Depression (the disease, not the economy)
 

Is anyone else here dealing with Major Depressive Disorder? Are you being treated by your primary care physician or a psychiatrist? How long as your depression lasted? What drugs are you taking for it? Have you ever been hospitalized for depression? What are the side effects? Are you also doing a form of talk therapy?

I've been dealing with depression for a year and nine months. It was a side effect of the Depo Provera (birth control) shot, and it just snowballed out of control.

I started off with my primary care physician, but when it became obvious that I wasn't responding to several drugs the doc suggested I move on to a psychiatrist. I like her a lot; I feel like she really listens and acts on what I have to say. If I tell her a drug isn't working for me or the side effects are too bad to handle, she switches me to something else right away. No patting me on the head and telling me "we'll just wait another three weeks and see how you're doing then, hmm?"

I take Wellbutrin, Prozac, and Lithium. The combo seems to be working pretty well. The worst side effect is fine hand tremor (my hands shake). It drives me nuts. My handwriting is awful and I drop stuff all the time. Putting on mascara in the morning is an adventure. But I keep taking it because the shakes are better than those days when I couldn't get out of bed or eat.

I do go to talk therapy. I didn't want to go - it's pointless, I thought, since I don't have any big time problems in my life that would warrant counseling - but the more research I did the more I saw that patients who were treated with drugs AND talk therapy did much, much better than patients who were treated with one or the other. And boy did I want to get better.

I'm doing much better these days, although I'm still waiting for the go-ahead from the doc and the therapist for me to return to work. Makes for plenty of time to post on GC, though.

No one wants to talk about this? Really? 17 million American adults are struck by depression each year and I'm the only one of them on GC?

I think many of us are tired of all of your questions. Chill out and turn on the Super Bowl, like everyone else on this site.

http://greekchat.com/gcforums/showthread.php?t=31346



You most likely are not the only one on GC, but alot of times, people are reluctant to share personal info about themselves and their medical history/conditions via the internet (especially with some of the batshit crazy people we've had here before).

I'm always like this. You should put me on "ignore".

I can understand your depression. This is something that I have suffered from and that tends to run in my family as well. My depression tends to be episode based and that last one was when my Grandfather passed away.
If the medication that you are on is working, continue to use it, it seems to do good for you. As far as the tremors in your hands, have you had your doctor look at your thyroid levels? This could be affected by the used of both Lithium and the Wellbutrin.

I didn't know that - thank you!

Your welcome. I have hypothyroidism (which is the opposite of Grave's Disease, which my sister has) and before I had my operation (for the removal of half my thyroid) I took Cytomel and Armour Thyroid and would sometimes get the hand shakes (which is what I called them). It would be due to the thyroid acting up and acting crazy, primarily due to stress. Have them do the check specifically for your thyroid. Because the Wellbutrin and the Lithium can settle in the liver, they (if I'm remembering correctly) can also affect other areas of the body and the thyroid is one of them. When the doctor does your CBC, have her check.

Ha! The "hand shakes". I like it.

It was easier calling it that than trying to describe it to my dr. at the time. Since I have had half of my thyroid out, I haven't had them anymore.

Yup, that's just you. :) I don't mind a bit.

It's not just you.

This thread reads more like a PM convo between HotDamn and libramunoz.

I think that it's something that people may have but just don't want to admit to having or discussing. Depression isn't something that is easy to talk about because of the things that it can lead you to or lead you into doing.
It's like talking about drug addiction or alcoholism, it's the pink elephant in the room, but people don't want to admit that it's there.

Time and place.

Right. We can talk about periods, bloating, cramps, sore boobs on the birth control thread (which now has 437 replies), but no one wants to talk about this?

I'll take a shot, I have a history of depression, my worst episodes were the summer before eighth grade and my freshman year in college. Prozac and Paxil really helped though. And I'm sure that I have undiagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorder. Winter just depresses the shit out of me. Last year I was severely depressed from Thanksgiving to Valentine's day, with it peaking around Christmas. This year was pretty bad too, especially the fact I almost lost my mother a month ago. I'm not on anything right now, but I think I could use something.

We talk about specific meds on the birth control thread. Why is this any different?

I don't need to be ashamed that I have depression or that I take medication to control it. Having depression doesn't make me a weaker person or mean that I don't have strong character. It's not my fault I got depression and I refuse to feel guilty for having it.

We talk about our sex lives and share stories from college on here. Why is it not okay to talk about a disease that affects many, many college students?

I'm not ashamed to have depression and I don't want to act like I am. I think it's important to talk about depression so kids in college (well, anyone) don't feel worthless and despondent about getting help. It's okay to have depression. It's okay to get help. Getting help can make the difference between life and death for some people.

