Antidepressants

[Keltiks]

Thanks for all the discussion. I know the biggest thing I must work on is doing something in my life to help with the depression, i.e. go to the gym.

For more background information, all my depression was caused by a she-devil that sucked the life out of me. 6 years wasted in a relationship only to get dumped. I started going to the gym alot thinking it could help me get her back (yah I know lame) and it was at this time I was going my best. Then I found out she started dating someone else and my life spiraled back out of control and I stopped exercising. I think I am ready to take that next step and start exercising again in combination with a medication.

Effexor seemed to not have many side effects for me, and I was generally OK with life when I was on it. I think that is what I will go back to, just this time throw some exercise and try to do more with my life in combination. Thanks BG.

edit:
and one last thing to add. I've only been depressed for 2-3 years now. Before I experienced depression I used to think to myself that "depressed" people were just emo wimps, that it was all bullshit, that they should just get over it, etc. Let me tell you now that I've been through it, depression is damn real and its frightening. It absolutely exists and my feelings go out to anyone else in a depressive state.

[Drinhkinn]

Few years ago when I was on meds, I did try Effexor. (From what I've seen, it's one of the most popular anti-depressant recommended, in my part of the world anyway)

I was on it for about 4 months before i wanted to sotp it. Without it, even though i was most of the time feeling depressed, i did get some momments where I was happy. Effexor crushed those happy momments. Sure, i wasn't feeling as depressed as I used to be, but it also killed my happy momments, i was like in a Neutral state.

Then I was getting depressed over the fact I wasn't happy even rarely anymore. Lol...

To this day im still depressed, but I prefer to live with it and be happy at least sometimes, even if it's just once a week, than never.

I just told the doc I was feeling better as an excuse to decrease dosage and get off it...

[wyrmtung]

Depression is a part of life, a cycle if you will. Pills may be able to trick your brain into thinking it should be happy, but like a poster said above, its not going to cure the problem. Pick yourself up by the bootstraps and realize you aren't the only one dealing with shit in life.

This sentence alone shows that you have no clue what is the difference between clinical depression and the mood depression.

Thanks for all the discussion. I know the biggest thing I must work on is doing something in my life to help with the depression, i.e. go to the gym.

For more background information, all my depression was caused by a she-devil that sucked the life out of me. 6 years wasted in a relationship only to get dumped. I started going to the gym alot thinking it could help me get her back (yah I know lame) and it was at this time I was going my best. Then I found out she started dating someone else and my life spiraled back out of control and I stopped exercising. I think I am ready to take that next step and start exercising again in combination with a medication.

Effexor seemed to not have many side effects for me, and I was generally OK with life when I was on it. I think that is what I will go back to, just this time throw some exercise and try to do more with my life in combination. Thanks BG.

edit:
and one last thing to add. I've only been depressed for 2-3 years now. Before I experienced depression I used to think to myself that "depressed" people were just emo wimps, that it was all bullshit, that they should just get over it, etc. Let me tell you now that I've been through it, depression is damn real and its frightening. It absolutely exists and my feelings go out to anyone else in a depressive state.

Gym and diet are the best long term solutions. Pills are only suppliments for things your body should be naturally producing from a healthy lifestyle. Exercise will also help you sleep at night.

These emo downward spirals effects us physically because we stop eating and exercising properly. So the body gets lazy too and stops producing the neurotransmitters that we need. So exercise and eat better (for yourself and not some chick) and you will find your mood will improve so much that pills are no longer needed.

I have been off meds for about a year now and I haven't had another episode.

[Zanz L. Barre The 3rd]

Either finish going /emo and kill yourself, or realize that life is hard and depressing most of the time. Take the joyous times and put them in the back of your mind to recall when you have a down moment.

God, I hate the "I'm so depressed bullshit.", we all get there, the successful ones learn to deal with their problems and move on with life.

Is this sarcasm or are you a fucking clown?

