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Avatar universal

Am i depressed?

I think i am suffering with anxiety and depression, i am scared to go out, cry all the time, feel 'different' and detached from everything...help me, i feel like i am losing my mind and want to be happy and confident again. I am scared of never feeling the same again and don't know what to do. I have been like this for seven weeks now and have been off work. The other day i forced myself to work, as my boyfriend and parents think it will be good for me, rather than sitting at home all day, so i went to work and 3 days later my work sent me home saying they don't think i am well enough. They are very concerned about me and said i'm not myself and i'm not well enough. They are very concerned about me and said i'm not myself and i'm not well enough to be at work. My manager said i barely talk to anyone, she has to drag me into conversations etc. They said i need to get better first and they are not sure being back at work right now is helping me. Sat talking to them about things and was crying the whole time, which was embarrassing. They said they will allow me to do part time hours - 2 days a week for now and then i can build it up, but said i should get some counselling or something or sit down with my family and talk about how i feel - which i have.

I have had counselling and always tell my family and friends how i feel, but none of this helps - i am not getting better, i just feel worse and am eating well, trying to do a little exercise etc, taking Omega 3, which i have heard is suppossed to help with depression etc, my doctor has offered me anti-depressants but i don't want to take them as side effects seem awful.

Is this really depression and if so what can i do to get better?

Im exhausted and crying all the time...

please help me xxx
32 Responses
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Avatar universal
Is your doc a psychiatrist? Sometimes a gp can find the right drug, but a psychiatrist has the best understanding of the drugs, so most here recommend not even seeing a gp if the problem persists.
Helpful - 0
968908 tn?1274871115
Hiya.... Yeah thats exactly what happened to me but with Paxil, I was on it for 12yrs, changed my life in a big way, could function nearly normally.  Then back last xmas i decided that it was time to come off of it, so weened myself off very slowly had withdrawl even with a slow taper, intense head shocks but finally in March of this yr came off.  Felt fine but then in June had a massive upset in my life and it all came flooding back...panic attacks etc.  Doc put me back on it and then on day 5 of taking 10mg i had a severe reaction to it so doc told me not to take it anymore.... Tried 5 or 6 other SSRI's and SNRI's and they all cause my body to go into melt down, the more my mind starts to feel better the more my body deteriorates (know my spellings bad...lol).  

At the mo i'm on 40mg x 2 daily of Propanalol (Inderal) and helps enormously with the GAD but does nothing for the agoraphobia or social phobia.  So before i go totally insane with being cooped up in the house on my own 24/7 i need something to help me!!

Thanks for replying xx
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I felt that I had worse anxiety than dep but who can quantify something like that when they were so powerful and frightening? I asked the pharmacist why my doc prescribed Wellbutrin which wasn't for me and then Celexa which worked when the drug information sheets just talked about its anti-depressive abilities. The pharmacist said dep and anxiety can go hand in hand feeding off each other, and the reason Celexa was not listed as anti-anxiety is because the docs already know anti-dep medicine will work on anxiety too, so the pharma companies do not pay for hugely expensive ($100M minimum trials for anxiety too).

Anyway Celexa just took both problems and pushed them to the far corner as I explained above, and once I stabilized for half a year I just went off with no anx or dep problem since.
If you get to that point though the hard part is over , but you have to monitor to make sure you do not slip into another dep. 2 deps and you are 95% likely to suffer chronic dep for life.
Helpful - 0
1052851 tn?1307741160
Were you ready to come of Paxil, I mean do you not have anxiety, panic attacks etc anymore?
I dont understand why the Dr would take you off something that was working and put you on Wellbutrin?
They all have there own special side effects. I took all of them and none worked. At one time I was on Prozac and it seemed to work, so I got off it, then it all came crashing back and the Dr put me back on it, but this time I couldnt tolerate it, it was horrible, so I went off that.
Now I am on Clonazepam for anxiety, and Cipralex for anti-depressant. I dont know of any medication that cures both symptoms, but then again Im not a Dr.
I take other meds on top of this for my other mental issues - my bathroom is slowly turning into a pharmacy...LOL
Helpful - 0
968908 tn?1274871115
hiya just read what u said about the drug wellbutin..... so is it an anti-d and what makes it so different from the others? Does it have fewer side effects? Has interested me due to the fact i have found it extremely difficult getting onto an anti-d since coming off of Paxil for anxiety, panic attacks, agoraphobia and depression 6 months ago.

