Depression
 

I've been suffering from depression for several months now and have been prescribed Paroxetine [seroxat] and Clomipramine by two different GPs.

One prescribed paroxetine without hesitation after about two minutes the other said that she wouldn't give me paroxitine and that Clomipramine was a tried and tested remedy for depression/anixety. I'm not sure which one to take if any. At the moment I have good days and bad days and although my life isn't going anywhere i'm hoping that I might just get over this on my own. Some days I think that a pill is the only answer.

I've tried all the alternative things-St Johns wart and 5 HTP and although the 5HTP is good my life still is not anything like it was. The anxiety is the worst the fear that I'm going mad and will start talking to myself etc and my life will never return to normal. I don't go out, my life has become a nightmare.

The doctor suggested cognitive/physotherepy but theres a waiting list. I'm thinking of trying hyphnotherepy.
Every one says you'll get over this but I really feel that I'll be the exception to the rule. Those who know feel that I should just pull myself together- I dont blame them living with me cant be easy.

Has anyone tried these pills-do they really help in the long term? Are there side effects?

The first thing is to try and identify why you are depressed. You may well have quite legitimate reasons for it. If you can explain your condition then you may be able to deal with it by changing your circumstances or accepting that depression is a perfectly legitimate response to a sad or bad situation. A five minute consultaion with a GP is not the ideal way to explore this. If you can afford it find a counsellor who will, if they are good, help you to look at your life to see if there is a good reason for being depressed. Remember sadness and grief are normal responses. SSRIs and NSRIs such as Prozac and Seroxat have had a bad press recently but many people swear by them. I don't like them. I have had some training in neuropharmacology and I come from a long line of depressives. If I learned anything it was that everything in clinical psychology is a bit hit and miss. Remember that if you are a single parent living in a manky residence with a violent boyfriend and no money, then Prozac will not change these things. If you want to mask your situation take them or something like. If you are genuinely endogenousely depressed, that is that there is no external reason and that your chemistry is off then drugs may, but only may, be the answer. However they take time. Even St John's Wort takes weeks to work.

Effortless thanks for your reply. What you said actually makes a lot of sense.

Yes there are plently of reasons for my depression. Primarily my life isn't going in the direction I planned. I did the wrong a levels and than didn't get onto the course I wanted to do at university.
I tried twice for a place and than became worried because friends were on their second years of degrees and I hadn't even started mine. I became very worried about my sister when she started experimenting with drugs.

Now I seem to have lost all confidence in my ability and my life has no direction. I find myself worrying about everything and have panic attacks when I go out. Apparently anxiety is common with depression but i'm worrried that things will never go back to normal. I'm not sure if I should continue aiming so high. I guess my inability to be normal and do normal things is really worrying me. When the doctor offered me a pill that would solve all my problems I was tempted, I know its a short term solution but I've felt awful for months.

Globalnative,

Email me. [email protected]

Hi Global

I'm not really in a position to give you any advice but these links may be of some use to you
anxeity
depression

Rgds

Wobbers

globali, sorry to hear you've had some problems.

Depression, is indeed a bloody awful disease, sometimes not taken serious by patients, friends and, I hate to admit it, some in the medical professional.

The good news is, that you and your doc. have identified the problem, and you are doing something positive about it.

The treatments available are very effective. In terms of effectiveness, the "juries out" on which group of drugs are more effective, between the two your GP has prescribed. The latest guidance I've seen, suggests that we should be using the "Prozac" type drugs, rather than the older types, such as clomipramine.

The therapy your doc. has suggested, has also been found to be very effective. The reason you have to wait for so long, is probably due to a lack of funding.....we also find it very frustrating.

Be patient, push for the counselling, and there is light at the end of the tunnel. Most patients go on to full recovery.

Good luck.

ps be a little wary of some of the herbal stuff. St John's wart can mess up one of the liver enzymes which are responsible for metabolising the "traditional " drugs.

I beat depression.
I went through 4 years of very tough times where virtually everything went wrong. I felt like the unluckiest person in he world, no-one else understood, I couldnt see the light at the end of the tunnel that everyone kept telling me about. I was prescribed drugs on four occasions by three seperate docs, which I didnt take.

