anxiety and depression issues

Russquatch

I've battle with both for most of my life mostly anxiety. I had been on lexipro for 9 years weened off them finally off 100% in June, but now the sad down feelings of depression sneaking up on me. my mind roams and thinks about the past and then thinks of how much it's going to suck as I lose loved ones in the future... While I do walk, I'm wondering what kind of natural ways to fight off these issues ... or should I just go ahead and realize that I might just have to live with taking medication? I've tried to set up meetings with a counselor but the ones my insurance covers give me the run around or not taking "new" clients so kind of at a dead end on that.

LauraHasABabyJack

Exercise has helped me out quite a bit with both. I have an injury right now and am definitely feeling an upswing in depression since I haven't been able to do as much. While that alone is unlikely to fix everything, it is very helpful. Good luck finding a counselor.

Kaishei

So sorry to hear about it creeping back! I also deal with depression and anxiety and have for a good few years now, which I'm finally trying to get some help for via medication, which luckily is not a big problem being from the UK. I find that my best technique to deal with the depression and anxiety is friends. Talk to people, find someone you can share your fears and worries with. Find someone who won't lie to you, some one who will be honest, but won't just tell you you're being an idiot. It seems hard, I know, but as someone who's never considered themselves to have any friends, I've got a few good friends. Exercise can be a good distraction, just as medication can be great for dealing with the symptoms, but what you really have to think about is the cause behind it all. Discover that, and work to fix it, and your life /will/ improve.

feydevilwoman

There is lots of science on exercise and meditation being helpful; but it's hard when your brain is spiraling. I've started asking myself if whatever it is I'm thinking of doing will be something that I feel good about doing later. Or if will be one more thing to beat myself up over. No easy or quick answer to give; but you aren't alone in this, and finding a combination of things that help you can take time.

Russquatch

thanks for the replies ... it does help knowing I'm not the only one dealing with these issues. while I feel good about losing weight, this feeling has popped up on me.

bellaa_x0

I've battle with both for most of my life mostly anxiety. I had been on lexipro for 9 years weened off them finally off 100% in June, but now the sad down feelings of depression sneaking up on me. my mind roams and thinks about the past and then thinks of how much it's going to suck as I lose loved ones in the future... While I do walk, I'm wondering what kind of natural ways to fight off these issues ... or should I just go ahead and realize that I might just have to live with taking medication? I've tried to set up meetings with a counselor but the ones my insurance covers give me the run around or not taking "new" clients so kind of at a dead end on that.

out of curiosity, how did you manage to come off of the lexapro? i have been on lexapro for about 4 or 5 years now. initially, i did not want to go on anything, but after about a month i couldn't take it any longer and allowed my psychiatrist to prescribe me meds. i definitely don't have the same anxiety/depression levels that i did at the beginning, but i still fear going off of my meds 100%.

laserturkey

I have taken Wellbutrin for years (okay, decades). The times I have tried to go off it, I found very quickly that I became extra critical of myself and started to spiral back into depression. I now know that I HAVE to stay on that medication if I am going to have any decent quality of life. I'm cool with it, because depression really, really sucks-- a lot more than just having to take a few pills a day. At least for me it hasn't caused any weight gain, so that helps.

klkarlen

I've been doing a lot of reading about magnesium deficiency, because my elderly mother is dealing with that right now, and almost everything I read states that magnesium deficiency can cause anxiety and/or depression.

You might want to get a blood test, or add either a supplement or magnesium rich foods and see if it helps.

RodaRose

See your regular medical doctor for blood work to check for everything -- including hormones, vit D, B12, . . calcium, inflammation markers, magnesium, folate,
Some people can manage without medications if they keep a very regular regime of
exercise, meditation or focused yoga-type breathing, sleeping and eating the same time every day, sunlight (helps with sleep), . . .
Youtube has some breathing videos.

4daluvof_candice

I've battle with both for most of my life mostly anxiety. I had been on lexipro for 9 years weened off them finally off 100% in June, but now the sad down feelings of depression sneaking up on me. my mind roams and thinks about the past and then thinks of how much it's going to suck as I lose loved ones in the future... While I do walk, I'm wondering what kind of natural ways to fight off these issues ... or should I just go ahead and realize that I might just have to live with taking medication? I've tried to set up meetings with a counselor but the ones my insurance covers give me the run around or not taking "new" clients so kind of at a dead end on that.

I Pray/Prayed to overcome my anxiety episodes. Haven't had one since 2005. That's a natural way for me. :flowerforyou:

crazymommy5

thanks for the replies ... it does help knowing I'm not the only one dealing with these issues. while I feel good about losing weight, this feeling has popped up on me.