Any info would be highly appreaciated......x
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
As I mentioned, my doc told me that I needed to go on meds in order to remember what it is like to be happy again. At the time I couldn't even grasp what happiness was but found out quick enough when the med erased all the dep and anxiety away. (It was still there, but more like a tiny voice way off in the corner whenever a dep or anx issue came up, like whenever the co-worker who went on a mission to try to make me quit work would start a screamfest over something I had messed up.)

Happiness before taking medication seemed like just something others had, as I was convinced my brain would never cooperate again and think like it did before the dep. I thought just not feeling bad would be very difficult, so never dreamed that my normal happiness could be allowed to shine through the dep.
Helpful - 0
1105920 tn?1259961288
felt just like you nicnoc.... went on Wellbutrin, had no side effects (was itchy for a week) and then it was like a cloud lifted from my brain and I felt like.... ME.  I was scared of all the other antidepressants and your concerns ARE valid.  Just ask, they will tell you that Wellbutrin/Buproprion is very different from SSRI's.
Helpful - 0
968908 tn?1274871115
I suffer from severe anxiety with depression and went down the herbal route, tried bachs rescue remedy which i have to admit did help a little bit but i had to take a fair bit of it, 5 drops on the tongue is the usual dose as needed but for me to make a differnce found i had to take double, even then it didn't last that long. But i guess is good for emergencies, but does not come close to other drugs such as Valium.

St Johns Wort is for low mood and is actually recommened that people who suffer from depression not to take it as it doesn't help and can cause the sufferer to get worse due to lack of treatment.  

Anti-d's have and do save millions of lives, please don't be affraid of them and don't listen to horror stories of other people's experiences cause each person reacts differently to them and u may be perfectly fine and have no side effects what so ever..... It does happen all the time.  
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
When I first became sick I was just like you. I said, "no way I'm going to take that antidepressant poison."

I was going to just try to tough it out also with just therapy alone. I regret doing this because by not allowing myself Psychiatric care in the form of medication, I ended up trying to kill myself. (I was going to stand in front of a fast train)

I tried that twice, but moved out of the way at the last second (not sure why)

Shortly after that a relitive noticed I was suicidal and I had to go to the Psych ward.
After being put on the right meds (and a little time) I could have kicked myself in the *** for having not taken meds sooner. I felt great like my old self again.

Just saying that by resisting what you really need you put yourself at serious risk. You may not be suicidal right now (I wasn't at first either) but it can get so much worse that you may go suicidal. It's just not worth it.

Don't underestimate how deep and severe Major depression and anxiety can go. It can reach levels so deep that even now you can't even imagine.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi again,

You actually sound quite good in your post but that's misleading I know.

Pretty much agree with Hensley. Including the horse manure! Me too.

St John's really is for mild D only and is dangerous if taken with any real meds. They clash and make you ill. SO if you try it make sure your body is clear of other meds OK.

Bach's rescue remedy I had never heard of. But looking it up tells me it's another over the counter attempt at giving hope to people for a few bucks. I know nothing about it but a cure for $5? I don't think so. Maybe as a placebo.

Sending you to a neurologist is good practice as all good docs should be considering physical causes as well as others. To eliminate possibilities is useful and worth doing. It could identify a physical cause that can be treated surgically etc so good luck with the visit.

I guess the main message here is there is a time frame during which we can hang on and refuse recommended treatment. Not specific but the reality is the longher a depression/anxiety is left untreated the more likely it is to deepen. I ignored mine forever and now have it for life, no question. Just managed to reach a balance which is OK but this is it for me.

Don't you let it go too long without facing reality Nic. Hope is great but ,,,,
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Sounds to me like your Depression and anxiety symptoms are way too pronounced for something as weak as St. John Wort to help.

St. Johns Wort works "sometimes" for people with VERY mild depression. It almost never helps a person that is really suffering.

St. Johns Wort is highly regarded only by people who have never taken it before and don't have Major Depression. Just ask them and they will tell you it's great!

