Depression...help please!

[Mercury]

Ugh ... Depression is such a debilitating thing to fight. Personally, I have been on Effexor XR for the past six years ... I wish I would never have started it as it is HORRIBLE to get off of. I have to admit that it has helped in getting the brain to process information correctly and cause the flow of serotonin to normalize. I wish I would have tried to find another way to fight it as well. Meditation, I have learned, is an excellent tool to use for depression. Another great natural tool to use against depression is writing. Start a journal and write out your thoughts ... after a while you will begin writing things that you didn't even realize were there.

Also, you have to have things that bring you joy in life. Hobbies or some sort of activity that focuses specifically on you. Also, chocolate is a wonderful, natural anti-depressant and vitamins are definitely important along with exercise.

I hope you find relief from this and the help that you need!

 

[purpledove]

Oh yeah just remembered, try also Vitamin B12. It's primarily for energy boosting and helps uplift one's mood too.

Go get your labs done too with you MD. A friend of mine had once had same symptoms( sluggish, mood changes, lack of energy etc) and it was related to his high blood cholesterol.

Good luck

 

[MjaneGibson]

Thanks guys I am going to try that Codrus...maybe I just need to affirm that in my life. nihilist did you try any other medications before the one you're on now?

Dove: hadn't thought of that...both things run in my family so it is possile

 

[Panacea]

Get your heart rate pumping for 20 minutes at least 3 times per week, get consistent sleep, eat consistently healthy meals, and allow yourself time for self care like meditating, reading, painting, etc (whatever makes you feel peace). Just take care of yourself, basically. Sometimes we get off track and our anxiety is the body's way of alerting us to that. If doing this doesn't seem to bring you around to center, I'd definitely seek professional advice.

Even GOOD life changes can cause anxiety! Sounds like a lot of new things on the horizon for you, and that transition can bring its own issues.

You don't have to take a benzodiazapine to treat anxiety if it's not where you'd like to go with your health care- prescribers love to dish it out like candy but it's not for everyone and it's a personal decision.

 

[Alien Allen]

If you went to therapists that made you worse then you went to shit therapists

A good therapist should be your best cheerleader

 

[Weebs]

As a smelly truck driver from Jersey, I am not allowed to be depressed. I just can't afford the doctors.

So when I do find myself depressed, I am basically on my own to figure it out.

I do have a few home remedy type things I do for depression.

First off depending on the severity of the depression, I try to release some anger/stress. I accomplish this by either hitting the gym, or
playing a ridiculously gruesome video game. The gym I think helps me get out my physical aggression, and the game helps me in
the mental department.

Sometimes it helps to "rub one out" dont laugh!! lols It helps us feel better about ourselves! Intimacy with the wife is also
a great antidepressant for me. Random acts of kindness (although it sounds like some kind of cheesy bumper sticker) just seem to make me feel
GREAT! I mean who knew helping someone else just because you could would feel so awesome!?

There are times when my depression manifests as "hopelessness" I feel that every and anything I do, is useless and insignificant. At times like these,
I gotta have some me time. I create a quiet spot for myself to sort of meditate, and figure out what the root of my problem is.. I never really seem to reach
a concrete conclusion, but I always seem to form a plan.

In my mind planning always seems to pull me slowly out of the fog..If my finances are bothering me, I make a plan. If my love life, social life, free time,
or occupation are bothering me.. I gradually plan a way to succeed. Then once I put the plan into motion, I find myself really coming out of the depression.

I am not sure why we get depressed when we have acheived so much, and have so many things to be thankful for. I guess its just human nature.

Maybe its just gods way of forcing us to taste the dark, just so we'll recognize the light.

 

[NoDak]

Thank you all for your responses. Just to touch on a few things...

I have dealt with all of the trauma in my past (I was raped in high school, dealt with abusive boyfriends, and lost many friends), but have been at peace with these things for a while now...at least I think. ...

I should also mention that my brother has dealt with depression most of his life, as well as bipoloar disorder (which based on what I have seen, there is no question that I am not suffering from that). But, it does help me to draw conclusions that genetics are playing more of a role in this than anything.

I'm not a therapist, but, I think that you are correct with the genetics playing a part in the depression. Are there others in your family chain who have dealt with any form of depression or bipolorism? The traumas you mentioned would only serve to exacerbate the problem.

