Depression?

Question

I recently made several changes in my life from leaving my home state, to leaving someone after 10 years, to quitting pain pills etc. I feel so lost and sad all the time, I am sick of dating and dealing with bs, I have no focus, I dont want to eat.. just blah! I think the seratonin stopped working due to the pills I was on. Anyone have experience with this and how did you overcome it?

Answer 1

If your bad feelings are in fact bad enough and persistent enough to be diagnosed as depression by a mental health profession, it is not something that anyone overcomes easily. I first saw a psychologist when I was 20 for the depressions I had had as a teenager, mainly after failed romance. I went through various therapies and meds until I was diagnosed as bipolar in my thirties. It was another 12 years of more therapies and meds before I was over my tendency toward depression enough not to need any antidepressant any more, just lithium for being bipolar.

People who say depression has a simple solution that works for almost everyone are delusional, either because they don't know what depression really is or because they just prefer fantasy to reality. Even saying that the basic cause of depression relates to serotonin is silly. Read this article about how complex depression is biologically and psychologically:

http://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-19990301-000031&page=1

The only reasonable approach to clinical depression is some combination of psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and antidepressant meds. If you want to read about psychotherapy, David Burns has written some good books about that such as Feeling Good. Where to start depends on your health insurance, which might require you to start with your primary care physician. If you have no health insurance, go through the mental health agency for your county, where you will be started on therapy, meds or both if they agree you are depressed.

If you're not that depressed, you may get better no matter what you do. Then you can be yet another person you says, "This worked for me," whatever "this" might be. Deciding what to do with your bad feelings based on such testimonials is the blind leading the blind. Having gone through 20 years of bad feelings before I even was properly diagnosed, I hate thinking that others will waste their time with treatments that don't do much. Professional experience is that depression takes time to improve and often comes back. It pays to find out which combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy works for you and which individual mental health professionals are people you can work with. I know people try to make it easier than that, but if you're truly depressed only psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy is worth your time.

Answer 2

Go to a psychiatrist (although I'm guessing you're already seeing one if you're on meds) and tell him that the seratonin isnt working. Just those three things that you listed are a lot to handle individually, let alone together! Depression is a serious thing and hopefully you don't get TOO down in the dumps. Definitely go see your psych and get on something else, and maybe see a therapist too to talk over your problems. Also, to cheer you up why don't you go hang out with some friends? or talk to you family and friends on the phone from back home? There's lots you can do, but don't stay on the seratonin if it's not working, there's tons of drugs that can help. Good luck!

Answer 3

I am Still going through this after several yrs.
I was on pain pills, still take them, just not as much because of the withdrawls.... when I first stopped taking them I felt like half my brain was not working, I was a space case.
I know what that sad feeling is as well, Sometimes I just get soooo down and there is no reason, it just happens, so there is no way to stop it, just time. Usualy a day or two. I am on Cymbalta now and it works really well...maybe you can try that.
You are going thru a lot of things with all the changes in your life, hopefully you can settle into your new state and being single and loving it:)
If you are not against medication I would talk to your doctor.(if you have one)

Answer 4

There is only one "solution" for what you describe. That is to speak with your physician and be honest about what you are experiencing. The seratonin doesn't just "stop working". You have to have the therapeutic levels of medication in order to achieve the benefits.

Answer 5

Lots of people have gone through these sort of feelings. It is natural. I recommend discussing it with your doctor. A little medication, exercise, or therapy could go a long way in curing the symptoms and setting you up to cure the problems that cause these symptoms. Good luck!

Answer 6

The only thing I can say that helped me...is excercise more than you usually do...after a rerally good workout(which I know is the last thing you want to do) You will see for a while you feel much better.after awhile the dred will creep back but with your physicians help you can turn the tide.

Answer 7

See depression, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris on page 2.

Answer 8

Were you on anti-depressants? If not, it sounds as if you would benefit from them as well as therapy.

Answer 9

this can be your good resource:

http://mamsam.beatdep64.hop.clickbank.net