completely depressed
 

I deleted what this post said, because I'm sick of insensitive people bitching about it. But thank you very much to all of you who kept me in their thoughts! :) I'm feeling 100% better now. I'm so glad people care. :)

I'll definitely keep you in my prayers! I hope your refill comes in for you soon, so you can start feeling less moody.

And if you can't vent to us, who can you vent to? :)

Thanks! And I knew GC was good for something. ;)

I just thanked our Lord for making you feel better :)

I have 2 immediate family members who struggle with bipolar and I have dealt with depression and anxiety, so I definitely empathize with you. Not having the meds and dealing with the med withdrawal can be a bitch, too. I'll keep you in my prayers and hope things look up soon!

good thoughts and prayers are with you...
may a resolution come quickly...

i am praying for you allie. smiley 21 is here to put a smiley on your face!!:D

I've also been diagnosed with BPD, so I can totally relate. My advice is to do the exact opposite of what you feel like doing. I do know how hard that can be - yet I also know how much better I've felt afterwards!! You say you feel like staying in bed and crying. So, get out of the house, go for a walk or to the gym (exercise is such a great depression-killer!!). Go to the mall and people watch (leave your credit cards and checkbook locked in the trunk or the buying frenzy may send you over to extreme mania!!). Go to the movies - upbeat ones like kids Shrek 2 - but go easy on the candy so as to not aggravate the mania.

Hope that helps! :)

(hmmm... did you ask for advice? no. sorry.:p )

This is good advice. Exercise is great for relieving depression. Get out there and do something active. I know this is easier said then done (and trust me I know) but it'll help until your meds come in.
Take care.

Was it really necessary to start two threads on this? I'm sure many of us read things we disagree with but we don't post threads about being depressed from what we read on GC.

You say that you think you don't get many dates because of your condition, do you believe that's the only reason? If you're telling the truth about taking your medication on regular basis, I doubt that you are being rejected because of your condition. I've known many people who have mental conditions and have successful love and social lives. These are usually the people who have confidence and take responsibility for their own actions. They don't blame everyone or everything when they're feeling down. Your insecurities and hypersentivity about your condition is probably what is driving guys away, not your bipolar itself.

I find it ironic that you find yourself in the position to enlighten others on the sensitivity to anything.

Your comments are neither sensitive nor enlightened.

Dionysus, I think that was [overly] harsh. I didn't see two threads in the general forums about this and a search didn't bring up what I would call an identical one.
Regardless - and this is nothing more than my opinion - as the above was yours, I see ChitChat as a place where we can place whatever is on our minds that doesn't naturally fit in with most of the rest of the forums.
I hope long term GC member sairose starts to feel better and if GC members can help bump that process along... so much the better. :)
But the above was your opinion, and I respect that.

Where did I say or imply that my comments were supposed to be sensitive? Just because I advocate racial sensitivity, I can't rant about others' hypersensitivity? Everything is not in black and white (no pun intended). There's a such thing as insensitivity, sensitivity, and hypersensitivity. IMO sairose overreacted to many of the comments posted on other threads.

I hope you feel better soon. You need to discuss an alternate course of action w/ your doctor because if you feel as if your drugs are so ineffective as to affect your behavior (hence your social life) then you need something else. That's what they're there for. BTW, are you taking Lexapro? If so, PM me. (Even if you aren't, you can PM me anyways, if you want!)

I think being on GC so much right now isn't a good thing. People will say things that in your altered state you may misconstrue and it will just exacerbate the problem. Not that we don't want you on here, but be careful what threads you join! :)

Haha.

As someone who suffers from depression and takes meds for it, though, I'm going to have to agree with Dionysus. I basically get psychotic if I skip my meds for more than a day -- and from what I've seen of the people I know who are bipolar, it's even worse for them. Chances are going on and off your meds will affect your social/love life more than the condition itself. People understand that depression (bipolar or unipolar) isn't something that you can control and they make allowances for it . . . but they don't understand it when you're deliberately not taking your meds or making it so you can't get your meds (like not refilling them on time) -- both of which are actually pretty common for those who are depressed, but harder for the average non-depressed person to understand, and often it really bothers them.

Is there anyway that next time you can get these pills so that you don't have to skip a few days?