 

[Dana]

The OP stated it was a chemical imbalance. I'm not familiar of anyway to treat that EXCEPT for medication. But, then again, I'm not a doctor, either. I don't know anybody on this site that IS, so none of the advice that the OP is going to get here is going to amount to a hill of beans. But that's just my 2 cents.

Sorry... I have strong convictions about medications. But that's my issue.

 

[Natasha]

Sorry... I have strong convictions about medications. But that's my issue.

No need to apologize, Dana...sorry if my response was a little strongly worded. I don't know that I've ever approached the issue HERE but I know I have on other forums and I've gotten reamed for it. I don't believe in medicating every little problem. I think that SOME depression is a natural part of life and, w/o it, we don't appreciate the good times. BUT there are varying degrees of depression, grief, anxiety, etc. that may require medicating and I think those people should definitely look into it.

 

[Francis]

Dana,... I just checked and apparently they don't have a drug for " everthuing"...whatever the Fuck that is. It will probably be out soon though


And Mjane,...your awesome ...now own it!
talk yourself up, don't just think or say your this or that....know it and believe it becuase its true.
look in the mirror and make faces at yourself to laugh...belive it or not ...it does help.
The next hot guy you see ...smile at him and nod ....and know that he wants you,..but your to good for him.
Chin up hot stuff

Hey COD, what the Fuck is becuase and belive... I looked them up and could not find them anywhere. But I am sure just like Dana's word it will be out soon. :24:

MJ as to depression I could go on for days. Having bad bouts of deep depression and not being able to take antidepressants I have learned how to deal with it without medication. The medication was causing convulsions in me and it took 5 years to discover that fact. Only after a serious car accident did doctor finally accept the reality that I could not take these antidepressants.

It's not one magic thing that will work.. Not even medication is a solution without doing many of the required normal activities required to get out of depression..

You must push yourself to do things and look at the positive side of life. Go out for walks, watch movies that inspire you and keep up a healthy diet.

Stay away from negative people, when you start to think sad thoughts push yourself to think there were also good times and will be many many more.

It's always easy to think about the bad things.. News on TV, Papers and Radio never tell us the good things happening and somethings we need to block all that out for a bit..

Visit the people you know are positive and happy people, not those who will be negative and down..

Do little things that make you feel good about yourself. You are beautiful and need to remember that..

 

[zen]

If nothing else, know that you are not alone, and others often feel the same way. So buck up butter cup.

 

[MjaneGibson]

One thing I have noticed is that I am usually more depressed on weekends...I'm pretty sure it's just because I don't always have something like work to distract me! I have been trying to do more on the weekends (go to the dog park, out for a drive), but sometimes money/weather doesn't permit. I will keep trying though.

I like the movie idea...I often find myself simply watching whatever is on, yet when I do actually pick a show, it's either really really funny, or something that I've never really watched, like "Fairy Tale Wedding," I think cause it makes me happy since my sis is getting married.

I really appreciate everyone writing back to me...you have no idea how much it's helping to keep a smile on my face, so thank you.

 

[NoDak]

One thing I have noticed is that I am usually more depressed on weekends...I'm pretty sure it's just because I don't always have something like work to distract me! I have been trying to do more on the weekends (go to the dog park, out for a drive), but sometimes money/weather doesn't permit. I will keep trying though.

I like the movie idea...I often find myself simply watching whatever is on, yet when I do actually pick a show, it's either really really funny, or something that I've never really watched, like "Fairy Tale Wedding," I think cause it makes me happy since my sis is getting married.

I really appreciate everyone writing back to me...you have no idea how much it's helping to keep a smile on my face, so thank you.

:thumbup

 

[Francis]

One thing I have noticed is that I am usually more depressed on weekends...I'm pretty sure it's just because I don't always have something like work to distract me! I have been trying to do more on the weekends (go to the dog park, out for a drive), but sometimes money/weather doesn't permit. I will keep trying though.

I like the movie idea...I often find myself simply watching whatever is on, yet when I do actually pick a show, it's either really really funny, or something that I've never really watched, like "Fairy Tale Wedding," I think cause it makes me happy since my sis is getting married.

I really appreciate everyone writing back to me...you have no idea how much it's helping to keep a smile on my face, so thank you.

Anytime..