Instead I opted for weekly councelling sessions and excercise. Talking to a stranger made me say out loud everything I was feeling inside and I realised that some things sounded melodramatic, some couldn't be changed, so I concentrated on the things I could and all the other things went away. I also found a few little ways to relax when I had the time, and promised myself it would be the one time I smile but not frown. I would spend 20 mins in a candlelit bath, literally trapping out the outside world and then took my more relaxed mood with me for a while. I sometimes went for a walk, found songs to lift my mood.

I took up excercise and power yoga, which helped me get fitter and really chilled me out, I'd walk in to a yoga class angry with the world, road-raged, rushed. I'd walk out later feeling calm, relaxed, unphased, and it would last.

See for me, i realised that once I'd hit rock bottom, I could only go upwards, I just had to find ways of taking small steps to get there. I changed my job, my financial situation, moved home, selected my better friends to stay in touch with, lost weight, and so on... Everything that was getting me down, adding up to one huge mess, but individually, I could handle them one by one, I just wasnt strong enough at the time.

If you feel you aren't strong enough to take those steps, (or you have been told its clinical) take the pills but as soon as you feel strong enough, handle the issues which made you feel like it. Soon as you have, come off the pills and continue making your life better for you.

Write down the things that are bothering you, write down where and when they bother you, and who it effects, then take each individual example and plan how you can influence or change it. I really don't believe anyone can control their own life, there is always intervention from somewhere. I do however have full influence over my life and I keep up with whatever happens.
Handling every situation as it arrives.

Its not immediate, but I haven't been this calm in ages, a massive feeling of releif comes over me every time I think how I felt this time last year. Now I smile. (maybe I'm hypoxic or just delirious!!). The fear is there that I may slip back, but now its what makes me handle my problems head on, the determination that I'm not going back.

Follow the fantastic advice from 'effortless'.
Find a qualified outsider to talk to. Find a tiny bit of determination and build on it.
Things will get better. What hasn't killed you has made you stronger.

Global

Just a word of warning, its not advised that someone on anti-depressant medication takes it upon themself to stop and start taking their medication. While sixmilehighclub has achieved something quite remarkable, it would be fair to assume that this is very much in the minority.

Both doctors have their reasons for prescribing you the anti-depressants they have and really they are in a better position to judge than you or I or anyone else posting here for that matter, and it would be wrong to second guess them.

Stick with what they say and give it a chance to work. If you dont feel it is, then go back to your doctor. There are plenty of other options out there and they will be happy to help you explore them.

Whatever you choose I wish you all the very best. Good luck






Shed Rule :ok:

As ftd83 says..not a good idea to stop the medication. It takes time to build up and while some feel results in a matter of days, its generally about a month before the medication really kicks in. If you stop half way through a course, the drug loses its effectiveness with levels dropping away fairly rapidly. Not a good idea to terminate the medication suddenly.

If you are taking the medication, don't combine it with natural remedies. Some of these compounds are very effective on their own and you could risk double dosing. It's a good idea to stick with just one doctor for your treatment, that way the medication can be monitored and dose altered as need be.

As others have said there are many cause of depression. Some very natural responses to a loss or major crises, often not of clinical significance but upsetting just the same, much of that can be self managed and is temporary in nature. Other types of depression can be very serious and sometimes not recognised or managed very well.

There is research somewhere that states that depression treated by medication alone and depression treated by rational emotive therapy alone has good outcomes. The best results are obtained by a combination of both.

Psychological treatment often looks at attitudes and belief systems and their role in prolonging or initiating the bout of depression. The idea being that "faulty thinking" can initiate and prolong feelings of depression and anxiety. Just one of the many treatments available. Heaps of help out there. You've just got to find what works for you.
Best of luck with it all
cheers
Hawk

Just wanted to say thanks for all the advice and pm. I haven't started taking any meds yet- took one pill one night and reconsidered.
I know that these drugs take a while to work but the next day and for most of the night I was wondering if I would suffer from side effects, if they would work, if taking them was the right course of action etc.

its really difficult deciding what to do as regards taking meds. I know I might get through this on my own but I don't want to waste any more of my life feeling miserable.