Right now sairose can't help being over-sensitive any more then you can help that people ARE black and white. IMO you overreacted to her 1. reaching out for help and assurance and 2. her apology for said over-sensitivity.

allie-

it is hard to console your feelings directly when we do not see what exactly is going on. i know that depression sucks and i am sorry that you have to go through it. do not let people tell you that what you are feeling is false. i know that i do not fully understand what bipolar is. i just know that any condition that severely alters your emotions and mental state is rough. i hope that are able to get to the root of this and correct it. i hope either the people around you change their attitude or your perception of yourself and people change. i wish nothing but the best for you cause i think that you deserve to be happy.


to the people of negativity- allie is asking for help not criticism. whether you are right or not isnt the point. cause you cannot prove otherwise. she felt it necessary to seek some help from us. we should respect her and offer words of encouragement. this is not the time nor the place to drag her down.

I don't think she started this thread to blame her condition for the reasons why she doesn't date.

She started this thread because she was feeling depressed because she was off her meds.
Being single was just another factor making her depressed. She wasn't blaming her single status on her condition.

For those who suffer from depression or any other mental illness you know how hard it is do feel that everything is hopeless and start blaming it on everything and everyone even when you don't mean.

I'm sure once she's back on her meds she'll feel 100% better.

You do not know me, and I don't appreciate the way you have come at me, not just here, but in other threads. I didn't say it necessarily WAS the reason, but rather that it made me wonder if it MIGHT be, and so I was depressed. I didn't say I was blaming everyone or everything.

It's called MY MEDICINE HAS NOT COME IN YET AND I'M FEELING THE EFFECTS BADLY. It was supposed to come in a few days ago, and it hasn't, and I'm managing best I can.

For someone who wants to have "sensitivity" classes, you are VERY insensitive to how others feel. HOw dare you say I'm blaming everything in life on my condition? I am not. I posted this thread because my friends aren't home, and I had to vent somehow, and I was hoping GreekChatters would be understanding enough to listen. That is all. Stop trying to pretend you know how I feel, what I think, and how I perceive things. You don't know me. I posted this thread for people to give encouraging words because I needed them. Stop trying to understand what's going through my head if you don't have a clue. If you do not have anything nice to say, do me a favor and do not speak to me. Those on here that also have problems understand how it is when you go without meds for a few days; it is soooo so hard. I just came here for support. I didn't ask for you to shoot me down. So do me a favor, and don't. Don't give me advice when I came here for support.

For your information, I am very confident about my condition. This is why I am so open about it. And under medication, I am fine, and I don't willingly NOT take them. I've taken them nonstop for two years, except for once or twice that my meds were late coming in and there wasn't anything I can do. I lead a normal life, and I'm normally quite happy.

For the rest of you who have replied, thank you so very much! I do feel better now. I took the advice and I went for a run, and wow do I feel better. Sitting at home just makes me think too much, and I don't need that. I do appreciate everyone's thoughts and kind words very much. :) Also, it makes me feel a lot better to know how many others on here go through what I do, or similar. I don't feel so alone then. :)

Thank you, you hit it right on the nail. And yes, if my damn medicine ever comes in *grrr* I will feel 100% better. :) Honestly, on meds I don't ever have any episodes, but when for whatever reason I don't for a few days, it's bad. Anyways, thanks for understanding. :)

No, don't appologize, I appreciate the advice. :) I *did* go for a run this morning, and I do feel quite a bit better. It's better for me to keep busy, so I'm doing what I can. :) Thanks!!

Oh, please believe me though, I am not skipping them on purpose. :(

Normally, the medicine comes in in plenty of time! I don't understand what the hold up is. I can't go to the pharmacy for a prescription because my insurance says maintenance meds have to be mail ordered. *sigh* I am going to my doctor today, to see if he has any samples or anything he can give me to tide me over, so to speak. I'm doing what I can. :)

I never skip my meds on purpose, though. That's just stupid. :)

Sounds like a good idea . . . I hope you start feeling better.

I know it can be tough, hang in there!!! Taking a "break" from meds is extremly hard and throws your body into all sorts of odd states. A big boo to your mail order company for not delivering on time. They should know better!!!

