Why can't I get out of this depression? I am on meds, and get therapy, but I still feel awful some days.?

Question

I have 2 wonderful children annd 2 grandchildren, my husband is understanding and patient, my job is low stress. I own a house and I am fairly healthy. Why do I still fall into such a deep depression even on meds. I feel so helpless, and out of control. NOTHING makes me happy all I want to do is sleep. I miss work days and that makes me look bad. But I can't seem to drag my self out of the house.

Answer 1

If you still feel awful "some days", there are two possibilities.
Either you are on the wrong med, or you aren't dealing with your issues in therapy. This is something better dealt with in therapy. If you are just low on energy, you might try B-12 supplements. I've dealt with clinical depression myself for the past thirty five years, and I have some bad days, but mostly my days are ok. If I start having more than one or two days a month that are bad, or have a string of them, I am in my doctor's office within a week, and we either try a new med, or we find out if there is a physical reason for the way I feel. It is hard when you are depressed to get to the doctor and to be assertive enough to get the help you need, but it is something that has to be done, no one can do it for you. Hang in there, this too shall pass and better days will come.

Answer 2

Uhm, go to your doctor and see if you have chronic fatigue syndrome. http://www.cdc.gov/cfs/

I say this because you say that all you want to do is sleep. So you may not have actual depression, but it might be a different disorder. Especially because you say your life is great, but you still feel in a slump.

From what I gather it seems CFS is sort of brought on by either environment or poor eating and exercise. It's like your body isn't well regulated.

Talk to your doctor, find out if you could have this.

Otherwise if this is depression, I suggest exercise. 1/2 hour of exercise per day is proven to be as effective in treating depression as antidepressants, so in theory, with antidepressants, you should rebound all the more. Also eat healthy as that can also affect fatigue. You can't expect to eat poorly and be healthy, doesn't make sense. Feed your body, exercise your body, and you will be healthy, in body and, because your brain is part of your body, you'll also have a healthy mind.

Otherwise if you do all that already, it could be something you haven't dealt with for some reason. If so then you know what it is, because you keep avoiding it, so maybe it's time to confront and overcome the issue, rather than burying it.

But if there is no issue, and you eat healthy and exercise, and life is good, then it could be something other than depression, in which case you should talk to your doctor for sure. Oh and some pills work for some people, others don't, so you may want to go over that again.

Answer 3

For goodness sake, go and have a blood test! It could be something very simple like anaemia, or underactive thyroid. Or you could be lacking in a vitamin or mineral.

You could even have glandular fever - though this is more unusual in adults. Still possible, though. Get tested.

Are you on any form of birth control? If yes, this might be causing your problems.

Your medicine doesn't seem to be helping. If you've been on it a while, it should DEFINITELY be doing more than this! You need to speak to your doctor - if they don't listen properly then get a different, better doctor!

You may also need a better therapist - they should be helping you find out why you feel so low.

Is it possible that this is a severe allergy to something? If you dye your hair - stop! It's been linked to nervous disorders and fatigue as well as other nasty things.

You should make an immediate appointment for a blood test.

Answer 4

Yes. BQ’s: 1)Do you have someone in your life who not understands what you’re going through, per se, but it at least trying to?: No. No one tries to understand - not a depressed persons thoughts or anything but I am being serious. 2)How long have you had depression? My whole life. 3)Have you ever thought about suicide or any other form of self harm? Thought about self harm... taking strong medicine for emotional pain but I had enough logic not to. Never would I do any of the stuff I think of anyway. No never thought about suicide, if I have it was only to imagine what every ones life would be like. 4)Are you on any medication/therapeutic treatment for your depression? No. I refuse to take it until my counseling is over and if I am not better. Obviously I am in treatment I have just stated lol!

Answer 5

They may need to change your meds. Not all medications work for everyone. Tell your doctor the meds don't seem to be helping and see if he might change to a different one.

Good luck to you. I, too, have a pretty terrific life -- and still occasionally find myself blue for apparently no reason. I believe you just need to find the right meds with the right dosage.

Answer 6

Could be that the meds that you are on are not working for you or have stopped working. I have had that happen to me. I hate to endorse added medications, but it sounds like time to check with your doctor and do some shuffling of your drug cocktail.
Best wishes

Answer 7

Probably because you don't know why you're alive. This might sound strange at first but it's true. You don't know why you are sucking air. Do you believe in God? This is Him calling you. Check out this site for more help. GotQuestions.org. This is a common problem because most people think, including me at one time, that life is about being happy when it isn't, it's about knowing God.

Answer 8

Time to change your meds most likely.
Also try to get outside and into the sun! It usually helps, even if it's just the back yard, it could be just what you need!

Answer 9

I had the same problem. I was on medication, going to therapy ... and NOTHING worked. I switched my medication many many times, but none of it worked for me. There are some people that are non-responsive to medication. You can talk to your doctor about this.

Answer 10

Maybe you need to kick start yourself. Find something that you can look forward to doing and set some goals to give yourself a boost.