Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 1076605

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Medical conditions know to cause depression!

Posted by topdog on February 14, 2015, at 9:58:31

I have stopped my Nardil for 14 days by now. It is the only drug in the history of mankind that ever helps my everlasting depression, too bad it has got severe side-effects what i cant stand anymore. My life is in ruins because of my depression or if i'm on Nardil, because of it's side-effects(i would 100% choose the Nardil though).

Before restarting Nardil, i want to test for every possible medical condition known to science, make every test possible(blood, urin) to rule out any physical illness/condition/virus/low hormones levels etc to be responsible for my untreatable depression and thystymnia.

For the sake of peace of mind, i just want to know if my organism is functioning correctly and i have no physical disease responsible for my depression before i will restart Nardil and accept the unacceptable- this will be my life till i'm gone.

I have a medical lab where i live, who does over 500 different test for health condition: tests by blood/urin/brain-scans etc.

I have read about low testosterone and hypothyroidism to cause depression, but on the web, there are endless possible causes and i can't make my choice what tests to take, maybe i take all 500+ in the list provided by the chemlab??

Anyways,
What i ask, is to Please list any test/examination that can be taken or any disease you know that can be related to causing depressive symptoms.

Regards,

topdog

 

Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression!

Posted by topdog on February 14, 2015, at 10:33:04

In reply to Medical conditions know to cause depression!, posted by topdog on February 14, 2015, at 9:58:31

_______________________________________
I wish i was born in 2100 or beyond.

The nano-technological age is developed to the point where any diseases or health problems can be detected and fixed before it shows any real perceptible/visible symptoms. Depression will be cured in an instant.
A person will be connected to the network which detects any abnormalities in the brain/body functioning, it will list all chemical processes taking place in the body and brain and there current production and functioning level.

Live data will be shown for any aspect in overall health and an organism functioning- brain circuits will be reprogrammed, neurons will be replaced/repaired, mono-amine levels will be corrected- nano robots injected in the blood or malfunctioning circuits reprogrammed. Depression will be history by that time.

I would like to go to 2150, let myself be wired-up to a computer system and see what is the brain actually doing. What is causing the problem, why i feel sick all the time and let the problem be fixed by the end of the day, where i i'm wished a happy evening and life ever beyond.
After a quick fix/adjustments I return back feeling refreshed, healthy, happy and thankful for the technology available.

..Just a thought by reading medical technology development prognoses beyond 2070.

__
Fellow suffers, Hold on, many new meds coming up in 2016, 2017 that will revolutionize mental health-care. Remember, the time is ticking, just need to hold on for little more, use what u can, whatever makes u feel better, Need to last just a little more until the real help arrives.

Never forget, there is a beautiful life out there, some of us just can't see it at the moment, but don't forget, it is real and u will see and feel it soon!

And as always,

Good luck!

Topdog

 

Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression! » topdog

Posted by Tomatheus on February 14, 2015, at 10:57:42

In reply to Medical conditions know to cause depression!, posted by topdog on February 14, 2015, at 9:58:31

Topdog,

I suffer from what's probably a combination of depressive symptoms and psychotic symptoms, along with cognitive problems that emerged around the time that my psychosis emerged. So, some of the tests that were ordered for me may not be relevant to your case, but I'll list the tests that the doctor ordered for me when I went to an orthomolecular treatment center.

Here they are:
* Heavy Metals Profile II, Blood (included blood tests for lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium)
* Comp. Metabolic Panel (14)
* CBC, No Differential/Platelet
* Thyroxine (T4) Free, Direct, S
* Folate (Folic Acid), Serum
* TSH
* Histamine Determination, Blood
* Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy
* Pyrroles, Urine
* Vitamin B12
* Ceruloplasmin
* Copper, Serum
* Zinc, Plasma or Serum
* Ferritin, Serum

The doctor that I saw at the orthomolecular treatment center ordered the above tests after questioning me about my symptoms, so it's possible that the above tests may not all be best for your situation. I will say that I usually mention tests for thyroid disorders, anemia, and levels of vitamins B12 and D as being relevant to depression in some of my responses to posters here with depressive disorders. The thyroid-related tests that I had were the thyroxine (T4) and TSH tests. I'm not sure which tests are used to screen for anemia, but somebody else on this site might be able to give you more information on that.

