Depression Issues

Studies have shown that some people's brains just aren't as wired for happiness as other people's. Is this a new thing for you?

You may already be doing this, but regular vigorous exercise can definitely help.

I would have to say that I am content also. I also feel busy, overwhelmed but definitely content. I do not think that I am happy. That sounds too cheerful. I think you need to determine if you are clinically depressed or if you expected life to be different. Do you know that song, "is that all there is?" A lot of people feel disappointed in the sameness of life. But if you feel sad and irritable, maybe you are depressed.

A few thoughts...

Do you have a spiritual practice? I know meditation can work wonders for forms of depression. Also have you tried acupuncture and or massage?

What is your diet like? Food can have a HUGE impact on mood and depression. It can help to re-evaluate what you eat and how it makes you feel. Fresh fruits and veggies...limit your processed food and also dairy products. Gluten can have a horrible impact on some.

Lastly, do you go to therapy yourself? Not just with your husband but on your own? I went through some things a few years back and it helped tremendously with managing my mood/issues.

Just some thoughts. Hang in there and don't make yourself wrong for it.

So sorry you are dealing with this.

Some random thoughts:
*Have you ever had your thyroid checked? (since hypothyroidism is a treatable cause of depression and can cause flat affect).
*Ever had your vitamin D levels tested? (I have to take prescription mega-doses to stay in range)
*Had your homocysteine levels checked? (can be elevated if low in B-12 or folic acid)

If your doc has ruled out physical causes of depression (vitamin deficiencies, thyroid etc) I would consider staying with some form of counseling. Good luck, I hope you feel better soon.

Hi Renee, You have gotten some great answers. I take good vitamins that are real without additives, extra vit D, extra B stress vitamins and fish oil is suppose to be a natural anti-depressant. I also do acupuncture, its amazing, been doing it for over one yr and I feel so good inside and out when I get to go. There is nothing like a complete natural high without all the side affects.There is also 5-HTP with vit 6 that is suppose to boost your seritonin level naturally. It supposts positive mood. I can't handle the side affects of so many pharmacuticals so I turn to good products for myself along with eating as natural as I can. Watch out for pesticides, and so many things that are put into our food that are bad for us. I also suggest going out into nature more, go dig in the dirt, go to the park, take a walk, ride a bike. I try to ride mine daily except not in this hot weather. You can also do a hobby, these things are good for the brain. Get involved in a group of some sort, sewing, crafts, etc. Some stores have get togethers , I personally think that we as people don't interact enough. It's healthy to be with people. Your body produces the feel good hormone called Oxytocin when you hug, feel love, etc. and we produce it when we make eye contact, something so simple.Here are some tips to help you. Click here: 10 Quick Tips to Boost Your Serotonin | Mark's Daily Apple
Good Luck~~

You need a new doctor. See a better psychaiatrst and try something new with some cognative behaviroal therapy alone. You are wasting your time and money on vitamins. If you have only been on three anti depressants, you have not even scratched the surface of your treatment options. Get a good evaluation from someone who deals with treatment resistant depression. Call NAMI and ask for a referal, they will know who in your area is going to be able to help you.

M.

Yes! I always considered myself a "low energy" person. I think
I really had mild depression for years as well (I'm 40 now). In the past 2 years and after my second child was born I seemed to get much worse. So irritable and never happy with anything. Cried over so many issues. Yelled at my children a lot - no patience. Tried Celexa from my PCP a year ago and hated it - felt like a zombie. I finally started seeing a counselor a few months ago. After several months I was having a particularly bad day and called her crying. She suggested I might want to see a psychiatrist. I had thought of it before but just couldn't bring myself to do it. I tried SAM-E supplements and vitamins too.I finally went. He put me on Cymbalta antidepressant, and temporarily Abilify to combat the irritability. THe side effects the first day were terrible - I threw up. After that I was never even nauseous. I lost my appetite for about 5 days and had some insomnia for about a week. THe side effects have faded and the benefits are WONDERFUL. I feel so much better. I feel I can cope with life again. I have more patience for my children and low and behold their behavior is improving!!! I think they were reacting to my condition. I wish I had done this sooner. No one can really understand antidepression meds unless they experience it for themselves. My husband is thrilled - he was getting to the end of his rope dealing with my irritability. Best of all I feel I'm treating my children better and more fairly and it improves their mental health as well. At any rate I'm not sure Cymbalta and Abilify were around 6 yrs ago - they may be worth a try if you decide you want to try meds one more time. By the way I am not sleepy or foggy minded. No zombie like effects. Good luck to you. Even just a counselor might be helpful if you don't choose meds again.

