How many nurses take antidepressants or antianxiety medication?

Nurses Stress 101

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I was wondering and it seems to be quite prominent. Nurses seem to have to take medication alot. Mine started in nursing school. Of course I was a single mom of two, going to nursing school, building a house and living with my mother till it was finished. Talk about stress.. I started having panic attacks. Never before in my life had I had one. I thought I was dying. Well I lived and now not only do I take a PRN order of xanax but I also take an antidepressant. Every nurse I know is either doing the same or has the symptoms without treatment. I was wondering how common indeed it was world wide? Is our profession making us have to be medicated?

Thank you for starting and adding to this enlightening thread. It means alot to this student nurse.

As an abused child, I had depression, but wasn't diagnosed until the age of 34 :crying2: after I lost my appetite. Was started on prozac and educated myself thoroughly about the medication and the condition. A year later, I decded to wean myself off it. Five months later, I was sad again. This is one of the most horrendous illnesses a person can suffer! Later, a new psychiatrist gradually put me on five different meds. Two for serotonin action (one tricyclic), and three others that did the same exact thing :clown: . (That man is no longer practicing psychiatry!) My primary physician then referred me to one who is also a professor and has wonderful credentials. I have been on effexor and clonazepam prn for anxiety and have never, ever in my life been more stable, productive, kind, and able to learn and think more clearly. My problem is a lack of interest in sex. But I'd rather be asexual than depressed. And I gained alot of weight, but have learned to control my impulses.

Like others, I am an advocate for therapy or counseling. The fit with the therapist has to be a good one. If one does not learn to control one's thoughts (re-write the script) and one's destructive behavior, then drugs can keep you from sinking, but you will probably never change.

It seems to me that a caregiver who has known depression has a deep and special empathy for the suffering of others.

This is my question to you: as a RN, does one keep one's mental illness to oneself until one is well established in a hospital position? What about a position in psych?

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I've talked about it occasionally with (close) other nurses but the discussion is mainly focused on length of time before the med starts working, side effects etc. I generally don't make it a habit and don't ever discuss it with the docs.

Although I work in a a very supportive environment, I work in a hospital and like any hospital (or any place of employment I guess), people love to gossip. And some people can be judgemental. I would never discuss it with a patient.

Recovering from anorexia is really tough and you must have had a fantastic therapist and beyond that did some hard work to get yourself together. Having insight into mental illness is helpful to patients as you can then be more understanding and emphathic.

I'm sure you'll love psych. One piece of advice, when looking for a job, choose a teaching hospital. It's wonderful!

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Thank you, thank you medpsychRN for sharing some of your perspective and experience. I was leaning more toward not discussing it at all because you just never know- whether colleague, patient or doc.

I will be certain to apply for a position in a teaching hospital. :chuckle

I've talked about it occasionally with (close) other nurses but the discussion is mainly focused on length of time before the med starts working, side effects etc. I generally don't make it a habit and don't ever discuss it with the docs.

Although I work in a a very supportive environment, I work in a hospital and like any hospital (or any place of employment I guess), people love to gossip. And some people can be judgemental. I would never discuss it with a patient.

Recovering from anorexia is really tough and you must have had a fantastic therapist and beyond that did some hard work to get yourself together. Having insight into mental illness is helpful to patients as you can then be more understanding and emphathic.

I'm sure you'll love psych. One piece of advice, when looking for a job, choose a teaching hospital. It's wonderful!

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

Literally, every nurse I work with is on an antidepressant...I have personally been on Paxil (was great, but very difficult to quit taking) and am now on Zoloft. We have talked about this issue at work before as well. I have wondered before if taking antidepressants was a nurse thing, or if a large percentage of the rest of the population take antidepressants as well.

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Paxil 20mg daily for long standing anxiety. Not related to my career, though. It works!:rolleyes:

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Well its been awhile since I posted. I went off the antidepressant and now take my xanax prn very rarely and more so to sleep. Im not sure it was a good move. I loved the prozac... Has anyone heard about the Prozac extended release and how well that works. Does it have the same drop off effect as the original prozac?