If you don't want to take medication, then don't take it. If you honestly think that you can tough life out for the long term without any relief then only you can make that choice. I have to hand it to you.....Your a lot tougher than I am because when I became sick like you, I was willing to eat horse manure if it would get me feeling better again.

Maybe yours will just go away. In rare cases I have heard of Major depression going away on it's own. I just have never met a person with that experience.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi all,

Just thought i'd update you all on how i am getting on...

Went to docs today and they seem adamant it's anxiety and depression. They are going to refer me to a neurologist anyway to rule out anything else, as i am feeling very off balance and my head is constantly woozy, which is the main reason i feel depressed and anxious because i feel out of it all the time! :-( She did say i may benefit from anti-depressants but understands why i don't want to take them and has suggested i give st johns wort a go for my anxiety and back's rescue remedy for my anxiety...has anyone tried these and do they help at all? I am currently working 2 days a week, but still struggling with everything...will i ever be my normal self again?!

Hope you are all well xx
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Well, birdie0907 I wouldn't exactly say "they work" I would say they help a lot, but I am at a stage of progression with this disease that has made me very medication resistant.

19 years of taking Psychotropic drugs tends to build tolerance to them. Now days it take a sick amount and combination of drugs just to keep me fuctional.

SSRI's and SNRI's are light weight stuff to me and wouldn't put a dent in my condition.
I take the big dogs. Protriptilyne 15mgs, Lithium 900Mgs a day, Lamictal 200Mgs, Klonopin 2Mgs a day, Deplin, and a dash of Paxil for the Serotonin effect.

After 19 years of taking powerful antidepressants I have now developed  neurological damage in the form of hand and arm tremmors. God knows what else they have done to me, but it beats living in a Psych ward.

It didn't used to be that way. Early on I would get years of remission, but then it just became worse and worse. The time spent in remission started getting shorter and shorter and I had to keep making med changes to kick the beast back down.

I would kill for a good two years of remission at this point.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Most of the side effects go away in a short time too, so do not just quit taking them without consulting a professional. It is best to get your prescriptions from a pharmacy that has 24 hour service, because you can ask them about any worries you have and get instant relief if they are minor in nature.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
The first depression increases your chance of another, and 2 dep almost guarantees you chronic dep. Good thing your meds work.
Helpful - 0
968908 tn?1274871115
Hiya, just thought i'd say that it is worth giving the anti-d's a try, please don't be frightened of them, yes they can give you side effects but what gave Mr Jones bad side effects could be ur magic pill, everyone is different so please don't listen to anyone telling you their horror stories of anti-d's because they have and do save millions of lives.  

When u see ur doc get the med's and take the meds one day at a time, see how u go.... If u find u feel unhappy with that med there are tons more that may suit u better, so don't give up..... Also you can go down other routes as well as western med's, herbal, chinese, even things like reflexology and accupunture..... the list is endless.  

I really do hope u start to feel better soon, please don't give up hope...... all the best now
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
For me meds worked great and my symptoms were much the same as the person that posted. Unfortunatly unlike some people I was not aboe to stop taking them. Tried many times, but when I did the symptoms just returned even worse.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You got a lot of replies which I skimmed over. Much of it is good advice, but where I perhaps differ is meds brought me out of it + I was able to quit taking them afterwards.

I have been fine for a year now, so if you are lucky as I was, there is hope. Sadly, for about 20% of people there is no med that really works, but for the rest it is a matter of trying one and if it doesn't work after the period it takes to kick in, trying another. They take 6 - 8 weeks for max effect, but I couldn't get enough from Wellbutrin to last past 4 PM before the gray skies rolled in from nowhere like a frightening wave of bleakness that was making its daily rounds and finally caught up to me each day, then would not leave me for hardly a moment until sleeptime. Fortunately Celexa saved the day, including some relief after a week.

Celexa brought relief during the dep and anxiety period which (combined with the readings I was doing about learning how to cope) gave me a breather from the ever-present dep. Dep was so powerful that it seemed there could be no way for my brain to ever function happily again before the meds kicked in.
I read in a meditation book that said very few people are exceptional enough to get rid of a dep without meds because only meds can give you that boost to happy positive thinking that is needed before you can focus on staying happy.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yea, I'm sorry to tell you but that's Major Depression. No question in my mind because I can tell by the way you described it.

