Aa
Is there really a cure?
I have suffered from depression and anxiety since I was a kid. I'm usually ok and have a normal life. However, triggers such as a break up, job loss, or major disappointment have me fall into deep depressions that kill me slowly. I'm in one at the moment and I feel this time I won't be able to take it. I had just gotten out of one that lasted several years and now I find myself in another one again... this time it was triggered by a very complicated relationship with my first boyfriend. I had done my best to stay away from depression and tried really hard to lead a normal life... I'm so disappointed with myself... during the few months I was ok I promised myself that I'd never let depression come back to me, I'd rather die. But it's back and I don't know how to deal with it. I refuse to take antidepressants because I have heard all sort of horrible stories about them and I don't want to make matters worse by affecting the chemicals in my brain. I can't afford to do that. I'm being treated with psychotherapy but it doesn't help me at all... the therapist says it all depends on me, but I don't feel so for I want to be happy, yet I feel so miserable and can't control it... My question is: is there really a cure for depression or am I condemned to live with this for the rest of my life? am I going to have outbreaks from time to time forever? or will depression eventually leave me completely? has anyone out there been completely cured? if so, how??? I hate feeling like this... I feel so miserable that I think I should just die and forget about it all. Can someone please advise?
Regarding how long it will take kind of depends on the individual. Everyones body chemistry is different. In most cases you can expect a good 3 to 6 weeks on any SSRI or Tri-cyclic medication before it kicks in.
Even when it does start working, it won't be like some big "Bam!" Most of these meds work very slowly and are subtile in their action.
When I took my first AD medication many years ago, it was not at all what I expected. In fact I really didn't even notice any change until several weeks later at which time a caught myself laughing with my friends and I guess just feeling more normal, just like I used to feel before my Depression. At that point I was like, "hey I think I feel better, I feel more normal, this is good." Slowly the cloud of anxiety and depression lifted and I felt normal again, kind of like you feel when a high fever has lifted.
Keep in mind that yes, you will get some side effects. These side effects are always the worst for the first few months and then they almost always lessen with time.
You may feel a bit sleepy on it for a couple weeks but that should fade too.
Depression and anxiety make us feel dull, anxious and sluggish, your antidepressant should not, and if it does then I suggest you tell your doctor because this is not normal.
Good luck.
Even when it does start working, it won't be like some big "Bam!" Most of these meds work very slowly and are subtile in their action.
When I took my first AD medication many years ago, it was not at all what I expected. In fact I really didn't even notice any change until several weeks later at which time a caught myself laughing with my friends and I guess just feeling more normal, just like I used to feel before my Depression. At that point I was like, "hey I think I feel better, I feel more normal, this is good." Slowly the cloud of anxiety and depression lifted and I felt normal again, kind of like you feel when a high fever has lifted.
Keep in mind that yes, you will get some side effects. These side effects are always the worst for the first few months and then they almost always lessen with time.
You may feel a bit sleepy on it for a couple weeks but that should fade too.
Depression and anxiety make us feel dull, anxious and sluggish, your antidepressant should not, and if it does then I suggest you tell your doctor because this is not normal.
Good luck.
Thank you everyone for sharing your experiences. I find them really useful and I appreciate your empathy. I'm seeing a psychiatrist next week and this time I'm definitely willing to take medication. I hope it works for me too. Can you tell me how long does it take to see the effects? I know everyone is different, but on average? Cheers...
Ricardo, your experience with this Beast seems a lot like mine, only for the first 8 years or so my meds only worked just fine. Now I find that they just aren't doing the trick like they used to. So like you I am looking to adding some different Aminos, and herbs to help my brain function better and get more from my meds.
I have a strong feeling that my body and brain are missing some key naturally occuring chemicls which is why even my meds are struggleing to work proper.
My goal is to give my body back what it needs, so that my meds can do what they are supposed to do.
I have a strong feeling that my body and brain are missing some key naturally occuring chemicls which is why even my meds are struggleing to work proper.
My goal is to give my body back what it needs, so that my meds can do what they are supposed to do.
Very well put by Hensley258, in my case I thought that I was loosing my mind completely, I haven't been to a doctor in more than twenty years, always been a workaholic, I have my own company setting up and maintaining salt water fish tanks which is what I most love in this world.
It got to a point that I could not leave my apartment, actually my bed for a month at the time, I could not understand it, finally after two years of torment a friend took me to a psychiatry.
For the last three years I have change doctors and tried most medicines in the market.
I just seem to have found the right combination between prescription and herbal meds and for the last month I have been able to work almost every day.
If you do not need meds good for you, but if you are surviving a miserable life like I did don't waist your life or wait until a friend has to take you after you wake up in a hospital with your stomach being pump to save your life.
It got to a point that I could not leave my apartment, actually my bed for a month at the time, I could not understand it, finally after two years of torment a friend took me to a psychiatry.
For the last three years I have change doctors and tried most medicines in the market.
I just seem to have found the right combination between prescription and herbal meds and for the last month I have been able to work almost every day.
If you do not need meds good for you, but if you are surviving a miserable life like I did don't waist your life or wait until a friend has to take you after you wake up in a hospital with your stomach being pump to save your life.
