Ever since I graduated high school a year and a half ago, I started to get depressed. And I haven't enjoyed college at all, and have had a lot more stress. My mom had been wanting me to go get an anti-depressant, but I refused. I did not want to be taking pills for the rest of my life. Things just got worse and worse, and ever since January (I'll admit this to you guys ) I wanted to kill myself. Then this past August I went to my doctor to get some medicine. She gave me one and I took it for awhile and saw little to no improvement. She wanted to see me in 2 weeks after I started, which I did then told me if I had any problems to let her know. After about 2 months I went back and told her that medicine was not helping me and I wanted something else. She told me she would not change my medicine and told me to see a psychiatrist. I hated that idea but reluctantly went, and he gave me a new medicine and wanted me to have some blood work done, to make sure my thyroid wasn't causing all the problems. I went and had that done and sure enough my thyroid levels were elevated as was my liver and red blood cells. My doctor then wanted me to have more blood tests and a check for hepetitus. This was Monday. Got the results yesterday and no hepetitus but the liver was still elevated. She suggested I go to a specialist, who can't get me in until the end of January. I am afraid that this new medicine is whats causing all the problems, but it was heaven sent as I actually feel good again. I just don't think all of this should be happening to a 20 year old! Thanks for listening. You guys are the best

 

What is the name of the stuff?

I have to use Imipramine & Paxil to help stabilize my chemical balance.

Different drugs can affect people different ways.

Fordlover1951 should drop by this thread soon.
He's one of the good guys

My suggestion, Try to keep yourself around Positive thinking people & situations

Hang in there. we're all in this together

 

heres a prescription for you i want you to take 1 hooker , 1 12 pack beer , 1 hotel room no need to call in morning youll feel just fine i think we have all felt depression some point in our life i was same way you where i never took any meds time is what did it for me just remember next time you think about suicide think about all the other lifes youll ruin then youll quickly change your mind

 

Everyone gets periods of depression, unless you are so self impressed me, me, me person-- I doubt those people get anything but themselves. I would get on the internet and do a search to see if your medicine is capable of the symptoms which you now have. I also, would contact your local mental health provider and tell them exactly what you feel and see if they couldn't get you a better and probably more frequent treatment. I would say everyone has been thorugh somehting like yours so don't feel alone. Some people have it for longer periods as you are and of course more or less severity. I am not a doctor or therpist but , I will only say that you are in a period of your life (age wise ) where things are more opened up and you are thrown in with more responsibility and you are probably questioning what you want to do with your life, spouse, work, the whole deal at once and it is a hell of alot of stress. No matter how bad you feel just remember that there are people that are there to help you and that care. Taking your life, feeling down on yourself, or not allowing yourself to be happy is not a cure to anything. You have already made alot of positive steps towards a resolution. WE are backing you - just contact your local mental health provider and seek additional help, tell them you feel it is urgent that you talk with someone. You are a bright and honest person as I can tell from your willingness to share- never be afraid of that.

 

My wife takes anti-depressants. (She took them before we were married so I know it's not because of me! )
The body can get it's chemicals out of balance and that is a major cause of depression.
Do not feel that it's "your fault" or that "you just need to snap out of it."
A chemical imbalance is a genuine medical issue and you are doing the right thing by having it treated. If your thyroid levels are elevated the specialist will probably be able to treat the underlying cause, and once that is dealt with you will probably feel better.
Hang in there. We're all pulling for you!

 

Hi ranger rules. First off, I'd like to state that you have already received some good advice in the posts above. I've been working in Mental Health for quite some time now, but I'm not going to begin to claim that I'm a doctor or even the best expert on the subject of depression.

That said... first off I also would like to know what meds you are currently taking and what dose. Example...I take Prozac 20mg 1 am and 1 at bedtime.

Next, I want to state that depression is caused by a number of things, but the two main causes are : 1. a chemical embalance 2. Situational stressors...somethng that has happened to change your life or outlook on life in a drastic or traumatic manner.

So... first thing you need to do is decide or help us decide if your problem is caused by your life's situation or not. From your statement, it sounds like the med you are taking has helped. So, with that I am thinking you have a chemical embalance.

