Depression Relapse?

[Rubixxx]

Oh noes, a serious topic. Okay, so I'm a person with a myriad of psychological disorders. GAD, perfectionism, major depression, ADD (before I was diagnosed with GAD, which I think just kind of emulated the symptoms), and that's just what I've been diagnosed with.

I've been doing pretty good for a while now, possibly due to a change in medication, getting out of my toxic home environment, and finding a career that excites me. But recently, I've been getting worried.

Having my depression treated to a manageable level never really meant being free of sadness. You still get sad sometimes, but the medication just kind of keeps it easy to digest. You get sad or frustrated, cry a little, get better, and move on. Recently though, it's been feeling a lot more intense.

Doing simple tasks and assignments seem to take me way longer than average. I've been more reclusive by avoiding friends and social functions whever able. I've been more irritable. Hell, I just spent the better part of two hours crying about the death of a guy I never really knew that happened more than a year ago. (Kitty0706, btw)

It's possible that I'm just paranoid and this is just another bout of sadness that's going to pass. Recently I've just taken on some more responsibilities, and it's possible the stress is getting to me. But how can I know for sure? When does a minor case of "the blues" turn into a legitimate concern that I should talk to someone about?

[Albert B. Rampage]

Winter blues + social isolation + lack of exercise/ good nutrition. Those are my main enemies. If I can get a healthy dose of vitamin D, go to the gym twice a week, and have a social outlet, I can maintain a mental balance. My main problem when those are not met is I become obsessive about trivial things, apathetic to my goals, and have no motivation to do anything. It's not as bad as depression, but it's like a slow burn that saps at the joy of living.

[Iecerint]

Oh noes, a serious topic. Okay, so I'm a person with a myriad of psychological disorders. GAD, perfectionism, major depression, ADD (before I was diagnosed with GAD, which I think just kind of emulated the symptoms), and that's just what I've been diagnosed with.

I've been doing pretty good for a while now, possibly due to a change in medication, getting out of my toxic home environment, and finding a career that excites me. But recently, I've been getting worried.

Having my depression treated to a manageable level never really meant being free of sadness. You still get sad sometimes, but the medication just kind of keeps it easy to digest. You get sad or frustrated, cry a little, get better, and move on. Recently though, it's been feeling a lot more intense.

Doing simple tasks and assignments seem to take me way longer than average. I've been more reclusive by avoiding friends and social functions whever able. I've been more irritable. Hell, I just spent the better part of two hours crying about the death of a guy I never really knew that happened more than a year ago. (Kitty0706, btw)

It's possible that I'm just paranoid and this is just another bout of sadness that's going to pass. Recently I've just taken on some more responsibilities, and it's possible the stress is getting to me. But how can I know for sure? When does a minor case of "the blues" turn into a legitimate concern that I should talk to someone about?

If you're asking about the textbook answer, it's when for at least 2 weeks you have at least 5 of these things going on: changes in sleep, loss of interest in activities, guilt/worthlessness, fatigue/lack of energy, impaired concentration, changes in appetite, changes in how jittery you are (lack of better way to express it), recurrent thoughts of suicide, OR suicidethoughts+plan in the absence of some part of the above.

What kinds of medications are you taking? Have you noticed any pattern in your depressive episodes (e.g., is it always due to stressors with your family, or does it sometimes happen for no reason, or during winter months, etc)?

[Rubixxx]

The medication I take is Zoloft, Remeron, and Wellbutrin - or at least the generics of those meds.

My depression seems to worsen when I try to take on more responsibilities than I can handle. I'm GM for a small Pathfinder group, which was already kind of a lot for me, but I recently got into the Student Government Association as well, which might've pushed me over the edge. Also, to make matters worse, two very good friends of mine are going to be graduating soon, and that's also got me upset.

I'm still on the early side of all this bad stuff, but I'm trying to act fast before it leads to a full scale meltdown.

[Rubixxx]

Bump? I really need some advice...

