including St. John's wort, Omega-3 fish oil, ashwagandha, and gamma-aminobutyric acid. At least five or six of my friends have tried them. There is a little girl who works in operations. When she was rushing for 618 last year, she only slept 4 hours a day for more than a month. She was so anxious that her hands shook when she heard the WeChat notification. She went to the hospital to find out that she was suffering from mild anxiety. The doctor did not prescribe medicine and asked her to adjust by herself. She took high-purity Omega-3 for three months and did yoga twice a week. Now she is indeed in a much better condition. But there is also a friend who took St. John's wort for half a month, but became dizzy and nauseated. Later I found out that he was taking anti-allergic drugs at the same time. The two conflicted, and in severe cases, it could even cause serotonin syndrome. A warning here: all supplements cannot replace prescription drugs, and you must check whether there are any drug interactions before taking them. Don’t take them blindly.

Last month, I went to a drugstore to buy cold medicine. I met a young girl who had just graduated. She was squatting on the shelf with her mobile phone and searching for "anxiety-relieving medicine." After I asked a few more questions, I found out that she was going to interview her favorite company the next day and was so nervous that she couldn't eat. It was not pathological anxiety at all. I taught her to do 478 breathing twice, and told her to carry a piece of candy in her pocket before the interview and bite it when she was nervous. Later, she sent me a private message to say that she had passed the interview and that she didn't panic during the whole process. You see, at times like this, a piece of candy is more effective than any medicine.

When I was working on a quarterly project last year, I worked overtime until early morning every day for more than two months. During that time, I was also anxious. I got flustered in the afternoon and kept forgetting things. I originally wanted to go to the hospital to get some medicine, but the doctor gave me an "exercise prescription": no matter how late I get off work every day, go downstairs and walk for 20 minutes. Before going to bed, write down all the things you need to do the next day in a notebook, and don't keep it in your mind. I followed this for half a month and it was really much better. It was much more effective than the melatonin and calming tea that I secretly bought myself before.

In fact, I have seen too many people who, when they feel a little bad, they think of finding a "magic medicine" to take that will make them feel better immediately, preferably without any side effects, but there really is no such thing. The medicine prescribed by the doctor is medicine, the 3 kilometers you run every day is medicine, the two hours your friend listens to your complaints is medicine, and even your willingness to get out of bed and eat a hot meal today is medicine. Your own feelings always come first. You don’t have to listen to others saying, “Does this trivial matter cause anxiety?” You don’t have to hold on and refuse to take medicine. The best medicine is the one that suits you.