Depression and Weight IssuesHave you been diagnosed with depression, are possibly on depression medication, and find it affects your weight loss efforts? Post here for support!
What medication helped your depression or social anxiety?
At the moment, I'm struggling with both and I'm having a very tough time. Emotionally, I'm a wreck.
I just feel hoplessness and I feel worthless. And having social anxiety is making it tough to interact with people.
I started therapy this year for depression and social anxiety, my therapist thinks the social anxiety is affecting me way worse that the depression. I didn't know I had social anxiety until therapy. I've always felt a little weird around people, and now I know why. My therapist is on holiday until October, so until then I'm kind of stuck on my own.
I've tried every technique in the book. I get up and go to bed at a regular hour. I work out 6 times a week. I try to do hobbies. Last week I tried out meditation for the first time. I eat healthy and try to prepare food from scratch and also eat some organic food. I eat 5 times a day to keep my blood sugar stable. I've cut out my daily cup of coffee because I find it increases anxiety. I go outside every day in the sunlight. I keep the drapes open so sun can come in. I'm at the point where I'm considering buying a houseplant because I've heard it helps bring about a positive environment...I've tried every freaking technique for stress reducing and better mood, but it's not made me feel better.
Some days I'm so hit by the social anxiety that it seems scary to say hello to my neighbour.
The thing is that I notice that when I drink, not excessive drinking but just two beers, my social anxiety seem to be so much better. It almost completely disappears. Which lead me to thinking that maybe my depression and social anxiety is chemically based and that I could benefit from treating it with medication? But I was on anti depressant for 2,5 years, cipralex it's called in England, and it didn't have much effect.
Anyone here had depression or social anxiety or maybe both and know of a medication that might help? I've heard effexor might be good for social anxiety?
I understand how hard it can be. I don't have social anxiety but I do have generalized anxiety and depression. I'm on medication and after trial and error, have found the right medication for my unique self. I am not sure how the health system works in the UK but I would recommend getting an appointment with a psychiatrist who specialized in social anxiety. Or at the very least, had exerience dealing with social anxiety. They would have the most information about the right medications for your particular situation. Sometimes it takes a couple tries before finding the right medication that will work for you, but it's worth the wait. I know medication isn't the answer for everyone but for me, it is a godsend! I am able to live a much more productive and happy life while on the right medication, in conjuction to therapy. Good luck, keep us posted!
The only person that can determine if you should try it is you and your doctor. I have had bouts of depression and have tried different meds, prozac seem to really help and welbutrin. Zoloft did not agree with me what so ever. I am seriously thinking of going to my doctor for anxiety, I just have to make sure I go to the right doctor because I think it might be menopause (mean-o-pause lol). Seriously its scary. Anyway, please let us know how you make out with this and I am so glad to hear you have a good therapist.
Drinking works because sedatives are the most effective medication for social anxiety. Now, there are actual sedative medications like benzos available, but the problem they all face is that they build tolerance, have painful withdrawal effects, and reduce mental performance a bit. There are almost no doctors left who will prescribe these to you (they aren't effective long term), and if they do, they will treat you like a drug addict through the process.
I've tried SSRIs, SNRIs, and now an NDI for my social anxiety/depression. Now that I've been through it all, I think it's best if you leave the hope for a "cure" drug at the door. Some drugs will help (they pick ones pretty much at random and wait to see what happens based on what you tell them), some won't, and pretty much all will have noticeable side effects of some sort. Seratonin based drugs in particular seem to considerably change personality. When you stop taking them, unless you have reformed your beliefs and thought processes while on them, all benefits will go away and you will be back to square 1, or square -1 if you have withdrawal symptoms and feel more depressed and anxious. Effexor is the most addicting happy pill I've been on, and I wish I had never started it. It's short half-life makes tapering off of it difficult, and the mood swings and dejection I felt coming off of it scared family members and created days where I didn't even leave my bed or eat.
Reflecting on all of this, I often wish I would have spent all of the time I did tinkering with pills and dosages and doctors on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I have had far more lasting results from interaction with even low level, non specialized therapists than I have from any of the drugs. So it's good to hear that you are already utilizing that. Social anxiety is one of those things you have to work slowly at, like weight loss. And, like with weight loss, all of the pills that are available are really just supplements that cannot work in isolation of other changes.
If I had a choice, I would say therapy or group therapy (intimidating for social anxiety sufferers, but also for me the most beneficial) supplemented with traditional fast acting sedative drugs like Xanax taken AS NEEDED (not daily or as a crutch) for more extreme/debilitating symptoms or panic attacks is the best starting point. However, like I mentioned earlier, the doctors are pretty set in stone with SSRI drugs as their first-line treatment.
You can probably tell I'm a little bit jaded with the pharmaceutical process. I wish you the best of luck finding something that works for you, but do NOT trust a physician to properly inform you about an antidepressant drug. If you decide to get prescribed one, research it to death yourself before hand to see if you want to go through with it. Doctors often don't mention common side effects and dependence issues.
Go and see your doctor and tell her what you've told us! It could be that meds will be good for you in conjunction with CBT (and it sounds as though you are doing an AMAZING job of keeping things together!!!! You should feel proud!). Go see a doctor and give it a try. Antidepressants and anti-anxiety meds really can work wonders for some people (me included!!!)!