The answer to "is there a cure and will I be stuck like this my whole life?"
Well, I would have to say NO to both. No there is no known cure for Severe Depression and Anxiety dissorder and no, you do not have to be stuck that way the rest of your life.
Sometimes just CBT therapy, (Talk therapy) can eventually put this type of depression in sort of a remissive state, but statistics show that an eventual return of the symptoms is more common than not.
In my case CBT did nothing to eliviate the many severe symptoms of my depressive dissorder, but thru it I did learn a lot more about myself and the people with whom I share my life with. Only with medication was I able to snap free of it. Even now with meds I often have to change them because I tend to build up tolerances to meds after only a couple years.
For me the few side effects I do get are absolutly nothing in comparison to my depressive symptoms. The benifts out weighs the dissadvantages by far in my case.
I would much rather take a few meds each day then live my life curled up in bed trembling with dread and irrational fear.
The question is, can you function and stay productive without the use of meds?
If the answer is yes, then I suggest you stay away from them. If the answer is no, well then I guess one needs to ask themselves, "how important is the rest of my life to me?"
Also try to understand that the only reason you have read so many Horror stories about AD medication, is simply because people only tend to voice themselves about bad experiences.
For example.... If you go out to a new resturaunt in town and the food and service is awful, I guarentee you would tell everyone you know to stay clear of that place, "IT WAS HORRIBLE!" On the other hand if you had a good experience and the service and food were fine, you maybe tell one or two people at best.
This is just human nature at work. As natural critics we all tend to over emphazise the negitive. Were not so vocal about the positives we experience in life.
People can say what they want, but I know for a fact that without AD medication, I simply would not be alive now. No question in my mind about it. I would have killed myself many years ago.
Well, I would have to say NO to both. No there is no known cure for Severe Depression and Anxiety dissorder and no, you do not have to be stuck that way the rest of your life.
Sometimes just CBT therapy, (Talk therapy) can eventually put this type of depression in sort of a remissive state, but statistics show that an eventual return of the symptoms is more common than not.
In my case CBT did nothing to eliviate the many severe symptoms of my depressive dissorder, but thru it I did learn a lot more about myself and the people with whom I share my life with. Only with medication was I able to snap free of it. Even now with meds I often have to change them because I tend to build up tolerances to meds after only a couple years.
For me the few side effects I do get are absolutly nothing in comparison to my depressive symptoms. The benifts out weighs the dissadvantages by far in my case.
I would much rather take a few meds each day then live my life curled up in bed trembling with dread and irrational fear.
The question is, can you function and stay productive without the use of meds?
If the answer is yes, then I suggest you stay away from them. If the answer is no, well then I guess one needs to ask themselves, "how important is the rest of my life to me?"
Also try to understand that the only reason you have read so many Horror stories about AD medication, is simply because people only tend to voice themselves about bad experiences.
For example.... If you go out to a new resturaunt in town and the food and service is awful, I guarentee you would tell everyone you know to stay clear of that place, "IT WAS HORRIBLE!" On the other hand if you had a good experience and the service and food were fine, you maybe tell one or two people at best.
This is just human nature at work. As natural critics we all tend to over emphazise the negitive. Were not so vocal about the positives we experience in life.
People can say what they want, but I know for a fact that without AD medication, I simply would not be alive now. No question in my mind about it. I would have killed myself many years ago.
Hi Clarrisa,
Yes, there are horrible stories out there about AD's, but there are also many many success stories. There are several people on this forum who have been helped tremendously by AD's.
I must point out too, Clarrisa, that your therapist is right. Therapy does depend on you and how much work you are willing to invest. Figuring out WHY your depressed can be a challenge and require a lot of deep digging that only YOU can do. When people suffer from severe depression, it's usually from a poor childhood, although lots of people simply have a chemical imbalance and their depression has nothing to do with their upbringing. If your not getting anything from your current therapist, why not try to find another that you connect with better. I am twice your age and I can't begin to tell you how many therapists I've seen in my life. I connected with two!!! Thank God for my last one because my depression has been relatively gone for almost 5yrs, so there IS hope.
Good luck hun.....
Yes, there are horrible stories out there about AD's, but there are also many many success stories. There are several people on this forum who have been helped tremendously by AD's.
I must point out too, Clarrisa, that your therapist is right. Therapy does depend on you and how much work you are willing to invest. Figuring out WHY your depressed can be a challenge and require a lot of deep digging that only YOU can do. When people suffer from severe depression, it's usually from a poor childhood, although lots of people simply have a chemical imbalance and their depression has nothing to do with their upbringing. If your not getting anything from your current therapist, why not try to find another that you connect with better. I am twice your age and I can't begin to tell you how many therapists I've seen in my life. I connected with two!!! Thank God for my last one because my depression has been relatively gone for almost 5yrs, so there IS hope.
Good luck hun.....
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Depression Community
15 signs that it’s more than just the blues
Discover the common symptoms of and treatment options for depression.
We've got five strategies to foster happiness in your everyday life.
Don’t let the winter chill send your smile into deep hibernation. Try these 10 mood-boosting tips to get your happy back
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
