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ASKI am 43 years old and have been been diagnosed with depression and taking zoloft for 14 years (that is until about 3 months ago) My doctor told me to face facts that I was on zoloft for the rest of my life until he finally sent me to a psychiatrist as I was having side effects of racing thoughts. In October I had my first visit with the psych and he told me I should never have been on zoloft for such a long time and he took me off it immediately...only for me to have a horrible reaction to the new drug he tried-olanzapine. I gained 20+ pounds which made my depression even worse. I was constantly crying for no real reason and got to the point that I didn't know why I was even living. I finally got ahold of the psych and he basically got mad at me and told me to get off the pills and "tough it out" well I told him i couldn't as my life was such a mess--I haven't gotten up before 9 in the past 15 years and have never got up to feed my kids before school. I feel like such a loser. I have a very short day and by 2pm I am in my pyjamas laying in bed. I rarely do housekeeping and I don't have a real job. Anyhow, I have since been put on Pristiq which has helped with the "losing weight", but has me looking at life again like....why bother. I have been taking pristiq for about 2 weeks now, and don't have another dr. apt. until the 12th of february. I find myself alone with no friends. I was hopeing to get some advice from this site. Please let me knwo what you think.
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I suffer with bipolar depression as well, and it is a different animal than a regular depression. I became manic on SSRI's. What has helped me with the depression is Lithium and the mood stabilizers/antipsychotics. There are a few that won't cause weight gain. Also I bought a Whole Body Vibration Machine that definitely improved my energy and mood, and increased the metabolism.
July 24, 2010 - 11:13pmThis Comment
Thanks for the input scribbling. I have a friend that too is bipolar and is having a tough time dealing with things. Myself, I have been on so many different meds in the past 6 months its ridiculous. Whenever I walk into the psych office the dr has his prescription pad ready for something new. The worst part is my appts. are about a month apart, and if I take a drug that doesn't work right, I am basically stuck until my next appointment. He refuses to see me until the full month is over. I have never heard of the vibration machine that you are talking about, nor was it recommended to me by a doctor to help with my energy level. Can you tell me a bit more about it? Where you purchased it? price? how it works? Thanks for your time, and as Ive been told many many times...."keep your chin up" :)
July 29, 2010 - 12:39pmHi Francene,
I too think that you showed a lot of courage by posting about your battle with the debilitating effects of depression. You may have helped a lot of other people afraid to post. I would also encourage you to see a naturopath in your area. Joining a support group may also help you and a CBT group may be quite supportive. You may also want to try newer therapies like reiki and healing touch. These energy modalities can help lighten your emotional load as you find ways to treat the depression. Don't settle for anything but the best when choosing a doctor. This is your precious life and you deserve the very best help that you can get!
For more information on energy healing and depression, please visit: http://www.lumia-holistic-healing.com/energy-healing-for-depression.html
February 5, 2010 - 8:33pmThis article may help : http://www.diet-science.com/news/calming_anxiety_with_diet.htm
February 4, 2010 - 6:33pmone of olanzapine's main side effects is weight gain. you don't sound like you\re adequately medicated.
February 3, 2010 - 8:07pmFrancene,
I have dealt with a multi-year depression and I also have dealt with meds that needed to be changed and with reactions to them that were sometimes good and sometimes bad. I cannot BELIEVE you had a medical professional treat you the way you did. It's totally uncalled for in my opinion and in my experience.
Are you entering perimenopause? I ask because I was your age when I started into it (the beginning of irregular periods, and extra moodiness, and some hot flashes and insomnia from time to time) and I believe that for many of us, when our hormones begin changing, a lot of other things in our bodies go awry. We don't connect them all (and often doctors treat just the symptoms we tell them about.) But depression is very common in perimenopause and I am wondering if the Zoloft stopped working for you partly because this is a possibility.
I know that you have been dealing with this for 14 years, so you know a lot about it. But please hear this again: This is not your fault. You didn't do anything to bring it on and you can't just wave a magic wand and "tough it out." Depression is emotional, biochemical and physical, and it affects each of us in different ways. You might try several medicines before you find the one that works for you. Perhaps the Pristiq will be what helps you (two weeks is probably not enough time to know for sure.)