[Nexus]

Go see a professional. That's the best advice we can give you.

[Rubixxx]

Go see a professional. That's the best advice we can give you.

Not sure if I can, but at the very least, I should be able to set up an appointment with one of the counselors on center. I'll make sure to remember to do that.

[Persivul]

What ABR said, plus SAMe. Although don't take it on top of your other drugs without the doctor's OK. Unfortunately docs know about prescription drugs, not supplements. (Depends where you are though, in the US SAMe is otc, but it is or has been prescription in other countries.) I was an addict for 15 years. I've been clean for 18 years now, but I had occasional bouts of depression, probably from what I did to my own brain. Finally I did some research and found SAMe, and it fixed me in less than a week. It was really like night and day. Now I take one 400mg tablet in the morning 5 or 6 days a week (I don't like to take any supplement every single day) and I haven't had a recurrence. Good luck.

[Rubixxx]

What ABR said, plus SAMe. Although don't take it on top of your other drugs without the doctor's OK. Unfortunately docs know about prescription drugs, not supplements. (Depends where you are though, in the US SAMe is otc, but it is or has been prescription in other countries.) I was an addict for 15 years. I've been clean for 18 years now, but I had occasional bouts of depression, probably from what I did to my own brain. Finally I did some research and found SAMe, and it fixed me in less than a week. It was really like night and day. Now I take one 400mg tablet in the morning 5 or 6 days a week (I don't like to take any supplement every single day) and I haven't had a recurrence. Good luck.

Are there any big side effects that go with it? When I first started taking Remeron, I ballooned up 20 pounds in a month. When I started taking Wellbutrin, I got persistent headaches. When I started taking Zoloft, I would fall asleep in class.

Now that I've gotten used to the medicines, my reactions have waned more or less, but it's always worth asking.

[Persivul]

A little gas and intestinal discomfort that went away in a week. It's a natural part of your chemistry, it's just not natural for it to be in your stomach.

[Albert B. Rampage]

Please don't ask or take medical advice from a mafia forum. Most of us are not depressed or doctors.

[Thestatusquo]

Also, don't take supplements. The reason that "unfortunately most doctors don't know about supplements" is because they don't work and there is no medical or scientific basis for why you should take them.

If they worked, they would be called medicine, and doctors would prescribe them to you.

[Majiffy]

Except Soylent

Soylent is good for you

[tanstalas]

Please don't ask or take medical advice from a mafia forum. Most of us are not depressed or doctors.

Soylent

Only if it is the "green" variety

[Persivul]

http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/depress ... depression

[Persivul]

Also, don't take supplements. The reason that "unfortunately most doctors don't know about supplements" is because they don't work and there is no medical or scientific basis for why you should take them.

If they worked, they would be called medicine, and doctors would prescribe them to you.

You certainly have an apt user name.

[esuriospiritus]

what iece said. it's also possible that your dose needs to be increased or you need to try another med -- talk to your prescribing doctor.

It sounds like you've already done this some but I just wanted to say that identifying your depression triggers will help immensely with managing it, especially if you can balance it with better than usual self care during times when you don't have a choice but to deal with those triggers. Like for me the things that are likely to set me off are being around negative people, ruminating on things I can't change, trying to do too much at once, not doing

enough

(so basically I have to plan my days around hitting a Goldilocks level of productivity). It's not always great but I'm getting by 8 or 9 years now without meds and every year it gets easier to manage than the year before, not counting the occasional relapse or major life setback.

[fferyllt]

Also, don't take supplements. The reason that "unfortunately most doctors don't know about supplements" is because they don't work and there is no medical or scientific basis for why you should take them.

If they worked, they would be called medicine, and doctors would prescribe them to you.

This is false often enough that I would call it bad advice. Checking with your doctor and doing some research on your own first so you know what questions to even ask are advisable, though.