Thinking about suicide is a dramatic way of taking care of something that can be taken care of over time...whether it be a chemical embalance or a situational problem. So, I encourage you to hang in and keep seeing your psychiatrist and possibly a therapist if your depression is even in part caused by situational things. Look back on your life and try to remember if there is something that is even way back...something that happened to you long ago that may be coming out now, due to your lifes current situation. If you can find something, then a therapist may be part of the answer you need to help you work through it and come to grips with it.

If your depression is simply a chemical embalance, then there's something you may have to look at seriously. You may have to take meds the rest of your life. Right now, there is no cure for depression just by taking a pill for a while.

As for the pill causing your elevated liver issue. There are a number of things that can cause an elevated liver function. Now, some meds will do that, so I ask that you talk to your psychiatrist about whether or not the med you are taking will cause liver functions to elevate. He or she may wish to decrease the med and change to something else.

Unfortunately, almost all medications have the possibility of some form of side effects. As you have probably noted, as written in the little pamphlet that comes with your meds, that there is a big list of side effects. The reason all meds have this seemingly endless list of side effects (SE to keep it short) is because if even ONE person..say..over in lower Africa, had the SE of nausea for instance, it will be included in the list. That doesn't mean everyone will have that SE. Most people can take most meds without having any of the listed SE's.

Worrying about taking pills at your age. Hey, life happens. We were not all born with "perfect" bodies. We were given feelings and emotions for a reason. Some of us can mask or hide feelings...for a while at least. Some of us are like an open book...our feelings and emotions come out at the drop of a snidely worded comment or an emotional event. You sound pretty normal to me, without having set and talked with you. It's hard to really give you an honest and open assesment of what's going on, without knowing you a tad better.

So...my recommendations to you are as follows.
1. Continue your meds as prescribed. Never just stop cold turkey.
2. Make an appointment with the Dr/psychiatrist who gave you the meds, so you can discuss your liver function and the long term affects of the medication you are currently taking. Perhaps a change is in order. There are numerous similar drugs that can subsitute for the one you are taking and accomplish the same thing.
3. If you drink alcohol. Stop. Yeah, yeah...I know...I'm being a real spoil sport here. But... a combination of your meds and the extra work your liver has to do to process the alcohol could cause elevated liver function. Alcohol itself, is something that makes your liver work hard, by itself. From my own experience of my own elevated liver function, which is now within normal range, that is a problem that can be taken care of sometimes by simple changes in your lifestyle or if necessary a med change.
3. As for taking meds the rest of your life...hey...it's better to take meds than to die. It doesn't matter what age you are. You don't have to tell everyone that you take antidepressants. It's nobody's business but yours..so do it...for you..and your friends and family.

That's all I'm going to post for now. Please respond as to what meds you are on and the dose. If I need to, I can go to the office tomorrow and look it up in the PDR and see what it says about it. Hang in there and keep with your meds. You have your whole life ahead of you and you have a lot of support available here....and I'm pretty sure...at home.

 

Deep down I knew something was wrong, but I thought it would go away. My dad on the other hand can't understand all this and called me nuts and psycho because from his perspective he thinks you will snap out of it. Now that all of this has taken place, and my mom has talked with him I think he understands a little better.

As for the meds, I'm taking Cymbalta 60mg once a day. The first day I took it was the only day I felt side effects. Just being something new I felt sick to my stomach, but since then everything has been fine. It does make me tired, so I can't take it first thing in the morning or else I'm ready for bed at 7. I take it about noonish and everything is fine. Even after just taking one pill I felt calmer and back to my old self again, it was so nice!!

I go back to the psychiatrist in a couple weeks. He wanted me to see him after taking this new med for a month. I don't drink alcohol so thats not a problem.

You guys are amazing, I always feel like you are my family when I am on here. Thanks for all of your encouragement and support!!

 

what did people do to get over depression or a "chemical imbalance" before we invented meds? did people just not get over it? im not trying to be a smart*ss; i am just curious if there are other tried and true methods that work without drugs.

 

Thanks for the Cymbalta answer. Now, that's one I've not seen used..at least by that name..so I am going to have to go look it up. That may be the generic name for it, but I will check it out tomorrow. I have to go to the office anyway.