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I'm on Celexa. Have been on antidepressants for about 5 years now and Celexa for most of those years. I've tried Effexor and Remeron, but Celexa works best for me. I, with the help of my psych NP, tried to wean myself off of Celexa this past May, but I just started retaking it last night. The past couple months, I started feeling really negative, sad, tearful, and antisocial. I didn't want to admit to myself but I was starting to slip back down into that "dark place". UGH. I just started feeling worse and worse. So last night I took myself back on it. Thank goodness I still have my 3-month supply of Celexa in my cupboard!

The only thing that I've noticed since going back on it is a little nausea.

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I wonder if anyone else is reading these posts anymore but I thought I was try and see.

I flipped theough the posts and found my mine from January 2002. Back then I raved about Zoloft and I suppose over the past couple of years lost my way from Zoloft, had reoccurences, and ended up on Lexapro. I have been the proud queen of Lexapro up until a month ago when I started getting more frequent anxiety attacks with the infrequent panic attack (which is still the worse thing a person can go through IMHO).

I tried to titrate up the Lexapro but the only thing I accomplished was a higher heart rate and more difficulty sleeping.

I think that if the Zoloft worked so well for me in the past, perhaps I should revisit it.

Quite honestly, today has been one of those really bad days where I have been anxious the ENTIRE fricken day. I keep looking at the clock hoping to that bedtime will arrive soon.

XOXOXOXOXO

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I take Ludiamil, Geodon, Xanax at present. Have been on many over the years.

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I have been on anti-depressants since 2003. I am 34 (almost 35) and I am currently on Prozac. I was a foster child that went through 7 foster homes, was adopted at 13 and my adopted dad passed away when I was 18 and my adopted mom and grandma were killed in a car wreck when I was 24 and I have watched one of my sisters die and my brother-in-law die(who I was very close to)...I pulled all of that inward and managed to go on...then the job I was working at, my supervisor raped me and I guess that was the straw that broke the camels back......I have been on antidepressants ever since. I believe that those medications have saved me from suicide or other serious problems. I don't feel like a nut case because I have to take them, I feel like I was strong enough to go for help when I needed it instead of being too weak to ask for help. So, those of you that are on them, don't ever be ashamed of it, and those who want to judge because people have to use them, those are the ones who were and are probably too weak to ask for help or they are too proud and think they don't need it.

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Specializes in Med/Surge, Psych, LTC, Home Health.

I have been on Paxil, Paxil CR, Lexapro, and Zoloft. The Paxil worked the best for me, but I got off of it after two years because of some of the side effects; I was also finished with nursing school and didn't think I would need it anymore. :) I kinda wish that I would have never gone off of it because it was the one antidepressant that REALLY worked well for me; however it made me very UN- emotional and I didn't like that. Since then I've been on Paxil CR, which strangely didn't work NEARLY as well as the regular Paxil. Also Lexapro, which did nothing for me but I don't think I gave it enough of a chance.. and Zoloft, which I thought was working at first but later on I decided it really wasn't doing anything and I quit taking it.

So, right now I'm not on anything, and actually doing fairly well. However there are days when I don't feel so great, and days when I just feel TERRIBLE, mood wise, and I really wish that I could find something that will work for me. My husband takes Wellbutrin and it has worked wonders for him, and I've often thought that I might like to try it.

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Specializes in NICU, ER, OR.

I have been on and off ssri's for about 8 years. I maxed out on Prozac a few weeks ago, and when very frequent panic attacks and depression was causing me to not go to work, my doc put me on Effexor, and a small dose of Risperdal, temporarily. Its been about 3 weeks, and I am back to work, but I am prone to "relapses". so for now I am just taking it day by day. Oh and I have had been on xanax with the prozac, prn. I dont find it works for me anymore, but it sure gives me a very good sleep when I need it!!! Im hoping the Effexor will do the long term trick for me. Anybody have good/bad experiences with Effexor?

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