FOLLOWUP - I saw my doctor today, and she gave me a month’s worth of samples of Effoxor, along with a prescription for it if it seems to be working. We’ll see if my foray into medicated happiness works. Wish me luck.
StG
StG -
While I’m glad that you have received some medication to help with your depression, I want to encourage you to seek some therapy. Anti-depressants will only help you as long as you are taking them, and they will have side effects (just ask OpalCat).
Therapy, otoh, will help you long after the therapy ends. Think of therapy as life-coaching. The therapist works with you to determine what you do that is hindering your ability to live life fully, then teaches you more effective methods of living.
At the very least, get “Feeling Good, the New Mood Therapy” by David Burns. This method has the same success rate as medication, but has a much lower relapse rate.
[rant]
Most internists will NOT recommend therapy for depressed patients. They hear “depression”, say “Oh, this pill will fix that” and go on. Despite the fact that most depression is a learned behavior that needs to be corrected with re-learning.
[/rant]
Zyada (B.A. Psychology) (who is starting to sound like a broken record)
Zyada - my company offers free and confidential counseling, but I haven’t had the guts to call. I keep figuring I can beat this on my own.
StG
StGermain:
I gotta echo Zyada, who said:
Very true. The traditional ongoing “war” between psychologists and psychiatrists was that psychologists pushed counselling and ‘talk’ therapy while psychiatrists supported chemical/medical therapy.
The newest research shows that the most effective treatment for depression, by far, is a combination of the two. If you are taking medication, you are only taking advantage of HALF the best treatment.
Don’t fall for old-school one-sided opinions—invest the effort into what’s been proven to work, and get thee to a therapist. 
St G
I’m glad to see you saw a DR. I went through a similar sounding depression and meds made all the difference. I tried several different meds, Effexor made me amnesiac(?)meaning I forgot what I was doing when I took it, although I seemed fine to others, I didn’t even remember being concious! So it might be a good idea to have someone close to you keep an eye on you for a day or two. Actually always a good idea when on psych meds. Email me if I can offer you ANY comfort or advice or ANYTHING. I FEEL FOR YOUR SITUATION----you are NOT alone!!!
St. G-
For the most part, “What they said.”
I know exactly what you mean about feeling like you should be able to get through it yourself. C’mon, it’s just a funk, if you really apply yourself, you can work your way out of it! Maybe. For me, that was certainly not the case. I did the one-two meds+therapy thing, and it did help. I had good days and bad days on the Prozac, but that was a giant step up from nothing but bad days. I still remember a spring day I managed to wake up, get out of bed, shower, and get to class feeling awake and generally okay with the world. I had forgotten what it was like.
So good on ya for talking about it with your doctor and getting some meds to try out. I’ll echo the recommendations for therapy as well, as it really does complement psychologically what the meds do chemically. Finally, I can’t concur enough with SwimmingRiddles’ suggestion of a change of scenery. It can really help to break out of the rut for a few days. Hell, just showering and putting fresh sheets on my bed right before I went to sleep often did wonders for me. Every little thing, you know?
Good luck.
“Are you frightened of snakes?”
“Only when they dress like werewolves.”
-Preacher
StGermain
Effexor is a good, well tested antidepressant. All antiD’s have various side affects, so watch for them. Most antiD’s take anywhere from 5 to 14 days to really kick in and start correcting the depression, so don’t be upset if it seems like they don’t work at first.
Some side effects like, dry mouth, light headedness, sleepiness, loss of appetite can be transient, but keep in touch with your doctor if anything odd shows up. Some will produce an occasional irregular heart beat or palpation’s (the heart will seem to pause and you get a ‘turning over’ sensation in your chest) and that might pass within a few days.
You sound like you have moderate depression, which is curable. If your medication makes you feel like a zombie, call the doctor. He may adjust your dosage or change you to another form. Many antiD’s cause weird dreams when you sleep, so don’t be too alarmed if they happen.
All of your symptoms previously described are those of depression, especially the ‘forgetfulness’ and lack of energy. You might find that you’ll sleep a lot. I also suggest therapy combined with the medication.
DON’T drink with the pills unless you check with your doctor first. Booze is a depressant anyhow, though it can make you feel better for a time. Plus, often it interacts poorly with the medication.
