Lotus2009

Hi all,

I just read the title of a previous post "so sick of me" and that about sums it up. I've been so depressed the past couple of weeks and I'm sooo annoyed by it... I just want to wake up and be happy... I'm sick of crying, sick of feeling like curling up in bed all day, sick of feeling like my head's in a cloud, ....

and as if that's not enough I feel like a horrible wife to my RAH (he's been sober for a little over a year with one small 2day relapse a few months ago)... I feel like he needs to take care of himself and not worry about the mood swings his wife is going through! I'm scared it'll be too much for him and he'll relapse (I know I can't "make" him relapse, but still....).

I'm scared I'll get as depressed as I was 2 years ago before I left my husband who was a raging A at the time. I was thinking of maybe going to a Dr. to see if I could get antidepressants, but I'm not sure about meds. I'm really sick of feeling this way and just want something that'll make it all better... but I feel like maybe this is really not that bad and I don't really need meds for this (which is a dialogue I always have when it comes to any kind of meds.... I'm kind of like my grandma in that way ... "i'm not dying so why take meds... it'll go away eventually... " ... or will it!?). I briefly talked to my counselor today about meds and she said she would look into possible low cost places, etc. But then I was reading online about meds and one article talked about how meds are important for severe depression but that "some researchers concluded that, when it comes to mild to moderate depression, antidepressants are only slightly more effective than placebos".

Not really sure what I'm trying to get to here...hm...

Any wise words? Opinions about Meds, etc?

nandm

Yes, the recent research has leaned towards anti depressants being slightly higher than placebos as far as treating mild to moderate depression but that is not to say that one should throw the idea of taking them out the window. What is the worst thing that can happen if you try them? They might not help? What if though you are one of the people that they can help but you don't try them? Personally, I would give it a shot. One other thing to consider is having your Vitamin D levels checked by your physician. There has been a recent link to Vitamin D deficiency and depression. I know mine were extremely low and it has helped some with my depression to supplement and bring my levels back into the normal range. It is a simple blood test.

But I also firmly believe that any treatment for mental illness should always be accompanied by some form of therapy or counseling. Studies have shown that when medication is combined with therapy it is more effective. There are also many non medication therapies available that might be of benefit to you. It sounds like you already have a counselor which is a great start. Have you discussed alternative therapy for depression with him/her? Yoga, meditation, mindfulness, exercise, nutrition, CBT, etc... are all excellent tools in combating and dealing with depression.

I have been on a myriad of anti depressants over the years. Some have worked, some have not. All that have worked stopped working at some point for me or I had to stop taking them due to side effects. Currently my psychiatrist is trying medications that are in a different class than anti depressants to treat my depression. But I do fight with bipolar depression which is quite severe so it may stem from problems with different brain chemicals than typical depression.

Personally, I would give it a shot.

defyinggravity

nandm said it so well, I don't have much to add. I agree with everything she says.

Antidepressants have saved my life on a couple of occasions - they might be worth considering. Talk with a doctor (preferably a psychiatrist if you can get to one) about your concerns and see what s/he says.

onlythetruth

You do need to talk to your doctor--we are not doctors here. However, I will report that my person experience has been that SSRIs and therapy have worked wonders with my GAD.

Nightsd

Not to nit pick here at all, but I'll go from my experiences. I have tried two antidepressants (Lexapro and Prozac). Both times I got severe akathisia (extreme inability to stop shaking/making repetitive motions). Also both gave me unbelievable, brutal insomnia. I'll tell you what, akathisia and insomnia are a horrible and frustrating combination! Some people like myself just don't tolerate AD's well. Nandm, what do you think people should do if they can't tolerate classical SSRI's? Do you think the MAOI's would be better tolerated?

nandm

I have had some pretty severe side effects myself from certain meds but they don't seem limited to one certain class of meds. Akathisia is one of the most frequent severe side effects I have experienced. I personally think it is a very individual thing, unlike what the drug companies tv commercials would have us believe.

I have found that the medications that fall under the classification of anti depressant such as the SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), tricyclic antidepressants, and MAOI's (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) do not work for me, stop working for me after a period of time, or they cause serious enough side effects to warrant stopping their use. This was irregardless of which type of antidepressant was used.