In my case, my vitamin D level came back low, and I was also told that I had a "pyrrole disorder." I also had elevated white blood cells, and my blood sugar was one point above the reference interval. I've been taking vitamin D3 consistently for a little more than a year now. I've noticed some signs toward improvement as far as my energy and concentration are concerned, but as of late, my response has been kind of intermittent.

At any rate, there may be other tests that you'd want to consider, but I thought I'd give you a list of the tests that I underwent when I was seen at an orthomolecular treatment center to consider. As I said, all of the tests that I underwent may not be best to have ordered in your case, but I thought I'd pass on what I had ordered.

Much luck to you in figuring out how to proceed with testing.

Tomatheus

 

Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression!

Posted by Phillipa on February 14, 2015, at 17:36:32

In reply to Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression! » topdog, posted by Tomatheus on February 14, 2015, at 10:57:42

Top Dog any autoimmune illness & lymes disease can cause depression. And I have hypothyroidism. Did you google illnesses that can cause depression? P

 

Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression!

Posted by ed_uk2010 on February 14, 2015, at 18:14:41

In reply to Medical conditions know to cause depression!, posted by topdog on February 14, 2015, at 9:58:31

>It is the only drug in the history of mankind that ever helps my everlasting depression, too bad it has got severe side-effects what i cant stand anymore. My life is in ruins because of my depression or if i'm on Nardil, because of it's side-effects(i would 100% choose the Nardil though).

How long have you suffered from depression for? And how old were you when it started? Do you have any medical problems apart from depression? Or any unexplained physical symptoms?


 

Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression!

Posted by topdog on February 15, 2015, at 4:36:06

In reply to Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression!, posted by ed_uk2010 on February 14, 2015, at 18:14:41

Hi ed_uk 2010!

I'm 30 by now, i have been suffering for total of 12 years, it hit me like lightening, during the second half of 2002. In six months i got severely sick and never recovered, the illness took over my life. In the next five years i tried all common meds available of every possible group without any help. In the end, when i was out of options and very close to checking out, i was able to acquire Nardil from UK and have been on it ever since. Though one time i had stop because of the drugs unavailability to me- this was the worst 6 months i could ever imagine possible to be felt by a person.

I have understood that only thing that takes away the pain and makes my life somewhat livable are the drugs that strongly elevate dopamine levels. In my country stimulants are not prescribed for depression, but i have had a change to try Modafinil for few months which also removed the main symptoms.

I know if i go back on Nardil i will never stop it unless i am forced to or a better med comes out.
The positive effects the Nardil produces give me energy and will to go on and make me feel somewhat good or even euphoric in a way, but it's not the real joy, freshness and wide emotion spectrum i felt before the age of 18, the time i got sick. I still remember the smell of the fresh grass and the feel of the ocean breeze in spring and all of the emotions i could feel back then. Waking up, feeling refreshed and excited for the new day and how the sun felt in hot summers day, The music felt alive, the colors where vivid and everything was interesting and exciting, i felt alive back then. now i am a depressed zombie or on Nardil a drug induced euphoric emotionless living organism ..just venting i guess.

I would appreciate any advise what tests to take! They cost me almost nothing so i would take as many as rational, to find the cause (if there is one).

 

Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression!

Posted by topdog on February 15, 2015, at 4:40:13

In reply to Medical conditions know to cause depression!, posted by topdog on February 14, 2015, at 9:58:31

I have now other medical condition i am aware of!

 

Blood tests for depression suffers » topdog

Posted by ed_uk2010 on February 15, 2015, at 14:29:23

In reply to Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression!, posted by topdog on February 15, 2015, at 4:36:06

Hi TD,

>I'm 30 by now, i have been suffering for total of 12 years, it hit me like lightening, during the second half of 2002. In six months i got severely sick and never recovered, the illness took over my life.
>I have no other medical conditions that I'm aware of.

I can certainly see why you want to rule out medical causes. On the other hand, a 12 year history of depressive illness but no 'medical' signs is highly suggestive that you will not have an readily identifiable 'medical' cause. If your depression was due to some underlying medical condition, it is very likely you would have pronounced physical symptoms after suffering for 12 years. An example is thyroid disease, which can cause depressive symptoms. After 12 years of an underactive thyroid, you would generally have a substantial medical as well as psychiatric problems.