I'm sure along with this your also having some pretty bad anxiety also.

I know what your thinking because I did the same thing, "How can this be depression because it feels like I am going insane?"

That's what Major depression feels like. You will have this weird scary feeling of feeling dissattached. Your world (almost visually even) will take on a strage feel to it (almost like your walking in space and everything seems 2 dimensional)

That's moderate "maybe" severe Major Depression. Don't worry, it can't make you insane, but it will make you feel that way.

Hate to tell you, but Consoling and Omega 3 won't even put a dent in it when it gets to that level.

Good news! I was worse than you (same symptoms) and meds saved my life and got me back to normal again.

You go right away and find a good Psychiatrist (spell those words) NOT A REGULAR MD OR PSYCHOLOGIST.

NOT a therapist either - only a Board certified Psychiatrist. You tell him exactly all your symptoms - leave nothing out.

You may not like being on Medication, but it beats the hell out of being in a fog of anxiety everyday.

It won't go away until you get help. Trust me on that one.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi again,

Almost any sort of feeling is possible with depression I'm afraid. That's why we often ignore it as we think it might just be a bug etc.

Woozy and weird are hard words to say yes to but they sound appropriate. Woozy may be a combination of tiredness, lack of concentration, disinterest and weird may be that plus a want to isolate, lack of concentration, sleep disturbance (erratic sleep) and of course, eating the wrong food at the wrong time or even not eating at all.

In my worst period I basically forgot to eat. I was overweight so it didn't harm me in the slightest (always loved my food) but I lost 5 stone in about 3 months that time, the only time ever I've lost.

I wasn't trying to do that, was just so overwhelmed by misery and suicidal thoughts I forgot most of the time. Never felt hungry. Tells you how powerful this illness is, if I don't get hungry anything is likely. Believe me.

So, woozy and weird? Sure. The best way to think that through though is to try and define for yourself exactly what those words mean, to you, for this purpose. Look up depression symptoms on Google and just go through the many lists and you'll see things that will ring a bell with you.

In other words many smaller things may be the real names of those two words. Many use the words brain fog which isn't too helpful for a doc but it describes a combination of these symptoms you see. So other sufferers get it without having to use many words.

For an individual though it just confuses us as if we see the real symptoms we can understand what they mean and KNOW what is wrong.

Good luck at the doc's and the therapist too. Be patient with them, they have a lot to learn. About you.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi

Thank you for your message.

I understand what you are saying and i think i may give medication a go. I have also booked a session with a different counsellor who i'm hoping can help me. I really want to be back to my old self.

Is it normal to feel woozy and weird with depression/anxiety?

xx
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hi again,

I note a comment that after taking meds and stopping the anxiety etc came back.

Of course. Meds don't cure the problem, they relieve the symptoms. It is therapy, talking it out and finding the cause of your problem if possible that can cure it. Meds are designed to do what a headache tablet does. Relieve the headache. But it doesn't stop a headache next day does it?

Same thing with depression meds.

Some of us, like me, need to take meds long term and probably life, me that is. That's Ok as I wouldn't survive without them although I do check that every time I switch meds.

With meds the thing is to be informed and not afraid. If you are informed then you should know before hand which med is not worth trying. Use a site such as rxlist to check meds out as well as asking on here and similar places. Users know best how they feel.

You mention therapy as not helping. Well, when very depressed it doesn't as you are not thining rationally enough to gain the maximum benefits from it. If you do accept the meds and feel better, that's the time to do the therapy and it will help at that stage.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
hey ophy i used to be like that like you described, that was when i was a junior in high school, then they went away with medication but the side effects sucked. Then!? i got anxiety again 2 months after i graduated. But not as bad as the first time. I  am doing much better Thank God and i do sometimes feel anxious but i handle it and sometimes sad also but i try not 2 pay attention. I read what you wrote and it sounded just like if you were talking about me. I just want 2 ask you how are you doing better, have you been treated or are you on the road to recovery?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you for your message. It makes me feel a little betetr to know i'm not losing my mind! It's such a scary feeling and very distressing, i just hope it passes in time so i can enjoy my life again xx
Helpful - 0
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