I'm so sorry to hear that you feel that way and it does sound like you've tried a lot of things. I think (but am not positive as I'm not a doctor) that depression is caused by a physical imbalance so I'm thinking that there is nothing you can do outside your body (fix relationships) that will "cure" depression. Perhas you can try some holistic treatments or some other protocols that are not so traditional like accupressure or biofeedback or something like that.

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Although I don't think nutrition can solve depression by itself, it can make a huge difference. I am a nutrition consultant and have a meal plan and handout specifically for depression. If you are interested, I can email you both for free. Send me an email if you would like them to ____@____.com.

Hi,
I have a couple of suggestions, one would be spirtual. Do you have religion in your life and do you belive in a higher purpose? Exploring a church may help you see things differently. The second idea is to excerise. find a sport or hobby that gets you moving. You have to look around to find one that speaks to you, walking, running, swimming, join a biking group or yoga class. find some things that you enjoy and have a passion for.

J.

Hi Renee! You may have an issue with your endorphins - I suggest making a concerted effort to get your blood pumping everyday - like, go for a jog at a good pace - everyday - see if it helps - it is certainly worth a try - I don't suffer from depression but I know when I feel overwhelmed, a good hour of exercise helps alot.
Very best,
N.

It may be dysthymia. It's a constant low grade depression just as you described...flat affect, just feeling blah, unhappy but not 'depressed can't get out of bed'.

Check into antidepressants which are not SSRI, they're new generation: Lexapro, Wellbutrin, etc. And you don't necessarily need to take the full dose to get something out of the medication. If you need more info, PM me. Hope you feel better soon!!

Renee,
Bless you for sharing. So many try to tough it out for so many years! There have been many good suggestions; exercise, diet, supplements, etc. A couple of other things consider-have you ever looked at food allergies? Also, supplementation is only as good as the supplement-synthetic vitamins can do more harm than good, you need to look at a high quality whole food supplement. I can help with both issues. My info is under the local businesses as Health To You.

Hi Renee-
I feel for you. It's like on the inside, you are screaming and hollering and annhilating the world for your pain but on the outside, nothing....
Depression is like any other disease in only one way- just taking pills or vitamins does not make it better, just as just getting counseling does not make it better. If you take meds, you must also have counseling. If counseling doesn't work, and meds are off the table for the time being, dig your heels in and try the following:
I can see that you have the entire bag of tools, but now the question is what to do with it.
Vitamins and supplements won't do you a whole lot of good if they are not pumping through your body...which means exercise, and lots of it. It took me just over a month, but 30 minutes on the elliptical (or treadmill, or running....) 4-5 days a week has changed my mental state along with vitamins and counseling, etc. Your body knows it needs to move, but depression keeps you from wanting to move. It's a struggle, but it sounds to me like your will to survive and your desire to feel better are strong enough. You need your heart rate up and you need to sweat. THe endorphins that are created will fuel the positive emotions and help you to combat depression.
Your diet is also important. There is a reason that when the world was made, whatever your theory or belief, that food was not in plastic packages on shelves ready to be purchased. There were no drive throughs, no twinkies, and no microwaves. No, it was cultivated from the ground up. Whole foods, whole grains, fruits, veggies, beans, and little meat are all your body needs and after a while, will want.
The last part is that whatever change you make, you have to give it time. Don't stop the supplements, but do start the exercise. Then after a month of good solid exercise, start working on changin little things, like switching to cranberries and almonds for a snack, with a little bit of sea salt, or a yo baby yogurt with some granola, or even a little bit of peanut butter and some carrots. Small changes to make you feel better long term are the key. If you do happen to need medication after all of that, then it's okay. It will be mild and you will feel like a new woman. But please put in a serious effort to do this first if you want to be med free. Alot of times, those of us with mild depression can change our lives and our mental health with those little things. They take a tremendous effort, but are worth it. You can even get your kids and your hubby on board by making "feel good" snack bags and "happiness" dinner plans. Foods that not only truly make your body better, but make your mind FEEL better. You don't have to go extreme, but there is proof that this kind of stuff really works. Try looking up things like the makers diet, etc. You don't have to start killing your own chickens or grow your own garden (though gardening can be an amazing family effort and save you money on groceries), you just have to start small.
I encourage you, I feel for you, and I pray that you will have a brighter day.
Hugs, mama
-E. M

