Anyone ever dealt with depression/anxiety?

[XxSicRokerxX]

I know all to well what you are going through my friend. Its not something you can completely heal, its a demon you learn to live with.

Right now I'm on Lexapro for my serotonin and Klonopin for my anxiety. Slowly accepting my condition and understanding that millions of people are dealing with the same kind of problem is helping me a lot!

Stay strong buddy!

Ah lexapro, I had a friend that was on that, I was on prozac, same SSRI family. Be prepared to gain or lose weight, I lost like 25 lbs when i started prozac, I was never hungry or was always nauseous, I eventually got off of it because of that actually. Xanax worked for me, so i stopped using an SSRI alltogether, I simply popped a xanax when i felt anxious/panic. Every person and situation is different perhaps lexapro well help you out, it worked for my friend, hes doing really well, but when he's out, he acts differently. Just remember its going to take some time for lexapro to start working (perhaps a few weeks), try it for a few months, see it how it helps. If you start seeing weight gain or weight loss tell your doc about it, he may switch you. TBH tho the best medication as your doc will tell you is a lifestyle change, whatever is depressing you or giving you anxiety, stay away from it and do the things that make you happy.

 

[oroinvictus]

Be prepared to gain or lose weight, I lost like 25 lbs when i started prozac, I was never hungry or was always nauseous

that's strange. that pretty much describes me when I'm on lexapro

 

[thefalloftheheretic]

Yeah. I pretty much deal with it on a daily basis and have dealt with it on a daily basis for the past 3 years.

 

[AD Chaos]

Has anyone never dealt with depression/anxiety?

Fixed.


A good number of doctors and psychologists often misdiagnose and mistreat illnesses that aren't even there. Seek consultation from both a clinical psychologist, and a psychiatrist. Together, they often yield way better results.

And as many have already mentioned (common sense) you should leave drugs only as the very last resort.

Try harder first on improving yourself, your life, surroundings, and your mindset, rather than recurring to become dependent on drugs, whether deemed 'legal' or 'illegal'.. Keep in mind, those are billion-a-year industries, and (in a bigger number of cases than hypochondriacs would like to admit) an easy way out for rather ''normal'' people.

In the face of adversity, toughen up, Metal up!

 

[pitoga]

Fixed.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3-GW_FECtg

Damn! what a great channel, how come he hasn't got that many followers.

 

[GeertSamuel]

This is complete and utter bullshit, just for the record

It's not.

The stuff you get prescribed here in Holland 99/100 is.

I quote from the package (anti-depressants):

dizziness, fear of falling, headache, drowsiness, dullness, drowsiness, suicidal thoughts. Furthermore there are a large number of less common descriptions of symptoms.

For anxiety they prescribe a lot of times "Oxazepam", this stuff does numb you out and makes you feel like a zombie.

 

[xFkx]

To bo fair with Jind, i'll say that what everything below is just my humble opinion, not a fact in any way - and that makes perfect sense seeing as everyone has vastly different experiences with this kind of stuff..


Everything happens for a reason, it's cool that you feel better about knowing that other people have this mental illnes too, but see... it really shoudln't be called an illness, other people are just anxcious and depressed, it's a part of the human condition. And why the hell not be anxcious and depressed ? It's the XXI century, your nervous system is taxed beyond it's capabilities. And how the hell can you not be anxcious when your 20 ? You have to plan your whole life ahead, and even if your not thinking about it constantly, there are still looming thoughts at the back of your head that some stuff has not been taken care off. And if you fail ? Fear of failure, beeing judged by others, blah blah blah, tons of shit that's taxing your mind.


I can understand that this may seem as new age hippy stuff, but for me, having a different viewpoint on beeing anxcious or depressed and dealing with those not as some kind of sickness, but as an integral state of where i am in life made me overcome those. YMMV

 

[Boerboel666]

when spouting out something like this you should clarify exactly what, exactly how much, when and why, or just not say anything at all.

what you said is true to some extent, but depending on the variables of what i said, drugs are much, MUCH quicker to fuck up someone's life.

if you have mental illness or even just problems with your mental health, even weed can kick you into psychosis. you don't want that. if you want to start messing around with that stuff ALWAYS do a thorough background check on everything. i'm only saying this because i firmly believe there are people who would just up and do what you said, because someone said it.

edit. shit, i just realized you were probably talking about legal drugs. well anyway, the illegal stuff 'can' help, too - you just gotta be careful with it. i'm talking about stuff like cancer patients and psychedelics - it's been proven psychedelic drugs will make morbidly ill patients happier and much less afraid of death. who'd take that away from them? not me. i'd legalize drugs for that use.

