We're all fucked up. Some of us are moreso than others.

[Annoying MSN Person]

Greetings.

This place seemed the best to post this. So blah blah, I've been through depression. Well, sort of still there. Big whoop, as I know many others have it far worse than I.

Anyway, at this point I'm questioning whether I still want to be taking this antidepressant shit. It's seemed to work somewhat, but some of the side effects, aren't fun.

The list goes something like :

* upset stomach
* vomiting
* drowsiness
* weakness or tiredness
* excitement or anxiety
* difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
* nightmares
* restlessness
* headaches
* dry mouth
* constipation
* difficulty urinating
* blurred vision
* pain, burning, or tingling in the hands or feet
* changes in sex drive or ability
* excessive sweating
* changes in appetite or weight
* confusion
* unsteadiness

The alternative is a bunch of hippy love drugs. Well, St John's Wort and a couple of other things. I can't use the St John's at the same time as the drug, and due to a couple of other things in my life right now (father being in hospital with liver problems they haven't figured out etc) mother can't really help. I'm not so sure I want to put my faith in flowers, but if I switch over to it then a few of the things that have driven me mad might cease.

So anyone have experience with these? I'm in between counsellors at the moment too, I haven't found anyone I can trust yet. Just let me know anything that has helped/hasn't. Thanks.

Oh well. Ta ra.

[Jay]

I think we've all been depressed before. I for one have no trouble admitting I've seen poles sticking out of the middle of a body of water, and wanted to swim out there, find the bottom of the pole and never let go.

The best thing would be to contact someone who has knowledge of all these drugs and find something that has the same effect, but doesn't cause all those problems. Seems the best course of action.

[tekkan]

The list goes something like :

* upset stomach
* vomiting
* drowsiness
* weakness or tiredness
* excitement or anxiety
* difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
* nightmares
* restlessness
* headaches
* dry mouth
* constipation
* difficulty urinating
* blurred vision
* pain, burning, or tingling in the hands or feet
* changes in sex drive or ability
* excessive sweating
* changes in appetite or weight
* confusion
* unsteadiness



Umm...wow. That is alot of side effects. I wouldn't want to be on that.

I've gone through the who depression stage way back when. But I never took any drugs for it. The best way through it is with the help of a few good friends.

I don't think drugs are the way to go. Or hippy love drugs either. I don't know your situation exactly so I can't really comment. But my advice is to stop relying on drugs.

[Loc]

Well I wouldn't personally take anything but natural remedies is probably what I'd go with.

I think talking about it enough will make you feel better over time, works for me, I think.

[Myrsilus]

I would say natural remedies... It was kind of hard to choose that since I feel antidepressants usually work to a higher degree. If the side-effects are too adverse, however, then you should probably stick to the other.

I've been through bad depression to the point I was ready to kill myself... Never got any help for it, though. Didn't even have a doctor who knew. I toughed it out on my own, my choice. But don't do that, it's bad. :(

[MFDub]

I've never been depressed, so I don't really have any experience with which to offer my opinion. So of course, I shall offer it as fact:

Natural remedies.


There. :D

[Jay]

I toughed it out on my own, my choice. But don't do that, it's bad. :(

Yeah, that was the worst part. I don't feel trust for a lot of people in my life right now, so I didn't go to anyone. I think the worst part is the all-enveloping feeling that your life is always going to be that bad and that it'll never change.

Personally, I wouldn't go on either treatment, but I'd have someone around me at all times to stop me doing something stupid.

[Loc]

Hmm I dunno about that Fujin, I had to before I felt I could talk about it with my best mate (recently) and it does make you stronger mentally, I feel anyway.

[delen]

*edited by meneerDijk*

Trolling is for losers!

lol, this got edited, hahaha, that made my night

[Jay]

being depressed is for losers

Hmm. I like it when people pour out their soul to people they don't even know and get such compassion in return.

Note: This is just an observation, not a lead-up to a flame.

[Myrsilus]

Hmm I dunno about that Fujin, I had to before I felt I could talk about it with my best mate (recently) and it does make you stronger mentally, I feel anyway.
I really did not have that luxury. No one wanted to talk to me about it, and the friends I had were pretty new.

And the one I usually go to with this type of stuff, my mother, was a key factor if my depression. It was a rough time getting by and she was kind of losing it being a single parent with two children, barely pulling in enough money sometimes. That and we just found out she's had a thyroid condition for a long, long time... Her hormones were not helping matters one bit.

So I was alone. I'm not saying everyone else should do this, I just felt I had no other choice personally.

[MeneerDijk]

Well, first of all let me say that being in need of anti-depressants is nothing to be ashamed off. Someone het get mentally ill just as much as one gets physically ill. And one can recover from that. Every human has it's depressions every once in a while. And usually recover without much aid. Some of us get medicine prescribed to take the edge off. But from what i gather doctors tend to prescripe anti-depressants quite fast, and neglect the cause of the depression. I think the use of anti-depressants should be postponed as long as possible, granted that the patient gets adequate help

[Mojinr]

Depression is just a state of mind. And like any state of mind it can easily overridden by the most natural thing in this world.