SSRIs didn't work for me. Welbutrin does. I don't have a problem with my serotonin levels, it's my dopamine levels that are the problem. I hope you find a solution soon.

I can totally relate. My problems are more with anxiety, but they are treated the same way. What has worked for me has been taking meds through the rough times in life, then weaning off of them. Counseling is great as well. I see you have done marriage counseling, but going to individual counseling is well worth it as well. It gives you a great sounding board for all your frustrations.

Meds that have worked the best for me without the foggy side effects are Effexor XR (make sure you get the XR because the one you take twice a day is NOT the same and comes with lots of side effects) and Celexa.

Many have suggested Welbutrin, but I would steer away from that unless you want to continue on meds forever. It is strong, highly addictive, and hard to get off of. My sister was on it and could never get off because none of the milder antidepressants would give her the same amount of "happiness".

Good luck! You are not alone.

After struggling for 9 years with depression without meds (I was open to them but hubby was very anti-medication so I never even discussed my depression with him) I finally decided that I would talk openly about it. It felt that a weight was lifted just being truthful about how I was feeling. I told my husband that for 9 years I had been living inside someone else's body and mind. I felt like I was under water most of the time and really had to fight to bring myself to shower or get out of bed.

I decided I would try to take a walk in the mornings by myself and then another walk in the evenings with him and my son. It has only been a week, but the difference is so dramatic! I feel more like myself than I have in a long time. I haven't changed my diet yet or started lifting weights or anything drastic, just walking, and my spirits are lifted. I understand there will be days where I may not feel like walking, but so far so good.

I feel like I have finally started to have control over my own well-being without the meds and side-effects. Like I said, I was open to the meds, but couldn't bring myself to take them against my husband's wishes, so I felt trapped. I honestly didn't believe the hype about exercise, but I am a true believer now. You don't even have to break a sweat. Just walk.

Good luck! I really hope I have helped.

I can totally relate to what you have said. I too feel just like you and have for quite some time. I have taken couple different anti-depressants through the years & they seem to help for awhile but then the side effects start to kick in more & don't seem to outweigh the benefit. The last one I took (Celexa) had extremely bad side effects ~ significant hair loss, daily bloody noses & extreme migraines. I have now been off meds for about 5 months & am doing ok but seem to have lost my joy/happiness. I do find that if I get good/regular sleep, eat healthy and exercise I feel better. But trying to get that all in while working, being a mom & wife is difficult. However, when I am able to I feel much better & enjoy life more.

Unfortunately I do not have any answers for you ~ just wanted to let you know I understand & can relate completely. I also do have a strong faith & pray daily which helps but doesn't make it perfect. It seems to be a constant battle but little by little, day by day it starts to get a little better. Hang in there! Thinking about you & praying for you too!