False Haircolor, False Joy

Great Debates
41

My friend ( rick ) had depression, the doctor said his body wasn’t making some chemical so he had the ‘happy pills’ for 3 years then the doctor said his body was making the stuff again so stop with the pills, he did and… no problems.

He is fine now.

I have a theory that a lot of it is caused by lack of exercise as exercise seems to combat depression so try be a bit more active… its easier for when you stop taking the pills as well.

Mental problems are a worry because when you break a leg etc. people can see it but when you pop the pills people get worried.

relax…

42

jarbabyj, I just wanted to tell you what a good egg you are. You’re one of the names that I always scan for in threads. I know that your posts will be witty and insightful.

I struggle, too, with depression. For what it’s worth the SSR’s I take enable me to be “me” even in the midst of a depressive episode (well most of the time, anyway.) That, in itself, is worth a whole lot. Take the meds. Give it a chance. Don’t expect miracles. As has been posted here the drugs do nothing more than take off the shackles to give you a fighting chance. They ain’t happy pills and they’re not supposed to be.

It’s a funny thing about this MB that reading other people’s experiences which resonate with one’s own move you to post and share. (Hey Coyote, I flunked out of UCSB in a depressive episode, too!)

JBJ, try to take it easy.

43

jarbabyj,

I posted my li’l’ story on your other thread, but I’ll revisit it here.

I had severe depression a couple years ago, maybe 2.5. Didn’t go to class/take care of myself, slept all day, etc. I developed a pressure sore that got infected. I have no sensation in that area so I could ignore the problem even when it got nasty. I went to the hospital 'cause when I was home for winter break my folks saw my condition and rushed me to the ER. A couple more weeks, I could’ve gone septic and died. I started therapy upon release from the hospital.

About six months later, my therapist suggested I examine anti-depressants with a psychiatrist. I started Wellbutrin, which has made a world of difference. I feel normal. Depression had covered my ability to deal with “issues” and problems I had/have. Now that I don’t have that black cloud hanging over me, I’ve been much more able to deal with life. The Wellbutrin didn’t affect my libido, nor did it turn me into Suzy Sunshine. It just allowed me to be me, without a pall of depression over me. I feel all sorts of emotions, including sadness. Only now, I can stop the sadness from taking charge.

Depression is a sickness. Serotonin is, IMHO, no more or less tangible than germs are. I understand feeling that you ought to be able to snap out of it. That’s an idea that society has perpetuated. Society has only begun, IMHO, to understand that feeling blue sometimes does not equal clinical depression. I believe that those who’ve never had depression can’t fully understand it 'cause there are no bodily symptoms (cough/fever/congestion) that would make you feel crappy. They cant wrap their brains around it.

“Okay, you’re sad…You’re REALLY sad. And you say you don’t know why, that there’s really no reason why, actually. What the hell do you mean, you don’t know why you’re sad, that you’re sad for no reason? There HAS to be a reason!”

They don’t understand that there IS a reason.

This blathering was all to say one thing; you’re still you. The medicine doesn’t change who you are, it actually helps you to uncover who you are. I liken it to stripping black paint off a window. It’s still a window, it just doesn’t have all that crap on it. Maybe that’s a stupid analogy, but I hope all the crap I’ve written helps you a little. Oh, and if your current med isn’t working, don’t give up. Tweaking may be necessary.

44

Geobabe wrote:

Why, that this was the first time I’d seen an antidepressant based on phenylethylamine, of course.

And that I think it’s high time the world did appreciate the mood-altering effect of chocolate!

45

I used to get depressed, but mostly I would get paranoid. I’d halucinate and draw pictures with my halucinations till my mind got tired because otherwise I would be paralyzed by fear. After that I would get depressed and care about nothing. I would say that it went away because I stopped trying to fight who I was and that reduced the stress in my life a bit.

I treat medicine like food, if I didn’t eat would that be the real me? Medicine has an effect on your body just like sunlight or air does. Anything you feel is the real you. Or you can think of it this way. Many years ago people thought that horse manure and leeches were effective remedies for physical disease. Thats how effective a remedy your willpower is for mental ones.

46

Ah. Well, then, clearly the solution for depression is…eat more chocolate! Hell, if it weren’t for the sugar high/crash, I probably could get by on just chocolate.

47

You could always eat unsweetened chocolate.

Well, actually, no, you probably couldn’t. That stuff is incredibly bitter. I tried taking a tiny nibble of one corner of a baking-chocolate square once, and it took me ten minutes to wash the taste out of my mouth. Bleah. But … hmmm … what about concentrated chocolate pills? Or extracting the phenylethylamine from chocolate and putting that in a pill? I wonder if anyone’s tried doing something like that. (Hell, I wonder if that’s what Wellbutrin is!)

48

jarbabyj wrote,

and

Stop that right now or you’ll go blind!

OK, so you now know what the possible side effects are. Good. I would suggest that you quit reading about them on the internet though. What you are reading is not representative of what most people experience. The few people that have more than minor side effects are the ones that are most likely to post to a support forum. Also, all those web sites touting “natural” solutions have a profit motive to try to scare you. Do you really think a weight gain of 65 pounds is typical? I don’t.

Good Luck!