Depression

Meloonie

I'm sorry to say I haven't read all of the replies to your post but I just wanted to quote something I heard once which helped me get passed not wanting to take anti depressants.

If you have a terrible headache you take a painkiller to help you feel better, anti depressants are there for the same reason. There is no shame in having some help to feel better, whether its in tablet form or talking therapies or a combination of the two.

Of course a healthy diet and plenty of exercise help too, and giving yourself some time just for you. Take care of yourself and do something you like even if its just reading a book for an hour somewhere you like to be.

You will feel better soon.

xx

saragato

If you don't have what's called clinical depression then you don't really need the pills to begin with. Clinical depression is when you get depressed for no reason, there's no "trigger". Situational depression is when there's an outside influence to your depression whether it's a person, a situation you're in, or even a change in your diet. That type of depression is best treated with therapy and, if it's diet related, consultation with a dietician/nutritionist to basically help you balance yourself out where you can control your slip into depression, for the most part. The only times I've ever known anyone with Situational depression being put on medication before trying anything else is when it's cases like the person was beat up by a spouse/family member or was in an extremely negative workplace or setup.

That aside, if you can avoid medication successfully you're better off. Many mental health drugs cause weight gain (I believe there was a study saying Cymbalta was one of the leading ones) and some of the other side effects aren't worth it, take it from someone who's been shuffling pills since 15. Group therapy's a good option if you're comfortable with it since most of those going will be experiencing things similar to you and not only can you get advice from a therapist but you can hear what others have done to help themselves and even give advice yourself.

But just remember, if in the end you have to be put on an anti-depressant again, it's not a step backwards or meaning you've failed. Often times the medication part is temporary and is only meant as an aid to your own efforts whether that's therapy, altering your diet, yoga, or whatever. It's not the cure, it's not what's going to make you better; it's just a cushion that's always behind you in case you slip, it softens the blow. But I'm just gonna add on the off chance you are put on drugs again, either in the office or after you get the script in your hand, research that drug and its side effects as well as any studies concerning its effectiveness or harmfulness. If you are not comfortable with what you find, ask for something else. And when you do take it, keep in mind when you started taking it and monitor yourself for any side effects, especially the serious ones.

dreamshadows

Thank you for sharing your story. It took a lot of courage to say it. I avoid my med's as much as possible as I don't like how I feel on them. I don't like how the change me.

I don't really have depression, I have Borderline. Many of the symptoms are the same.

wftiger

Depression is horrible. It has kept me where I was for so long. The only advice I can give you is look toward what you have accomplished and feel proud of it. Find comfort in loved ones (2 or 4 legged) and know that they are all rooting for you.

I feel so much better when I exercise. I hate it when I am on my way there and when I am there but I feel so good afterwards that it is worth the mental stress of going. Maybe try to up your exercise and get in some Vitamin D or good old fashioned sunlight and see if that will help get you around this corner.

Maddi_InBetweenDays

I've had something similar happen, and although I'm still working at both depression and weight loss, I've gone back on anti-depressants. I talked to my doctor and said that I couldn't afford to gain extra weight and he agreed. I'm on Trazadone, and weight gain is not a side effect. I'm not saying it will work for you, but there are anti-depressants out there that have little to no impact on weight. Hang in there.

na25na52

I'm in the same boat with everyone. Finally after understanding it's just chemistry, I googled what can we do... Here's a website and a response I found from another thread:

http://www.steadyhealth.com/How_to_lose_weight_gained_while_on_Lexapro_t199350.html

UserName1237 over year ago

Hi there! I just posted this. It took me a long time to figure this out after they gave me prescription meds. It alters your body chemistry. This is how I regained control - I'm going to repost. Also I recomment you read the page "Taking the fear out of eating fat" at the Weston A Price foundation (Google it) - Best of luck to you

---

OMG! Same thing happened to me. My size 8 jeans were loose as I was toning up and had muscle/firm body all over (I have a large frame) Then I was put on prescription and I went to a size 12-14 in less than 3 months without eating much of anything.

