I just recently had the same problem. My doctor just raised my dosage. He told me that sometimes your body just gets used to it. I would suggest talking to your doctor and maybe upping your dosage or changing meds.

~sara~

Thanks... Went to new doctor last night and he raised the dosage a little. He tells me that even on medication I will have low days, especially if there is something going on in my life.

After a while you become tolerant to all drugs and need higher doses to get the same effect, what you could have done was try coming off the meds for a while, its not too bad and you know that you can go back on the meds when you like.
I think that people are quick to jump to the meds and drs are too quick prescribing them, try dealing with the psychological issues but if you need em, take em

Yes manfat, but to some ppl it is very scary coming off of the meds.

Coming off meds is not only scary it can be hell, so don't do it too fast or all at once (if on moer than one) however why not try natural anti-deressants, these take a while to kick in but have fewer side effects & can be taken with most if not all meds - sam-e, 5htp (tryptophan), valerium, st john;s wort & viatmin b's are all good, ny daughter takes 5htp & sam-e & it's working (just slowly as she wasn't on meds & they have to kick in which is hard as she's going through a hell of alot & alot of changes).

Also, just a quick thought. If you were on the pills for only four months and you already started to feel really down again, you may not be on a pill that is right for you. You could be bipolar in which case pills for depression can actually worsen your condition. In this case you need to be on a pill for this specific condition. Or if it is in fact just depression, maybe your body does not handle the pills you are on right. The answer is not always more meds!
As for going off of meds "for a while" this is not recommended. Yes, it is definately worth trying all of the natural remedies as they may help you greatly, but for a lot of people, medication is necessary ( at least for certain periods of time). A lot of people make their condition worse each time they decide to stop taking meds. You may feel wonderful for about six months or so and then have a relapse that is 100 times worse than the last. That is what always happens to me anyway.
But anyway, in the future if you do decide to go off of meds for whatever reason, just make sure that you talk to your doctor and get the "correct" way to stop taking your meds. You cannot just stop taking most depression pills as it will give you horrible side effects and possibly a nervous breakdown.
This is an old post, so I do not even know if you are still reading this, but I hope you are feeling better!

How would I know if I am bipolar? Last few weeks have been really tough for me. So many other things going on in my life, that I feel like my head is going to explode. I don't have any coping abilities, so I feel completely helpless. I went to the doctor but didn't tell him how low I was feeling. I know that they can't help me unless I am honest... But I am afraid. Oh what now?

Kittykat

Basically in order to know whether you're bi-polar or not you need to be diagosed, the proiblem though is that I have known several people who have been diagnosed incorrectly (both with & not with bi-polar) so I personally would suggest that you read some posts on this forum under bi-polar & also go to a search engine like yahoo or google & type in symtoms of bi-polar, also what causes bi-polar & maybe treatments of bi-polar & educate yourself & see if you think you may be??

Dear kitty, you need to go to the doctor. You may need a higher dosage.
Paxil seems to work for me, but I need it to sleep at night.

Yeah looking it up on search engine would be a really good idea. They also have many many books on the disease.
A whole lot of people are improperly diagnosed which is horrible, but true. Because like I said, being on meds for depression instead of for bipolar actually worsens the condition. I am not sure about the other way around, I only studied bipolar. A lot of people say that if you go on crazy shopping sprees that is a major sign of being bipolar, but there are alot of people who are bipolar who have never done such a thing. Just a tip because for some reason a lot of people try to use that symptom as a final diagnosis, when it really is not in all people with bipolar.
If you have any question about it or need to talk, you can post here or pm me, I did study the disease for a while, so I may be of some help.
But, it may not be that at all. You could just need to change your meds or something. But it is very important to be honest with your doctor, because he/she cannot help you if you are not!

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I will go to the doctor, as much as I hate to do. Maybe I am bipolar... Symptoms sound familiar. It is just so hard to figure out. I was doing so well in the beginning... But these last few weeks are a terrible fight. I feel so empty and sad that I just want to burst into tears at every moment. Having so much self hatred for myself that it drives me nuts. I hate everything about myself. When I go to therapy it's so hard to focus on one thing with me. Recently my therapist wants me to go to a therapist who specialized in eating disorder. Great, depression, eating disorer, ocd... Which one first? I feel like giving up. Is this a battle really worth fighting? Maybe this is the way things are going to be forever. Just tired of fighting everyday life.

Kitty

It is worth fighting! Sometimes it really doesn't seem like it, but it is. And dont worry, anxiety, eating disorders, depression, etc can all go hand in hand. You don't have to pick one to fight first, you just kind of fight them all. I am glad you are going to go to the doctor and I really hope you feel better! Just remember there are good days ahead somewhere. At least that is what I tell myself!!!! It helps!

Thanks everyone again. I haven't been around because I have been feeling ok the last few days. I guess with my crazy busy work schedule its really kept my mind on the straight path. I didn't go back to the doctor because I thought I would wait to see what things are like after my schedule slows down and see how my dad's doing. I guess I realize that all these things that are happening in my life aided in my depression. I am trying like mad to get better. I have even began telling myself positive things everyday. Not sure if that will help, but it can't hurt.

Thanks,
love kitty