I have also been on the on-off-meds rollercoaster. It didn't work for me. My weight loss, healthy eating and active life style experience has been very positive but I have come to accept that the chemicals in my brain need to be reconciled with medication. Talking with friends, counselors etc is nice for support- but for many of us depression and anxiety is chemical and can only be remedied with medication. For me, happiness is not a choice, praying isn't going to save me and my amazing, supportive husband who I adore is a great listener - but the rain in my head was something I was just born with. The meds are there for a reason- and it's ok to take them.
If you want to ad me as someone who walks in your shoes, please feel free. Those of us who understand should stand with each other.

Miss_1999

thanks for the replies ... it does help knowing I'm not the only one dealing with these issues. while I feel good about losing weight, this feeling has popped up on me.

I have also been on the on-off-meds rollercoaster. It didn't work for me. My weight loss, healthy eating and active life style experience has been very positive but I have come to accept that the chemicals in my brain need to be reconciled with medication. Talking with friends, counselors etc is nice for support- but for many of us depression and anxiety is chemical and can only be remedied with medication. For me, happiness is not a choice, praying isn't going to save me and my amazing, supportive husband who I adore is a great listener - but the rain in my head was something I was just born with. The meds are there for a reason- and it's ok to take them.
If you want to ad me as someone who walks in your shoes, please feel free. Those of us who understand should stand with each other.

You hit the nail on the head, and I couldn't have said it better myself. I have a mental illness. There is a chemical imbalance in my brain that is the catalyst. I've spent many nights in prayer, begging God to heal me. I've read book after book about how "Happiness is a Choice" and "I'm too blessed to be Depressed!". I've exercised my brains out, only to end up feeling sadder and more hopeless than before. I can't judge what's helped another, and am definitely thrilled to hear when someone struggling with any mental health issues have had great successes, but trust me, you are NOT weak, or a failure if you need medication to treat anxiety, depression, or any other mental illness. If someone is diabetic, and needs Glucophage, we certainly encourage them to take their medication! And we wouldn't want them weaning off of if without a doctor's ok and supervision.

The same should go for those of us suffering with any type of mental health issue. There are lots of ways to deal with depression and anxiety. If you are able to get into therapy, that would be wonderful. Having someone to talk to is great. I've had wonderful results with therapy over the years, as well as my medication. No matter what, know, this isn't your fault, and if you have overwhelming thoughts, please talk to your doctor immediately.

We're all here to give support as best we can!

pds06

You really need to talk to someone and get your meds re-evaluated. I don't know what insurance you have but you could call them or a hospital in your area and tell them your issue with finding a counselor. They should be able to help you. :flowerforyou:

muggzie399

I have issues with depression and anxiety, or did. I have been on Lexapro for about 8 years. I feel great. Not looking to change anything. If it's not broke, don't fix it. Lexapro is a great. If it didn't hurt in anyway, try going back on it. Some times you just never get over it. It is a chemical imbalance in the brain.

FatFreeFrolicking

Three words… cognitive behavioral therapy.

Mons40

I too deal with anxiety and depression and my doctor is slowly taking me off the meds. I heard that yoga and meditation really helps. Along with just taking a 15 minute walk to clear your mind. I see a great counselor. If I don't do something right, he tells me like it is. LOL I like that about him, because it does motivate me. I need to lose about 60 lbs and I just started using MFP. I don't have a support system near me. So it is hard to keep on track for me. I can do really well in the beginning but then i start making the excuses.

FatFreeFrolicking

I've battle with both for most of my life mostly anxiety. I had been on lexipro for 9 years weened off them finally off 100% in June, but now the sad down feelings of depression sneaking up on me. my mind roams and thinks about the past and then thinks of how much it's going to suck as I lose loved ones in the future... While I do walk, I'm wondering what kind of natural ways to fight off these issues ... or should I just go ahead and realize that I might just have to live with taking medication? I've tried to set up meetings with a counselor but the ones my insurance covers give me the run around or not taking "new" clients so kind of at a dead end on that.

out of curiosity, how did you manage to come off of the lexapro? i have been on lexapro for about 4 or 5 years now. initially, i did not want to go on anything, but after about a month i couldn't take it any longer and allowed my psychiatrist to prescribe me meds. i definitely don't have the same anxiety/depression levels that i did at the beginning, but i still fear going off of my meds 100%.

When I came off of Lexapro (the withdrawal symptoms SUCK, just a heads up), I felt great for about a month and a half. Then I felt the anxiety start creeping up on me again… a lot of physical symptoms, panicking in crowded places like the mall, restaurants, even the lecture rooms I had classes in.