I found the following supplements for weight loss after drugs:
Colostrum
VCO caps 2 per day (you can buy the Virgin Coconut oil in jar, eat 4 tsp per day) You c an''t OD it's food! you'll lose body fat and tone up with this.
L-Carnitine 500mg twice a day before exercise (I only walk 2x a week) It burns fat and builds muscle rapidly
5 HTP: 50mg or up to 200mg per day. Best to stay 100mg a day
7-Keto: I used to take 2 pills, 1 am, 1pm (I used NOW FOODs brand)
Lecithing granules (or pills) and/or Phosphatidyl Choline is amazing to burn body fat.

Hope this helps. It took me 6 months before see any results but I could feel the muscle building under the fat and then one day I woke up and I had lost 2" off my waist! It works just keep at it.

If you haven't taken any drugs this would work the first week you'd see results. Try it Good luck sweetie and don't overdo it! Don't take more pills than the label tell you OK?

SlimSammy2012

<~~I just went back into therapy after a ten year absence. thought I was doing well. I survived a divorce and was doing pretty good. I have been on Paxil for over 10 years. I really never gave it much thought about weight gain! To be totally honest I was more concerned with the side effects of Erectile Dysfunction more than weight gain. My fears came true about the ED but heck I didn't expect to get back in a releationship anytime soon! Then in 2009, I lost my job due to layoffs. It took me over two years to find work! I thought I dealt with it welll until the last few months before I got hired by another company. I gained about 55lbs during the layoff! My high weight was 285lbs when I got the job! Although so happy to be working again, I was depressed over the weight gain. I utilized a company benefit of the Wellness program. Met with Food and Helath counselors and I lost 10 lbs just by working a normal schedule. This past year, there was a Weight Loss Challenge at work and I lost almost 22lbs! I was on top of the world! My MFP Friends helped me a lot! then my Girlfriend Dumped me and then I became totally a basket case. I ate like a fool! I hated myself and really felt lost! In retrospect, she really wasn't the problem as I looked back and recalled that I got nothing from her. Nothing emotionally, Loving or other wise! I was better off with out her. My depressed emotions had taken over my entire being. My Anger issues (Never Violent) took over. I hate myself, I talk to myself daily and it isn't in a good or in a positive way. I went back into counseling about two weeks ago. My Doctor is recommending me to get off of Paxil. He is sending me to A Psychiatrist for further analysis and new anti-depressent and to find out why I loathe myself...

Now I am worried about weight gain as well. Do I really need to worry about it?

dhakiyya

Now I am worried about weight gain as well. Do I really need to worry about it?

if gaining weight will make you feel more depressed, you need to discuss that with your doctor/psychiatrist and it should be possible for you to be on an antidepressant that doesn't cause weight gain. (I'm not a doctor though, but they should take into account that gaining weight could make you feel more depressed)

Also, if you calculate and monitor your calories carefully, the weight gain is not inevitable, what happens with medication, either it slows your metabolism or makes you feel more hungry. If you are measuring your calories and you've eaten them all and you still feel hungry, you know that it's just the medication. If your metabolism has slowed you may need to adjust your calorie goal downwards (slower metabolism = lower BMR for your weight/height than average)

Hope it all goes well with the therapy, I'm doing therapy/counselling and it's helped me a lot

SlimSammy2012

Now I am worried about weight gain as well. Do I really need to worry about it?

if gaining weight will make you feel more depressed, you need to discuss that with your doctor/psychiatrist and it should be possible for you to be on an antidepressant that doesn't cause weight gain. (I'm not a doctor though, but they should take into account that gaining weight could make you feel more depressed)

Also, if you calculate and monitor your calories carefully, the weight gain is not inevitable, what happens with medication, either it slows your metabolism or makes you feel more hungry. If you are measuring your calories and you've eaten them all and you still feel hungry, you know that it's just the medication. If your metabolism has slowed you may need to adjust your calorie goal downwards (slower metabolism = lower BMR for your weight/height than average)

Hope it all goes well with the therapy, I'm doing therapy/counselling and it's helped me a lot

I am planning on talking to him about that. Thanks! I don't see how lowering Cals can help stimulate Metabolism. doesn't the body go into starvation mode?

peles_fire

I'm not going to read all the replies so I apologize if this info is redundant. First, try some supplement therapy, starting with Omega fatty acids. You can get combos of 3-6-9 Omegas that use fish, flax and borage. The Omegas have been shown in studies to help with symptoms of depression but give them some time, they take about 30 days to reach therapeutic levels in your blood.