Er yes just to clarify , I was talking about keeping an open mind about legal meds . I have friends who have committed suicide when off their meds and I have friends who turned their lives around by finding the correct medication (not always an easy task)

 

[updog]

Er yes just to clarify , I was talking about keeping an open mind about legal meds . I have friends who have committed suicide when off their meds and I have friends who turned their lives around by finding the correct medication (not always an easy task)

sorry about that. in my language drugs and Drugs are referred to using different words. i've always found it peculiar that in the english language there's such room for misinterpretation.

 

[Line666]

It's not.

The stuff you get prescribed here in Holland 99/100 is.

I quote from the package (anti-depressants):


For anxiety they prescribe a lot of times "Oxazepam", this stuff does numb you out and makes you feel like a zombie.

That's not really a particularly terrifying list of side effects, I've taken drugs with stuff like all that + another 4 a4 sheets of potential problems and had to sign a waiver to get it and that was mostly for the purposes of vanity.

Infact you'll probably find a list of potential problems that long for coffee and paracetamol.

 

[GeertSamuel]

That's not really a particularly terrifying list of side effects, I've taken drugs with stuff like all that + another 4 a4 sheets of potential problems and had to sign a waiver to get it and that was mostly for the purposes of vanity.

Infact you'll probably find a list of potential problems that long for coffee and paracetamol.

I know, there is far worse stuff out there. But it was just a list because Mercus was saying it was bullshit.
I only referred to the anti-depressants and anxiety medication we get prescribed here.
And this was only an outtake of the full page.

 

[crillemannen]

I where depressed a couple of years ago and it went pretty bad. My take on it is that drugs are great for a limited time. Just to get you to sleep and even out the mood swings, so you don't fall to deep. But you should always try to recover and get healthy again and that is where therapy can help. I was on drugs for about 6months before i got off. Helped me through the worst months but using drogs to sleep and such isn't a long-term solution but only a help when it is at its worst.

People tend to pitty themself to much and feel sorry for themself for whatever reasons the think got them into depression. You need to actively try to get back on track again and you can if you are determine to do so. It's Just like trying to recover from any other sickness or even trying to get back from an accident. It's hard yes, but it pays of and you often get some really good insights and learn allot on the journey.

 

[arvoitus]

Medications are not great. Try EMDR therapy.

I vote for EMDR therapy, my girlfriend had panic attacks and she was really helped with EMDR.

As long as you're not suicidal I would try and stay away from medication. That stuff numbs you out and makes you a zombie, and weird enough the side-effect is having suicidal feelings (on the anti-depressants that is).

Not always. I'm not trying to encourage people to take medication, but the anti-depressants i took were actually really helpful to "make me more open".
I didn't experience the suicidal feelings, but it can happen yeah. But thats mostly the case with medication, it makes your symptoms a little worse the first couple of weeks.

 

[Nuno Filipe]

I had anxiety for about 8 years, a really fucked kind of anxiety to the point I couldnt go out without throwing my lunch or dinner out of my stomach. Outside my house I would have almost all the time some kind of cough that would make me puke all that I ate. So I went to the point of not going out and avoid all kind of social shit and If I went out I didnt ate for hours. I was all the time very tired and always with that annoying cough and I sweated for everything. A really painful way to live, believe me.

So after a lot of years facing this shit I went to a doctor and he gave me some medication, I took the medication for 3 ou 4 days. Worst shit ever, I was like a zombie like Funky Animal said, I couldnt think clearly and that shit put me even more tired than I was before and when I took that medication I just wanted a bed to fall because I couldnt go with a normal life. With this I am not saying that all medication is a shit because he only gave me one kind of shit but didnt work for me so I gave up because it was worse living that way than with anxiety.

So after a lot of shit then came a fucked depression and I hit the bottom like never before and without any kind of medication I overcame that shit and the anxiety seems to have gone forever. Sometimes I feel some things when I am nervous but nothing like before. To conclude I must say that it´s better find profissional help than trying to overcame all alone, if some kind of medication doesnt help, talk to doctors about the things or find others doctors that really want to help you.

 

[JeffTD]

I went through therapy all through middle school for issues with depression and anxiety and have been on SSRI's for a while now. I've tried waning off but I definitely notice a difference and prefer being on them. An SSRI + an l-methylfolate supplement have done absolute wonders for my moods, anxiety, sleep patterns, ability to focus, attention span, ability to tolerate shitty people, etc.

 

[mva801]

I was on Paxil for a while for depression. I hated that shit. Made me feel like a fake person. Had weird sexual side effects too. I couldn't get off while on that shit. Stopped after a month.

Pills were never the answer for me. I could never get out of my own head. Always worrying, thinking about what I needed to do, who was around, what they thought of me, how I was going to make myself happy. I honestly just read a book that completely changed my life. Gave me the tools to realize that all that chatter you get caught up in inside your mind is all meaningless really. It's only your own ego creating a false reality. When you can learn to step back and just deal with life as it comes, instead of always fighting clawing it, things get easier. It's kinda tough to explain.