As for daing someone with a mental illness... I dated a boy for two years with general anxiety disorder. He would have panic attacks every so often. Half the time we were together he was on meds, and half the time he wasn't. It was difficult to deal with sometimes becuase I couldn't understand where he was coming from, and while I could be supportive, I couldn't actually help him. Only he could do that. In the end, his anxiety had very little to do with our break up, and I we still talk. Mostly thought, we had a great realtionship! His disorder was there, but it wasn't a huge part of our time together.

sairose -

If you haven't done so, PLEASE contact your insurance carrier, or the HR person at your work or your parents' (depending on who your insurance is under) and let them know that the mail-order company was late with your drugs. If you called in plenty of time, their not getting them to you soon enough is COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE. Maintenance drugs are not a matter of if you don't get them you'll have the sniffles a day longer, for some conditions they're a matter of life & death.

I work with this stuff all day and get so pissed off when the drug companies are all "whatever" about people getting things on time.

Jumping in with my $.02
 

I TOO AM COMPLETELY DEPRESSED.

I know EXACTLY what sairose is going through right now. I am also bipolar. I take my medicines everyday, because I know that without them, I am going to feel like sh*t the next few days.

My situation right now is a little bit different than sairose's. I have been taking my medicines, but for the past month and a half, I have still been feeling really down, feeling like I could cry at any second (and a lot of times do), unable to concentrate, even (lately) having suicidal thoughts. I know that this is not supposed to happen while I am taking my meds, so I saw my doctor today, and he increased one of my medicines. HOPEFULLY that will make a difference (I go back and see him in July).

Sairose started this thread to talk her problems out with other GCers (several who are in the same boat as she is), not to be criticized for what she is feeling. So please, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all.

BIG HUGS TO SAIROSE!!!!!!

Nicole

You clearly don't understand the stigma attached to various mental disorders nor understand what it feels like to deal with it. People like you who make ignorant and insensitive comments just make it worse. You gripe about people needing sensitivity classes - does that only apply to issues that concern you?

sairose-

If you miss your meds, YOU MUST CONTACT YOUR PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY!!! I am not even close to joking...

Why did you wait so late to get them in? Moreover, you should have had your "SUPPLY" to last you... That is what the lunatics at your healthcare provider will tell you when you call to ask where your meds are...

You need TELL them to give you a 10 pill "filler" until you your perscription comes in.

I advocate all persons to follow their healthcare practionner's advice. However, to stave off the "junk" that is being leveled in your mind, you need to do something positively reinforcing--such as EXERCISE--someone mentioned that before. Research as shown that aerobic exercise moves the brain chemicals around that get "stuck" in the brain that causes bipolar disorder--namely Seratonin. That research is very strong and current... WALK OUTSIDE FOR A FRESH BREATH OF AIR FOR 10-30 MINUTES!!!

Other things you MUST do while waiting in addition to exercise is get some TRAINED person to talk to objectively that KNOWS your psychological history... Talk to someone by phone. YOU MUST SPEAK to someone before you breakdown. Try to minimize delayment. Anything could be wrong with you getting the meds, lost order, whatever, shit happens!!!

What I AM TELLING YOU: YOUR COMMENTS AND ACTIONS HERE ARE SHOWING YOU ARE BEGINNING YOUR ROLLERCOASTER RIDE DOWNWARDS AND ONLY A TRAINED PERSON CAN TALK YOU OUT OF IT!!!

That is my Professional ADVICE... AND YES!!! I DO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH!!!

Dr. AKA_Monet...
PM ME ASAP!!!

I sympathize with you! I understand how going off your meds for even a few days can throw you all out of whack (has happened to me, too, unintentionally...). I really hope you get to feeling better soon and you'll be in my prayers!

Also something to consider
 

Depends on what kind of meds youre on, but being off of them for just a few days shouldnt have that big of an effect. If you on one of the old school tri-cyclics, yeah, you would feel that, but if you are on the newer SSRI's, that would take a couple of weeks before you sreiously began to feel that.

So it could be a timing issue, but your feelings of depression could be coming from somewhere else. Good luck.

It will get better. I was clinically depressed for about 5 years (off and on) and with the proper meds and LOTS of talk therapy, I am in complete remission. I do have to be vigilant and as long as recognize the warning signs, I'll be ok. But for the last 2 years or so I have been the healthiest I have ever been. its an amazign freedom.

Good luck to you.

I clearly understand the stigma. I've had a history of depression also, on and off since age 13. I don't mind sairose venting and asking for support, but I she needs to leave me and my posts out of this.