Second, are you eating well and getting enough sleep? Sleep deprivation will mess with your world big time as will lack of exercise. Hate to say it, but whoever said working out daily would help was right.

Third, you may want to check out Daniel G. Amen's "Change Your Brain, Change Your Body." It is an interesting book that discusses the brain and how all the things we do in our day-to-day lifestyle either help or hurt it. It has several suggestions that directly deal with aiding with depression. The book was recommended to me by my therapist and I loved it. It made such good sense and really explained how drastically your lifestyle and diet choices can affect your brain function. I have been following the suggestions in his book for less than a month and feel 100 times better already!

Also, if you can, try some counseling. I personally think everyone could benefit from therapy - a little self-reflection and self-work goes a long way. Hope that doesn't sound too hippy dippy for you - but you can't change a behavior if you don't understand where it originates and what triggers it.

Good luck to you - you should not have to live your life under a veil of depression so keep trying things until you find what works for you!!!

dhakiyya

Now I am worried about weight gain as well. Do I really need to worry about it?

if gaining weight will make you feel more depressed, you need to discuss that with your doctor/psychiatrist and it should be possible for you to be on an antidepressant that doesn't cause weight gain. (I'm not a doctor though, but they should take into account that gaining weight could make you feel more depressed)

Also, if you calculate and monitor your calories carefully, the weight gain is not inevitable, what happens with medication, either it slows your metabolism or makes you feel more hungry. If you are measuring your calories and you've eaten them all and you still feel hungry, you know that it's just the medication. If your metabolism has slowed you may need to adjust your calorie goal downwards (slower metabolism = lower BMR for your weight/height than average)

Hope it all goes well with the therapy, I'm doing therapy/counselling and it's helped me a lot

I am planning on talking to him about that. Thanks! I don't see how lowering Cals can help stimulate Metabolism. doesn't the body go into starvation mode?

If meds have slowed your metabolism, you actually don't need as many calories to maintain your weight. People gain weight on some medication because the number of calories they need goes down, but they eat the same amount that maintained their weight before they were on meds. (the same thing happens with thyroid problems, as low levels of thyroid slow the metabolism). So you won't go into starvation mode so long as you're still supplying your body with the calories it needs, all that's happened is the number of calories you need have gone down. And you can still burn more calories by doing more exercise, in fact this would be a better solution than dropping your calories. I just mentioned dropping the calories before to explain that weight gain isn't *inevitable* when you're on meds where it's a side effect. The same rules of calories in versus calories burned apply, just that you'll be burning less, because your BMR is less. It may be that you only need to drop your calories by 100 or so to prevent weight gain and it may take some trial and error to find out what your new TDEE is, and I totally agree dropping calories too low would just make the metabolism even slower. That's why doing more exercise is a better strategy than dropping calories, plus many people find exercise helps with depression.

Other meds simply stimulate the appetite so people end up eating more than they need, the metabolism is the same, but they're overeating due to excess feelings of hunger and put on weight. If that's the case calculating your calories carefully and ignoring hunger after you've eaten enough would prevent weight gain, although this would require a lot of willpower!

The main point is that the weight gain isn't inevitable, but it will be a lot more difficult to keep off the weight so discussing with your doctor being on meds that don't cause these problems is the best solution.

misskerouac

I wish you the best of luck in figuring out what will work for you!

I do not suffer from depression however my husband is manic depressive/bi-polar (he's been diagnosed as both but we're not sure what one is totally accurate) and he does not take medication. He did when he was in his early 20's but it made him gain weight and he said they made him feel "blah" all the time, he tried many different types and combinations but eventually decided to go off them completely. He currently sees a counsellor bi-weekly to try to talk through things that trigger his moods.

I love him with all of my heart but I wish he would see sometimes how he destroys relationships, hurts our relationship, and alienates himself. I see so many opportunities for him and his life that he does not see because of his moods, for me it's like stepping through a field of landmines.

My point is if going off medication and exercising and eating right works for you that's wonderful, we could all use less chemicals in our bodies HOWEVER please don't let that choice keep you from having things that will enrich your life.

dhakiyya

bipolar and manic-depressive is the same thing, just that manic-depressive is the old name and bipolar is the new name.

hope everything works out well for you and your husband