Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 1105649

Shown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!

Posted by PCB on August 7, 2019, at 20:39:05

Hey Everyone! I recent started Vitamin D, stopped caffeine, eat fish daily, keep a strick sleep schedule, gratitude journal and meditation. It has boosted my nardil so much that I have started traveling, socializing at work and feeling great overall.

Ive had partial responses to SSRIs before and want to know if anyone thought an SSRI would work now if I maintain the lifestyle changes? Im so tired of nardils weight gain and insomnia. Thanks everyone in advance! PCB

 

Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!

Posted by rjlockhart37 on August 7, 2019, at 23:08:18

In reply to Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!, posted by PCB on August 7, 2019, at 20:39:05

when i started prozac i started noticing increase in mood, and wanting to socialize, being in the mood to socialize because it createed a postive mind feeling. I've gone days without prozac and it is grueling, i see everything diffrent. One thing is makes everything is 'ok' and then when i got off it for few days, i started saying things not ok, i've got to move on and get going. But it does help waking up everyday and being ok with life.
therre not as effective as maois but there main stream right now. Wellbutrin and effexor are also good choices. Yes of course they would work while you making life style changes. It just for me.....fluoxetine makes thing feel 'ok' instead of haivng grueling feeling, gives an ok feeling. But that also can make you come conplacent, and feeling serene when things are not serene. That's juts from my expereince, there's tons of others out there, that SSRIs have helepd, zoloft and effexor are good ones, celexa, luvox.

 

Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!

Posted by linkadge on August 8, 2019, at 7:43:37

In reply to Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!, posted by rjlockhart37 on August 7, 2019, at 23:08:18

I can't say whether you would respond to an SSRI given your lifestyle changes, but I can say that many of my diet and lifestyle choices have lead to much better mental health.

In mice studies, the response to Prozac is strengthened or weakened with diet. The mice given the 'junk food' diet, for example, respond very poorly to Prozac.

It's a testament to the fact that medication alone, is only a part of the picture. Many individuals with limited means, may have a harder time recovering, as more limited resources impact lifestyle options.

Linkadge

 

Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!

Posted by joe f on August 8, 2019, at 15:06:22

In reply to Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!, posted by rjlockhart37 on August 7, 2019, at 23:08:18

HOW WOULD YOU RATE CELAXA LEXAPRO AND LUVOX COMPARED TO PROZAC AND ZOLOFT?

 

Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!

Posted by Christ_empowered on August 8, 2019, at 17:14:26

In reply to Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!, posted by PCB on August 7, 2019, at 20:39:05

im blessed with a modest, safe lifestyle. i have good family relationships. few friends, but...they weren't really friends, anyway. and...

im actually really, truly impressed by how well 20mgs/Prozac is working for me. I also take 20 mgs/Abilify. i've been on a DIY Orthomolecular mix for the better part of 10 years.

for me, the big deal is that i can take Abilify and not something like zyprexa or clozapine. nothing against those drugs if you need them, but...

thanks to a stable lifestyle and (I think) Orthomolecular, i take a somewhat higher than average dose of Abilify, plus 20mgs/Prozac. this combination more or less gets the job done, no major adverse effects, so TD, no EPS, minimal dysphoria from the Abilify, etc.

im clearly not any sort of expert, but i can relate to how lifestyle changes, supplementation, etc. can help make the mental probs easier to treat, even if...treatment is still required, possibly indefinitely.

i think talking to your doctor about a gradual switch over to a cleaner, possibly safer drug might be a good idea.

 

Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!

Posted by PCB on August 18, 2019, at 13:42:33

In reply to Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!, posted by rjlockhart37 on August 7, 2019, at 23:08:18

Hey RJLockhart37,

Thanks so much for your reply! So glad to hear Prozac is helping you! I failed prozac, Zoloftt and Effexor (and 30 other combos) still with severe panic attacks and depression. I was not able to work, had difficulty leaving my house and laying meals. Im really unsure if staying off coffee, good sleep hygiene, omega iii will pull me up out of my severe disabling depression. Im guessing I have a 30% chance.

Do you think with my severe depression, lifestyles changes would work?