My doctors over the years have even tried utilizing antipsychotic medications to treat the depression again with varied success very similar to the antidepressant results. Antipsychotics act by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain and interfering with dopaminergic transmission.

We are now trying a medication that falls under the anticonvulsant classification. Anticonvulsants are drugs that prevent or reduce the severity and frequency of seizures in various types of epilepsy. The different types of anticonvulsants may act on different receptors in the brain and have different modes of action. Two mechanisms that appear to be important in anticonvulsants are enhancement of GABA action and inhibition of sodium channel activity. Other mechanisms are inhibition of calcium channels and glutamate receptors. Since these act on different chemicals and receptors in the brain the hope is that this will be the key that fits into my depression keyhole in my brain and provides relief.

But there are other medications that although not classified as antidepressants because they are not commonly used to treat depression do seem to help with mine. Currently I am on an older antihypertensive, blood pressure medication, to treat my PTSD symptoms and it seems to be pretty effective for some areas of that such as the night terrors and nightmares.

One thing to keep in mind is that I fight with bipolar depression, PTSD, and chronic anxiety. Someone fighting with chronic depression alone might have great results with medications that fall under they typical antidepressant class of medications. Unfortunately, there is so much that is not known about the actual cause of mental illness and what specific brain chemicals are affected with each type of depression. So it many times is a hit or miss treatment. They start with the typical antidepressant class of medications and hope that works. If it doesn't then hopefully they start thinking outside of the box and are knowledgeable on recent studies so they can recommend medications that might fall under other classifications that may work. But ultimately it is a very individual thing. I have friends who have done great and do great on one of the oldest antidepressants out there, Prozac, and they have never had to try any other medications for their depression. I personally try to keep an open mind and never give up. I firmly believe there is an answer out there I just have to make sure I am alive to find it which means being willing to not only advocate for myself but be willing to try new things.

Sorry for being long winded.

Lotus2009

Thank you all for your replies! It's interesting to read about other people's experiences with meds and depression.

As far as alternative treatment goes ... I've been trying to incorporate a lot of them. I started to do exercises/ yoga at home again when I realized I was starting to slip into depression again. Meditate a little, try to eat healthy, and try to do some positive self-talk/ thought stopping etc., try to modify my behavior (I tend to isolate when depressed/ anxious), so I'm trying to schedule a fun, social activity at least once a week (not successfully thus far).

I know these things take a while to take root and are not going to change the way I feel from one day to the next. I've just been feeling so tired of struggling and working so hard on something that comes easy to many other people that I thought maybe a pill could just make it all better (I know that unfortunately it doesn't work that way and even with meds it's still gonna be work, but it would be nice if I could just take something and all my worries would disappear).

defyinggravity

There are many, many classes of antidepressants - some don't affect Serotonin. The sort of traditional other options - tricyclics, MAOIs...but there are also serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, reuptake inhibitors of only norepinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine...also selective serotonin reuptake enhancers, disinhibition of norepinephrine-dopamine...

(obvious disclaimer about talking to your doctor ) The point is, there are a lot of other options out there.

onlythetruth

This discussion actually illustrates exactly WHY I say that, not being doctors, we refrain from giving each other medical advice.

Psych meds are complex things. They don't work the same way for everyone, even for people with the same diagnosis, so, as valuable as our personal experiences can be, they aren't a substitute for clinical expertise.

I am really not suggesting that sharing our personal experiences with meds, positive or negative, is a bad thing. In fact, I think it can be helpful. The problem comes when we take the next step and say "well, medication X was a disaster for me, so no one else should take it", or "medication Y was a lifesaver for me, so let's put it in the water supply".

A little illustration....my mother, like me, suffers from GAD. At one point, her doctor put her on Paxil for this. I am not kidding when I say the Paxil made things worse. She was climbing the walls. But then, a few years later, I started taking Paxil and it worked great. I've since switched to something else, but the point is that even though my mother and I are obviously related by blood, the exact same drug that made her climb the walls worked well for me.

NYCDoglvr

I hope you go to a doctor. Anti-depressants pulled me out of a terrible depression (I couldn't get out of bed) and saved my life!! Depression is a chemical imbalance. Go to the very best Psychiatrist you can find, these are too complex for doctors who aren't specialists to get right.

God bless! It will pass, it's only taking action.