I don't know. If you're that irritated to read what I wrote about depression or medication names, this thread probably isn't for you. :)

Thanks for not making me feel like the only one :)

You know, maybe it wouldn't be bad to talk to your doctor. They know how to tell the difference between normal grief and actual depression. And (as I'm sure you know) having had depression before makes you more likely to get it again.

I'm really sorry about your mom.

I had to take Wellbutrin. It made my hands shake like crazy! It is very distressing and impossible to hide. It is a well documented side effect of that particular medicine but I thought that it was supposed to resolve itself after you had been on the med for a while.

Depression is tough because you don't know that you are getting it, you just know when you finally have it. It creeps up on you so to speak. I believe that you have to keep in mind always that it is a chemical imbalance in the brain and not just a mental breakdown, and it can be treated with the right meds. good luck to you..

You didn't.

Sometimes people are used to fighting battles that they assume there's one when there isn't.

it DOES sneak up on you. You have a few bad days. Then you're having a few bad days every week. Then you're having almost all bad days. And suddenly you realize you can't remember the last time you had a good day.

I'm lucky that I spend a lot of time with my family and they pay close attention to me. It's easier sometimes for someone on the outside to notice the symptoms before you do. My mom pulled me aside and explained all the changes in me she'd been seeing, and once she spelled it out it for me I could see the pattern.

Being in my early 40s, my peer group has found that peri-menopause is wreaking havoc on our emotions. Some of them have started taking anti-depressants to help the effects. Dr's are more careful about HRT these days so they are treating symptoms instead if there is any family history of heart disease.

Dionysus: A lot of people find those special lights to be especially effective with Seasonal Affective Disorder. I'm very sorry to hear about your mom. I lost my Mom in September '07. The grief of losing a parent is really difficult. I found it helpful just to wallow in it when I had to. It did ease, after about 6 months but there are still days when it comes flooding back, sometimes over small things that shock me. I was a basket case on election day, for example, because voting and Obama winning were both very important to my mom. I wanted to share with her so badly that day. That grief is to be expected but if it interferes with your ability to function, you probably should seek some help. Bereavement support groups can be really helpful. It will get better, slowly and you'll start to feel like yourself again, but it does take time.

Doc, you said that there is a time and place for talking about the pink elephant in the room. Well, since Hot Damn brought it to the place, I just found that it was the time.
Having depression is a bitch if someone hasn't had it and if you have it or are suffering from it, only you and those that have it know what you're talking about.
When you find yourself having bad days, weeks, months, and eventually years, you begin to experience SERIOUS bouts of insomnia, have SEVERE weight gain/loss, begin to THINK, PLAN, DAYDREAM about suicide, and FEEL completely hopeless, HELL talking about it with ANYONE who is experiencing the same thing as you is the BEGINNING of a break for you!
You don't begin to feel like you are truly in a room filled with people screaming at the top of your lungs, yet you seem, feel, think, and believe that you are invisible. Having been there, right after my Grandfather died, in college, after one of my aunts died, having an uncle die, having my mom in the hospital, having another grandparent die, and losing a job or 2, hell it was amazing that I didn't jump, throw, put the bullet in the gun, etc during those times in my life. THAT'S what DEPRESSION does to you! If you can have someone begin to talk about it, then they tell you what they did to help them, that's how you begin to get the help for yourself that you need.
Yes, sometimes, you need someone to pull you aside and say, "hey (fill in the name) you ain't looking, thinking, acting right. What's wrong?" That may be a person who has been there before and KNOWS what you are going through and can help to guide you along with path of getting yourself help.
I wish that after my Grandfather had died, I would have gotten professional help at that time. My help came from God one dreadful day. Yes, when my thoughts lead my down a crazy ass path. But in the time and place, it's about being able to say, hey this is what happened to me, and before you get there, this is what I think that you should do because it may/might begin to help you.
It's just like when people go to see a psychologist, psychiatrist (?), social worker, therapist, they go unwillingly at first because someone noticed something was wrong with them. They go because someone helped in getting them there.
People might think that I'm embarrassed about what my depression has lead me to think, no I'm not. Because if someone reading this can say, hey, I'm feeling/I've felt that way, and they can see that they can get the help for themselves, then I am all for telling my story.
If you can come to a board and talk about everything else under the sun, then why can't depression be a part of that discussion as well.

Akward--you are right, depression sneaks upon you like a snake in the grass. Things will be going great, and then BOOM, it's like, "I gotcha now!" You're like "WTF, how in the HELL did THAT happen?" And you're wondering what in the world am I gonna do now?
I have learned to recognize the signs of my depression as one of the best things in the world. When I find that I am beginning to in insomnia or hypersomnia and I have to fight it or I find that the sucidial thoughts (when it's horribly bad) are beginning to swim around in my head, or I'm always angry or sad, then I KNOW I need to stop and get it together.