I gained 111 lbs within 3 years because of antidepressants so I am currently taking a very low dose of Lexapro. If anything, ask your doctor if it would be okay to lower your dose. In order to come off Lexapro completely you will have to ween yourself off gradually anyways, i.e. 40 mg ----> 30 mg for 1-2 weeks ----> 25 mg for 1-2 weeks

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> 20 mg for 1-2 weeks

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> 10 mg for 1-2 weeks

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> 5 mg for 1-2 weeks

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> No Lexapro.

NelsonMoore

My fight has been mostly with depression, although anxiety has been there playing a minor role. The only thing that I have ever found that has helped is an antidepressant. It just works.

I will say that losing weight has made me feel better and getting out and exercising has also helped. I started with just a twenty minute walk per day and it really helped. I increased to forty and then ultimately to sixty minutes of walking and it has definitely helped my spirits as well.

I feel like losing weight and getting exercise are supplements to the primary treatment, which is done with a medication.

Alidecker

Exercise and weight loss helped me a lot with my anxiety and depression, which led me to talk to my doctor about going off of Lexapro. I was in the midst of losing a lot of weight and she said she would rather have me stay on it while I was losing weight as it is very emotional and it did mess with some levels of different vitamins in my blood. Well, that was a couple of years ago and I decided just to stay on it. Probably a good thing since I have had a couple of ups and downs over the last couple years, even on Lexapro (nothing as bad as before I started taking it). I do find that along with the exercise, journaling has helped and opening up to a couple of friends a little more than I used to. This was kind of strange because my friends already know almost everything, but I didn't talk about the negative feelings about myself...now I do. I think that has helped more than anything..

sarahrachel109

I've dealt with the same type of issues although I've never been at the point where I've been able to go off meds. I've noticed exercising has helped a lot. Also just having someone in your life you can talk to when you have a bad day. I know therapy works well for some people but it never really did the trick for me. I have some amazing friends and family that have gotten me through a lot though.

7elizamae

Anxiety and depression are so, so miserable. I'll never forget my struggle and never want to go back there.

I am still on an antidepressant, but the dose is small enough the doctor calls it a placebo. I am happy with the results of the 'placebo' so I stay on it.

However, I do occasionally have the sense that the gloom and anxiety are creeping up slowly.

The one thing that has helped with that has been an increase in really VIGOROUS exercise -- enough to get me really sweating and tired. I did steady, non-challenging cardio for years to no great benefit. But I feel fantastic with my new, more difficult exercise. I do 30 minutes six days a week and it has really helped.

A friend suggested it as it had worked for her -- and she has had a long and mighty struggle with depression.

Best wishes to you. :flowerforyou:

Russquatch

I've battle with both for most of my life mostly anxiety. I had been on lexipro for 9 years weened off them finally off 100% in June, but now the sad down feelings of depression sneaking up on me. my mind roams and thinks about the past and then thinks of how much it's going to suck as I lose loved ones in the future... While I do walk, I'm wondering what kind of natural ways to fight off these issues ... or should I just go ahead and realize that I might just have to live with taking medication? I've tried to set up meetings with a counselor but the ones my insurance covers give me the run around or not taking "new" clients so kind of at a dead end on that.

out of curiosity, how did you manage to come off of the lexapro? i have been on lexapro for about 4 or 5 years now. initially, i did not want to go on anything, but after about a month i couldn't take it any longer and allowed my psychiatrist to prescribe me meds. i definitely don't have the same anxiety/depression levels that i did at the beginning, but i still fear going off of my meds 100%.

I slowly tapered off over about 6 months, seemed to be going good so stopped completely in June, July and Aug were pretty good but did start feeling down the last week or two of Aug. then POW one bad night, and a whole lot of DOWN since.

runner359

There are many, many studies that show that exercise can relieve depression, even major depression. Google "exercise and depression". Click on the one from Harvard Medical School. The meds didn't cure you so why not try something else?

davert123

I am writing this with post grad qualifications in psychology along with a lot of training and experience as a psychotherapist....
CBT can help for some people but not others. Other types of therapy such as Transactional Analysis are more powerful if CBT doesn't work. There are other things you can try...

Are you aware of how food affects you (if it does). some people have bad reactions to sugar which can throw their mood our completely (I am like this) (look up radiant recovery .com which will try to sell you stuff you don't really need but which also has a lot of information on this which I would advise you look at even if its to eliminate it). Also coffee can increase anxiety so I would suggest looking at this. Diet and weight as been shown to correlate with depression so it may be that if you eat good stuff and shed a few pounds that may help. If you are not taking any anti-depressants or anti-anxiety medication at the moment also look out for vitamin b (a complex will do) and an amino acid called 5-HTP which you can buy in health food shops (in the uk ). These are the precursors of serotonin in the brain which can help with both depression and anxiety because it makes sure you have a good supply of raw materials when your brain needs them. Don't take 5-HTP if you are taking medication though. Also I would recommend you look on the net for medication and "grounding" techniques on the net. Yesterday is history, tomorrows a mystery so they say but they can also be extremely horrible places to live. If you can ground yourself in "now" then it may help. What you may find is that If you try this you have an underlying horrible feeling which your brain is trying and failing avoid by thinking about the past and future. That feeling is most probably (in my own experience) something better living, medication and diet can get rid of. If you have enough money I would seriously also consider seeing a transactional analysis , gestalt or integrative psychotherapist. I've also read stuff on the net about sweeteners and certain food colourings triggering depression but I haven't seen research to back this up. It something you may want to investigate.