My advice? Yes, go to the appointment on the 12th and see how it goes. Tell the psychiatrist that you are still not doing well in a variety of ways and that you're interested in finding out why. If she or he treats you poorly, do this: Make other appointments with him or her so that you can continue in his or her care until you find another doctor. At the same time, go back to your regular doctor and ask for another referral to a different psychiatrist. In other words, I don't want you to go without treatment while you wait to get in to see someone else.
Keep exercising -- I think it is AWESOME that you do it without fail, and i know it is helping even if it doesn't feel like it. Keep being grateful for those fabulous kids. When you're back in bed at 2:30, that's ok -- see if you can get yourself to move out to the couch by 4:30, maybe? Every little thing helps.
Hang in there, and let us know what happens next, OK? You have a lot of understanding and empathy here and we don't want you to feel like you're out there all alone.
February 1, 2010 - 11:52amHi Diane, thanks for your thoughts. According to my doctor I'm not going into menopause as of yet, so I'm hopeing that its just the drugs aren't right for me. I've now been on the Pristiq for over 3 weeks and the same symptoms are present, just counting the days til the 12th. I can't believe how nervous I am that I end up walking into the appointment, him telling me to tough it out again, and me walking out like a fool. I do have some "back up" pills of zoloft that I probably shouldn't have, but if he takes me off the meds alltogeather, I plan on going back on the zoloft.
I actually took your advice about moving over to the couch....it's 5:03pm and I'm sitting on the couch with my laptop...I'm affraid its only going to be a short time before I'm back in bed, but hey-its something.
You guys here are so great. I have a blackberry, and whenever it buzzes (telling me I have an email) I know its from this site and its actually something I look forward to. (pretty sad?)
I'll definitely be back on after the apt. on the 12th and let you know how things turn out.
Thanks, Francene
February 3, 2010 - 3:06pmFrancene,
Getting to the couch is a baby step. And when we are in the hold of a depression, it is only the baby steps that we can do. It is when the baby steps start to add up that we can finally get somewhere.
You moved out to the couch. That's a step! If you can do that again sometime today, and sometime tomorrow, and sometime the next day, then it's something you can feel good about. Keep doing it. At some point you may find that you can rely on the couch as much as you rely on bed now. And then at that point perhaps you can move to a chair for a little while with your laptop, or the kitchen table. Even just 15 minutes in another room does us a world of good.
I'm glad you have a laptop and a blackberry. They help you stay connected to the world when you would otherwise feel very disconnected, don't they?
You might like this support group very much: www.mixednuts.net. Click on the blue words where it says "Click for depression chat." It will ask you to make up a chat name and then take you into the chat room. You can just sit and watch the conversation go by, or you can participate. They are friendly people -- all of whom have dealt with depression and some of whom are bipolar. Many of them would feel trapped in their homes without Mixed Nuts. Here's a link:
http://www.mixednuts.net/
After a few days visiting there, you will start to recognize a few of the "regulars" and they will start to recognize you. It's a nice feeling to feel like you "belong" somewhere when you don't want to leave the bed or the couch.
And Francene, please practice what you will say if your psychiatrist tells you to "tough it out." If that is the scenario you fear the most, you need to practice your response so you will feel ready and competent. Perhaps you might say, "That does not feel very supportive; I need better advice than that." If you walk out, you are NOT walking out like a fool. You are simply walking out like a woman who didn't get much help from a psychiatrist who wasn't very sensitive or supportive.
In my book, that's a smart woman.
February 4, 2010 - 9:38amHi Diane.
February 5, 2010 - 4:26pmI checked out that chat session. Have you been on it? or are you a member?
Thank you for sharing your personal story, Star. The loss of a loved one is unbearable at times, especially at a young age. I remember when my first grandparent passed away..it was traumatic since there was no other person that I felt close to that died and made me feel such a loss. The best thing is, depending on your faith, you will see them again....
It is also comforting that you will take so much away from your experiences with your loved one. After they have gone, even the bad times seem good. It is quite odd but I guess in my life I have made good out of bad circumstances.
Best of luck, to you both..
January 31, 2010 - 9:49am