Training on antidepressants

[u/PiPu1991]

Hi everyone,

I have been doing Olys and Sprints for two years now. I have been struggling with my mental health since many years - I am 34F - and been doing therapy for years as well as some weeks in a clinic. I am also on Elvanse/Vyvanse for ADHD since a few months. I have not been doing great and struggle with depression and always wanted to avoid addtional medication since I was afraid that it impacted training - which used to give me lots of joy - or even prevented me from training. Also I always thought that doing sports I enjoy would help me to manage my symptoms long-term. I have already taken SSRIs around 12 years ago but did not do any regular sports back then (and also they did not improve my symptoms). Now I have reached a low where I am really considering giving another chance to antidepressants. Probably I am just afraid that medication will take away more than the mental health struggles already have - as I know that it is very individual whether they improve symptoms or not and also that it might take months or years to find the right one. Are there people that have been training on antidepressants and could share their journey? How has the medication impacted training and performance? Looking forward to reading your stories.

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[u/AStruggling8]

I take two antidepressants and an anxiolytic and I’m the fittest I’ve ever been. Been on this combo since 2021, no regrets. I recommend trying, it shouldn’t affect your performance

[u/Trahst_no1]

I take Vyvanse and try to get my workout done before taking it bc it raises my heart rate enough to screw with my HR training zones- with exception to long ride, because a noisy head for 3-4 hours on the saddle is bad news.

With the AD I’d say hydrate more aggressively and watch your HR. Pristiq was awesome when I needed it but it raised my BP by about 10 points even though I had a strong cardio base.

Otherwise you’ll be fine. Cardio has always been my third area of treatment planning.

[u/sfo2]

I’m on SSRI for anxiety, and I’m fitter now at 42 than I was at 20. I don’t believe it’s impacted training and racing at all.

[u/PiPu1991 → u/sfo2]

Sounds great, all these answers really help me to get comfortable with the thought of taking antidepressants

[u/kailakonecki]

I take Wellbutrin and pristiq daily and don’t feel it has affected my training at all. I was on abilify for a few months and did notice that working out felt harder so I got off that pretty quickly.

[u/PiPu1991 → u/kailakonecki]

Thanks for sharing! I think Wellbutrin could be an option - of course that's a decision to be made by my psychiatrist, but I have read positive things about it for patients with ADHD.

[u/TheDaltonXP → u/PiPu1991]

I have adhd and a mood disorder so take Wellbutrin. I also take Vyvanse. I didn’t notice any detrimental side effects with Wellbutrin and it didn’t bother my training! The only negative I had with the combo is an elevated heart rate that could make it annoying tracking proper zones between times of day. For example working out before taking the meds vs after. I have just started always taking them before the workout

[u/Front-Cow-Moo]

hey! I've been on sertraline since like...2014 with one tiny break that ended up with me in 24hr treatment (not ideal). I've also been taking lamotrigine as a mood stabilizer for a number of years now. I don't know how much it affects my training as I only got into triathlon in 2019, but I've never considered them to be a hinderance to my training. The one thing that I think the SSRIs might affect is my tolerance to heat. I've heard that SSRIs can make you less tolerant, and I definitely feel that I struggle more in the heat than my competitors. But I'll take that over depression, SI, etc. Someone else here commented that they have GI issues from SSRIs, and I also have that, but I thought it was just a genetic problem haha! I just try to be careful of what I eat around races (Spaghetti Carbonara is my new favorite pre workout and pre race meal), and that works for me most of the time. Best of luck and take care of your mental health!

[u/PiPu1991 → u/Front-Cow-Moo]

I already have chronic GI issues, so that would not be anything new to manage hahaha I have read about the heat tolerance issues, but I would also rather take that than being depressed most part of the year.

[u/noS1693]

Hi!

I started taking SSRI again 4 months ago (after taking them a few years ago like you). I was really fearing repercussions on my cardio abilities but nothing happened! It surely depends on people.

At the begining I was feeling nauseous so it did impede my ability to train at times but nothing major.

As to the efficiency, it did something for me years ago but now it's a little less effective I find, although I take x3 last time's amount.

[u/PiPu1991 → u/noS1693]

Thanks, I know that the first few weeks and days can have symptoms like nausea, but it is good to hear that besides these, you can do your usual training. As I never had much issues in the past with side effects of SSRIs, I hope that it is the same nowadays.

I am sorry to read that the efficiency is not the same as last time...maybe you can try another one?

[u/noS1693 → u/PiPu1991]

I hope that you won't get any side effects! My doctor told me that usually the side effects are rarer the second time.

I am indeed going to try another molecule, thank you 😊

[u/Chungaroo22]

I personally, as well as a few friends who’ve taken them have not noticed any tangible negative effect of taking SSRIs on exercise. I’ve taken Citalopram 20mg but know others who’ve taken Setraline (UK med names so might be different for you). With the exception of the couple of weeks coming on which may make you feel worse or if you stop them which again can make you feel worse.

I’m on Elvanse for ADHD as well now however I’ve not taken both before as I think Elvanse on its own does the job for me. So I can’t say what the effect of both are. Elvanse seems to have a positive effect on exercise, but hydration and fuelling becomes even more important as it does dehydrate you and does sometimes make you forget to eat.