Good luck

crazymommy5

There are many, many studies that show that exercise can relieve depression, even major depression. Google "exercise and depression". Click on the one from Harvard Medical School. The meds didn't cure you so why not try something else?

Exercise can RELIEVE depression- not cure it. If someone's depression is chemical, not situational, than the only thing that can manage it is an antidepressant. Exercise can increase serotonin and can lead to temporary feelings of bliss. However, if a chemical imbalance is present ONLY meds can be used to maintain those feelings.
Over a period of time our brains can become accustomed to the meds we are taking and not respond efficiently. Psychiatrists will then increase or decrease doses or even change medications.
There is no such thing as a cure for chemical depression. Beliefs like that are what lead to suicide.

laserturkey

I had been on lexipro for 9 years weened off them finally off 100% in June, but now the sad down feelings of depression sneaking up on me.

This is pretty much the universal story of people who go on SSRIs and then stop them. Even with weening, which is the right way. I'm glad you posted this. It's important for people who are considering SSRIs - but haven't decided whether to take them or not - to know. Doctors never tell people this.

This is also what happens to people who NEED the antidepressant medication for their clinical depression when they try to go off the medication, no matter which one it is. Derp.

Skout528

There is absolutely no shame in taking medications, along with using other methods to relieve your symptoms. I know that my mind feels clearer now that I don't take in a lot of starchy carbs like potatoes and pasta. I kinda knew this would happen, just simply from science, but indeed it has. I have struggled with major depressive episodes, anxiety and panic, enough to be hospitalized twice. DO NOT STOP YOUR MEDICATION. I still eat sugar and things that aren't good for me, but I'm working on it. I can tell a huge difference in my mood stabilization by not filling up on massive amounts of starch. Cognitive behavioral therapy in conjunction with medication: awesome. Hard, but awesome. You definitely have to try a big variety of things and stick with what makes YOU feel stable and better, whether anybody else believes it or not. The journey to physical health is 100% tied to the journey of mental health so when you have days that feel better than others and you don't have as many obsessive irrational thoughts, pay attention to what you've done differently that day. DO NOT listen to most of the claims of people who did one simple little thing and were able to stop their meds. If that's the case, they were probably misdiagnosed in the first place and needed a metabolic change instead of medications to stabilize their neurochemicals.

I_need_moar_musclez

Depression and anxiety have been part of my life since childhood. I hate myself from the pit of my stomach and always have done. Had a nervous breakdown and attempted suicide last year. Been on prozac since March 2013. I need them, that's why I take them. No shame, no shame at all.

iggyboo93

I had been on lexipro for 9 years weened off them finally off 100% in June, but now the sad down feelings of depression sneaking up on me.

This is pretty much the universal story of people who go on SSRIs and then stop them. Even with weening, which is the right way. I'm glad you posted this. It's important for people who are considering SSRIs - but haven't decided whether to take them or not - to know. Doctors never tell people this.

This is also what happens to people who NEED the antidepressant medication for their clinical depression when they try to go off the medication, no matter which one it is.

Agree. Forgive my silly question - why would one go off the depression/anxiety meds if it's helping them?

I was depressed/anxious/suicidal for most of my teenage/adult life. Tried Wellbutrin twice a few years aback but it didn't do anything for me so I felt that I was stuck in this hell for life. Then the doctor prescribed a low dose of Prozac earlier this year. The fog lifted and I got my groove back. The hubby says I'm a new person. I'm a better mom to my daughter. I'm also working on an anti-anxiety program through my insurance and listening to relaxation CDs. Never ever going back to where I was a year ago.

let1179

It took me years, just last year, for me to finally accept that I have a chemical imbalance and need my meds. I used to stay on it for a while and think oh I'm good, but then a month later be in the same depressed, sad boat. I take my meds regularly but still have crappy days, like today! Put that is also female related. The worst part is feeling out of control, like no control, and that's when I realized I had a problem. Feel free to add me, it helps to have others to vent to.

SUSIE091

agree there let 1197 depression has got a hold off me and trying to keep going is such a vicous cycle meds or no meds

weight gain a big prob for me to accpect