Originally Posted by
captain_flynn
Hi all,
I've been abit low recently for various reasons, I saw my doctor today (for a unrelated matter) but told her how low I had been feeling. She wanted to prescribe me some anti-depressants but I declined as I said I think that it will prevent me from flying. I'm a PPL student with 43hrs. I only have to do my cross country and skills test (on the flying part) but I still have a few exams to pass aswell.
If I had accepted anti-depressants would they have prevented me from flying? Did I make the right choice in declining anti-depressants and opting for counselling instead?
<<DEPRESSION >> Treatments, experience and advice
Having had depressive episodes in the past (three major since 1991), please allow me to comment. I am no longer in aviation, 3 employer bankruptcies was enough for me, but perhaps you can learn from what I have learned. (You may want to print this out, as a depressed person tends to forget the positive stuff that is read or heard).
In my experience, talk-therapy has done little for me in the past to alleviate the symptoms, and prayer/meditation isn't helpful either. A person can pray until they are blue in the face and that doesn't help a medical problem, in most cases. I believe that I have inherited the problem genetically and that it became a health concern in my 20's and 30's. Sometimes additional steps need to be taken to get help.
That said--first five steps:
1. Eat a varied diet, making sure you're getting your vegetables and taking a supplement of vitamin b complex (stress) vitamin e, ZINC, and two capsules of GINSENG daily. The zinc and ginseng help restore your TESTOSTERONE production. Testosterone is much lower in the bloodstream of men with depressions.
St. John's Wort has been tested repeatedly in the US and does nothing to resolve depression.
2. Rest on as normal a sleep pattern as possible, daily keeping the same schedule. Do not stay awake until the wee hours. You need to get the dream sleep times. Also, testosterone production occurs as a man sleeps, as well.
3. Get exercise. A depressed person just feels like laying on the couch or in bed just watching the tv, which makes it worse. Just getting out and walking for 30 minutes will help ( you CAN do it--just 30 minutes). This will also increase your testosterone production. Weight training will also help.
4. If possible, get regular sex- (are you married? girlfriend?). Try to avoid the "guilt-related" sexual encounters--I won't go into guilt-related but whatever that means to you, it's a spiritual thing, and can bring a person down.
5. Keep fighting it by keeping occupied. Find a way to help another person. This has been found to alleviate the depression, if only for a short time.
Give yourself a week or so on the above plan.
Next: Have you had depression in certain times of the year? If you are not flying regularly and getting sun exposure "above the clouds," seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can be causing this in the extreme northern or southern geographic regions of the world (it is common in Minnesota, USA). It comes on in the fall and winter, and remains winter into early spring. It is EASILY treated with bright light therapy; a person gets a high-spectrum light box and are exposed to the light the first 30 waking minutes of the day. You will feel better in 3 to 4 days. Definitely worth a shot, for a mere $300 to $400 USD or you can probably get them cheaper on ebay. It can help avoid going on the meds! If nothing else, it is pleasant to wake up to, expose yourself to the light, and think about nothing ! Very relaxing.
Next: See physician first for a complete physical, to eliminate other conditions that may be causing it--thyroid issues, early stages of diabetes, high blood pressure due to heart/arterial prob's (MAKE SURE you do a treadmill test) etc, etc.
Next: If other conditions are ruled out, and exercise/diet/lights don't help THEN consider the medication to get past the negative thought patterns (repeated thoughts and downward spiral of thoughts). Rx treatment can be short-term but may continue depending on the success of getting rid of depression. A person has to communicate with the dr. on their own, it is unlikely that your dr. will call you to see if it's successful for you or not. If depression continues after three weeks, you either have to go higher on the milligrams or switch to something else.
Also, don't self medicate (more one day, less the next). And when through with the meds, a person can't go "cold turkey" when you are feeling better or you risk a 'high' manic episode; these are psychotropic drugs and require a slow tapering off.
As for SSRI's--my experience is to avoid Prozac (too scary in the first 3 weeks, anxiety, nightmares, and continued thoughts of suicide) and to avoid Paxil, it makes you feel like you are "out of it" and can't remember anything. Zoloft (sertraline) works for me. I hear Wellbutrin is pretty good but doctors have found that it makes people horny as hell.
A tendency towards depression is often genetic, other research has shown that running high fevers as children may cause depression later in life.
IF at anytime suicidal thoughts and actions are considered seriously, get on the meds right away.
Good luck and God bless to you on this very
annoying condition. May I encourage you to rely on those who care about you, and share with them your condition and progress or lack thereof. Be assured that I will keep you in my prayers.
(But, obviously, sharing with employers or coworkers is really risky in aviation-- due to the tremendous amount of disinformation out there and the remaining stigma of society).
Sorry so long, best of luck to you.
J., Minneapolis