I'm surprised that you got such immediate relief....usually it takes a week or better for most drugs to get to the right level in your system. As for the liver function, I wouldn't spend a lot of time worrying as of yet. Just do as your Doctors say, get the tests. They will eliminate a lot of things and possibly shed light on where it's coming from. If you had major worries, I think your doctors would tell you.

As for your family not understanding. I have run into the same situation so many times I can't begin to count. Let's put it this way. Some people have never truly suffered from a chemical embalance...the one that causes depression. So, in effect, they are not really capable of understanding..so don't expect them to. Understanding takes learning...and sometimes experiencing. If someone can simply..."get over it"... then the problem wasn't that bad to begin with. Yes...if your depression is a situational thing, then you can eventually learn how to handle it, you can relearn to like yourself, you can find ways to distract yourself when the problem gets in your face. You can eventually "get over it". ( I have really learned to hate that terminology.)

I think we all...every one of us...has had some form of depression at one time or another in our lives. Some are easy to get through with time. Some are explainable and some are not..at least with simple words.

My brother has severe PTSD and has been trying to get our aunt, who is 82 years old, to understand what he's going through. I don't think she has ever had a major depressive day in her life....she has been well taken care of by her now deceased husband. I don't think she is capable of understanding why my brother cannot "just get over it". That's one of those things in life that you may have to live with and hope that some day, your family will gain even a simple understanding of what you are experiencing. Ask your psychiatrist if there are any local groups that your family can attend. There is one group that I can think of at the moment called NAMI..it's the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. They may be able to lead your family to a depression support group. Your doctor may be aware of a local depression support group. Find out...and get your family to attend some meetings with you or with each other.

Hang in there buddy.... like Dennis...I have suffered with depression for many years, myself. Some of my issues are situational and part of my depression is chemical. I have my up days and my down days. I awake every morning and pray for God to watch over me. I take my meds religiously. I keep my faith in the Lord, my love for those that I do love and my hope for a better future in my mind all the time.

Keep seeing your doctor and try to take life one day at a time. Try to look around and see the beauty in things around you however simple they may be. You have a long life ahead of you and I think you have a pretty good support group. You have your doctors, you have your family and you have us here.

See ya, my young friend....hang in and I'll check out that med tomorrow and see if my half-heimers lets me remember to cme back and let ya know what I found.

In the past...many people suffered their whole life...or ended it. Yes, there are some natural substances that can give partial relief, but I am not a believer in naturopathic remedies, so I cannot comment on them. I've watched too many people try to depend on "natural" pills and substances and have no significant relief. But..each persons body is different. Our chemical balances are different. That's why there are so many different meds used to treat the same problem. Some people get relief from one of the selection while others...that same med won't touch. Right now there are so many meds for depression that I can't begin to sit here and name them all. Getting relief from depression is a try it and see if it works thing with meds. A psychiatrist can only try the meds we currently have available...using the available science and knowledge through tests and studies...and hope that the right med can be found that works for each individual.

 

Ranger.

I have been through Hell twice with two members of my family. We lost one. They wouldn't accept help. The other is happy as anyone can be but is on daily medication. If you have a chemical imbalance modern medicine can help if you get the right doctor. Not all are compentant. Our doctor now is a MIT grad and teaches other doctors at the Mayo Clinic. He knows his chemicals. If it's an imbalance, laying on a couch and talking or hypotism is useless. I don't know about different kinds of depression but Bi-polar is deadly. It is prevalent among males in their early thirties. I have seen a depressed person in a fetel position and crying, wishing they were dead. I never felt so helpless in my life. This same person is now active, working, happy and is leading a normal life but on daily medication, AKA miricle pills. So what you MUST understand is your condition can be temporary with the right doctor and medication. It takes about a month for them to kick in so don't get discourage. Your depression didn't come on overnight and it takes a little while to leave but IT WILL.. If you have the power to write this thread, I would think you're still in pretty good shape compared to what I have witnessed. Go for it. Don't think you have to live with your state of mind. You can beat it.
I usually don't talk this strongly about a subject I don't know about professionaly but I got my knowledge the hard way. I've seen it work.

 

Quote:what did people do to get over depression or a "chemical imbalance" before we invented meds? did people just not get over it? im not trying to be a smart*ss; i am just curious if there are other tried and true methods that work without drugs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You didn't state a year of *Before*.

I'll tell you this .