Death.

[Arctic_Slicer]

From personal expirences anti-depresants only cause more problems than they solve. There is also the fact that they keep you from feeling anything really. Sure you can't feel sadness but you can't feel happiness either or anything other emotions. It's like having your humanity taken away from you.

[Thespis]

You forgot a lot of potential options. ;)

[Citizen]

Suicide is the answer to all problems.

[Benaire]

Suicide is the answer to all problems.

Great idea you go first ill follow after..... :D

[Shamu]

Sorry to hear you're battling depression bubbles :( It's a hard thing to deal with, but I've always found that even when I think it's the worst time in my life, I always try to see the bright side of things too. This is extremely difficult and takes alot of behavioral conditioning. I never wanted to try the drugs ('cause I'm on Ritilin too), so my psychiatrists did conditioning thing with me (it also helped with my panic attacks too). It also helps if you have something to live for (I know this is very cliche, but it's true) Find something that you're passionate about. Mine was horses, and a good race at a breakneck speed on my horse usually helped (heck it still does). I don't recomend going out and having a kid, but my duaghter has also given me a reason to live. I hope that you find the right councelor soon! I know it's hard to find someone good that won't treat you like you're just a money maker for them (you know, the people that just want to make money off of you and don't really give a shit what you have to say). Good luck! If you ever want to talk to someone, give me a PM or AIM! :)

[Pete]

From personal expirences anti-depresants only cause more problems than they solve. There is also the fact that they keep you from feeling anything really. Sure you can't feel sadness but you can't feel happiness either or anything other emotions. It's like having your humanity taken away from you.

Got to agree with this... I've suffered from depression for the last five years, and the first two which were on antidepressants were definitely the hardest. I found they stripped me of all emotions, not just bad ones - so you go through life feeling nothing, which to me only added to the 'what's the point' feeling. If you can, talk to the people close to you and let them know if there's anything they can do to help.

If people know what you're going through it really helps, because they'll help out when they can and be more likely to listen if you say you need some time on your own.

I can promise you it does get better, you'll still have bad days but a lot of beating depression is learning to cope on the worst days and enjoy the better ones.

Having something you can really pour your energy into can also help motivate you and give you a reason to me. For me that was writing and guitar. Don't be afraid to be selfish and do the things that you enjoy, finding enjoyment in life again is one of the first steps to getting better.

Hope that didn't come off as too after schools special. Any questions feel free to ask, or PM if you don't want it on the board.

[tekkan]

Actually what I want to know is, what are you depressed about?

[Pete]

Actually what I want to know is, what are you depressed about?

Who, me? Or the thread starter?

[Benaire]

Wow that sucks dude.

Still when im sad and whiney I honestly don't give a fuck about the starving people in China, orphaned kids with only one kidney etc. There is always people much worse off then you are, but at the time who really cares about them?

[Shadowblade]

I was going through a big stage of deppression last year. My parents ended up taking me to a teen shrink and I managed to get pretty much over it (still not great) without the use of any drugs.

[Praetorian]

Damn, voted "Antidepressants." I thought it said "anti-peasants".

Seriously though. I don't know. I'm not into anti-depressant stuff.

[setrict]

I've never been to a counselor, or on any prescription medication - but I have been depressed for several years. Two herbal things really helped me a great deal.

Valerian root. This stuff smells absolutely vile, but it's worth it. It helped me relax enough to sleep. It doesn't work right away, but if you take it for a few weeks it really starts to kick in. Once your sleep patterns get regular, you can start taking it only as needed. I think it's kind of like pot, where you get a kind of negative tolerance to it (you need less of it to be effective).

L-theanine. As needed for anti-anxiety. It works. I could not believe how fast and well this stuff worked.

Finally, for any of you who have ever felt depression so deeply that you've considered suicide, let me explain what helped me break free from those thoughts.

Several years ago I was feeling suicidal. It had been an incredibly painful year for me, but there was no particular trigger event for my thoughts that day. I wasn't even particularly upset at the time. It was just a cold, unemotional numbness where I weighed the options. As I considered suicide I concluded that it would require the willingness to abandon everything both good and bad about my life. I thought about it and decided I was willing to die. The thought didn't bother me. I felt calm.

The circumstances, problems, and fears that had brought me to this point were a distant rumble, lost in the emptiness. At that moment I felt true freedom for the first time I can remember, probably for the first time since losing the child's innocence we are all born with. It took a few moments before I realized that the freedom that felt so good wasn't the result of embracing death, it was because I was willing to abandon my life and along with it all those things that chained me to depression and hopelessness. I didn't necessarily want to die, I just wanted to be free of my old life.

Death is an option always easily within reach, so I started to think of slightly less extreme ways of getting that freedom. When you are truly willing to abandon your current life, it dawns on you that there are nearly endless options to do so. Take a big chance to abandon your current life and start over, what's the worse that could happen? Death is a trump card that no one can take from you, no need to be in a hurry to play it. That realization has taken me through some rough times, and into some better ones :)

[Trump]

The only advice I can offer....

Trust yourself, be strong.