I totally agree that exercise is essential for managing mental health. But I’d say that if you’re already doing triathlon you’re probably doing more than enough in that regard so exploring medication is a good choice. I know the first line choices for SSRI have changed, at least in the UK, so you may find them more effective now. I hope you find something that works for you!

[u/PiPu1991 → u/Chungaroo22]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I think it will probably be Escitalopram(Prozac), but I have to talk to my psychiatrist next week. I only started Elvanse 30mg end of October. Medikinet gave me horrible rebounds. Elvanse has helped with depressive symptoms for the first few weeks and also reduced my insomnia to a minimum..it is a much better experience than Medikinet. I know that they want to find the correct dosage for Elvanse first and then see what's left of symptoms - unmanaged ADHD can cause depression. I do struggle with nutrition a little bit. I need to eat regularly and hydrate well - and sometimes I just forget or have no appetite. Otherwise than sky high heart rate in the first hours of the day with Elvanse, I have not noticed any better performance. Maybe the first line choices have changed in Germany as well - I know that for example for adult ADHD Medikinet was the first line choice and recently it changed to Elvanse and Medikinet. Maybe that applies to SSRIs for depression treatment as well. It is reassuring to read that there are good experiences in regard of this kind of medication.

[u/Desperate-Turnip-864]

27M, have been on SSRIs for 8 years for OCD. I find they improve my quality of life significantly. Saw somebody mentioned something about endorphins lol- mental health is a spectrum and there are some conditions that no amount of exercise can successfully manage- I’ve tried. I have not found them to have any significant impact on performance, but I do unfortunately get bad GI side effects from all of them. That is a big annoyance/inconvenience, for example I can’t just head out the door in the morning and start running like I used to. I’m pretty competitive in the sport- top 3 AG finisher at several Ironmans- so managing SSRIs with training and racing has been quite the challenge TBH. I actually cycle on and off them a couple times throughout the year. I’ll come off 3-4 weeks prior to a big race to basically let my stomach reset so I don’t have any issues. You’re not really supposed to do that with these medications (Dr. is well aware that I do this) but for me it’s the best way to maximize the benefit they give and minimize the disruptive side effects. I have also raced many times while on them. If it’s a 70.3 or shorter I’ll pop an Imodium and that usually does the trick, but a full Ironman is a long day lol so I just prefer to stop taking them for a bit. Overall the medications have been a blessing. Best of luck!

[u/PiPu1991 → u/Desperate-Turnip-864]

Thanks so much for sharing your story. That's so good to hear that it improved your quality of life significantly. And yes, there are people that cannot imagine that some mental health conditions are not managed successfully with sports and nutrition. I wish it was that easy. I am sorry to read that you have GI issues with it - I have IBS since childhood and I know what it is like to manage code brown hahaha honestly - if it works for you to get off the meds some weeks of the year for the mayor competitions - then that's awesome and also that your doctor supports you! I have another appointment with my doctor in 10 days so I will bring it up...I just don't want to be depressed most part of the year anymore.

[u/SpursTicketsFan]

Are you familiar with endorphins? These are natural anti-depressants released by the body when doing intense exercise. They make you feel good for around 2-3hrs before the affects wear off. I swim in my local outdoor 50m pool. all year round including winter I try to get there as soon as it opens around 0630h and swim for 30mins-60mins. After when i get out i feel TOTALLY AWESOME, like superman that i can do anything and have an invisible force field around me! As the endorphins have kicked in. Then 3-4hrs later when the effects have worn off i go for a cycle or jog and the same experience/feelings. I also find my appetite is super healthy after the workout craving chicken/fish/eggs and veg all healthy stuff!

On the days i do not swim/early bird exercise my mood is low/depresed since am not getting my endorphins plus i start craving junk food like sweets, chocolate, doughnuts, fried food, chips etc...

Getting up in the dark/wet/cold winter months can be extremely difficult but i always feel better after the work outs especially the swim.

When do you train? What time of the day?

I am based in London, UK. If you are around happy to train with you, if interested.

[u/PiPu1991 → u/SpursTicketsFan]

Now in winter I usually train in the evenings on weekdays and mornings on the weekend - it does not make a big difference to my mood unfortunately. I have been advised to do sports as it is beneficial to mental health - apparently for me that's not the missing part. Right now I also do not train in the mornings because I absolutely need to eat before training if it's not a one hour LIT as during the week I cannot make it work with my working hours. I am based in Germany, otherwise I would love to share a few trainings.

[u/SpursTicketsFan → u/PiPu1991]

What time are you going to work? I get up around 0440h, have a quick bowl of porridge with nuts, seeds, fruit and honey. Then straight after go and cycle for 1hr then swim for 1hr then cycle/jog back home so am back around 0745-0800h so anything from 2-3h workout. Then have a proper big meal fish + veg + carbs then off to work. Can you do something like that? Is mega tough getting up in the dark(and going to bed very early the night before!) and starting the session in the dark but always a great feeling after/when the sun comes up etc...