Interesting post, I am taking Zoloft only for a couple of weeks now, but I am starting to feel so much better, me depression had got so bad I just wanted to lie down and die, not I have my brain functioning properly now I have to sort out the body of mine which is so over weight, good luck girls in your journies
Pam

Ugh I have to disagree - my little brother in law was put on Zoloft. He was a stick before he started taking it - after 3 weeks he grew a belly and did nothing but eat! The doctor took him off it.

Everyone reacts differently to medications, so the only thing to do is try it for yourself and see.

Has GB posted at all lately? I'm wondering how she is doing.

I agree with Leenie. Look at my husband who has been on 4 different meds in the past few months and the problems he had with them. Antidepressants affect different people in different ways so you can never tell how it will affect you until you try it.

I am glad that I found this board and this thread especially. It is good for me to see that I am not the only one out there struggling with Depression...at least that is what I think I am dealing with. I am not on any meds yet and have not talked to a Dr about it...b/c to be honest I am too embarassed....I just think I am ..crazy for feeling the way I do. No one knows it....I laugh and smile though inside I am crying and dying slowly.

The two things I look most forward to are eating and sleeping....I have little interest in anything else. I can sleep 12 hours straight..get up and be ready to go back to sleep 45 min later. WHen it comes to eating I try to control my urges but more often than not I give into them. Then afterwards I spend about 30 min beating myself up mentally for being weak and giving in like that. I eat the most and the wrong foods...when I am either depressed or bored...which seems to be all the time now.

SOmetimes it just feels like my life is completely out of contorl and I am powerless to stop it.

SimplySweet, its nice to meet you and I'm glad your here.
I can so relate to being embarassed to ask for help, but I'm telling you, once you talk to your doctor and spill your guts, you will feel the weight of the world off your shoulder (just like you dropped 25 lbs instantly). Its a difficult thing to do at first but each time you talk to your doctor, it gets easier and easier HONEST!! You can do this, you really can. You are not powerless, you do have the power to stop the vicious cycle. Tomorrow, Monday... pick up the phone and call the doctors office to make an appointment. If the nurse asks what your coming in for just say a check up. Then once the doctor is with you alone you can talk with him/her. Don't worry about crying because imho it shows the doctor that you are serious.

Hugs to you !!

*hugs Back to you* I really am enjoying being at this site b/c its nice to be around people who are understanding and know where I am coming from...cause they've been there too.

Unfortunately for me I can't just pick up the phone and call the doctor in the morning and set up an appt as sooon as possible. This is becasue I have no insurance and at the moment I don't even have the money to pay for a docotor's visit let alone to get any prescriptions. SO I will call tomorrow and try to set up an appt for sometime after the 27th. I get paid then and will have the $$ for the doctor cause I used my last check to pay all the utilities and other bills.

I hate it that other people are going through this because I know what it is like and its no picnic but it does help to know I am not totally alone with this.

I will make it to the doctor though and I probably will break down and cry b/c it will be hard for me to talk to him about it but I belive once I tell him I will feel better.

I have battled depression all my life. At one point the doctors had me on the "cocktail." I could not function, I felt awful, they switched from med to med. Sometimes on would work for a while, then they would stop. I have been on it all.

Recently, I discovered SAM-e, a supplement that you can get at most health food stores, even at Wal-Mart. I started out taking 400mg a day and noticed a difference the first time I took it. Within about 6 days I realized that this was the answer I had been searching for! I have been going through some incredibly stressful times lately and the SAM-e has allowed me to be able to cope. Yes, finally I can COPE!!!

I suggested it to my mother who has been extremely depressed since my father passed a couple of years ago. She started with 200mg and her doctor has decreased her prescription meds and she is doing better than she has in a long time.

I also gave it to my 11 year old ADHD son who was having problems with depression. His doctor recently took him off his Addreall and now he is only taking SAM-e.

My doctor took me off my scripts too so I only take SAM-e in the morning. I have found that it works best if you take it at the same time every day. I don't have the crazy cravings that I had with some of the prescription meds and my weight is not affected.

It may be worth discussing this option with your doctor, but don't go off your meds cold turkey, that can cause the depression to be worse, it can increase anxiety and the symptoms could be increased. It is definitely worth checking out.

Good luck!

Make sure you check with your doctor before you try anything different or go off of your meds. I can't say that enough.

what are the ingredients of SAM-E? thanks for the info.

I got this from WebMD.com, it explains it better than I can.

SAM-e is short for S-adenosylmethionine, a substance naturally occurring in the cells of plants and animals. SAM-e is not an herb. Because the body produces less SAM-e with age, some people think that SAM-e may be a helpful supplement for certain diseases. In the United States, it is sold as a dietary supplement.

All that is in it is S-adenosylmethionine, nothing else. Some people also believe that it promotes healthy liver function and helps with joint pain. All I know is that as far as my depression, it changed my life.

I also gave it to my son, who has been diagnosed as ADHD, and it made all the difference for him. He is able to focus, he is calm without the "mushroom effect" and he isn't having the bad side effects like loss of appetite, aggression and depression, that the scripts cause.

OK, I bought the Shiff brand of *natural*SAM-e (I'm taking 200 mg, BID), just started it yesterday. I'll see how it goes for a few weeks. It was about $23.50 for 80 foil-wrapped pills at Sam's....

is their a difference in brands? or synthetic vs. natural?

Marblflys, that is a good price. I am going to have to check out the Sam's here and see if I can get the same deal. I take Spring Valley SAM-e and for 30 200mg enteric coated tablets, it costs $15.95. I take 400mg so that is only 15 day's worth of it. The 400mg is over $30.
I noticed a difference in a very short time. Within about 6 days I felt really good. Now I can't imagine not taking it and going back to scripts. Of course, everyone is different, but please keep us posted on how it works for you.

Angie, yes, we are all here for each other. It is possible to rise above depression. Many, many successful people have battled depression and won. Roseanne Barr, Richard Nixon, Oprah Winfrey and many more have experienced debilitating depression. It doesn't have to cripple you.
Also, being diabetic isn't the end of the world. If you take care of yourself you can work with the disease and at least arrest its progression in your body.
It isn't easy to take the first steps to getting better, but you are doing that just by being here. Congratulations.