I'm not going to say I'm happy, because I honestly think "happiness" is some bullshit existence created by McDonalds, realty companies, banks and people who make meds for depression. There is no perfect place you can get to in life. You can only live in the moment, and be content. I guess you could call that happy, but it's definitely no finish line. I haven't dealt with what you'd call depression for about five years, since I read the book. Of course there are problems in life you have to work through, decisions to be made, relationships that wither, but the difference now is that I can deal with them instead of being consumed by them.

So anyway, I'm glad you're feeling better, but just make sure that your medication isn't just a band-aid covering up a gaping axe wound in your brain.

The book was A New Earth, by Eckhart Tolle if anyone cares. He has one or two others. It's similar to the course in miracles and other 'spiritual' (nothing to do with god) self-realization type books.

Also go do Yoga. Really helps to quiet the mind, if even for only a short time.

 

[Jind]

My statement was simply that the blanket anti-medication (I was not referring to illegal drugs) rant that often comes up around the discussion of metal health and whether or not medication may be the answer always has what appears to be those with the "easy" answer of it didn't work for me so it will not work for you, ...

My thoughts on the use of medications is not based around any personal story of mental health (if most have not noticed, I'm a pretty happy go lucky guy despite having had life altering medical conditions including leukemia, serious blood clots, Bone Marrow Transplant (s) (note the plural)), and my medication may be the answer is not simply because I happen to work for big pharma (I readily admit that some of the big pharma horror stories are absolutely true and it's truly scary how money driven it is, how lobbying by my industry is rigging the healthcare system, ...) it's simply driven by my big problem with "one size fits all answers" or worse, "my experiences somehow dictate what others others will have" type responses to serious questions.

It's ok to tell others your opinion, your experiences, but make sure you don't present opinion as factual evidence that it's the answer for someone else. Inform people of options, tell them how individual choices can impact them, your opinions on the pros and cons, but, at least in my case, I always try to remember that my choice may not be what others require nor would choose in any given situation.

I did not mean to criticize anyone or their experiences, just providing another voice to the collective conversation.

I've been on many medications throughout my years of medical issues, fortunately mental health (unless you consider insomnia a mental health issue) has not been one, in my case I've chosen to take a multimodal approach to medicine including medication as well as homeopathic type therapies including meditation, Reiki therapy, some yoga as well as music and art therapy - for me it's worked, but that's been my answer, quite possibly not the answer for someone in a similar situation, but the combination has kept me in good spirits and continues to allow me to greet each morning knowing I'm a day older than I could have been.

Sorry if I ruffled any feathers.

 

[Star Ark]

I would suggest starting off with legal over the counter meds first. I was scoring valium through a drug dealer for depression and muscle relaxation to help with some nasty back problems. I told me chiropractor and he went crazy, got very nervous and started quizzing me on how long I had taken it, how strong, how often and started planning a method for me to taper off. I had only had it half a dozen times so no taper was required, but I could tell how much it upset him and that benzos aren't to be taken lightly. There are some messed up stories of benzo addicts on the web.

My Chiro got me onto valerian root 2000mg (where valium got it's name) and magnesium supplements. Together they work like a very low dose of benzos. And the ultimate and legal one "Phenibut". It's very very potent for a legal supplement but it is amazing. I alternate between the valerian and the phenibut and then some nights of just the magnesium. I will also be trying every major legal herbal supplement over the next 6 months, st johns wort, hops, passion flower etc because I have had great success with the legal options. Just be careful with the phenibut, that stuff really feels to me like it shouldn't be over the counter. Too many days in a row can give you a hangover effect and if you take alot you get a high like mdma which is nice but definitely not healthy.

and + 1 for trying to beat the anxiety and depression with out drugs, I tried and I am better off on these legal ones but most people just going through a rough patch in their lives probably don't need drugs to help.

 

[JeffTD]

I never got the anti-drug ranters. There's a huge difference between "shit hit the fan this year" and "I have a chemical imbalance in my brain where serotonin isn't produced at the rate it is in other people."

 

[StefTD]

I never got the anti-drug ranters. There's a huge difference between "shit hit the fan this year" and "I have a chemical imbalance in my brain where serotonin isn't produced at the rate it is in other people."

sure, there are people with chemical imbalances and stuff, but there are lots of (good, high quality) studies
that show that there are other ways and that only about 30% of the people who suffer from depression
or other mental problems could be cured by medication.

Like I said before, it's not about curing the symptoms, you should cure the root of your problems.
And this goes to almost every part of medicine, not only mental problems, for example, you could take
painkillers all your life when your back hurts, but you can also train your back and stuff and don't feel the
pain anymore-which one is better?