[Zanz L. Barre The 3rd]

Err sorry, but yeah, exercise (as much as a bitch as it might be to drag yourself outside) releases endorphins (sp?), a chemical triggering the body to endure a positive sensation. You''ll feel much more relaxed and happy =]

As for meds, you pretty much listed all the primary contenders. It's obviously different for everyone, but whatever makes you feel happy is ultimately best (as long as your health isn't being jeoprodized).

A happy, "unhealthy" life > Depressed, "healthy" life.

You can sacrifice a few heartbeats for a smile, maybe lol

[Septimus]

Depression is a part of life, a cycle if you will. Pills may be able to trick your brain into thinking it should be happy, but like a poster said above, its not going to cure the problem. Pick yourself up by the bootstraps and realize you aren't the only one dealing with shit in life.

This sentence alone shows that you have no clue what is the difference between clinical depression and the mood depression.

A lot of people (even doctors) don't seem to know the difference. It's so annoying that doctors try to prescribe you anti-depressants for anything. (Your cat died? You must be clinically depressed, here, have some pills.)

Sometimes people need to stop being emo-whiners, but telling people to pick themselves up by their bootstraps isn't going to balance their saratonin and norepinephrine levels.

[Ohemgee]

Do you exercise and eat right and do all that good stuff in addition to the meds?

A solid hour of exercise every day helps the body and mind. Helps me a lot more than any pills ever did.

Besides this being the best advice, I wouldn't recommend any pharmaceutical grade medicines for depression.

Everything that you listed there only helps with your imbalance (since you should know it doesn't cure but treat the symptoms).

Go outside, run, play some music, get your mind off things. If thats "hard" then your not doing one of two things:
A) Doing the action
B) Giving up when theres no immediate result


And NEVER eat pizza thats been in the fridge for 4 days.

[Demetrius*]

you're on meds because you got dumped 2-3 years ago? what the fucking fuck

[Alleya]

you're on meds because you got dumped 2-3 years ago? what the fucking fuck

Chronic depression is largely genetic and can be set off by just about anything.

Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is a monolith of complete superhuman self-control and willpower that some people believe themselves to be. Sometimes a personal tragedy or environmental stress can trigger an innate characteristic in someone's brain that has lasting effects.

[Demetrius*]

so where do you draw the line/how do you tell when a person has a genuine depression 'illness' or if they're just upset. has there been any way to tell the degree of which different people are effected by chemical imbalances in the brain? when do you put someone on meds and when do you tell them to just get over it?

[Alleya]

so where do you draw the line/how do you tell when a person has a genuine depression 'illness' or if they're just upset. has there been any way to tell the degree of which different people are effected by chemical imbalances in the brain? when do you put someone on meds and when do you tell them to just get over it?

That's for someone with a few diplomas on their wall to decide, not anyone here.

Believe it or not this is a science. There is data, there are tests that determine this sort of thing, if you're qualified to administer and interprit them.

[Demetrius*]

seems like it would also leave it open to human error depending on the interpretation and philosophy of your choice doctor. some throw pills at things a lot easier than others.

[Alleya]

seems like it would also leave it open to human error depending on the interpretation and philosophy of your choice doctor. some throw pills at things a lot easier than others.

That is not the point of this thread. The OP asked for people's experiences with various drugs and other people have made it an ethical standoff on absolutely baseless and vague arguments.

The argument that you and other people here are making boils down to this: Some people are pillpushers therefore no one should take pills.

There are legitimate, scientific, empirical reasons to administer drugs as a treatment for chronic depression. There is no argument against this except in the minds of extremely self-important people who can't imagine an existence outside of their own. It has been documented extensively. Anti-depressants, a vast, vast majority of the time, when taken, will change chemical balance in the brain of people suffering from X symptoms and will reduce or eliminate those symptoms and positively impact that person's level of subjective discomfort. Fact. There is no reason why medication should not be considered. Weather or not some people are more judicious with the administration than others is completely irrelevant. It does not change the outcome.

[Demetrius*]

not sure why you included me in there :[, i'm sure there are people with some very real problems who would be helped by medication. I'm just genuinely curious, as the ops situation didn't strike me as a case where it'd be needed. usually hits me as a temporary solution to a complex problem which is i hate to say pretty befitting to the american mentality.

