FYI about Depression medicine
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Stella_Omega
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Medicating depression, one psychiatrist told me, is like banging on the side of the T.V. untill it works again.
Although there are some new findings that might become guidlines someday- we have little way of telling which set of chemicals are out of whack in what way, and like that...
Although there are some new findings that might become guidlines someday- we have little way of telling which set of chemicals are out of whack in what way, and like that...
Selena_Kitt
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Stella_Omega said:
It's more like having a lightbulb burn out, and deciding to go cut the fuse to that part of the house rather than change the bulb...
Stella_Omega
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Why do you say that? I was on Zoloft, and it was okay, not optimum but better.SelenaKittyn said:It's more like having a lightbulb burn out, and deciding to go cut the fuse to that part of the house rather than change the bulb...
Now I'm on Wellbutrin and I feel much more my creative self, and no fatigue- physical fatigue.
It feels more like the entire house has been re-wired!
Jenny_Jackson
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Absolutely, StellaStella_Omega said:
Years ago I was a total nut-case (Years ago?
) My shrink put me on Zoloft. Worked like a charm after 7 days of migrain head ache I was about normal on the 8th. A year later it happened again. Same treatment. Same result. Nothing since then.However, depression is an imbalance in the level of Sarotonine. Too little and you are depressed, too much and you are schitzophranic. How do you tell the difference between depression and Schitzophrania? Historically, Schitozophranics hallucinate and depressants don't. Not true. There is an affliction called Manic Depressive Schitzo Effective - Depressants who hallucinate.
So how are they treated? Treat them for depression. If they don't respond, treat them with another then another depression drug. If that doesn't work, then it's Schitzophrania.
That discription is a little crude, but pretty much true. I have a step daughter who has been schitzophranic since she was 12. I've been there.
G
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Frome original post: "Why did one-third of people not get better with any drugs? Possible explanations include genetic or biological differences, and life circumstances or other medical conditions that interfered with treatment. Medications may have been started too late to do any good, and some forms of depression may not respond to drugs."
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Bipolar depression is a different animal than your run-of-the-mill depression. In fact, many of the meds used will send a person with bipolar disorder into a manic state. Mania is great for a while: your house is spotless, you want to fuck all the time, you never need sleep...But, it doesn't last, and you have to deal with the consequences of whatever "fun" you had when there seemed to be no consequences. An even deeper depression generally follows.
It's not hopeless, though. There are great "new" meds that are very effective with virtually no side effects for most people. They are anti-convulsants. For those of you who think that depression, bipolar disorder, etc aren't "real" or can be treated by deciding to feel good about yourself, I think that alone should tell you something. Obviously, anti-convulsants affect brain chemistry and aren't "happy pills."
It is not craziness. It is not the effect of a bad attitude or even life circumstances (although the latter can definitely worsen it). It is a chemical imbalance, and not something that some should be ashamed to treat. I "came out" about being bipolar a couple of years ago. I felt horribly ashamed before then because of the jokes people made about someone acting "crazy" being "bipolar." I am not crazy. I don't need therapy. My medical condition is well-controlled by my medication. Yes, over the years, there have been adjustments in dose, etc. And, there is pressure, internal and external, to say, "I don't need my meds." But, for anyone who has ever suffered through a true depression (bipolar or otherwise), remembering what life was like before can usually give you the patience to find what works.
I'm coming out here because a lot of doctors do not recognize bipolar disorder when they see it. And, I hope others don't suffer through the misery of misdiagnosis. So, now you all know my deep, dark secret, lol.
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Bipolar depression is a different animal than your run-of-the-mill depression. In fact, many of the meds used will send a person with bipolar disorder into a manic state. Mania is great for a while: your house is spotless, you want to fuck all the time, you never need sleep...But, it doesn't last, and you have to deal with the consequences of whatever "fun" you had when there seemed to be no consequences. An even deeper depression generally follows.
It's not hopeless, though. There are great "new" meds that are very effective with virtually no side effects for most people. They are anti-convulsants. For those of you who think that depression, bipolar disorder, etc aren't "real" or can be treated by deciding to feel good about yourself, I think that alone should tell you something. Obviously, anti-convulsants affect brain chemistry and aren't "happy pills."
It is not craziness. It is not the effect of a bad attitude or even life circumstances (although the latter can definitely worsen it). It is a chemical imbalance, and not something that some should be ashamed to treat. I "came out" about being bipolar a couple of years ago. I felt horribly ashamed before then because of the jokes people made about someone acting "crazy" being "bipolar." I am not crazy. I don't need therapy. My medical condition is well-controlled by my medication. Yes, over the years, there have been adjustments in dose, etc. And, there is pressure, internal and external, to say, "I don't need my meds." But, for anyone who has ever suffered through a true depression (bipolar or otherwise), remembering what life was like before can usually give you the patience to find what works.
I'm coming out here because a lot of doctors do not recognize bipolar disorder when they see it. And, I hope others don't suffer through the misery of misdiagnosis. So, now you all know my deep, dark secret, lol.
G
Guest
Guest
Of course, stress affects depression. I think I said that. And, maybe I wasn't clear to say that meditation, execise or therapy, etc. can certainly help Stress doesn't disappear because I take my medication. My medication just makes it possible for me to out of bed or get down from the chandelier long enough to cope with it.
I just want to clarify something about the "mind" and not the "brain." There is a distinction. And, they work in conjunction. If you have a chemical imbalance, your mind can try all it wants, but you will not "fix" this problem by willpower alone. If you take your meds but stay married to an abusive spouse, the meds aren't going to "fix" your life.
The chemicals in the brain have a sort of cascading system. Once you trigger those that lead to depression in someone with a physiological disorder, stress increases them, and there is not the same mechanism to "turn them off" that someone else has who can "feel a little down" but get on with his day in an effective way. Having multiple coping mechanisms in place in your life can help to avoid these triggers.
Thanks for the well wishes! Okay, I'm really late for lunch now, and when I get yelled at, that will increase the stress in my life! lol
I just want to clarify something about the "mind" and not the "brain." There is a distinction. And, they work in conjunction. If you have a chemical imbalance, your mind can try all it wants, but you will not "fix" this problem by willpower alone. If you take your meds but stay married to an abusive spouse, the meds aren't going to "fix" your life.
The chemicals in the brain have a sort of cascading system. Once you trigger those that lead to depression in someone with a physiological disorder, stress increases them, and there is not the same mechanism to "turn them off" that someone else has who can "feel a little down" but get on with his day in an effective way. Having multiple coping mechanisms in place in your life can help to avoid these triggers.
Thanks for the well wishes! Okay, I'm really late for lunch now, and when I get yelled at, that will increase the stress in my life! lol