Thank you so much!

PCB

 

Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!

Posted by PCB on August 18, 2019, at 13:56:36

In reply to Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!, posted by linkadge on August 8, 2019, at 7:43:37

Hey Linkage,

I have been reading your posts for years and there always so helpful. I agree with your post whole heartedly. I work in the science field and use to think lifestyle changes were useless. I though I and my whole family had biologic illnesses (depression and bipolar) and that medication was the only answer. But now I see the lifestyle changes are just as important to fighting depression.

Well I hope someone out there may have experienced taking a strong medication combination and was able to taper down to a less strong regimen by lifestyle changes and can guide me through it!

Thanks again!

PCB

 

Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone! » Christ_empowered

Posted by PCB on August 18, 2019, at 14:05:37

In reply to Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!, posted by Christ_empowered on August 8, 2019, at 17:14:26

Hey Christ_empowered!

Thanks for your reply. I'm so glad your finding Prozac and Abilify and good lifestyle and supplements helping. I periodically add supplements and so far have found Vitamin D the only one that helps. I'm always finding vegatables reverse my laminal. I found this post

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/bipolar-disorder/hold-folate-adjunctive-lamotrigine

and wonder if folate is negating my lamictal. So that would explain why folic acid, B complex and multivitamins are bad for me. But thank you for the vote of encouragement!

Your the Best!

PCB

 

Re: Quit Work and Go on Disability

Posted by PCB on August 18, 2019, at 14:13:14

In reply to Re: Lifestyle make Antidepressant Work? Help Anyone!, posted by PCB on August 18, 2019, at 13:42:33

Hey Everyone!

I just posted a follow up. I am wondering if changing from Nardil to Zoloft or Effexor and going on disability would be a good decision. At age 47, do I want to keep up with obesity, arthritis, insomnia, etc with nardil and a high pressured job? Or is it better to be depressed without the side effects and go on disability and avoid arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, etc. Sounds like a silly decision, but I am actually considering it.

I have asked my pdoc if his patients get better by going to a lower stress job. He actually said he doesn't know. I was really surprised that he has no patients that changed jobs or volunteered after getting ill with depression, bipolar or anxiety.

Any Help would greatly be appreciated!

PCB

 

Re: Quit Work and Go on Disability

Posted by linkadge on August 18, 2019, at 14:49:14

In reply to Re: Quit Work and Go on Disability, posted by PCB on August 18, 2019, at 14:13:14

It sounds like you are asking two separate questions. It is important to think about them separately and determine whether or not they need to be made together.

For example, you may wish to take a leave to sort out medications / mental health, and then see if, after this, you wish to continue with the job.

Linkadge

 

Re: Quit Work and Go on Disability » linkadge

Posted by PCB on August 18, 2019, at 15:42:14

In reply to Re: Quit Work and Go on Disability, posted by linkadge on August 18, 2019, at 14:49:14

Hey Linkage!

Your completely right! My posts are getting confusing with several questions buried in each one.

I would love to keep my job, get off nardil and be moderately healthy with an ssri/snri combo with lifestyle changes. But it seem no one including my pdoc knows if this will work. Actually my pdoc doesnt thing it will work. The next option I was thinking ( I have done over 25 med combos and volunteered for ECT) was maybe retiring and maybe removing that stress from my life may help reduce my depression and a ssri/snri which barely helps would be enough with my low stress life without a job. So maybe I should quit, see what happens. I have sorted my medicine regimen out having failed most combos except ECT. But ECT and its memory loss would make working almost impossible.

Thank again for your get ideas! Your the best!

 

Re: Quit Work and Go on Disability » PCB

Posted by linkadge on August 21, 2019, at 12:27:30

In reply to Re: Quit Work and Go on Disability » linkadge, posted by PCB on August 18, 2019, at 15:42:14

As long as you have a financial buffer that will tide you over for a while (until you re-calibrate and perhaps find something else), it may be a good idea.