[wyrmtung]

so where do you draw the line/how do you tell when a person has a genuine depression 'illness' or if they're just upset. has there been any way to tell the degree of which different people are effected by chemical imbalances in the brain? when do you put someone on meds and when do you tell them to just get over it?

I'll try to explain simplistically since I'm simple minded (and no where close to being an expert.)

Clinical depression is usually diagnosed by determining a person's mental state (usually thru a questionairre) and the length of time a person has been in that state (which lets us know how long your body may have been deteriorating -- more on this in a bit.)

Your nerves function by passing chemicals (neurotransmitters) from one nerve ending to another. Receiving these chemicals on one end of a nerve cell triggers the other end of the nerve cell to release chemicals to the next nerve cell. These are how signals are transmitted from the brain to all parts of the body. It's not like blood vessels where one red blood cell travels from the heart to the lungs all the way down to your big toe. It's more like I receive a phone call from my buddy and then I call up another buddy to let him know what I just been told.

When your body doesn't produce the proper amounts of the chemicals then signals get mixed up, nerve endings become damaged or deteriorate. This is the chemical imbalance the others were writing about in this thread. One of the side effects of this is your mood (which are a result of brain signals). Some people might feel perpetually sad, or angry, or suicidal, or whatever. My personal depression was best described as emptiness and lack of emotion. I also lacked the motivation to do anything, even simple stuff, like hygene, buy groceries when I ran out of food, laundry, going to work, answer the phone, etc.

Anti-depressants are like Flintstones Vitamins for your nerves. It tries to supplement what your body needs to function properly. They are not happy pills. They merely allow your nerves to function properly. If your dog died, and you're on anti-depressant pills, you're still going to feel sad. Normal people would feel sad for a while then come to terms with it and move on. A clinically depressed person might find themselves caught up in a downward spiral that they cannot get out of. It's like trying to hit the "off" button on your emo switch but the button isn't working.

Depression is like diabetes or cancer. Some people are prone to it due to genetics. Others might become suceptible to it via lifestyle. This is where the mood of depression comes into play.

Someone might be feeling depressed, like our OP who got dumped. Biologically, he might be fine at this point. But the longer he stays in that depressed state, the more it effects his body biologicially. Just like muscles deteriorate from lack of use, his nerves start to do the same. Pretty soon, his body can no longer do the stuff he used to be able to do. It's no longer under his control. Getting yourself motivated to feel better is like trying to run a mile after playing FFXI 100hr/week for a year on nothing but Cheetos and Jolt cola. Yeah, it can be done but it's so much harder to do.

[wyrmtung]

seems like it would also leave it open to human error depending on the interpretation and philosophy of your choice doctor. some throw pills at things a lot easier than others.

This is quite true. The first doctor I went to was a family practice doctor that "specialized" in mental health. After a while, I went to a doctor recommended to me through work and he scoffed that I was seeing a family practice doctor instead of an actual psychiatrist. They can both perscribe pills but they are not the same.

[Demetrius*]

thats pretty neat, thanks for explaining.

[crazyrabbit]

I would say go back to Effexor, but try to take not as much as you did before maybe. Like already said a few times here, that stuff cures only the symptons in most cases and as soon as you stop with it you are back at zero. I personaly try natural stuff atm, like medical herbs and metitation, even tho those things take long time and you cant realy feel the change some ppl already told me that somethings different with me... so i will continue with it.

I never liked to go to the gym, but climbing helped me a lot. You are outside in the nature, dont have many ppl around you, so its not much stress (at least that was one of my probs) and you can get some acomplishment when you make it to the top and it feels realy great. Another thing was talking about random stuff, i did this a lot over internet in discussions about sience, physics, philosophic questions or discussions about different religions. Just filling the brain with so many stuff that there isnt space for the depri thoughts.
Ofcourse everyone needs to find their own things that work, so good luck and i hope you get out of that black hole that sadly many people know very good these days.