I am sorry to hear that things aren't so great now. However I do agree with the people that said contact your insurance people/whoever handles your mailer meds that late shipments are NOT ACCEPTABLE. Is there a way you can be taken off the mailer deal and go and pick up meds at a pharmacy? (again, do this when you are well... not now.)

I am not in your situation, but I have a condition that can become life-threatening if my supplies aren't readily available. So I am sure you are scared, as I would be.

Maybe you can change up your mailing service so that meds are shipped sooner than they already are? For example, if you receive a 100 day supply via mail and they ship meds out at the 80 day mark, maybe have them ship it out at the 60 day mark? (Did I make any sense?) I don't know if that is possible... but if I were you, I would just nix the mailing thing and go to a brick and mortar store/pharmacy.

And I agree with AKA_Monet about seeing someone professionally. Maybe they can kick some people in the ass about getting you your meds sooner... or switching... or something.

Good luck and my prayers are with you.

Ditto AKA Monet & 33 girl.
Call your doctor and get an emergency supply of medicine. If you were a diabetic, you wouldn't be expected to go without insulin. You should not be expected to make do without these medications. I wish you the best!

Dionysus, you of all people...

A thread like this is FAR more valuable than something like the "Word Association Game", the Entertainment forum (no offense to anyone) or whatever. It's good information and good help for someone who needs a little support.

I briefly dated a girl that was bipolar (didn't know it at the time). She kind of disappeared on me -- several months later, I found that she had been diagnosed with that condition and had attempted suicide 4 times! (since it was not a serious relationship, I'm kind of thankful that I wasn't sucked into that drama).

You claim to be ADD (as am I). Just "shutting off" a condition like this is just as simple as shutting off your ADD. Can't do it without meds -- ADD is just something that can be compensated for in many cases. Willpower, however can't do everything.

Anyhow, it's an extremely serious condition. Maybe you should sit back and try to learn something from this thread?

This is very very true. Being taken off meds like that can endager your health mentally and physically. The company should be held responsable.

EXACTLY!!!!

Re: Re: Also something to consider
 

I'm pretty sure it depends on the half-life of the drug . . . Prozac, for example, has a pretty long half-life so you're not going to be feeling much if you miss a day or two. Paxil and Effexor, which have much shorter half-lives, can hit you almost immediately if you miss even one dose. There are others that are somewhere in between.

And yeah, it depends on the person too. When I forget to take my meds, I basically just get really moody or maybe, at the worst, have a panic attack -- but I know other people on the same drug who have gotten so nauseous they threw up, got migraine-like headaches, or even "brain shocks." :eek:

Going off antidepressants
 

UNWISE THING TO DO WITHOUT YOUR DOCTOR'S APPROVAL!!!

The thing is WHAT DO THESE DRUGS AFFECT MAINLY??? YOUR BRAIN--PERIOD!!!

Cold turkey works for an extremely few set of people... Most humans MUST be stepped down with ANY anti psycholytic drug...

What happens is not only does your brain physiology change, so does your other organs, namely your liver that is the major organ that catabolizes xenobiotics drugs... Cold turkey removal of a drug once your body has adapted to it thru a "step gradient" could prove deterimental to many other organ systems, eventually causing organ failure... If it doesn't affect your brain, it could affect your heart as a secondary effect... Or possibly your kidneys. And going into heart or renal failure ain't fun!!!

That is why illicit drug withdrawal is extremely dangerous without methadone...

And just by the what SAIROSE is stating in her posts suggest that the meds she did have and was taking were probably getting old and spoiled be the mere fact her "mental accuity" was beginning to wane... Basically, ask her if she "feels her mind" is rather "fuzzy"... Classic cold turkey withdrawal symptoms... Medical textbook example of it...

I thought anti-depressants were bad for bipolar sufferers. Doesn't it induce hypo/mania? Anyway, I never knew going cold turkey did all of that to your body.

Not all people that are bipolar are exactly the same. The mood stabilizing drugs may be enough for one person, and not for another. Each person is different so some may need an antidepressant as well, and other may not.

Since there is no pinpointed cause to explain what causes bipolar disorder, there are varying treatments. Some believe that there is an imbalance of neurotransmitters (which serotonin is one, and would be effected by a SSRI antidepressant). Also food and sleep can effect episodes of mania and depression, and for some antidepressants help regulate sleep through serotonin.