For over a year i have been unable to clean my apartment or organize anything...?

Question

I took Zoloft for several years & quit 2 years ago cost was too much and I could not sleep. My apartment is a garbage can...and I buy too much that I do not need. I used to be very organized and creative....i dress nice and manage at work ....no one knows i have this problem as I no longer invite company in.....i feel like I am sinking into a dark hole.....and find it hard to focus or remember things that i have just done or said....have to write so much down....would it be best for me to take Zoloft again or something else....I take 6mg melatonin and 2mg klonopin to sleep also calcium and magnesium at bed time...my friends think I am smart....pretty and talented....I am afraid i will become a total recluse and a hoarder....i am not over weight ...eat little meat...take lots of vitamins and eat mostly fruits vegetables and cheese....my living space is awful and I only want to sleep when I am home. At work only work enough to survive on a min of money....someone help me ....please

Answer 1

Well, I think you need more sunlight.

I know it might sound crazy, but you need more "outside" time.

It doesn't matter what your home looks like right now, just get outside and breathe fresh air and take in the sunlight. I know that medical science *wants* you to take drugs, but doing so creates a "dependency" problem. Stop the clonazepam at night. You just don't need it. Benadryl will work if you are too restless. Anything more makes you sleep *too* hard.

Try and find an activity that you like, and stick with it. Make SURE that you spend as MUCH time in the sun as possible. Humans were not made to live their lives INDOORS. Get outside. I promise, you will feel SO much better very soon! Email me and tell me I'm wrong.

Answer 2

It sounds like you cannot clean because you just want to sleep. You probably already know that klonopin can make you drowsy. Melatonin makes you drowsy. If you have to keep taking these, maybe you don't have to take both? That might help with the drowsiness. Then, you would have more energy to clean and remember things. You are doing a kind thing not eating much meat, but you may not be getting enough protein and iron which might be making you anemic and tired. If taking Zoloft is too expensive and keeps you awake, maybe you could try talking to a counselor, not a psychiatrist. Because you have been able to go to work, though it is hard to take care of the house, it sounds like you are functioning as well as many people--just not as well as you would like.
You can take photos of the stuff you don't need, but would like to remember. Donate the stuff to a good cause if you feel up to it. Sometimes giving to a good cause can make you fee good. This will cut down on clutter. Being messy does not make you a bad person, but it is embarrassing you to the point of not socializing. If there is a family member you can trust, maybe that person can help you clean from time to time.

Answer 3

I am in the same shape as you. And I have family that won't even help me. They just continue to live in what I live in and my son complains that he wishes I would clean up more. I took zoloft but had to quit because of an allergic reaction. I now take prozac, clonazepam, topemax and trazadone. I sleep as much as I possibly can. I am overweight. I don't feel much like cooking so therefore I don't eat right most of the time.

My suggestion is this (and I am taking my own advice because I just got one) Is if you are seeing a psychiatrists for your medication, then you may be eligible for some type of case management from the state. Go to a local Mental Health Center and consider switching services if they offer case management. This case management will help you in finding resources that will get you out of the slump you are in.

If you are not eligible for any of this, the only thing I can suggest is to start throwing things away. Or grab bags and donate what goes into them. Take ten minutes out of each day and pick one spot in your whole house. Eventually you will see a difference.

Best wishes to you!

Answer 4

My dear it sounds as if you are suffering from depression. Many people do not like to face the fact that they are depressed but so many of us are. If the Zoloft isn't working for you or you don't like the way it makes you feel then return to your doctor and have him/her give you something else. i don't know about the other supplements that you are taking. You are stuck and need help getting out before you get to low. after you return to your doctor think about getting a journal and writing then find you a support group at your church or local community center so that you have others to talk that understand where you are. Now as far as you apartment is concerned start with a small corner or room or even a drawer and do what you can when you can and eventually you will spread out over the whole apartment but you have to start some where.

Answer 5

Depression makes you sad, not able to do ANYTHING, and if you apartment is already a mess, you KNOW you HAVE to get orginaized, and that stresses you out even more. So, Forget about orginazation for now and get on some medicine. Not alot of antidepressants worked for me except for welbutrin. (The one you take twice a day, not the Extended release or whatever, insurance companys will cover most of the other kind though) If your apartment is really THAT bad, and needs to be done NOW, then why dont you take off some of the stress and the over-whelming-ness of it all and either hire a cleaner or ask a friend/relative to help you? may even make you feel a bit better, When the brain sees something unorginazed, that's how it feels/thinks!

Answer 6

I would see a therapist or a psychiatrist and find a way to get off the klonopin. You can take many other medications to help you sleep that won't make your depression worse. Trazadone is a good alternative to take at night since it tends to make you sleepy and it's also an anti-depressant. Topomax is an anti-seizure medication that's often used for anxiety and insomnia as well. There are also lots of other anti-depressant medications out there besides Zoloft if that didn't work for you, or you could find a good therapist who can work with you on your thoughts and behaviors instead if you want to limit the medications you're taking. Explore all your options. Good luck!

Answer 7

Here is a place where you can afford antidepressants:
http://www.inhousepharmacy.com/anti-depressants/generic_zoloft.html
You might want to look around and see if you want to try something different from Zoloft. You will know just as much as any doctor about what you need. They just make you think they know more than you.
Don't expect medication to cure you though. I am pretty much like you. I think it is ADD. It is like I don't know where to put anything, especially in my house. I think I can do better in someone else's place. I am not motivated at all, just get on the computer at night.
Think about the ADD thing. I have read that all people with ADD are messy.
Strattera is something you might consider. It is a nonamphetamine for ADD. That site sells it too. Type atomoxetine in their search bar. I would take it but I have fibromyalgia and Cymbalta helps that. I can't take both.

Answer 8

I have been there and you are doing fine for the time being. It takes many years to overcome depression and learn what causes depression. The drugs prolong the event of making it on your own power . If you want to be a thinking person you need to protect your mind. Be safe in a safe place and find one friend who is not a winner but an outsider like yourself . Only them can you begin to learn the facts of life. Stay with this Q and A and also use the chat rooms for depression support in yahoo health and wellness. Look for recovered patients who are free of medication.

Answer 9

Takes courage and resolve to do it.

Do you have a close friend or sister? Tell her your problem. Ask for help and invite the person over to help you clean and organize. Start with one room. Spend a fun day together and go out to have a meal together. If everything works out, do it again.

I notice that when I know someone is coming, I will scurry around and pickup and clean up. My cousin told me her mother would cleanup and pick up stuff before the cleaning woman arrived.

After I retired I spent several days cleaning my kitchen with three boxes next to my ladder/stool. One for keep, one for think about it, one for give away and the garbage can for throw away. I emptied the garbage can several times that day of outdated foods, medications, rusted kitchen utensils, miscellaneous junk, etc. After that, I cleaned drawers, cabinets, refrigerator, walls, everything. What a difference it made. I got my kitchen back.

Good luck. Take it one room at a time. In the kitchen: Start with a drawer, or a cabinet, or your refrigerator. Be patient with yourself. You'll be so much happier and proud of yourself afterwards. And you will have earned it.

Answer 10

I had a problem with Zoloft as well its a great medication if depression is your only problem I had been misdiagnosed for years!! I finally found a GREAT therapist that did cognitive therapy with me and helped me understand what it was all about, I was then diagnosed with bi polar as ADD I'm on a way better medication now and I don't feel like being stuck the the floor anymore. As far as cleaning well I hate it too, maybe get one of your friends to come over and help you one day, start small like the kitchen or bathroom and when you see that, that is clean it might motivate you to start a bigger project like the bedrooms or living room! Good Luck!!