Justfor1

Well it's been several months since my last drink/drug and it appears my depression is getting worse. I currently take an anti-depressant but thinking about stopping 'cause it's not really working. Haven't been to a meeting in a few days since I had an "incident". It appears I over-react sometimes and under-react other times if that makes sense. Thought of drinking today and calling my old shrink (the one who prescribed me Ativan and even morphine type patches for headaches). This is a pattern for me I wake up in sobriety and realize I destroyed my life. O well at least I'm sober.

Dee74

Go back to your Dr and discuss your situation and yr meds with them Justfor1

D

Supercrew

"This is a pattern for me I wake up in sobriety and realize I destroyed my life. O well at least I'm sober."

To me this seems like the reason you could be depressed. If there is a true reason for your depression drugs aren't going to make those feelings go away. This is where, after consulting with your Dr., you start taking action to either try and repair the stuff you destroyed, or you start fresh and reinvent yourself. I thought I was depressed for about 10-15 years, once I quit drinking and got my system clean and my mind straight I realized the booze was causing most of it. Yes I did have problems to contend with in life, and they can make me feel depressed, but once I started taking action to take care of the problems all of the sudden I didn't have a bunch of stuff hanging over my head to worry about and my depression took care of itself. I'm not saying it's easy, because it takes effort, but I have found it was worth it for me.

Good luck.

MrDavid

Good idea...

laurie6781

Please go back to your Dr and tell him/her that this particular anti-D is not working. Not all Anti-Ds work for all folks.

You may just have 'situational' depression as a result of all the alcohol you ingested and in a fairly reasonable time you won't need the anti-Ds, or you may have 'chronic' that you actually 'self medicated' and will be on anti-Ds for a long time.

You won't know, until you talk with your Dr.

Please DO NOT arbitrarily stop taking them. Talk with your Dr.

J M H O

Love and hugs,

CarolD

Just....
According to earlier posts of yours...the depression was happening
before your drinking and drugging.

I hope you and your doctor can sort out the best thing for you.

Tabula

A couple of things:

I've been on A/D's since my teens on and off, as others have said, different drugs work differently and have a different effect, so talk to the doc. Talk to the doc anyway.

Second, it's only been a few months, drinking drains serotonin, so it may take a while for it to return to normal anyway.

Third, that "I've wasted my life, it's all gone" feeling is oh so common. I still get it today when I'm feeling lonely or sad. You need to be proactive in mourning the past (mourning it not wallowing in self pity) and then finding new meaning for the future. Easier said than done, but talking about it is a good first step.

Don't be hard on yourself, there's no rush, depending on how long you drank and how heaviliy and how your body responded to it, it could take a year or more before you feel sufficiently different. You may just have to tough it out for the minute, I will say it DOES get better.

BP44

I believe it's almost impossible to differentiate depression from untreated alcoholism in the first year of sobriety, perhaps even well into the second year.

Justfor1

Yes Carol my depression came long before my alcoholism & drug abuse. I don't have insurance so I'm stuck with the doctor I have who doesn't seem to listen. It's ironic that alcohol is a depressant that makes depression worse but while under the influence of booze it sure seems to help. I must remember though the awful next morning hangover and eventually the 24/7 intoxication.

mercurial me

Please stay sober. You know what to expect from the vicious cycle that is alcoholism. I was having trouble filling the gap that was left once I stopped drinking. Is there any new activities out there you'd like to try or re-kindle the interest you had in activities before alcohol took over?

Anna

I'm sorry your dr isn't listening to you. But, I think you should keep trying to make him understand your medication isn't working. I had to try a few different meds to get one that worked for me. Please don't give up.

Fandy

you absolutely should not stop your meds without your doctor's knowledge....many anti-depressants need to be tapered off.

i was on 3 different anti-dpressants and none of them gave me help that I needed.(probably because i mixed them with booze). I hope your doctor will try something else that will work with your body.