Sixmilehigh your story was really inspirational but there are so many deadlines in my life at the moment I just dont have the time to do this on my own. 'Friends' are fading away, I just dont feel like going out any more. My family are not very supportive. I still live at home and I feel that I am placing an unfair burden on them. My mother is very religious and favours prayer above meds -- does anyone have any views on that side of things particually in light of the recent channel four documentary???????????????? My mother believes that I am being called to a spiritual life or something like that and relations are strained. My grandparents ring weekly to enquire about me...what i'm up to etc which adds to the pressure. Admitting your depressed is really difficult and I find myself lying to everyone rather than tell them which is creating lots of problems.

I had planned on starting training for my CPL in september but I'm not sure if I can or should go ahead with that. I just cant see the light at the end of the tunnel at the moment.

Global

You may not see the light at the end of the tunnel, but as long as you believe there is one, you'll get there.

When I said take yourself off the medication, I wasn't clear. Stopping suddenly can have a negative effect and you must always consult a doctor before lowering your dose. The feeling you get though from starting to stand a little on your own two feet again is a good one. But as ftd83 and Hawk kindly advised, take care. Make your own decisions based on your feellings, but seek medical advice before taking action.

It will get better. Admitting you're not coping is the first stage in starting to cope with it. If that makes sense, you have the power to make you better.

Six
x

Global

Life can be a real dog at times... and twice as hard to control when its gets outside the boundries you laid out for it. You sound as if you are letting yourself get isolated and disinterested. You have to do a couple of things and fairly quickly.

1/ find something that you have control over. Be it a bridging course to get yourself those subjects you need, or an entirely different and fresh course of study to tide you over until you complete the requirements for your chosen course. For example, I did a first aid course.

2/ find the little positives in each day. Its dammed hard to for the first few days. Keep a diary. This helps to sort your thoughts out, acknowlege the nice things of the day and lay out a plan.

3/ Find an alternate or an out to your plan... look at options. Good planning always plans for options that may not eventuate. The plan should be concise and easy to follow. You can always change it later.

4/ Steer clear of things and activities which are "set up for failure". By this I mean pick some very acheivable goals, dont pick those that are going to be difficult or are high risk. Those come later. By doing the achievable, you are turning your mind set to small sucesses, thereby grounding yourself to create larger successes down the track.

5/ Avoid self critiques for the time being. If you find yourself chastising yourself for anything, turn it into a positive. Dont let youself reinforce the negative aspects.

6/ Reward yourself, even if the accomplishement was minor in the eyes of others.



Ive been there but each person has their own angels and demons to deal with. You have to try to change the pattern of thinking toward doing something to regain control of your life. Even if it is one step at a time. The religion aspect is not for everyone, but the bible as a text reference for life in general isnt a bad thing. Your family are trying to support you in the best way they know how, and depending on root causes and treatment, often the best way to get family to help is get them involved in your treatment and recovery. Communication is a special and effective tool. They will learn the boundries in which they are allowed to assist, support, or leave you to your own confidence building. This can be done in conjunction with a physcologist or similarly qualified person. If you dont have confidence in a practicioner, find another, but at least listen and draw your own conclusions.

Drug therapy is sometimes used a "bridge to recovery" as someone put it. Deciding on what drug, dose and how long is usually decided by ther practicioner, patient and others involved in the process of recovery. Some drugs do have rather unpleasant side effects, and these should have been explained to you by your Dr and pharmacist.

Another symptom you may be experiencing is sleeplessness. This alone can result in fatigue and further distress. Work yourself a "sleep program", read a good book in bed about 1/2 hour before bedtime. I found the biographies of sucessful people a huge help and you cant help but be inspired. Then it doesnt matter if you dont sleep so well, but at least what little sleep you get will be in a positive frame of mind. Bad dreams can be reprogrammed with better outcomes as each occurs, no matter how confusing they may be at the time. Often its just your head trying to "get around things" for the time being.

You have pleanty of years ahead. Dont let a "downer" program the rest of your existance. If I can get over a home invasion / rape, 4 years of physical and emotional abuse and crippling debt, and come through a stronger (and believe me - a happier more objective) person, it proved that if you put your mind to it, do something contructive and take each day at a time, then huge achievements are the outcome....