Depression & Chronic Pain

[thester6474]

Hi, I know that we all have gone through this at some point in our lives.  I have been experiencing major depression for the last four months.  Before that the depression would come and go.  I am at the point where I cry and cry and cry.  On an average day I may sleep 12 -- 16 hours, and when I wake up it feels like I have been up for days at a time.  I have really isolated myself from family and friends in the last month, why dampen their spirits right?  During the time before you got diagnosed were you all experiencing bouts of depression?  And if so, how did you deal with it?  Anti-Depressants do not really help me, I have been on them since October.  I finally weaned myself of of the Cymbalta, because I felt that maybe I am over medicated, and maybe that is causing some of my problems.  But since I have stopped taking them, I feel even more depressed.  I wake up, shower, brush my teeth, and pretty much lie back down.  I have no interest in anything that I once did.  What makes it worse is, I am really afraid of what my doctor's might say or do, if I tell them how I have been feeling this last few months.  What can I do to help me get out of this funk?  Could it be the chronic pain I experience, that is causing this depression?

[ggreg]

Dear Thester,
Just read your other post about finally being diagnosed with Lyme.  So, concerning this post about depression being aggravated by pain, there is another thread in here by Mrs. Ricardo about a brain operation, which led to a discussion about pain and its affect on people, and Pisces made a post about how his friend had a brain problem, was in a lot of pain, and he was tired just like you, and he took Neurontin, and his energy levels returned to normal!  Neurontin is for nerve problems, so even tho it may not be "the drug of choice" for Lyme, maybe that is a medication you can look into for help with your symptoms.

I also talked with a poster called D with a number behind it, who was in trouble with nerve pain problems, and he wanted to know if he should follow his doctor's advice to take Lyrica.  That is also a drug for nerve pain.  I have back pain from a nerve problem that doctors missed for a long time, and when I took Lyrica, it was the only thing, including ineffective opiates, that stopped my back discomfort.  So, Lyrica is another one to consider, perhaps, for your Lyme symptoms.

Patsy, I didn't mean to get all worked up over our opposing views on Lyrica a few days ago, I always like a lively debate, didn't mean to get personal about it.  But they are using it for people who display symptoms like Fibromyalgia, which can be like those with Lyme, and I wonder if that drug would also be helpful for Lyme people like you and Thester.  Same thing with Neurontin, altho I don't know as much about it as the Lyrica.

There are many effective pain control medications to be tried, and I know Lyme has some specific drugs that help cope with it, various Lyme websites should point out what is recommended.  But I wanted to bring Neurontin and Lyrica in as possible help.  Patsy, what about the opiates?  Do they do any good for Lyme symptoms?  Or is it steroids like Cortisone that help it?  Edu-bi-cate us, please, and it will be helpful for all people who have pain from varying neurologically based problems.  And as for this thread, Thester, I am very interested in the relationship between pain and mental stability, as this is my particular problem for ten years, and no doctor focused on my back pain being partly responsible for my mental problems until just in the last six months.

Thank you all for your contribution to this common problem with all people with neurological problems.  While I don't think pain is THE reason why people have other brain disturbances like epilepsy, or TBI or TIAs, or circulatory or muscular problems, I do think if the nerves, as in neuropathy, whether diagnosed or not, if they hurt, it can bring a person down really fast.  So, my belief is, pain control appropriate to the source of pain, even if one is not sure of the etiology, is key to adjusting to a life with nerve-type discomforts.

Some physicians are even pointing to inflammation as contributing to heart problems, which the current thinking is inflammation is a process and result of dis-ease.  But they're saying no, inflammation in and of itself can create serious health issues.  This is what I think about pain, be it from nerves or anywhere else, even tho it is thought of as a symptom, it should not be overlooked as a cause, too, and thus improved definitive treatment for it might help people live more comfortably as a result.