I've also been on xanax for almost 10 years, good stuff but a word of warning, it will make you eat like nobodies business!
I've never heard this before. Xanax is one of the only things I take/consume that *doesn't* make me want to eat more! If anything, it chillaxes me so that I stop worrying about getting something to eat...
We are all different little snowflakes
(Which I why I reckon the OP might as well give meds a try. They can be great for some people!)
Hey Leenie, I just caught your menopause post and thought I'd share this. I was getting mean as a hornet and started using "FemCreme" by a company called "Pure Essence Labs". You just put a little on your inner thigh or near your armpit (soft skin areas) and it has lots of natural hormonal ingredients that really have been helping me ~ I've been on it for a couple of months now and can tell a big difference. You can get it at health food stores, or, I've got a good website I use and get the stuff almost half price if you want to PM me I'll send it to you. I didn't want to go the way of a pharmacy because of hearing hormonal drugs causing breast cancer.
ISABELLA:
I'm just shy of 60 and can relate to your situation. I was always a shy child and by today's standards I'd probably have gotten a diagnosis of Social Anxiety Disorder.
To make a long story short. I didn't take any meds until during my menopause journey, I had a problem with panic attacks and some significant Winter Depression.
A couple of years ago, I started to take the lowest dose of an antidepressent, Celexa. I don't take it all year, I wean myself on and off of it - taking the full dose in the Winter and weaning myself off of it in late Spring until I stop in early Summer. I also have some Zanax, but I only take it on occasions when I really need it. I also, will many times try a partial dose of Zanax when I have a need and only take the full dose if needed.
Hang in there! I know what you are going through. I used to spend too much time fearful of what others thought of me. At this point in my life, I generally can care less what others think of me.
Munchey
Last edited by munchey; 07-17-2011 at 06:03 PM.
Reason: correction
Thanks for all your reflections. And really nice supporting words.
I've decided to back on meds again.
I have the opportunity to go to the doctor tomorrow and ask for anti depressants, but I just don't want to. I feel afraid and embarassed about going to my doctor to ask for medication. I hate that pity look I've gotten when I've been in contact with doctors about my depression in the past. And I just feel like such a failure to go and ask for help. Lately, I've been issues with anger. Since I quit cipralex in February, I've just been like crazy angry.
I've not had social anxiety. I've had extreme stress though twice in my life where I was extremely stressed, anxious, and it was messing up my sleep.
I've taken Paxil, zoloft, and xanax. (Not all at once!)
Both times the medication help me through the rough patches and both times I was able to get off the meds and move forward.
I think meds have their place and their uses.
I think I would be a failure to NOT go seek out extra tools if the situation merits it and there have been times in my life where I needed extra help! There's nothing shameful in that.
I feel afraid and embarassed about going to my doctor to ask for medication. I hate that pity look I've gotten when I've been in contact with doctors about my depression in the past. And I just feel like such a failure to go and ask for help..
Don't let yourself believe this. It isn't true. You have nothing to be ashamed of and you are doing exactly the right thing by asking for help. You wouldn't think of yourself as "failure" if you had a migraine or something, would you?
Head up, shoulders back and ask your doctor for what you need. That's the right, brave thing to do.
I went to the doctor. My depression was moderate, however my anxiety was bad according to those forms I filled out. I asked for effexor and have been taking it for two days.
I've had headaches and dizziness since starting. I've read that quitting is ****, and am now thinking of asking to be switched to another med on my next visit in 4 weeks time.
I started taking effexor on Tuesday(7/28), so we've been taking it for about the same amount of time. I also have depression and anxiety. I'm really concerned about the withdraws from quitting as well but I'm trying not to consume myself with that because I think this is drug is something that is really going to help me. I've tried other antidepressants in the past and they didn't work, this is the first one that I've actually felt was working. I do have some side effects like, dizziness, tiredness, my feelings are kind of numb, I don't feel happy or sad, I'm just kind of even keeled, like nothing bothers me. I don't have an appetite & I have to make myself eat, I have some dry mouth and I also get a rush after I first take it.
If you don't mind me asking how many Mg did you start off taking, my doctor prescribed me generic Effexor XR 75mg.
I take 37,5 g twice a day.
I've had dizziness, headache and a little nauseau. I have no appetite. My mouth is dry.
Regarding side effects: I think it's possible to quit effexor by going on another antidepressant while weaning off. And then quitting the other antidepressant.
Keep me posted on what you think about Effexor.
Last edited by IsabellaOlivia; 08-01-2011 at 01:23 PM.
Should I try medication?
...I've tried every freaking technique for stress reducing and better mood, but it's not made me feel better. 
I understand how hard it can be. I don't have social anxiety but I do have generalized anxiety and depression. I'm on medication and after trial and error, have found the right medication for my unique self. I am not sure how the health system works in the UK but I would recommend getting an appointment with a psychiatrist who specialized in social anxiety. Or at the very least, had exerience dealing with social anxiety. They would have the most information about the right medications for your particular situation. Sometimes it takes a couple tries before finding the right medication that will work for you, but it's worth the wait. I know medication isn't the answer for everyone but for me, it is a godsend! I am able to live a much more productive and happy life while on the right medication, in conjuction to therapy. Good luck, keep us posted!