Regarding SAMe and depression, here's a NIH.gov page with info and links to studies.

https://nccih.nih.gov/health/supplements/SAMe

Trial results have been mixed (and trials have mostly been short term). If your doctor is ok with it along with your prescribed meds, it's probably worth a try. SAMe is pretty expensive, and supplements aren't usually covered by insurance.

[Rubixxx]

I will look into getting SAMe once I've gotten my own place and talk to my doctor about it. It looks like there might be something to it, but I'm actually afraid of it being TOO effective and I come down with serotonin syndrome. I'm in school atm though, so money is a little tough to come by.

On the bright side, I've already been cheering up a little, thanks in part because of the awesome series One Punch Man. It might just be a distraction to numb the pain, and I hardly think it's enough to stop looking for help, but I feel somehow connected to the protag. In a weird, over-the-top kind of way, I feel like he's going through his own sort of depression. Is that weird that I somehow identify with a character that makes Superman himself seem like an amateur in terms of strength, speed, and endurance?

[kirroha]

I am so sorry to hear that. I'm not sure about meds because antidepressants always screw up my emotions more than how they already are, but I can try to give some advice from a personal experience.

I tend to find supplements+herbs quite useful as well as plenty of exercise. It can feel really really difficult to get out of the house and exercise but if you structure it as some kind of goal, knowing that exercise can help release the right hormones to help you out, it can be just a little easier.

And it's definitely really good that you've found a series that inspires you! I haven't watched more than 1 episode of OPM yet but I can see how it can be motivating even just a little.

[Rubixxx]

Ugh, exercise. I need to make more of an attempt to get fit, but working out is something I don't like to do even when I'm NOT down in the dumps. My center is starting to do weekly yoga classes, so I might start going to those.

I'm planning to go talk to the counsellor today if I'm able. I can never remember what days she's in.

[Rubixxx]

So i did get to talk to our little on-site counselor lady last week. Talked about feeling overwhelmed by work and school and my duties as Secretary of our SGA and, perhaps most importantly, the feeling of loss I might be going through because my best friend is graduating soon. Cried a little, discussed feelings, yanno, the works.

I was feeling better for a short while. I actually enjoyed myself over the weekend - I got to see Deadpool with the aforementioned friend and got a lot of RnR in.

But then Monday came, and the downward spiral started again. Right now i'm in class fighting back tears before break ends and just hoping I can make it. I don't know how long I can keep this up.

[Rubixxx]

Okay, so I don't know if anyone still cares about this, but I just thought I'd let everyone know how I've been doing. So far, I've been feeling a lot better as a whole. Although there are still some pretty vast ups and downs, it feels like I've been on an upwards trend, and that's very relieving.

I'm not entirely sure what did the trick, since things are more or less the same as when all this crud started. Maybe it was actually talking to the counselor that helped, or maybe the improving weather. I'm not entirely sure. I'm just thankful that it doesn't feel like I'm hanging on by a thread any more.

I also want to thank you guys for putting up with me. This is a hard subject to deal with, and I realized that I was essentially talking to strangers over the internet, but I don't want to minimalize how much talking with you guys helped me get through my deep blue funk. I know some might think it's a bad idea to sit around online chatting with strangers in lieu of getting actual treatment, but sometimes you just have to reach out any way you're able. I didn't feel I was prepared to talk to people face to face, so I took baby steps by making this thread. And I think it really helped me straighten out my thoughts and keep me grounded so when I DID go to seek actual help, I had a better understanding of what I was feeling.

So, in short, thank you guys. I'm feeling a little better each day, and if anyone ever finds themselves in a similar position, don't feel afraid to let me know if I can help.

[Zulfy]

I don't know if anyone still cares about this

I care a good bunch, just don't know what to say

[Rubixxx]

Aw, thanks. Sorry if that sounded... what's the word? Passive aggressive? Sorry if it sounded like I was making a subtle dig at anyone, is what I'm trying to say. It's just easy for me to convince myself that I'm just really insignificant. I've gotta stop doing that. Sorry.