Another way besides SSRIs?

EvenThird

So I was recently diagnosed with a disorder where the standard line of treatment is low dose SSRIs. I've been struggling with this disorder for close to 9 years, often thinking I was crazy, so it's nice knowing what I have is easily treatable. I'm only on the first month of treatment(or perhaps management is more accurate) and the drug works wonderfully. Besides the side effects, I feel great. The problem with it all is the side affects. Besides stomach upset(which is said to ease up in time) I feel completely exhausted physically, no matter how much I sleep. I drink enough water and eat healthily and I've never had this problem before. My motivation to do anything that was previously important to me has drained. It takes all my energy to even get to work on time.

So my question is, do you believe one can conquer disorders caused by an imbalance (in the brain or body) without the use of pharmaceuticals? Through meditation/concentration/etc..

I've got quite a lot of faith in the power of the mind(not necessarily meaning in a Buddhist sense) and I want to believe my symptoms can be managed without the use of drugs, but I've never given it an honest try(since I never knew what the problem was in the first place)
If I cannot attain effective symptom management now, do you think that's something one can work with, emotionally, to be able to do so in the future?
If anyone had experience with disorders that are treated by SSRIs I would appreciate your input.

Also, the reason I keep saying "manage" instead of "cure" or something is because I will have this disorder likely for many years to come(no "cure")

robot

Some of the side effects may diminish after a few months. Also given some time the medication may give you a chance to remember or to experience what normal feels like. With the benefit of medication you can practice other methods or techniques to control the problems you are experiencing.
When I went to seek help for anxiety and depression caused by circumstances in my life at the time, the psychiatrist immediately prescribed medication. At the time I thought that that was the opposite of how getting to the bottom of my problems should go. When I told him this, he said that my mental state was not conducive to benefiting from therapy. When some of the strong feelings have subsided, the real work can begin.
My opinion, stay with the meds for many months to get a different mental state established. If the side effects are too much, ask your doctor to tweak your dose or try something different.
This is what worked for me. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirtazapine
During this time you can work on your meditation. You may find that the meds will make sitting easier.

Jeffrey

You could try to take something to wake up such as Nuvigil or Ritalin. I am pretty sure the drowsiness will get better with time. You can also try a different SSRI that may give less drowsiness. You'd pretty much need insurance with Nuvigil because of the high cost. But Ritalin is cheap. The drawback of Ritalin is that it is a 'high' and acts on dopamine. When I took Ritalin I developed psychotic voices.

wrathfuldeity

Idk your disorder...but establishing a good wellness routine is a key component.

Wellness:
eating well
sleeping well
getting good physical exercise
doing things ur passionate about
hanging out with supportive friends
keeping your self curious and learning new things
taking care of your spiritual needs however you see fit.

Having a daily, weekly and monthly routine. Doing this is the epitome of wellness and your disorder will shrink to minimal nuance.

Dakini

We can't tell if the disorder is fixable by other means without knowing what it is. If it's depression, then yes, definitely, it can be successfully resolved by a good psychologist.

Cut your dose in half, and see if that helps with the symptoms. Try a lower dose for a week or so, then adjust from there.

Jeffrey

Make sure to make medication changes with the consultation of your doctor.

karasti

With SSRIs for sure you want a doctor's ok before you change the dose. But usually they are amenable to reasonable requests as long as they don't feel there would be reason for a problem.

I do think a lot of such things as anxiety and depression can be managed with various non-medicine things, including meditation. However. I don't think most people could find they are diagnosed with such a problem and take up meditation as the way to solve the problem, or even manage it. If you have a long history with meditation, then perhaps.

If it were me, I would stay the course with the meds for now, and use that time when you start improving to start to put positive practices in place-things that can support and sustain you when you eventually go off meds. A really good diet, meditation, and other things as listed above. THEN when you are stable and coming along and these things are in practice for a while, perhaps start weaning off the meds and see if these things can sustain you.
Even chemical imbalances can be corrected many ways, but once it is too far off balance, I think often meds are a good place to start to help fix that while you put other things in place. I think the stress of attempting to take on the entirety of your self care for a problem that has been potentially many years in the making can just add too much on top of already existing problems to really make much headway.

Silouan

It depends on the disorder for sure. As an adult I was diagnosed as having social anxiety disorder, but I have had it since early childhood. Its causes are both chemical and psychological, and there are certain things that can be done to help alleviate the symptoms as others described, but it is not going to cure it completely. I had even been on medication many years ago but choose not to any more, but I certainly don't have anything against using medicine in general. I still experience times of great anguish and pain during the times I'm afflicted with it, but I know what situations trigger it and I'm learning through my spiritual practice how to start giving it space and let it go, and now even some situations that previously would be troublesome are like a blip on a radar and then they are gone.

EvenThird

Thanks for all your thoughtful responses!

The only reason I didn't mention my diagnosis earlier is because it's occasionally labelled controversial. I simply don't want to debate my diagnosis itself. But if you find it helpful, I was diagnosed with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. I'm 20 now, and have been this way since puberty, and will probably have PMDD until menopause. I take 20mg of Prozac for two-three weeks out of every month. I noticed it working on the second or third day. I realize it's a common assumption that it needs to build up over weeks or months to feel any effects, but I was also told that for some unknown reason, Prozac works for PMDD even if taken on and off. It is a widely approved treatment option. I've been thinking of asking my doc to cut the dose to 10mg. It can only be a good thing if 10mg works, as I would be taking half the mind altering medication.

@robot
Yes, I do admit it's great to feel normal. I'll look into Mirtazapine. I think you are right about staying on them longer before forming an opinion about if the side effects are worth it. Because I take it on and off I'm not sure how it will change if I take it for many months. It's worth a try since they work, I guess.

@Jeffrey
I really only want to medicate as a last resort, which is why I'm wondering about my current medication and alternatives. I don't want to reduce one side effect with another medication, especially if I can avoid it altogether. That being said, I'll keep this in mind in the future if I'll be on the same medication with the same side effects. I've also had instances with auditory and visual hallucinations on stimulants.

@wrathfuldeity
I have a routine and schedules ease my anxiety greatly. I eat very healthy, partially because of food allergies and other digestive issues. I'm not deficient in any vitamins/minerals. I've also been getting 8-9hrs sleep instead of my usual 6-7 and am far more tired than I've been in months. I used to exercise 5/6 days a week but I haven't done so in weeks due to this recent exhaustion. My disorder will definitely not shrink from good lifestyle/low stress alone. It's helped somewhat in the past but it isn't enough by itself.

@karasti
I think that's probably the best way to go about it. I'll try to further/develop my practice while my mind is in a good place rather than struggling with it all. It's definitely overwhelming (to say the least) to be off meds. I don't believe PMDD can be corrected but I should probably look into that some more.

@Silouan
Thank you, that give me hope to the possibility of managing it without medication in the future.