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tw: depression, mental health and studying
lady macbeth
Alum Member
Hey guys! I hope you're all doing well! I just wanted to ask if any of you guys take anti depressants and if so, if it affects your studying at all? Or if anyone has suffered from depression and anxiety and how that fared with preparing for this test. I'm asking because although I have been taking an antidepressant (wellbutrin/dopamine reuptake inhibitor) now for over a year, my doctor has recently prescribed to me an SSRI, serotonin medication. This actually isn't for my depression as I've been pretty content and not depressed for a while now, thankfully. But this new medicine is to help me treat my OCD. I ask because SSRIs are typically used to treat depression.
I've had my prescription filled for my new medicine and haven't taken it yet. I wanted to hear if any of ya'll have prepared for a big test like this while taking antidepressants and battling mental health issues since they affect concentration, sleep quality, appetite, etc. Also, I know this is a sensitive topic so I am sorry if anything said in this thread is offensive! xx
Comments
Aww don't apologize! I'm glad you are comfortable discussing your mental health. It is important to destigmatize it.
so I took my daily meds for anxiety but didn't take my klonopin because it makes me feel like a zombie...or like I drank four glasses of wine. Ultimately, you know your body best and need to do what's right by you. I would suggest daily exercise, though. I go bouldering daily, kayak on the weekends and hike. Something about pushing my body + being outside helps me handle my anxiety. That and an awesome group of friends.
So yeah...take what you need to get through the day, don't take what makes you into a zombie and will really f with your head, exercise and have a good support network. And don't beat yourself up. It's only a test. Hope my tidbit of an experience helps. Best of luck, mate!
@"lady macbeth" I didn't take antidepressants but I was taking sleeping pills and it heightened my anxiety because I always seemed to be in a fog and I wasn't as sharp as I knew I could be. I felt like I was fighting to actually work at my potential. The harder I fought the worst my scores got. I couldn't concentrate because of the heightened anxiety. I basically felt like I was spinning my wheels and studying was becoming pointless. I had to stop taking the pills. Your meds could be increasing your anxiety. Discuss the anxiety and how it's affecting studying with your doctor and see if he/she can tweak something for you.
Depends on how it affects you directly. Personally, I started it a few weeks before the LSAT and I had adverse reactions. No one can really answer this for you but if you're not far off from the test I would hold off on any changes in medication.
I was on super heavy anti-depressants and anti-anxiety pills before my first attempt and even though I was PT-ing on an average of 175, I bombed the test with a 157 because I had two major panic attacks during the test and my brain just refused to concentrate. I gradually stopped medication and gave my second attempt this June. I think it went way better than the first one. Although I was super anxious and had to rush off to the bathroom twice because I felt like I was going to puke, I think it went wayyy better than last time because barring the anxiety, I could concentrate. I'm waiting for the scores and trying to figure out how to tackle my anxiety for my future attempt. Meditation has helped a lot, and I only gave it a month. Perhaps doing it for a longer period of time will help cure me of my nerves.
I second this. I was prescribed medication for my anxiety when I was in my senior year of high school and I stopped after the second day. It made me feel so drowsy and even though it did help, I didn't like how I felt so disconnected with everything. I just wanted to sleep. I live in a warm climate so even being outside to sit, walk around my block, swimming in the pool, or more recently I started Muay Thai a year ago; it really helps.
If I'm honest, lately, I've slacked on exercising because by the time I finish studying I'm so drained I just want to lay in my bed. But I'm trying to push myself tonight to walk around like I used to. I'm limited in my exercises because I fractured my foot back in April but if you don't have any restrictions or maybe you're not an athletic person, taking walks is easy, simple, and works!
Oh and if things get too overwhelming it's okay to take a break. I finally learned that with myself. There's days where I sit at my desk for 5+ hours and at the end of the day if I feel drained or as if I retained nothing, it signals I need a break. If I start to get overwhelming and intrusive thoughts about my performance it tells me I'm overthinking and need to decompress. For example, yesterday I went to the beach from 11am-3pm. Once I got home, I studied from 4pm-9pm. Yeah sure, I was exhausted after this but I felt so relaxed and at peace doing what I wanted to do and taking even a few hours for myself. Like Vicster said "It's only a test", you can always retake
No need to apologize, we appreciate the authenticity! I deal with anxiety more than depression, and have taken Prozac in the past. It affected my sleep schedule (weird dreams, trouble falling asleep, waking up disoriented) but it didn't negatively impact my studies.
That being said, everyone reacts differently to even minor changes to the chemicals in their brain, so talk all this through with your doctor. It also depends on how you feel right now, and how soon you're taking the test. If your OCD makes studying impossible or unproductive now, any improvement would be better for you and your score. I just wouldn't advocate adding new medicine if you're taking the July test, because there isn't enough time modify the dosage or change medications if it doesn't work for you.
The LSAT is an obvious stressor so it's especially vital to take care of yourself. Personally, I aim to do yoga and weights in the mornings, and study outside during lunch/on the weekends. I'm sure cutting down on caffeine and sugar helps, but I haven't successfully done that yet. When I feel panic-y, I like to visualize a beach or glowing green energy. It's weird but it works. PT-ing and study groups have made me much more confident, because those tests are no different than the "real" thing. Hope this helps, and good luck!
Whoah Muay Thai! Thats awesome! Take care of your foot! My hubby does BJJ and gets all kinds of weird injuries.
I don't consider myself an athletic person. Like I played soccer in HS and college but was just reallllyyy good at keeping that bench warm!