Like I said, I'm in the same boat. I'm a math teacher but the job just never ends. It's 12-16 hours a day, all in, day after day - marking, planning, phone calls, evenings weekends. Here in Ontario, they keep you as a 'temporary' to avoid paying benefits. On top of that, the students hate you, the parents hate you, and society hates you. Actually, I'm surprised I made it this long!! Many teachers in my area seem to show signs of clinical depression.

Linkadge

 

Re: Tough Situation, My Favorite Joke » linkadge

Posted by PCB on August 21, 2019, at 19:03:44

In reply to Re: Quit Work and Go on Disability » PCB, posted by linkadge on August 21, 2019, at 12:27:30

Hey Linkage!

Wow, that is a tough situation. My mother was a teacher and she said everything changed about ten years ago when the love for the profession turned to hate. The children and parents blamed you if they didn't get into Harvard or get an A in every class. The principle hated everyone and wanted my mother to quit so they could get young teacher that they could pay cheaper.

And the same with my work, a majority of colleagues have overt signs of depression. Actually, if we talk most will admit that they are anxious and depressed.

A big congratulations on making it this far Linkage. You really should be proud of your accomplishments. Most people with depression have a hard time just getting up in the morning.

PCB

P.S. One of my favorite jokes is from Drew Carrey. It goes, Oh, you hate your job? Why didn't you say so? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.

 

Re: Leave of Absence » linkadge

Posted by PCB on August 21, 2019, at 20:26:47

In reply to Re: Quit Work and Go on Disability » PCB, posted by linkadge on August 21, 2019, at 12:27:30

Leave of absence is a great idea. Sorry, one other thing. I think I have mentioned it before. Of my entire family, seems my young brother and Father have done the best. Once the depression started in both of them, they pulled back from the stress of life and eventually improved. Both drastically reduced their work schedule to one or two days a week and resigned themselves to financially strick life. My brother alternates stress free retail jobs for a few months with unemployment.

I spent the entire researching antidepressants and catching up on work from the week before. I was miserable. My brother called me and left a message saying, "I know you haven't been feeling well, but you have to work at it." He is on no medications now and ended up running a famous 5K round race and attending a free movie on the beach this weekend. He was happy. I am starting to think he did the right think by sacrificing a traditional career to maintain his mental health.

One of my favorite books is Why Zebra's Don't Get Ulcers but Robert Saplosky. He is a famous Physiologist whom states stress is the cause of many modern diseases. He admits that he has Crohn's Disease which only flare during stress. Zebras don't get stressed; because they do not have credit card bills, mortgages, stressful work, marriages, terrorism. They just need to eat and avoid lions.

I really love your idea about a leave of absence. I might really be good for me and go a volunteer at church. I worked for my brother, father, my best friend's sister. Might be good to get away from the hate at work.

Thanks Linkage. Your the Best

PCB

 

Re: Leave of Absence

Posted by linkadge on August 23, 2019, at 14:22:36

In reply to Re: Leave of Absence » linkadge, posted by PCB on August 21, 2019, at 20:26:47

Yeah, stress is a big factor. When I have time off, I can better recognize how stressful and unenjoyable my job really is. Many people (after time off) look to go back to jobs they enjoy. I fear it.

I have a big problem with social stress. It's not that I fear people, or social situations, but I find that social interaction activates a side of me that I don't like. My favorite job was working as a nighttime custodian at a car factory.

The thing too, is that making financial sacrifices is not as hard as you might think (if you've got the right personality). Right now, I'm living off next to nothing and it seems to have no negative impact on my life. If I do leave jobs, I'm more than happy to give up all the useless expenditures that were never really compensating for my misery. I like the saying, you can never get enough of the things you don't need.

Modern workplaces too, are so incredibly unnatural. Who wants to sit inside a tiny cubicle for 8 hours a day, 2 hours in a car, just for the luxury of going home and sitting on a sofa to binge watch Friends for the weekend. Our workplaces, and work itself, is so unnatural, and the piece of paper they give us to compensate us for the best years of our lives can never suffices.

A simpler society, where you weren't working your entire life to pay off a piece of land, where perhaps your main focus was on finding / growing food and shelter would be more than fulfilling. Sorry, you hit a nerve with me too!

Linkadge


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