Depression

Serenity · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 7:48 am Post subject:

I think it's a great thing to be able to share our experiences. Often, sadly, these things are not talked about enough! The more we talk about it, the more we realise we aren't alone, and that many of us for different reasons have all been through the same dark times. It's great we can get comfort from knowing this, and help each other

ok has to be done ((((((((((((((group hug)))))))))))))))) lol !!

Forgive my Geographical ignorance Kris, in Alberta, does the sun come up at all during Winter?

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knewlove · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:26 pm Post subject:

It does rarely tho! We live near the 60th parallel (we used to live further north in the NorthWest Territories (over the 60th parallel) where they have 10 months of winter and 2 months of summer. In the winter time there is maybe 4 hours of daylight. In the summer it is like 24 hours of daylight! But the mosquitos and bugs are horrendous!!! What could be a beautiful summer the insects make it not worth it! You go outside for 10 minutes and get bit by 300 huge mosquitos!
We have moved a few hours south of there now. Winter usually lasts from October to May and we get 4 months of summer and the insects aren't as bad. From Nov - Jan we get maybe 6 hours of daylight. We are getting more now as we approach March but will still have winter for at least 3 more months. But the summer are very pleasant here.
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Serenity · Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2008 5:32 pm Post subject:

Wow I couldnt handle winters that lastest that long! Im deffo a summer person, 10 months of summer two of winter would suit me just fine

Plus to live somewhere that had 24 hours of darkness would just drive me insane.

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knewlove · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:32 am Post subject:

Speaking of...lol....this might sound crazy lol

has anybody ever had an epiphany? (not in the religious sense) but that something just comes together. I had one the other day. I have them once in a while but not nearly enough. But all of a sudden the fog in my head just lifted from my whole being and I exhaled...gawd did that feel great!!! Every muscle in my body just relaxed!

In those moments of clarity I realized just how bitchy and snappy, moody and negative I'd been over the last couple months (prob due to winter, stress, work, etc etc). But everything was clear and I felt alive and love and inspired and in the moment. I had no worries or anxieties. Nothing negative (past, present or future) seemed to matter.

Gawd I wish I could keep that positive frame of mind all the time!
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Serenity · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:16 am Post subject:

It's a pity we are human Kris! lol It's all too easy to get wound up over the silliest of things. I try to keep positive, and sometimes I just have to step back from a situation and say to myself, calm down you're overreacting, does it really matter?? It would be great to have calmness 24/7 and float along on the breeze, but then, we'd be dull and boring ! lol

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redhead · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 6:03 pm Post subject:

well at last got results not glandular fever , I feel 10 times better then I did but still using the light box the heaviness in my head is going and feeling more able to cope ,pressure at work has lifted as one of the girls as taken on some of my work load for a couple of months to help out even boss agreed to take on a temporary staff !!!!! to cover the skivers !!!! the w/end away did me real good and now got a holiday to look forward to later in the year bonus so @ present things looking good . by the way been watching gmtv in the morning and this week as been about depression some interesting bits on there plus there now saying the anti-depressants don't work !

Never had a epihpany but it sounds good if your cloudy head is gone and you see things in a more posititve light my it continue

knewlove · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 2:08 am Post subject:

I'm glad to hear you don't have glandular fever hon xxx...
Spring does seem to lift those clouds in our heads...

In my experience anti-depressants do work..but it depends on a lot of other factors.
According to studies certain anti-depressants work for some but not for others as well it is a matter of trial and error to find out what drug is right for you.
I started out with Effexor which for the first few days made me feel sick, out of touch, like I was seeing double, racy, anxious, and generally more crazy lol - it didn't help me much at first...but after about 3 weeks I started to feel its effects and was okay with it.... but I still felt numb and cold and neither felt up or down or felt really anything while I was on it.
I went off them as I didn't feel they were really helpful and maybe too strong for me.
I was then prescribed Paxil....which was great...a mix of anti-anxiety and anti-depression pills.... boy did it help me with my anxiety and depression....however....it only worked for about two years then I became um..what's the word...immune to it ...basically after about 2 years paxil no longer had any affect on me...
I also was also prescribed lorazipam and diazipam during this time and unfortunately became quite addicted to these pills because of their immediate tranquilizing effect! Thank gawd tho!! my doctor got my off them after I was secretly taking up to 8 pills a day

!
Anyways, several years ago a new doctor prescribed me Celexa - Which is an anti-depressant but it is awesome and has helped me very much and still helps me to this day (7 years later I'm still taking it and it's working for me!) .
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Serenity · Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 8:11 am Post subject:

I'm so glad it isn't Glandular fever Julie

You take it easy and like you say, with something to look forward to it makes things seem better. I'm also glad the light box is helping.