Anyway, if you've not had any blood tests recently, there are some tests you may be able to get from your doc. I will outline some suggestions and why they might be performed.....

Full blood count - this is a routine blood test which is used in the diagnosis of many common conditions, including anaemia. Many types of infection produce abnormal blood count results.

Urea and electrolyte profile - this exceptionally common blood test, like the full blood count, is performed on almost patients admitted to hospital. It is inexpensive, and is very valuable test to detect kidney disease in the elderly. Although inexpensive, I don't think you need it. In psychiatry, it is normally performed in specific circumstances only eg. to monitor kidney function when prescribing drugs such as lithium which can reduce kidney function, and which rely on the kidneys for excretion.

Calcium level - this is a useful test to perform on older patients who are depressed and vaguely unwell, especially post-menopausal women. Elevated calcium resulting for parathyroid disease can cause depression and various physical symptoms. Calcium levels are very unlikely to be abnormal in young people with depression, unless they are on lithium, in which case is it useful to check it yearly.

Liver tests - blood tests for liver function may be useful if you have risk factors for liver dysfunction eg. high alcohol intake. Liver tests are also sometimes performed for patients on Nardil. Abnormal liver tests would result in further investigation. Some of the tests Tomatheus had done (copper and caeruloplasmic) would normally only be performed after other results were abnormal eg. liver tests. Only private clinics generally perform tests such as copper levels without a pre-existing reason, so they can charge more money!

Thyroid function tests - normally including TSH and free T4. Free T3 is a specialist test, and not a routine screening test. Thyroid dysfunction can be a cause of depression. Although you would probably have clear physical symptoms by now, it would be worth having this basic test if you haven't had it done recently.

ESR, or preferably, plasma viscosity. This is a vague test for inflammation in the body. An abnormal result requires further testing to establish the cause.

Vitamin D level - vitamin D deficiency is very common in depression, mainly as a result of spending a lot of time indoors. Vitamin D deficiency has been hypothesised to aggravate depression. Since vitamin D deficiency is common and easy to treat, it's a useful thing to test for in those at risk.

Vitamin B12 level - vitamin B12 deficiency can worsen depression. This test is not always performed, but is useful in some circumstances eg. the elderly (who often don't absorb it well from food), vegans (who have a low intake of this vitamin), those with certain types of anaemia on the blood count and people who drink a lot of alcohol. In someone of your age, the test would be most suitable if you are vegan or a heavy drinker. Otherwise, it is probably not useful unless your blood count is abnormal.

Folate - red cell folate is the most useful measure. This test is performed in several circumstances eg. when the full blood count shows macrocytic anaemia, in heavy drinkers, and in people who eat very little, or who have a very poor diet. Deficiency is most common in the frail elderly who eat little, and in alcoholics. For you, I would suggest this test if you drink heavily or if you eat very little due to your depression, especially if you're underweight. Otherwise, it may be worthwhile only if you are anaemic with an unknown cause.

Ferritin level - this test is performed if you have signs of iron-deficiency anaemia. In a 30 year old, iron deficiency is dramatically more common in women than in men, due to menstrual blood loss. In women, this test can be performed routinely if there are symptoms of anaemia and fatigue, at the same time as checking the full blood count. In men, it is best to do the full blood count first, unless there is a history of blood loss (eg. haemorrhoids, blood in faeces) or strong clinical symptoms of anaemia.

Autoantibody screen - this test, normally including 'anti nuclear antibodies', or ANA, is used to look for autoimmune diseases, if one is suspected. Various autoimmune diseases such as lupus can cause depression, but in general, a large variety of physical symptoms (rash, joint pain) would be present as well. In the absence of any physical signs, performing this test is not likely to be helpful.

Testosterone and related hormonal tests - these tests are suitable if you are male and have signs of deficiency eg. reduced body hair, reduced facial hair growth, severe loss of interest in sex and erectile problems even when not taking meds which cause sexual dysfunction. This is not a routine test performed in young people with depression and no signs of deficiency.

