He seems to think that I am depressed and that it's both situational (mom dying, father in law dying, too much to do, no self love, blah blah blah) AND chemical.
So... he is starting me on a LOW dose of Zoloft and said that this one also has no WEIGHT gain side effects. In studies it shows that people on Zoloft gained an average of 0.1% of their weight a year... I can live with that. In fact it decreases hunger as well. I can also deal with that.
So counseling... combined with this... should help. I'm looking forward to being my chipper self again.
Thanks for all of the help friends... I may need more just to get through this.
I hope you will start to feel better real soon.
I took medication several times over a period of years but in the long term they didn't help me. Counselling or rather CBT was the thing that finally helped me dig myself out of the black hole I'd been in for years. I can't recommend it enough. I dug through all my issues and learnt so much about myself, and eventually learnt techniques so that hopefully I'll never have to go back to the horrendous times I dealt with. My counsellor in the end said that I had learnt to become my own counsellor and since I was discharged in March this year I have really begun to think he was right. Take every opportunity to get things out in the open, at first there were lots of things I didn't say because I felt like it would make it obvious I was the worst person in the world, but it wasn't til I started being honest with myself that I began to be able to work through things. I still have issues, always will I think, but now I have the tools to hopefully deal with them without letting the depression get me in it's tight grasp again for long.
Good for you for taking care of yourself. Starting a medication like Zoloft is kinda scary but the only way you'll know if it can help is by giving it a try. If it helps then excellent!!! If it doesn't - no harm done. You can still keep doing therapy, the two are not mutually exclusive. And when you are ready you can try going without meds again.
i've been on antidepressants for over 10 years. i was very reluctant to start, feeling that i was copping out, should be able to manage without them, people kept telling me that i didn't seem that depressed (i was good at faking it) or that meds were just buying into some big pharma conspiracy, i should meditate, etc. these people meant well, but really didn't understand what it was like to (try to) live with clinical depression.
the meds haven't changed ME, but they have reduced the edge of depression and anxiety that kept me from being ME (in fact, it's the opposite), and from making much progress in therapy. the therapy is the real work, but the meds have made it possible for me to exist without that constant fog and fear.
congratulations for taking this brave step towards becoming more fully YOU!
Hi CF!! I haven't been posting much for quite a while, due to a somewhat similar situation. I hope this helps you out and gets you feeling better.
I have been seeing a therapist for the past couple months and also have decided to start anti-depressants. I'm going to try Lexapro. I'm so nervous about it, but pray that the benefits outweigh any potential side effects.
FWIW, I was on Zoloft on and off from late 1995 until 2006. Although the odds were that I might have to be on an antidepressant long-term, I am thankfully med-free and depression-free since 2006. Sometimes the meds can help you break free from "stuck" thinking patterns. I hope "vitamin Z" works as well for you as it did for me.
The only side effect I got from Zoloft was extremely realistic, vivid dreams. Didn't seem to affect my weight one way or another.