Dionysus, I am so sorry about the loss of your mother and I know that this grief is hard for you right now. I will pray that the Lord continue to guide your hand and your heart in being able to find hope and light again.
Try going back to your doctor and see if because of your grief and your hx of depression that they can refer you and get the additional care that you know and feel that you desire.

I think if a person is comfortable with it, then fine. Sometimes it's good because it may be a medication that a person hasn't tried or even heard of before and it's something that they can talk with their doctor about. I know that's how I learned of some of the medications for my hypothyroidism by when I talked with some of my friends and my sister.

Thank you so much for knowing what I was trying to do (and not making me feel like a little girl who doesn't understand about posting TMI on the innernets.)

Seriously, I want to marry you.

You called it a pink elephant in the room. I did not.

I said there's a time and place.

You all want this to be the time and place, that's on you. The rest of us will read and comment as we see fit.

Depression isn't something that needs to be hidden away, kept secret, or be ashamed over.

Depression is a chemical imbalance that can often be fixed with drugs. It's just like pneumonia - if you're sick, you take drugs so you can feel better.

There's no reason not to talk about it. And the more we talk about it, the more people won't be afraid to seek help. The more we talk about it, the more we might change the minds of people who think depression should be a secret, something talked about in hushed tones or gossiped over.

It's a chemical imbalance. That's it. Lots of people have it and lots of people are interested in how other people have controlled it. Maybe they need ideas, maybe they're thinking about getting help and want to know how it works, maybe they're just interested.

There's over 400 hits on this thread. SOMEONE is interested.

You posted on the first page why no one was answering. Perhaps there are people on GC who don't want to share every detail of their lives, especially when there are psychos on here who feed off that info. (not naming names but you know who and then there's the anthrax guy) You asked and they answered. No one is telling you there is anything wrong with talking about it or about the disease.

Hot Damn, I understand what you are trying to do and I am all for it. It helps when people have been there and know what you're going through.

Doc, it is the pink elephant.
Depression is something that most people aren't comfortable in talking about. But if someone presents it and wants to have an open discussion about it, then cool. If it's something that I know about because I've been there and am willing to discuss it, then that's cool.
This is the time and place. I'm not the only one whose been there, knows that, and have read the books about it.
Depression can be found everywhere that a person chooses to look. You could have a co-worker, child, parent, friend sitting there right next to you and by reading what others have said, begin to notice some of the same symptoms, and think to yourself, SO THAT'S what they were talking about. From there you can begin to TRY and help the person because, hey, let's be honest, you know if someone that you love "ain't acting right." You know if someone is bullshitting or geuninely talking out the side of their ass and beginning to talk nutty and KNOW that SOMETHING isn't right with that person. Sometimes, when talking about depression and knowing a person, you can be the ONE person that can help them get the help that they need.
If you don't know what depression is or what the EXACT symptoms are, look up or look in the DSM-IV TR and it will tell you exactly what it is.

And I realize and know that KSU and you weren't saying not to seek help or talk to anyone.

However, I didn't chose a particular time and place to talk with my friends and sister. Hey they just happened to come up in discussion. In fact, with my friends and co-workers, it was at dinner in the cafe where I was working.

But that's how life works, it isn't necessarily a "time and place" sometimes, things just come up and you deal with them as they come.

For a perfect example, one day, I had a job interview. That morning, my dog decided to run around the farm. Problem was that the cows were out and he is a cow dog. They are known for rounding up the herd, but no body asked his butt to do so. Anyways, he ended up getting kicked by the bull. Now this fool knows that he's 14 and that this is a young bull. But hey, he wanted to be a fool and impress the younger dog and let the bull know who was in charge. Anyways, when this happened, I had to scramble, get him in the car, and rush him to the vet. And again, I still had to get to my job interview. I was able to make it there and back and still kept the dog in tact.
My point is that, this is life, you learn how to deal with things, not necessarily at certain "times and places." You have to learn how to just deal. And if on a message board, it's able to help someone in learning how to deal with an issue, then go for it.

:eek:

Maybe I made a typo or something. I didn't lose my mother, thank God. I almost lost my mother. She was extremely ill, and still isn't herself 100%.

Nah, no typo, that's exactly what you said the first time. Glad to know she's still with you!

Well said. :cool:

I lol'd at this. I could just picture the whole thing in my head. Love it.

Dionysus, I'm so glad you didn't lose your mother! I must've been reading too fast.

Has anyone who has depression (or not) had trouble sleeping? I know it's a common symptom. The doc gave me Ambien (I tried both kinds, the CR and the regular) and OMG did that turn me into a zombie. I slept great, but I was in a fog the entire next day until about 7 pm. I ended up defaulting to Benadryl as a sleep aid - the doc at student health suggested that when I was in college. It works... kind of.

Has anyone else had that experience with Ambien? I know two other people that take it for insomnia and they're totally fine the next day.

I don't know if this will work for you, but try Tylenol or Advil PM.