Just hang in there. It will get better. There are clinics around in most cities for psychotherapy which will charge you on a sliding scale if you don’t have insurance to cover it. Some places charge you like $10.00 for an hours therapy, which would normally run $100. The rule of thumb is usually 10% of the total cost.
You are not alone. Plus, there are many depression websites on the Internet, like the Depression Hotline, to go to and see how others cope and get suggestions from them.
I do suggest that you find books, television programs and movies to watch that are funny. That helps a lot. Don’t be alarmed if you try to sleep only to discover that while the body is tired, the mind will not shut off. That might happen from time to time. Just turn on a TV or radio and listen to it as you lay there with your eyes shut. Often, one will drift off to sleep, and sometimes if not, you may ‘spot sleep’ which is dozing lightly for 10 or 15 minutes at a time. Also often, just laying there, eyes shut, for a few hours can make you feel refreshed.
DON’T take over the counter or old prescription sleeping medication unless cleared by your doctor while on antiD’s.
Just remember, you will get better.
CAREFUL! We don’t want to learn from this!(Calvin and Hobbs)
Sentinal - I have little patience for TV or books these days. I used to read about 5 books a week, but with the depression, nothing is holds my interest. The sames goes ith fatigue. I’m already tired a lot of the time. The doctor said the Effexor should help with that, too. (It would be nice if my house were even moderately clean again) I don’t ever drink, so that’s not a problem. However, sometimes I take melatonin when I can’t sleep…do you think I should check on that?
Lux Fiat - Yep. I decided that I deserved to be depressed at first. After all, my father had died. But when it didn’t go away eventually, I sort of lost hope. And because of the depression it’s hard to even work up the will to ask for help. Or pay your bills. Or do the dishes. Or anything else you can manage without. I have ridden my horse maybe 4 times in the last year. He’s an expensive and high-maintence pet. So I’m trying. We’ll see how it works.
dragonlady - Thanks for the tips. And the support.
StG
Better living through chemistry
A year for that kind of event is okay. Sometimes its much longer. Eventually it should lift if you want it to.
Find a support group, it can speed things up.
melatonin
That’s a vitamin or herb, right? If so, it shouldn’t hurt but it might be best to check anyhow. Some herbals will react with antiD’s. Don’t take St. Johns Wort with Effexor either – though many might tell you to do so.
Since you are still working, sleep is kind of important. Most depressives that I know of who are still able to work and have sleep problems nap whenever they can. The most common complaint is that they get tired, eyes get heavy and they WANT to sleep but the brain refuses to shut off. That’s why I said just laying there with heavy eyes closed, listening to soft television or music can help. SOME depressives tend to start getting worried when they lay there, unable to sleep and too tired to get up, so the television and music is a nice distraction. TV especially, if in the bedroom, because when you get tired of trying to sleep, and the eyes are no longer heavy, you roll over and just watch anything. Often, that will put you to sleep. If not, it keeps you from worrying about how long you’ve been awake.
Effexor, like I said, takes a few days to really start working. IF you start getting some anxiety that lasts over a day or two, let the Doc know. Be alert also for some changes like food tasting perhaps a bit odd, or you might suddenly start smelling scents you never noticed before. Those should be transitory and not last. Some mild side effects might remain, and one gets used to them or if they are annoying, then the medication can be changed or something added to it. Basically though, Effexor is a good, basic antiD.
Email me with any strange affects or reactions that confuse you.
CAREFUL! We don’t want to learn from this!(Calvin and Hobbs)
melatonin
That’s a vitamin or herb, right? If so, it shouldn’t hurt but it might be best to check anyhow. Some herbals will react with antiD’s. Don’t take St. Johns Wort with Effexor either – though many might tell you to do so.
Since you are still working, sleep is kind of important. Most depressives that I know of who are still able to work and have sleep problems nap whenever they can. The most common complaint is that they get tired, eyes get heavy and they WANT to sleep but the brain refuses to shut off. That’s why I said just laying there with heavy eyes closed, listening to soft television or music can help. SOME depressives tend to start getting worried when they lay there, unable to sleep and too tired to get up, so the television and music is a nice distraction. TV especially, if in the bedroom, because when you get tired of trying to sleep, and the eyes are no longer heavy, you roll over and just watch anything. Often, that will put you to sleep. If not, it keeps you from worrying about how long you’ve been awake.
