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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AnneL on October 20, 2002, at 13:18:18
My posts above regarding "I am depressed again" to "Quality of Life-Going off Meds" tell how difficult it is for some of us to come to grips with not only needing medication, but being able to tell what is a side effect vs. what is a symptom of the disease itself. I find myself in this quandary. I am on Effexor 225 daily along with Klonopin 1 mg at night which was needed to stop Effexor induced nocturnal panic attacks (worked like a charm!). But here I am, lack of motivation, have such difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, but do great once at work, and then back to no motivation and just lay on the couch when I get home and usually fall asleep for an hour and then get up again until time for bed. My social circle is getting smaller and smaller and I am not going anywhere. I just don't know what to do. I think I am getting scared and wanting to fix this by myself. Hence the desire to taper off Effexor and Klonopin to see if there is any change in my behaviors/feelings. Any ideas? Thanks greatly for any responses. Anne :)
Posted by metiron on October 20, 2002, at 14:51:53
In reply to SSRI Apathy vs. Depression - How to tell?, posted by AnneL on October 20, 2002, at 13:18:18
Hi Anne,
It has taken me quite a few years to accept my need for medications. I started when I was a teen on meds, so I had that whole teen invincibility issue, and then as I got older my thinking was, well, I was just a teenager and now that I'm in my twenties and my hormones have stablized, I won't need them anymore. Neither of those trains of thought were the truth. So I would get off my meds (sometimes way to fast so that I would have to deal with difficult side effects--stupid, but I so much wanted my independence, I so much wanted to be "normal") and then after a few weeks, or a few months I would crash when the meds were fully out of my blood stream. So, I would go crawling back to my psych. He told me though that this is a fairly common thing for people to do. I mean no one wants to live strapped to a little bottle of pills. But, like diabetics need to maintain insulin levels, we depressives need to keep a close eye on our chemical imbalances. --Sucks right?
As for apathy--I'm pretty sure it has something to do with depression. As a matter of fact, I think it is a sign of depression. You might have to get your meds re-evaluated, you also might need to exersize as a natural antidepressant (this is advice that I really need to take myself). But this is a quality of life issue. Are you willing to be apathetic about your quality of life--or are you going to fix it--sometimes it takes alot of determination to go out and make yourself do something or call a friend that you haven't talked to in a while, or pursue some interest besides socializing.
Just remember not to let yourself become defeated. Always try to improve what you see as needing improvement. Don't give up and let life go by without you.
Metiron
Posted by AnneL on October 21, 2002, at 0:39:10
In reply to Re: SSRI Apathy vs. Depression - How to tell?, posted by metiron on October 20, 2002, at 14:51:53
Your message is well taken. You are correct, my quality of life is important and as such I need to take responsibility (be proactive) about insuring that I do whatever it takes to improve my quality of life. I can make an appointment with my pdoc and have my medications evaluated. I am capable and willing to call friends and put more effort to doing something social. When one feels depressed it is pretty darn easy to wallow in it and become completely mired in it. I needed to hear your message. Thank you for taking the time to respond. I really appreciate it. :) Anne
Posted by wcfrench on October 21, 2002, at 16:00:43
In reply to SSRI Apathy vs. Depression - How to tell?, posted by AnneL on October 20, 2002, at 13:18:18
Posted by AnneL on October 21, 2002, at 22:53:33
In reply to Are you happy? (nm), posted by wcfrench on October 21, 2002, at 16:00:43
I do not understand this question, perhaps you can give us more of your thought processes so we can better respond to your query. Thanks, Anne :)
Posted by wcfrench on October 22, 2002, at 3:52:43
In reply to Re: Are you happy? » wcfrench, posted by AnneL on October 21, 2002, at 22:53:33
Well, I was thinking that if you are happy, perhaps the medication is working and you are having side effects, such as apathy. In other words, when your medication works we often feel generally good and happy, but sometimes suffer side effects. Sexual side effects, apathy, detachment. If you are not happy and feel down a lot, then most likely the medicine is not working and your apathy/lack of motivation is just a result of your untreated depression. It's difficult to tell what is caused by what. Medication or depression? But I'd say if you feel depressed, down, then you are just suffering some of the luggage that comes with it, and maybe should consider a switch.
Hope that makes sense.
Take care,
Charlie
Posted by Phil on October 22, 2002, at 6:50:27
In reply to SSRI Apathy vs. Depression - How to tell?, posted by AnneL on October 20, 2002, at 13:18:18
I do the same routine with meds; work is fine and home is not. Sometimes I think it's apathy and sometimes I feel good being alone and having control. My social circle is pretty much gone but I'm okay with that for now.
Never stop meds w/o talking to your doctor. You probably already know that it's very hard for us to be objective about our depression.
Keep us updated..I could use the inspiration.Phil
Posted by AnneL on October 23, 2002, at 20:53:15
In reply to Re: SSRI Apathy vs. Depression - How to tell? » AnneL, posted by Phil on October 22, 2002, at 6:50:27
Hi Phil,
It's been quite a while since we have "spoken". If my memory serves me, I believe you and I started our meds at approximately the same time. I have dropped my dose of Effexor from 225 to 187.5 without any problems whatsoever. Call it a placebo effect, but I feel more energetic already.
I will taper down by 37.5 mg. each week until I see pdoc on 11/12. At that point, I will let him handle the last bit. My plan is to cross over to Prozac for its long half-life to avoid any unpleasant brain zaps or whatever else may be in store for me when I go off. I have also started a Klonopin taper of 1/4 less each week (I have done this before, too bad I started back up again). I feel so much less psychologically dependent on the K. So things are cool right now.
As I said before, if things stay cool, I'am off of meds. If not, back I go. My major external factor in my depression is fortunately very much resolved. We'll see, I'am very much aware that I may just be one of the unfortunate souls who have chemical "issues". Take Care, Anne
Posted by KathyA on October 25, 2002, at 1:18:38
In reply to SSRI Apathy vs. Depression - How to tell?, posted by AnneL on October 20, 2002, at 13:18:18
> My posts above regarding "I am depressed again" to "Quality of Life-Going off Meds" tell how difficult it is for some of us to come to grips with not only needing medication, but being able to tell what is a side effect vs. what is a symptom of the disease itself. I find myself in this quandary. I am on Effexor 225 daily along with Klonopin 1 mg at night which was needed to stop Effexor induced nocturnal panic attacks (worked like a charm!). But here I am, lack of motivation, have such difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, but do great once at work, and then back to no motivation and just lay on the couch when I get home and usually fall asleep for an hour and then get up again until time for bed. My social circle is getting smaller and smaller and I am not going anywhere. I just don't know what to do. I think I am getting scared and wanting to fix this by myself. Hence the desire to taper off Effexor and Klonopin to see if there is any change in my behaviors/feelings. Any ideas? Thanks greatly for any responses. Anne :)
Anne,
I just recently stopped taking Effexor, replacing it with Paxil. I was experiencing some irritability and apathy. I had also developed more social anxiety. Actually I should call it social apathy. I could be quite happy if all I had to do was sit on the couch and read undisturbed. Not practical, however. I didn't ever really want to see anybody or talk to anybody. I found little pleasure in socializing. My doc felt it was the Effexor. I've been off for 4 days (and on Paxil). I feel better socially, that is, I don't mind social situations as much already. I'm interested to see the long-term results. So your feelings socially may be linked to the effexor and not the depression. SSRI's (or SNRI's) are notorious for their numbing effect.
I hope you find what works, or better yet, not need anything long-term.
Kathy
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