I've been on Effexor ER 100mg for Depression

Dear A.B. Curtiss,

I've been re-reading many past blog entries which have been helping me tremendously.I starting to really question myself being on Anti-depressants. I've been on Effexor ER 100mg(which is not a high amount)for the past 5 months and 35mg which is really a minimum dosage for the past two yrs after I recovered from my last bout of depression that lasted me a year. Prior to that I was on Zoloft for a while--so Ive pretty much been on anti-depressants for the past 10 yrs--just the dosage level changed depending on if depression was full blown or not. And yes, Ive been told by the medical community--from various ones in various countries that with my long history of debilitating depression,I need to always stay on them. But the more I read about your writings and teachings,the more I want to get off of them.

But I wonder if it's too soon to tamper with medication usage when I'm due to go back to work in a week,and I'm still suffering depression and anxiety--though making progress.

I know you don't usually comment on medication usage decisions,and that I would have to make my own decision for that.I was just reading a past blog entry where you share about the post-fire victim group of women that were all but one put on medication, and 5 yrs on, all those on meds were still not doing well.I need to weigh out the pros and cons of coming off the meds before my depression gets better.

If I'm currently working on brainswitching, does coming off of the meds now have an effect on the effectiveness of using brainswitching and ultimately getting over depression?I do ultimately want to get off the meds it's just the timing issue.I was just alerted to see hear that the post fire victim group people were worse off being on meds.If I use brainswitching and acknowledge that it is a self responsibility recovery,do staying on meds still make me worse off?I would be grateful to hear your thoughts on this. Y__________

Dear Y_______

The reason I can't comment on whether you should get off your medication is that I don't know anything about medication. Many people have just quit taking anti-depressants after reading my books and have done fine. But that doesn't mean I would recommend getting off your medication without conferring with your doctor.

However, that said, if you continue with the exercises and new thinking and behavior patterns you will be changing your brain with or without medication. Medication can't prevent you from doing better thinking and practicing better behavior. Someday you will feel more self-confident about your ability to get out of depression any time it comes over you. Then you will no longer fear depression. It will no longer be all that important to you whether you get depressed or not because, what difference does depression make when you can immediately get out of it.

Someday depression will not have any power over your life and what decisions you make. Just keep going in the right direction with Brainswitching and someday when you look back, depression will simply be unimportant in the context of how you live your life. You will be living your life and depression will be a small, temporary
bump in the road, of little significance, more like a splinter (Ouch! Better take care of this) than an overwhelming outside force controlling your whole existence. Notice that when people get a splinter they don't totally succumb to it and totally identify with it. They A splinter, they don't say I'm splintered, like they say MY depression and I'm depressed.

I just thought of something. I used to say all the time to myself "I feel so terrible, I'm so depressed." I never say that to myself anymore. When depression hits I say to myself "OUCH! This sucks. Better do an exercise and get busy with something right away." And I never give depression another thought. Depression can't exist unless you THINK IT. A. B.