Sign That Your Major Depressive Disorder Treatment Plan Isn't Working

Getting on a major depressive disorder treatment plan is a great step forward, but it can be hard to know if it's working—or if it should be working better.

While the right boxes may be checked on your plan, it can still feel like the journey is far from over. Maybe you're seeing some progress, but you'd hoped to see more. You may not know if you should expect things to continue improving or if this in-between state is the best you can hope for. No matter how long your treatment journey has been, it's important to not settle for "better." You have every right to seek new treatments until you truly feel that your depression is resolved. Here's a look at some signs that your major depressive disorder (MDD) treatment plan might not be working.

1. Only Some of Your Symptoms Have Been Resolved

If your MDD treatment plan is successfully taking the edge off your worst depression symptoms, you might be tempted to count your blessings, even if other symptoms continue to bother you. The reality is that a depression treatment plan that is only partially successful isn't a successful depression treatment.

The problem is two-fold. On the one hand, you deserve complete relief, and lingering symptoms can keep you from enjoying full quality of life. On the other hand, research has found that residual symptoms of depressive disorder are major predictors of relapse of depression.

In some studies, residual symptoms in patients with depression are associated with social functional impairment. This can lead to sustained feelings of isolation and loneliness that continue to contribute to depression. It's important to know that if only some of your symptoms have resolved, much more can be done to help you experience a fuller, more satisfying breakthrough for restoring quality of life.

2. You're Experiencing Reduced Versions of the Same Symptoms

It's also possible to see mixed results when it comes to symptom severity. Many people experiencing depression decide to simply settle for reduced—but not eliminated—symptoms because they are happy to get any kind of relief. Similarly, many who find early success with a treatment option feel excited because they assume that the results will continue to get better and better.

Sometimes, though, an initial reduction in the severity of depression symptoms represents the "peak" level of relief that you'll experience on a given course of treatment. While we can't underestimate how good it is to see a reduction in depression symptoms, staying with a plan just because it worked "a little" is really just settling for less than a resolution to MDD.

Unfortunately, a major depressive disorder treatment plan that includes medications can put you in a position of trading some of your unwanted symptoms for other unrelated symptoms. Some antidepressant medications cause side effects, such as diarrhea, nausea, headaches, and joint pain, that make it hard to get on with daily life. Other side effects are subtler but can detract from the quality of life in big ways. For instance, some medications may contribute to sleepiness that saps your energy and enthusiasm, while others can cause weight gain.

Unfortunately, these side effects can make you feel hopeless or out of control just when you were hoping to turn a corner. If side effects are creating new problems in your life, you might want to talk to your provider about different medications or treatments for major depressive disorder that won't alter you on the physiological level.

4. Your Depression Has Morphed to a State of High Excitement

Some people feel relief from anxiety that is replaced by feelings of overexcitement when taking medications for depression. Some might describe this experience as feeling "high." There's even a chance that you may have feelings of euphoria, invincibility, or mania. "During a manic episode, continuing antidepressant medication serves no purpose other than to contribute to or exacerbate mania symptoms," according to research published in Federal Practitioner.

While some people may confuse feelings of agitation and restlessness as signs that the fog of depression is lifting, it's actually possible that something called serotonin syndrome is occurring as a result of a new medication. It's important to let your care provider know if you're feeling overly excited in a way that doesn't match your personality. This could be a sign that your medication is not working as intended.

Rethinking Your Major Depressive Disorder Treatment Plan: Consider TMS

Living with reduced severity of depression symptoms is still living with depression. If you're left unsatisfied with talk therapy or antidepressants, it may be time to explore new treatments for major depressive disorder.

One option to consider is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy. This therapy is FDA-cleared for major depressive disorder and uses non-invasive devices that deliver gentle magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain tied to mood.

Because it's not considered a "front-line" treatment like therapy or medications, TMS can be a great fit for those who haven't seen satisfying results from those other approaches. "The goal here is complete remission of your symptoms," says Dr. Geoffrey Grammer, chief medical officer at Greenbrook TMS. "And a lot of times, if we add TMS therapy to the medication that's had a partial effect, then the combination of the two is enough to completely relieve someone's symptoms." To learn more about whether TMS therapy can help you find true relief from depression, reach out for a no-cost consultation.