 

[alice in chains]

So, over the past few weeks, it had become increasingly evident that I was falling into a depression. I've been very anxious for no reason and feel lost all of the time. My best way to describe it would be, "waiting for the day to end." I had dealt with this sort of thing in the past, but I have had my worst bouts with it in the last couple of weeks. Now, I haven't had any tragedies, an event of bad luck, or a heartbreak. In fact, I got a new job which I really love, my sister is getting married, my brother is having a baby, and I'm celebrating my 2 year anniversary next week; my life is better than it has been for a while. Therefore, as far as I can tell, I am simply a victim of imbalanced chemicals and what not.

Because of this, I don't feel the need to go to a therapist, and as far as a psychiatrist goes, I'm not looking to be quickly put on medication that I don't necessarily need. My question is for those of you out there that have dealt with this directly. I am looking for home remedies to lessen these feelings. I am currently on a st. john's wort and valerian root combination. Supposedly, this can help. I've been on it for 3 days, and while I do in fact feel better and have more energy, I have a feeling that it's simply not going to cut it when I am a little worse off than I have been this past week.

Any suggestions?

What you're experiencing may not be depression. You may just be stressed out with even realizing it with everything that's going on in your life. My suggestion would be to have a private emotional outlet for yourself until things calm down.

 

[Skorpy]

So, over the past few weeks, it had become increasingly evident that I was falling into a depression. I've been very anxious for no reason and feel lost all of the time. My best way to describe it would be, "waiting for the day to end." I had dealt with this sort of thing in the past, but I have had my worst bouts with it in the last couple of weeks. Now, I haven't had any tragedies, an event of bad luck, or a heartbreak. In fact, I got a new job which I really love, my sister is getting married, my brother is having a baby, and I'm celebrating my 2 year anniversary next week; my life is better than it has been for a while. Therefore, as far as I can tell, I am simply a victim of imbalanced chemicals and what not.

Because of this, I don't feel the need to go to a therapist, and as far as a psychiatrist goes, I'm not looking to be quickly put on medication that I don't necessarily need. My question is for those of you out there that have dealt with this directly. I am looking for home remedies to lessen these feelings. I am currently on a st. john's wort and valerian root combination. Supposedly, this can help. I've been on it for 3 days, and while I do in fact feel better and have more energy, I have a feeling that it's simply not going to cut it when I am a little worse off than I have been this past week.

Any suggestions?

You're not alone hun.
I to suffer from sever case of depression. Medication did nothing for me unfortunately. I have a happy life too, so the cause is the same for me. So I can totally relate to what you say and feel. Medication made me worse. It depends what sort of depression you have. Mine can be bad at times. The way I deal with it, is to be alone and calm myself down, when I get anxiety.

Mine, hs been going on for many years, and I have just had to learn to deal with it the best I can.

I hope you get it sorted out!

 

[Skorpy]

Is there some unresolved issues floating to the surface of your mind that you're not quite aware of? Could be something as far back as childhood. Had it happen to me on several occasions. I was semi depressed for several years before some of these things came to mind and allowed themselves to be dealt with which seemed to help.

Very good points hun.
This can be very true.... as my depression, I am sure was due to a childhood attack for me, and a violent past relationship. So this can indeed be the root to most depression problems!

 

[MjaneGibson]

What you're experiencing may not be depression. You may just be stressed out with even realizing it with everything that's going on in your life. My suggestion would be to have a private emotional outlet for yourself until things calm down.

I do feel like part of it is simply that...stressed out with everything, good and bad, that is going on in my life. I recently had a huge change in jobs, and a lot of exciting things going on. I do, however, have a lot of the stereotypical signs of depression...I even took several tests and got the same result. I am definitely trying what you suggest though...

I started up with yoga again and have dedicated time for the gym as well as a quick 25 minute walk after work to get my blood flowing and my mind off of the other things. I have also started up with my glass work again (though it's a project for my sister's wedding, which unfortunately, though I am excited to do it, is stressful).

 

[MjaneGibson]

Very good points hun.
This can be very true.... as my depression, I am sure was due to a childhood attack for me, and a violent past relationship. So this can indeed be the root to most depression problems!

I'm trying to get to the root of the problems...I have been doing a lot of pondering into things I knew about but simply hadn't dwelled on. I figure, maybe there's something in my past that had more of an impact on me than I had thought.