I too agree that anti-deps DO work. Like Kris said it may take a while to find one that suits. I've had two stints on Prozac, first time worked wonders, second time had so many adverse effects I had to stop taking them. After trying this and that I finally ended up on Seroxat (I think if I remember right). It was a mild dose, enough to keep me 'ticking over' so to speak, and it helped no end.I've not needed them for a few years now, just the lightbox in winter is enough.....Like the lightbox, anti-d's help adjust the levels of the 'feel good factor' chemicals in your brain, that are lacking through no fault of your own. Best to think, if it works, don't knock it

Kris, going back to your Diazepam dependancy. I had those for 14 days once when I'd totally put my back out and was bedridden. They were WONDERFUL lol so I can see why people get hooked. The doc said, they were so addictive it was only safe to give 14 days worth otherwise I'd be addicted. You did well to sort yourself out xxxxxxxx
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knewlove · Posted: Sat May 03, 2008 11:08 pm Post subject:

Guys, yesterday I was a dumb woman! First, I don't know if I told you or not but I felt it was time to wean myself off Celexa - the anti-depressant and anti-anxiety pill that I've been taking for the last few years. So I took half the dosage for about two 2 weeks and felt no change, then half a pill every other day - still no change, then completely stopped taking them 4 days ago.

I think I am noticing the change now. It's not that I feel more depressed or anything but I am definitely more anxious and have a generalized racy feeling but at least I'm feeling again instead of feeling numb! But I guess as my body adjusts to the changes in serotonin levels I'm prob going to experience a variety of things. But If it gets too bad I'm back on them in a flash!

Anyways, I am not sure whether my stupid behaviour yesterday had anything to do with the discombobulated, absent-mindedness I've had the last couple days being off the anti-depressant but yesterday I took all my meds together like I always do (excluding the Celexa). I took my high blood pressure pills, my high cholesterol pills, my Aspirin, and my doxycycline which I started taking a few months ago to try to clear up some adult onset acne I have on my upper back before summer. Well I always have a couple pieces of toast or a sandwich or something to eat when I take the meds because of the doxycycline which says I HAVE to eat with food, the others I can take with or without food.
When I stopped taking the Celexa a few days ago I also doubled my dosage of the doxycycline to 2 pills/day and 200 mgs instead of the one 100 mg pill. It worked right away and I planned on taking 2 pills a day for the 14 days.

About 30 mins later and after taking all the meds I started to feel nauseous and dizzy. I couldn't figure out why I felt that way and at first thought it was because I was off the Celexa and just adjusting. I thought well I'll have some soup maybe I'll feel better, maybe I'm getting the flu. So I made some chicken noodle soup and as I was heating it up in the micro I almost fainted and had to hold myself up with the counter then it HIT ME - omg I had completely forgotten to eat when I took my meds -esp. the doxycycline -which I had never forgotten to do before let alone 200 mg's of it!!!

So I quickly tried to eat all the noodles in my soup, burned my mouth, I was in a total panic and everything was spinning. I was home alone and thought maybe I was going to die! Then it hit me again in another way- and it was definitely too late for eating and for the next 2 hours I was hugging the toilet vomiting until I finally dry heaved the medicine tasting stuff at the end.

I felt better but tried to force down a cucumber and cheese sandwhich to make sure my stomach had something in it - I had also dumped over my soup on my run to the toilet. For the rest of the day I felt waves of nausea and a bad headache and my shoulder muscles just ached from the violent, tense puking.

I still feel weak and out of sorts today and extremely on edge, agitated and impatient with everything. I will NEVER forget to eat again with my meds. EVER!!!! esp. the doxycycline!
I am going to wait a couple days to see how I am doing before I make a decision about the celexa.
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Serenity · Posted: Sun May 04, 2008 6:06 am Post subject:

Oh bloody hell Kris!!! That must have been so scary

Doxcy' is awful to take without food (good med tho). I think I'd have panicked and rang a doc lol or hubby or anyone!..............Most anti's nowadays don't really have much affect on you when you stop them, when I was on Seroxat I just stopped them instantly after seeing a tv programme about them. But like everything, people vary. Take it slowly and see how you go, like you said, it might just be because you are actually 'feeling' now that you feel strange and jittery, your nerves have been dulled on the meds for a while so its normal.....keep us informed, hope you feel better soon xxxx

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