Just a few of my jumbled thoughts.  It's hard for me to think straight, so I apologize for a long post, altho I hope I stayed on point well enough for everyone to understand what I am saying.
GG

[ggreg]

Hi Thester,
I'm like Deuce, pain can definitely cause depression.  The less pain you have, the less you feel bad.  In your case, the fact that you went off the Cymbalta, yes, that increases the original depression, it's actually withdrawals and can last for a couple months, and going off the drug puts you in a worse spot than you started out.  I've been to that PLACE, like driving a car straight into the Mohave Desert.  I went off one of my SSRIs last year and I went out of my mind.  The reason I went off it, turned out it was making me even more depressed, which is one of the side effects.  It just wasn't working like it should

Anyhow, I switched to another less-bothersome antidepressant before I totally lost it institution-style, and I got worlds better.  Years ago, I took tri-cyclics for the short-term and went through intensive psychotherapy to get all the trash out of my head, so maybe you could take those instead for a little while to help.  And like Deuce said, get better treatment for your pain.  For me, pain from a wreck got my mind all wacked out.  I just talked to my neurologist a few days ago, and he said if someone was tapping you on the shoulder while you were trying to talk, which he did that while we were talking, he said it goofs up your ability to talk, which it did to me and I was so annoyed by him tapping me on the shoulder!  Likewise, pain keeps you from thinking clearly, which can be very frustrating, and anger is often what causes depression.

Also, some people just get depressed more often than others, they theorize a chemistry deal.  I think some people are just sensitives, their emotions pick up on all sorts of junk, and if it's about something pivotal in your personal life, like a marriage breaking up for instance, or even severe pain that ruins your plans, the person that can't deal with the emotion is going to have a problem with depression.  Mike Wallace, the news reporter, they did a special on him, he was clinically depressed twice, it was connected to a career meltdown, that's why he went nuts.

If I were you, I'd get on a tri-cyclic perhaps, or a low-dose mild SRI like Zoloft for just a couple months, and I'd definitely see about better pain control.  Depending on the pain, opiates will work for some pain, other meds for other pain, but whatever it is, get you an appropriate big-time drug and see how much your attitude improves.  Also, whatever medicine you're on now, review it for "depression" side effects, and perhaps adjust those as-needed.  And remember that going off that Cymbalta, even slowly, takes some real getting used to.  Lastly, you have got to sit down and talk with someone, to get all this pent-up stuff out of you.  If you're a working woman, very busy, and something or other is out of place in your living circumstances, well, you may have trouble expressing your feelings right now, so talking to someone neutral is a HUGE help in getting past the trouble, that is, identifying and fixing or accepting what's wrong, and then moving forward.
GG  

[thester6474]

Hi, my doc is the one that told me to wean off of it, I did it very slowly.  

[Deuce22oz]

Hey, I know how depresion is. From The sound of it you're having some really bad depression. Chronic pain can deffinately cause depression. I have RSD and other problems that cause me a lot of pain. They cause some depression problems for me. If you are in a lot of pain all the time and it isn't being treated good enough it can deffinately cause some SERIOUS depression problems. That's the story of my life. Also stopping some medications can cause depression. It is a common side effect of withdrawls from many meds. One of the best things I ever did was to stop hiding me depression. You'd be surprised how many people go through it and how well equiped Doctors are at treating it. Going through bad depression myself the best advice I can give you is to talk to your doctor about the depression and the pain if it isn't getting treated good enough. Also, If you stopped taking Cymbalta without telling your Dr. I think you might want to tell him. He might be able to find somethig better for you. Well, I hope you get this taken care of. If you need anyone to talk to about this I don't mind if you get ahold of me. I've gone through it all and may be able to give ya some advice. Hope ya feel better.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

It is natural to be depressed when you are been given so many diagnoses to carry. But the most important thing is you have to be strong. There is no point in hiding your depression, especially from your doctors. If medicines are not working adequately, you can ask you doctor about a good psychotherapist. You certainly need a supportive psychotherapy, or a cognitive behavior therapy.

I can understand that it is difficult to come out of depression. But when you have so many things going on, the only thing that 'you' can control is your attitude towards life. Accept all the problems, do not think who is to blame and move on. There are good people around to help. Seek help.

Regards