Anybody else suffer from Depression? - Page 2

[Ruthla]

Well, my experience was always to go to a therapist first, and only go on medication if talk therapy alone wasn't helping enough. I know that general doctors CAN prescribe antidepressants but I prefer going to a specialist, especially when first getting started on the meds- finding the right drug, the right dose, etc can be more complicated than a general doctor can handle (although sometimes the first drug tried works great and then any doctor could handle it.)

If your dh is hesitant to try drugs, would he be more open to herbal or homeopathic remedies? Bach Flower Remedies are particularly helpful for emotional problems.

[mamaroni]

hello

I just got diagnosed this week and I have to say that I feel SO relieved. I start therapy today and I know I have a lot of work to do, but I'm ready. I sick of feeling like crap and being unhappy and being a crappy wife. I htink I've had this for a long long time, but that it's been in remission most of my teens and 20s, and is now fully rearing it's ugly head after quitting my professional career and having 3 babies in the span of 5 years. whew.

How do you all treat? meds? thereapy? other? I'm very interested to learn all my options. my gut says no drugs but my brain says yes at the very least to jump start feeling good.

I also feel like I want to call everyone I know and tell them. so far I've told my dh, sister, mom, and 2 really close girlfriends. for one thing, I don't want it to be some sort of dirty little secret, and for another I want everyone to know why I am the way I am. does that make sense.

I really want to understand this disease (?). and why.

I hope you all don't mind me joining. as you can tell, I really feel the need to talk about all this.

[Kaitnbugsmom]

Me. At various phases in my life I've been dx'd with ADD/ADHD, bi-polar disorder, post-partum depression, and other various forms of depression.

I've actually had a pretty good handle on it the last few years, but something about this pregnancy brought it back on. The hormones, the two scares, I don't know. Probably all of that plus living with my parents. Last night I finally had a break through with regard to my self image. T is thrilled, he's been telling me all along that I'm beautiful, sexy, etc, and that seeing my stomach grow and knowing that it's doing so to accomodate Emma's growth and her needs, as well as my own is one of the highlights of his day...

I know after she's born, even with bf'ing and slinging, the depression will try to come back. But thankfully this one is due in August, so unlike with my first two I'll be able to spend plenty of time out in the sunlight, and get far more exercise than I did with the winter babies...

[Ruthla]

I'm currently on Prozac but I also use nutritional supplements and diet. I haven't been good about the diet for a while and I'm feeling bad again, I just got back on track with eating right a couple of days ago and I think I'm in detox since I'm feeling worse but I KNOW that the way I'm eating is healthier for me (high protein, high fiber, no refined carbs.) I also take fish oil, vitamin E, vitamin C, and vitamin B complex, Fibro Min (calcium, magnesium, and malic acid to help with my fibromyalgia) and when I remember I take raw garlic to help keep me in general good health. It's hard to feel good emotionally when you're also dealing with a chronic illness, or even with a minor illness (like the yeast infection I'm trying to get under control.) Oh, and Bach Flower Remedies as needed to deal with my moods.

I'm not sure if I, personally, will ever be able to get off the Prozac, but I do know that my use of natural remedies and supplements is keeping my dose down. Without my supplement routine, I'd definitely need my meds adjusted- either increased, changed, or more than one medication at a time.

In general, I beleive that antidepressants can help people get over the hump- when you're really down, it's hard to make the effort to eat right, exercise, work on your issues with a therapist, etc. The meds temporarily releive the symptoms so you can get to work treating the cause.

Right now, I seem to need the Prozac just to function normally. I hope I won't need to take it for the rest of my life, but I might. I plan to keep trying different natural approaches.

[Devin]

hello, i have just joined this forum and i really want to start talking to others like me as well. i am 32 years old and have suffered from depression since i was a teenager but did not get help until i was in my early twenties. i think the right medications, a good therapist, and a great support group of friends and family is the best way to go. don't make the mistake i did for about 10 years. i was on medication (Zoloft) for 10 years. i simply went to my general practitioner and he asked me how i was feeling. i told him i was doing fine and he gave me a perscription for another 6 months of meds. during those 10 years i never actually went to therapy, never talked to anyone about my feelings. that really caught up with me about 2 years ago. i ended up hospitalizing myself for three weeks because i just stopped functioning. my meds were adjusted, i learned coping skills while hospitalized, i let all my friends and family in on my problems and ever since things have been great. i continue to see a therapist, i take my meds, but most importantly, if i feel sad, mad, blah, whatever i feel. i make sure i tell someone. alot of times just stating how you feel, makes it all better.

[laurennettles]

i understand...

I have been dealing with depression my whole life...I always felt like I was crazy! I did try a therapist for a little while but I deal with my depression now through diet and exercise. I find that when I get very depressed I try to work out and I feel better afterwards. I pour myself into my child, fitness, and school. But, I know how it feels...i can't explain it but sometimes life becomes truly hard to deal with...not because of any particular reason but i feel like I am exhausted and no matter what I do it isn't good enough. I am tired of being tired, I am tired of being stretched in so many directions. I feel bad because sometimes my husband does not understand...but i can't expect him to understand something that I don't fully understand...my mother and my grandmother suffer form depression, I guess it is genetic...does anyone have any suggestions???