Back " In the Good Old Days " before Diagnosed Mental illness.
It was something that wasn't as common due to the fact that there wasn't as much to worry about.

Now, I would say my Grandfather,Dad and people of their age only worries would have been:
WWI
WWII
The Great Depression
Korean War.

Now other than those can you think of anything to cause depression that would throw the Mind out of kilter?

It's my opinion that society has caused a lot of it.

The Need for $$$$$$$$ MONEY $$$$$$$$$ exists
NO One CAN'T get by these days Without it.

Evolution (de-evolution) of Male / Female relationship's (including Teens)
Marriage/Family Values (years ago,one Married FOR LIFE and they knew it)
Inter-maritial affairs

These are but a few of things that cause stress & depression.

Here is a question for everyone.

If there is ONE thing that a person WANTS in their lifetime .

Without thinking to hard, most people say Money, a Spouse,Children, a new house, a New truck.

But What do I say everyone wants. ?



Well





It's






that




everyone




wants




to be










LOVED

 

You're probably a young guy and don't remember the "crazy houses" as they were refered to. That's where they locked up the "nuts". It was, a lot of times a one way trip. One of the problems with Bi-polar disease is the person suffers from acute paranoia. Everyone's out to get them. This leads to withdrawal from others, friends and even family if they don't understand the poor persons feelings. Nobody wanted to admit one of their famliy had a mental problem. A person with Bi-polar depression may make an effort to avoid police because they think they will do something bad to them. , Sometimes they are right. Even today, if some cop senses this they will run him down, beat him and throw him in jail. Some untrained cops are totally ignorant or don't care about the cause of their victims actions. This causes further depression with the idea of spending extended time in prision. With no hope, they end it. I have no experience with depression in the old days but I imagine the people just suffered in silence because they didn't want anyone to know their fears or if they were unfortunate to encounter the "law", were put away. Today it is reconized as a disease just as any other and there have been different medications to combat it. Thankfully, we've come a long way with the treatment and understanding of depression.

 

very true mil1ion, and thats something that has never changed regardless of the society.

sorry, i didnt mean to hijack the thread.

 

Hey Ranger, don't be upset with your old man...it's a thing. I'm 24, and have that same mentallity (just shake it off kinda thing). I grew up with chicken soup and band-aids...the next step was the hospital, no in-betweens; I've been to the hospital 3 times in my life, but ate a lot of soup. I have a very close friend who I saw going through things, and I always thought she was blowing things out of proportion. It just needs a good explaining. I don't think that way with her anymore, and the talk we had seemed to help her as well. I'm glad to read that you're feeling better though.

And if some small complications on the inside already make you feel better...you're definitely on the right track.

When people ask me how I'm doing, I always say, "Well, I woke up this morning, so everything is great" Never really thought too much about, just said it. Then realized...someone has always been on my side for 24 years now, even when I felt my loneliest.

And for the finale...how could this man ever have been wrong:

"You only live once, but if you lived like me, once is enough"

-Francis A. Sinatra

Take each day you get one at a time brother, we're all doing the same, and we're all here for talking or listening anytime.

 

What did we do before we had the medical knowledge to fix broken limbs?

We cut 'em off, that's what.

I take an anti-depressent, after I scared myself last March (2004) when i decided to go to my family doctor, tell him I'm not sleeping, ask for some sleeping pills, and take very one of them. Well, obviously I didn't go, but went to a counsellor instead. But was THAT close.

Right now I am on an anti-depressent, once per day. About 3 weeks ago after having taken these things since March and not seeing any change I decided to stop. Oh boy THAT was mistake. All those feelings came back and I swore to myself I'd never stop them again.

I was resisting drugs at first and when I started to take them I also thought nothing had changed. But when I stopped that time, i realized that there WAS a change.

Unfortunately when people say depression, bipolar, suicide, etc we think they are faking and looking for attention. What could be so bad about their life to make them like this? They have a good career. Wife. Good house. Make good money. Good health. All these things describe me. But why am I depressed?

I have no idea why.

What did we do before drugs for depression? We either suffered through it, suicide, or instatutionalized. A person needs to be diagnosed as to what exactly is causing the depression - imbalance, trama, life change, etc. Then the right method of treatment used.

Because one does not experience it does not make it unreal for someone else.

Digger