Depression and Weight Issues Have you been diagnosed with depression, are possibly on depression medication, and find it affects your weight loss efforts? Post here for support!

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Old 05-12-2010, 12:44 AM   #16  
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Originally Posted by LovebirdsFlying View Post
How do you *become* diagnosed? What kind of tests are run?

Just about every symptom I have, from pain to fatigue, is usually blamed on depression without any tests being done for anything else.

When I first started complaining about the symptoms, my doctor at the time also wanted to blame depression. I protested and pushed for further tests. I have a masters' degree in psychology - I knew that if I had any depression symptoms, the pain was causing the depression, the depression wasn't causing the pain. Even with my degree though, I had to push the doctors for the tests.

Ironically, after I applied for disability, my disability attorney referred me to a neurologist friend who was very knowledgeable on Chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia - the neurologist was shocked that my previous doctors had not tested for neurological conditions. He said that with my symptoms all of the physical causes should have been ruled out, before assuming it's depression, chronic fatigue or fibro. He said it could have been MS, brain tumor, or narcolepsy. He acknowledged that the probability was that it was chronic fatigue/fibro, but he still felt the tests should have been run (he ran them and they were thankfully negative).

The tests I had done were

lyme disease
thyroid and other endocrine panels
autoimmune disease panels
sleep study (I'd highly recommend. Make sure it is testing not just for apnea, but has an EEG as well).
A brain scan (don't remember if it was an MRI or CT scan).
A seperate narcolepsy test (it was an EEG, but there was something different about it than the other EEG).
A mental health exam to rule out depression as the primary cause (the psychiatrist I was sent to agreed with me that my pain and fatigue was causing depression, the depression wasn't causing the pain and fatigue)

It can be rough if you don't have great insurance, because some of the tests are costly, and you and your doctor can determine which you feel are necessary and which are not. I'm biased, but I really recommend the sleep study. There's a specific sleep pattern that is associated with fibromyalgia (alpha EEG anomaly). Some studies have found up to 80% of fibro patients to have this type of sleep disorder (I have it - I spend almost no time in the restful deep stages of sleep. My symptoms improved tremendously when I was prescribed medications to help increase deep sleep).
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Old 05-12-2010, 12:51 AM   #17  
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I have had depression since I was about six years old. I was an abused child.

But only in the last ten years has physical pain been debilitating. Could it be that since I *do* have depression, everything that's wrong with me is automatically blamed on that?

Edited to add, some of these tests have been done or are upcoming, and my psychiatrist also wants to test and see if I have a vitamin D deficiency.

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Old 05-12-2010, 04:37 PM   #18  
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I am bipolar 2 so depression is an issue for me as well. I've suffered with that for years - undiagnosed until about 4 years ago. ALways had been treated as depression. My depression and anxiety disorder DOES cause physical pain and that is very common with depression but this is different and the onset was fairly rapid starting in October. So many illnesses have similar symptoms and I think people with things like depression, PCOS, CFS and fibromyalgia may have more than one at a time.

I did have a vitamin D deficiency which is VERY common. Mine was the lowest my doctor had seen and I was put on massive doses of prescription supplements and that has greatly improved. Your body produces Vitamin D from exposure to sunlight and since most people spend time indoors and are getting better educated about sunscreen - this has become a common problem.

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Old 05-12-2010, 05:16 PM   #19  
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Originally Posted by LovebirdsFlying View Post
I have had depression since I was about six years old. I was an abused child.

But only in the last ten years has physical pain been debilitating. Could it be that since I *do* have depression, everything that's wrong with me is automatically blamed on that?

Edited to add, some of these tests have been done or are upcoming, and my psychiatrist also wants to test and see if I have a vitamin D deficiency.

It's possible for depression to cause a lot of physical symptoms - but really that doesn't much matter (in my opinion). It's not the cause that's important, nearly as much as what you do about it. The pain has to be treated, regardless of the cause.

Doctors aren't very well educated on pain. I didn't learn that until I met doctors who were pain specialists. The American anti-drug ethic assumes that you should never take pain medication unless (and until) you really need it (only when the pain becomes excrutiating and unbearable).

Pain specialists have discovered (the research backs them up. Luckily, more and more research is being done on pain) that it's easier to prevent pain than to break its grip once it takes hold. Often a person can get by on a very low dose of pain medication, if it's taken BEFORE pain gets a grip. Even though such a person is taking a lower dose than they would need if they had waited, taking the pain medication BEFORE the pain appears - will earn you the label of "addict" by many folks (even doctors who haven't been trained in pain management).

Here's my theory for what it's worth (and since I'm not a medical professional, it isn't worth much). It doesn't really matter how you get into a pain loop, once you're there it can take over your life, and it can be very difficult to escape the loop. The pain has to be treated for you to be able to function. Even when depression is the cause of the pain, treating the depression may not be enough to treat the pain - the pain has to be treated as it's own separate medical issue. Do not let anyone tell you that the pain is imagined - it is not. Rather depression is often associated with a neurotransmitter problem (similar neurotransmitter problems are associated with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia. They're not sure whether it's a cause or an effect of the disorders).

And everything I said about pain applies to fatigue as well. Fatigue is just as much a loop, that can be self-perpetuating.


Even if your symptoms are being caused by the depression - it doesn't mean that treating the depression will treat the symptoms. Depression can lower your resistance to infection. If you get pneumonia because the depression has compromised your immunity, your doctor wouldn't prescribe a stronger antidepressant, he'd prescribe antibiotics to treat the pneumonia.

Pain is much the same. Some drugs that are antidepressants also treat pain (such as Cymbalta, amitriptyline, lexapro.....) which can further confuse patients. My husband and I have a friend who was furious that his doctor had prescribed an antidepressant for his insomnia, because he was NOT depressed. I explained that drugs that are used as antidepressants do have other uses, and treatment of sleep disorders and pain are two of them.

It can be confusing, because it's not always clear when a doctor is taking a patient's concerns seriously. And really there's no way to no for sure, except to be as communicative as you can with your doctor and ask (demand, really) the same respect and communication.

Last edited by kaplods; 05-12-2010 at 05:19 PM.
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Old 05-12-2010, 08:37 PM   #20  
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Thank you for your education, kaplods. Not only am I severely depressed right now, but I was hospitalized over the weekend with chest pain that still hasn't let up. They're reasonably certain it isn't my heart, although more tests are to come. However, the chest pain is a new development in only the past week.

Witchy, I apologize for taking over the thread you started. And thank you for your support as well.
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