Mother to year and a half old Badyn ...my heart and soul

[chickiepickie]

i was severely anemic (little did i know) and became depressed because i was SO tired all the time. once i got a handle on the anemia (taking FloraVital), i felt so much better. I can actually pick up an empty laundry basket now! i heard that eating too many preservatives can cause depression, too (?). for me, if something is out-of-whack with my body then my mind seems to--without fail--follow suit.

[Peace4you]

PPD w anxiety here!

I had my first child in January and post partum depression and severe anxiety hit me like a ton of bricks. I forced myself to be with my baby as much as I could so she bonded with me and once the medication kicked in, I was able to bond with her. Evil evil disease! I'm doing much better now but still on meds. I wish the natural stuff had worked so I didn't have to use meds but they didn't.

Jen

[LadyMarmalade]

[applejuice]

I had PPD with my first three babies, but not with the fourth...I never took anything.

I am now chronically depressed because of my DH's death. I am on an anti-depressant...it works fine, but I do not want to be on it forever. I am employed fulltime, so it is important not to be dragging around like a zombie...

[Snowy Owl]

Hello sad mamas

I'm supposed to be going to a play group right now, but I'm too sad and afraid to see anyone, but I need to talk to 'someone' so I'm here. Yesterday I was fine, a normal person. The house was cleaned, the meals were cooked, the garden tended. Today....barely alive. Problems with my marriage and the direction of my life are haunting me. Is that making me depressed, or does it all seem worse when viewed through the murk of chemical imbalance?

I have never been to a doctor or therapist about this, and right now I wish someone could help me.

It's a lovely day....
I'm going to drag myself out the door for dd's sake.
It will take everything I have to muster up enough cheerfulness to chat with the other moms. I don't know them very well.

Could pills make me a better person?

[AngelBee]

[Peace4you]

Originally Posted by Snowy Owl

Could pills make me a better person?

No pill can make someone a better person. This is an illness and it needs treatment. Yes, under the tint of chemical imbalance things look distorted and much worse than they are. I would confide in a friend and your doctor. Find a good therapist and psychiatrist. We only have one life... why be miserable?

Jen

[Snowy Owl]

Originally Posted by Peace4you

No pill can make someone a better person.

Of course!

Yet it appears to me sometimes that other people can just manage their lives, get jobs, and make friends and it's not a big deal. They appear normal.....though the appearance people maintain obviously doesn't reveal the whole truth.
Whatever. I'm messed up, and I hate pills, so clearly pills are the answer to all my problems---my own judgement is worthless?

Plus, I don't even think I'm depressed enough to deserve to be a part of this thread. 'Kind of Mopey' isn't the same as serious Depression.

I'm sorry so many of you have to deal with this illness. Parenting is tough enough as it is.

Best wishes to you all.

[mamaroni]

snowy owl, i wish we were neighbors! you sound really upset. I've been there. and I can tell you that from all appearances my IRL friends thought I had it totally together. I SO did not.

whatever your level of depression, no matter, you need support. everyone has different circumstances and issues and everyone needs love and support! please stay. I thought I was just "kind of mopey" for the longest time and just kept telling myself things would get better. they didn't. they kept getting worse. I just coulnd't control anything anymore.

I've been reading here although not posting since my first post. I have decided to start therapy (been 2x so far and have 2 more appts set up) and not take drugs at this time. I also weaned my dd to see if the hormones were causing issues. I also got a weekend away with a girlfriend. This all after I basically had a major meltdown. I have been feeling *much* better and I wish this for all of you.

like snowy owl said, parenting is difficult enough w/o adding mental illness to the mix.

and like peacr4you said, we only get one shot at this life thing, why be miserable? if pills do it for you, then I say go for it. take care of yourselves, mamas.

[Devin]

pills let you be yourself

pills do not make you a better person, they simply allow you to be the person you really are, they stop the depression from taking over the real you. i am a very good, kindloving, kindhearted, generous, fun, and lovely person when i take my medications for depression. before i took medications and before i had them adjusted several years ago, i was the meanest, most hateful, negative person you could ever meet. everyone hated being around me; i hated myself because i knew i was mean and had an awful attitude. and knowing that just made me feel worse which just added to a vicious cycle. i knew deep down that i wasn't that awful person but i had no control over it. i knew that somewhere inside me was a positive, outgoing, and caring person. it took the right meds at the right dose to allow that person to come out and be seen. when a person has a head ache, it can make them irratible, sad, unmotivated, and miserable. most people take ibuprofen or tylenol to get rid of that head ache and once it is gone, they are back to themselves again. it is no different with depression. depression is a headache that can be treated with drugs that will make you feel much better.
i'm only an advocate of antidepressants because my medication has literally saved my life many times.

[Pookietooth]

I am a depressive, and have been on and off meds. I was on Prozac for 9 years or so, and now I'm thinking of going back on it. I really need a good therapist, but our insurance covers next to nothing in mental health. Why is that? Anyway, here I am, hi. I have been trying to do nutritional supplements and homeopathy, but lately feel that I'm just too negative and crabby, and need something more. Trouble is, it seemed like Prozac just made me not feel like I needed to do anything, it didn't help me to get more organized or make friends or have more energy. What's up with that?