There are definite times when I don't want to exercise. I've found that when I force myself and go anyway, I get way more energy afterwards and have a better mood. It helps with studying for sure. I'm all about using my time efficiently. It's better to put in a solid two hours than a mediocre six or whatever.
Don't know if your doctor mentioned this to you or if you're already aware, but SSRI's take about 4-6 weeks to start working in your favour, should you be so lucky as to be prescribed one that works for you.
In that period between when you start the medication and when it kicks in, you could be prone to side effects. Knowing this, I would attempt to take the medication a long time before your test date so you can both avoid the potential detrimental side effects to your studying and to afford yourself the time to possibly try out a new medication should you find it necessary.
Can't say I had a terrific experience with the two SSRI's I was prescribed before I decided to wean myself off medication, but plenty of people need to try several before they find one which has any efficacy.
I've had better luck meditating and exercising regularly to regulate my anxiety, although it still affects my sleep at times. I'm currently training for a marathon in November, and the organization of my training block + the actual running involved has been restorative and something I look forward to as a reprieve from the drudgery of studying. Being physically tired also helps me get to sleep, even though my mind is still prone to racing.
Your situation sounds a little more unique, as you are skeptical of the SSRI's ability to help with your OCD. My unprofessional advice would be seek the second opinion of another doctor/psychologist who could help steer you in the right direction or settle your thoughts on the matter. You know how your OCD affects you best, so I would take everything with a grain of salt.
Best of luck!
I took an SSRI for about 6 months after reaching out to a psychiatrist during a low point in my life. Going to school for the first three days on the drug was weird, it definitely took some getting used to. But after that I felt mostly normal. The pills were great for sleep. I could get like 2 hours and wake up feeling like I got 8. And they made me not sad, so I was happy.
I ended up hating them though because they made me, like, unable to feel sad at all. I'm pretty sure if my dog died I wouldn't have been able to be sad about it. Like, I would've understood and acknowledged the emotion but not actually felt it. I hated that. It was like I was a pianist and somebody took all the Ds and Es off my piano. Also during that initial period where your body is acclimating to the drug you feel like you're micro-dosing ecstasy, which is pretty shitty.
But back to your question. You should be fine taking an SSRI as long as you don't plan to sit for the LSAT during your first week on the drug.
In my experience with an SSRI, they kick in after about 15 minutes. My psychiatrist did talk about this grace period though.
No way!! My cousin teaches at a local Carlson Gracie by my house. BJJ is intense. I honestly don't consider myself athletic either but I use MT more as a 1-2 times a week workout so I don't have to go to the gym LOL. If you're unlucky like me, I had planned to go on a walk today after studying and 30 minutes ago it started pouring. #SunshineState??
I take the generic version of Wellbutrin for depression and I love it.
SSRIs and I did not get along AT ALL. every one that I tried made me feel either completely devoid of emotion and zombie-like or constantly nauseated and exhausted. some of them took affect (negatively) within just a few days, others took a little longer. if you're unsure and there's not at least three months before your test date, I'd talk to the prescribing doctor and explain your concerns.
@cvaldez74 Wellbutrin is what I've been on! My doctor prescribed me the SSRI Paxil, he said that the wellbutrin will counteract some of the bad side effects and would balance the ssri. I also love wellbutrin! I've been taking it for over a year. The only bad side effects I had were headaches during the first few weeks and horrendous insomnia now. What SSRIs have you tried? if you don't mind me asking! Eeeek. I'd say three months is a bit of a stretch. I think typically 4-6 should be sufficient but who knows. Everyone's different. I'm still deciding haha!
I'm sorry but yeah -- get off that ASAP! hahaha
@AshleighK woah muay thai! i've always wanted to start that. i was really into kickboxing and running but they made me burn too many calories!
For anonymity I don't want to say too much, but on the anxiety front I realised that two things were impacting my studies (1) browsing the forums and (2) excessively emphasising the importance of the LSAT.
(1) was a problem because it is often a self-selecting slice of the LSAT-taking population that post on forums - those that are doing well. In my view it's not healthy to read post after post of people celebrating their high scores and gaining prestigious admissions. This is not to say they shouldn't be celebrating, but simply that it's not good to constantly compare yourself to others. So I basically stopped browsing forums and I try to only read posts where I think I can make a contribution. Call me a grinch, but it's helped.
(2) was a problem for me because I, like many others, invested too much self-worth in to the LSAT. The LSAT is hugely important for admissions, but it does not, and should not, define you. So I've tried to stay more relaxed about it, to the point where I took 3 months off from the LSAT. This worked as I set a 6 point personal best on my next PT.
As others have said, SSRIs take a while to kick in. Using the analogy of a line graph, they're meant to remove the troughs and level things out. In my experience they did this, but they also removed some of the peaks. This may or may not be a cost someone is willing to bear.
I've tried Paxil and Lexapro and I've also taken (not SSRIs) Pristiq, Brintellix, and Effexor. Paxil and Lexapro both brought the same adverse reactions (nausea, lack of ability to experience emotion). Effexor was very similar, though it's not an SSRI. Pristiq and Brintellix seemed to work relatively well for about a year each but they ultimately made me exhausted, which fed the cycle of laziness--eat junky foods--no exercise that defines my depression. I was also prescribed Klonopin for some pretty severe nighttime anxiety I was having but I only ever took that as needed for a brief period; I never noticed any adverse interactions with whatever anti-depressant I was on at the time (I think Pristiq).
Whatever you do, best of luck with it!!! If you ever need an understanding ear, you know how to find me