Medication Management of My Major Depressive Disorder

Over the years, I have tried a variety of medications to manage my major depressive disorder. It has been such a long journey. Even my psychiatrist has commented recently that I have tried all the classes of antidepressants. I am currently on a cocktail of mental health medications.

My MDD medication management plan

Medication management is meant to be used in addition to talk therapy approaches. All of the psychiatrists I have worked with have made sure that I continued to work with a psychologist. While medication management is not a cure, it can be an effective tool to help improve mental health issues.

Trintellix

Trintellix is a newer antidepressant that is not yet available as a generic brand. I am on the highest dosage available in this medication. While it has not solved my major depressive disorder, Trintellix has worked better for me than any of the other antidepressants that I have tried in the past.

Abilify

Abilify, also known as aripiprazole (an atypical antipsychotic), is a medication we added to my treatment plan after deciding to continue using Trintellix as my antidepressant. According to my psychiatrist, the Abilify is an add-on medication intended to help my antidepressant work better. My dosage for this medication is only 5 mg, which means there is still room for my doctor to play with this medication.

Trazodone

I have been taking Trazodone the longest time out of my current medications. Originally, I tried taking it as an antidepressant, but I needed more from an antidepressant. We did notice that while Trazodone was not effective as an antidepressant for me, there were benefits from it.

Since my major depressive disorder is associated with extreme insomnia, I take Trazodone at night to help with sleep. The Trazodone helps me fall asleep at night and normally helps me fall back asleep if I am woken up in the middle of the night.

Remeron

The newest medication added to my treatment plan has been Remeron. Remeron is also known by the generic name of mirtazapine. We started with the lowest dose. Over time, my doctor has increased the dosage to the highest dose.

Medication side effects

For the most part, my body seems to handle antidepressants very well. The Trazodone makes me sleepy, but that is the effect I am looking for from the medication. I have just learned to be ready to go to bed within 30 minutes of taking my dose.

The only real side effect I have had from these medications comes from the Remeron. I have started gaining weight. This weight gain has made me the heaviest that I have ever been. I know this is a vain concern in the bigger picture, but I am hoping that I do not keep gaining more weight. My psychiatrist is aware that it has made me gain weight and we are keeping an eye on it.

Personal thoughts on medication for depression

The obvious thought is that I am on a lot of medications for my mental health. This is very true. While it can be annoying to know that I have to take all these medications, I also know that they are helping me.

Prior to this cocktail of medications, I was extremely suicidal. So much so that my best friend moved in with me for awhile to intervene. While I still battle major depressive disorder, there has been an improvement in my mental health due to these medications.

Next steps

If these medications together are unable to manage my major depressive disorder, my psychiatrist has told me there is only one thing left to try. The next step would be to try ketamine infusions. This would mean that my depression is labeled as treatment-resistant.