Blood glucose - if your meds have led to a large weight gain, this test checks for diabetes. It is normally performed on a fasting sample takes in the morning. Blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides ie. fats) can be checked at the same time. These tests are to monitor healthy and medication safety, not to test for causes of depression.

Prolactin - in psychiatry, this hormone is measured in patients on certain antipsychotics, which can elevate it.... it is not measureed otherwise. You do not need this test, but I included it for other readers.

Lyme disease blood testing - in the US, some doctors looks for Lyme disease in people with unexplained symptoms, including psychiatric illness. This test is not suitable in countries where Lyme disease is rare, unless the is strong medical reasons to suspect it eg. signs of Lyme arthritis.

>Though one time i had stop because of the drugs unavailability to me- this was the worst 6 months i could ever imagine possible to be felt by a person.

I'm so sorry to hear that. Was this due to a problem importing the drug? I'm not aware of there being any supply problems with Nardil in the UK recently.

>I have understood that only thing that takes away the pain and makes my life somewhat livable are the drugs that strongly elevate dopamine levels.

The effects of MAOIs are only partly to do with dopamine. Indeed, Nardil is very different to stimulants. MAOIs are clearly effective antidepressants, whereas stimulants are not. MAOIs potently effect quite a number of different neurotransmitters.

>Modafinil for few months which also removed the main symptoms.

That's interesting. Modafinil is very different to the other stimulants. It is not very dopaminergic.

>I know if i go back on Nardil i will never stop it unless i am forced to or a better med comes out.

Have you tried Parnate?

>I still remember the smell of the fresh grass and the feel of the ocean breeze in spring and all of the emotions i could feel back then. Waking up, feeling refreshed and excited for the new day and how the sun felt in hot summers day, The music felt alive, the colors where vivid and everything was interesting and exciting, i felt alive back then.

That's a beautiful description of health. For me, I've not really felt excitement for the new day since childhood either. This hasn't always been related to depression though. I don't think life is ever quite so exciting as being a child at Christmas!

Hope my post is useful to you.

 

Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression!

Posted by topdog on February 16, 2015, at 11:27:14

In reply to Medical conditions know to cause depression!, posted by topdog on February 14, 2015, at 9:58:31

Thank you so much for such a comprehensive and detailed reply, it is a big help for me on choosing the tests!

If the tests come back normal, i quess i have to stick to nardil until some newer class of AD's come available. Regarding to Parnate, it helped me for a little while but made me feel like i'm on speed for several hours after i took the dose, but by the evening i was feeling really anxious and depressed.

Have you heard anything positive about Ketamine or it's analogues under development? I tried Ketamine on my own IM and it made me feel really good until i started abusing it and the experiment went wrong.

Do you think that the actual antidepressant effect can be felt from Ketamine (like for a week after the injections) when on nardil, asking because nardil can be euphoric too and it may be hard to tell the difference- is it the nardil or the ketamine?

Tnx again!
Topdog,

 

Drugs in development - for depression » topdog

Posted by ed_uk2010 on February 16, 2015, at 13:00:24

In reply to Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression!, posted by topdog on February 16, 2015, at 11:27:14

> Thank you so much for such a comprehensive and detailed reply, it is a big help for me on choosing the tests!

That's good to know!

>Have you heard anything positive about ketamine or its analogues under development?

Drugs acting on the same receptor are highly promising, especially rapastinel (glyx13) and NRX-1074. CERC-301 is a related drug also in development.

LY2456302, a kappa antagonist, is being developed as a possible antidepressant.

>I tried Ketamine on my own IM and it made me feel really good until i started abusing it and the experiment went wrong.

I don't think self-medication with ketamine is ever likely to end well!

>Do you think that the actual antidepressant effect can be felt from Ketamine (like for a week after the injections) when on nardil, asking because nardil can be euphoric too and it may be hard to tell the difference- is it the nardil or the ketamine?

Ketamine's euphoric effects are short-lived. Some people, but not all, do experience a reduction in depressive symptoms a week later.

 

Re: Medical conditions know to cause depression! » topdog

Posted by phidippus on March 2, 2015, at 13:41:21

In reply to Medical conditions know to cause depression!, posted by topdog on February 14, 2015, at 9:58:31

I think most illnesses cause some level of depression.

Nobody likes to feel sick.

Eric


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