Effexor, like I said, takes a few days to really start working. IF you start getting some anxiety that lasts over a day or two, let the Doc know. Be alert also for some changes like food tasting perhaps a bit odd, or you might suddenly start smelling scents you never noticed before. Those should be transitory and not last. Some mild side effects might remain, and one gets used to them or if they are annoying, then the medication can be changed or something added to it. Basically though, Effexor is a good, basic antiD.
Email me with any strange affects or reactions that confuse you.
CAREFUL! We don’t want to learn from this!(Calvin and Hobbs)
melatonin
That’s a vitamin or herb, right? If so, it shouldn’t hurt but it might be best to check anyhow. Some herbals will react with antiD’s. Don’t take St. Johns Wort with Effexor either – though many might tell you to do so.
Since you are still working, sleep is kind of important. Most depressives that I know of who are still able to work and have sleep problems nap whenever they can. The most common complaint is that they get tired, eyes get heavy and they WANT to sleep but the brain refuses to shut off. That’s why I said just laying there with heavy eyes closed, listening to soft television or music can help. SOME depressives tend to start getting worried when they lay there, unable to sleep and too tired to get up, so the television and music is a nice distraction. TV especially, if in the bedroom, because when you get tired of trying to sleep, and the eyes are no longer heavy, you roll over and just watch anything. Often, that will put you to sleep. If not, it keeps you from worrying about how long you’ve been awake.
Effexor, like I said, takes a few days to really start working. IF you start getting some anxiety that lasts over a day or two, let the Doc know. Be alert also for some changes like food tasting perhaps a bit odd, or you might suddenly start smelling scents you never noticed before. Those should be transitory and not last. Some mild side effects might remain, and one gets used to them or if they are annoying, then the medication can be changed or something added to it. Basically though, Effexor is a good, basic antiD.
Email me with any strange affects or reactions that confuse you.
CAREFUL! We don’t want to learn from this!(Calvin and Hobbs)
A support group might be a way for you to sort of ease into the whole “therapy” realm.
My father died very suddenly, and I didn’t seem to feel the full impact, depression- and grief-wise, until as much as a year or a year and a half later. I was, of course, sad the whole time, but I hit bottom in sort of a delayed fashion.
My mother encouraged me to see a therapist, and I did for a short time. I found it very awkward to talk about myself at first, and it was hard to see any relationship between the conversations I had with the therapist and my feelings the rest of the time.
I took St. John’s Wort for about six months at the therapist’s suggestion, and it seemed to help.
In the end, my depression lifted. I stopped going to the therapist after maybe eight or ten visits, but I think the therapy sort of clarified some personal issues in my mind. It’s been just over five years now since my dad died, and I feel like I worked through it in a relatively healthy way.
My mom, on the other hand, never took her own advice, and never saw a therapist, talked to even a support group, or anything. She seems kind of stuck and unable to completely deal with the loss of my dad.
Best wishes to you, St. G. Do as everyone here has suggested and make sure to take care of yourself. Know that you aren’t alone by a long shot and that it can get better.
melatonin
That’s a vitamin or herb, right? If so, it shouldn’t hurt but it might be best to check anyhow. Some herbals will react with antiD’s. Don’t take St. Johns Wort with Effexor either – though many might tell you to do so.
Since you are still working, sleep is kind of important. Most depressives that I know of who are still able to work and have sleep problems nap whenever they can. The most common complaint is that they get tired, eyes get heavy and they WANT to sleep but the brain refuses to shut off. That’s why I said just laying there with heavy eyes closed, listening to soft television or music can help. SOME depressives tend to start getting worried when they lay there, unable to sleep and too tired to get up, so the television and music is a nice distraction. TV especially, if in the bedroom, because when you get tired of trying to sleep, and the eyes are no longer heavy, you roll over and just watch anything. Often, that will put you to sleep. If not, it keeps you from worrying about how long you’ve been awake.
Effexor, like I said, takes a few days to really start working. IF you start getting some anxiety that lasts over a day or two, let the Doc know. Be alert also for some changes like food tasting perhaps a bit odd, or you might suddenly start smelling scents you never noticed before. Those should be transitory and not last. Some mild side effects might remain, and one gets used to them or if they are annoying, then the medication can be changed or something added to it. Basically though, Effexor is a good, basic antiD.
Email me if any strange affects or reactions happen that confuse you.
CAREFUL! We don’t want to learn from this!(Calvin and Hobbs)