So, I’m going to the doctor in a few minutes because I really am just depressed. I know I need something for anxiety & something to help me sleep b/c I’ve got some super bad insomnia right now because of the problems I’m having in my relationship.

I start therapy on Monday w/ a psycho therapist too. I’m really ready to get out of this funk & get my life together. I also don’t know how to deal w/ my DF’s issues & want to be sure that I am helping him not hurting him more.

So I’ve got problems right now & my thoughts are when things are bad, it’s okay to feel bad right? But this bad is almost incapacitating me. I can’t work, I can’t sleep I don’t want to see anyone. I’m crying all the time.

I’m thinking that my doc might suggest antidepressants, which he has done in the past. My thoughts are that I have things wrong, so I should be sad right? It’s not like I’m sad for no reason. There really are problems in my life right now that I am working on the best I can.

Should I take the antidepressants? Or are these just normal feelings I am having? Thoughts?

I’ve watched my DF deal w/ his depression issues using medication & I have to be honest it hasn’t been pretty.

Hey Jill,

Good luck with the doctor's visit. Once you talk to your doctor he/she will know more about your situation and will be a better judge about taking meds then any of us here, so please take his advice over anyone over the internet ok. Meds are a good thing and can help you get yourself back on track to being mentally happy and healthy. Also remember that there are many different meds, so if the first one is not doing what its supposed to, you can always call your doc up and change it. Therapy is great !! good for you

Let us know how you make out

Leenie

Try them, see how they work for you. You can always switch later.

You never know if they're going to help until you try them for a while. If you're worried about side effects or feeling out of it, then ask your doctor for a Rx that is a light dose or has fewer known side effects.

Give it a month or two (however long the doc says it takes to become perfectly adjusted), and then decide if you want to continue.

Good luck with you appointment.
Meds can be a lifesaver. But you and your doctor will figure out whats best for you.
Keep us posted and take care,
K

Medications work wonders for some folks, and sometimes finding the right medication, the right dosage and the right adjunct therapies are not so simple. The important thing is what works for you.

I wouldn't dismiss medications out of hand, because they can really make a dramatic difference if it's right for you, and you don't have to be suicidally depressed, or depressed for no reason, for it to work. It can sort of be like a joke I read recently, in which a doctor asks a patient what happens when she doesn't take her antidepressant, and she said "to me, nothing, but my husband becomes a jerk."

I don't think that most folks with clinical depression get sad or upset for no reason, rather the depression reduces a person's emotional and physical resources to deal with problems when they occur, so problems are bigger than they might otherwise be.

Depression snuck up on me, when I had to apply for disability. I had no energy to do anything, and a lot of that had to do with physical pain, but still part of it was simple depression. The thing is, I didn't feel sad at all, I just felt tired. I was sure I wasn't depressed (even though with my master's degree in psych, I would have recognized it in anyone else), because I wasn't sad at all. I thought my coping skills were actually pretty good, it wasn't until I was prescribed an antidepressant to regulate sleep (often sleep disorders are part of fibromyalgia), that I noticed an improvement in mood along with feeling better physically.

There are some really strong medications for depression, that have pretty strong side effects, but those are usually "last resort" medications. The medications for mild depression, and the medications they generally start people on for mild to moderate depression are much milder. I'm not saying that everyone should be on antidepressants, but if your doctor recommends them, and you trust your doctor, the first tier antidepressants are worth considering.

Wow, this hit home. I just thought that I was a sensative & caring person, but my reactions to our current situation do seem to be "bigger" than they should be. I've been hysterical more than once in the last few weeks.

My doc gave me Klonopin, which immediately made me feel better. He also gave me Ambien to sleep. I'm looking foward to a relaxing evening tonite as the voices in my head seem to have shut up for now.

I think I'll be able to better assess this whole issue when I get back on a regular sleep schedule w/ the help of the meds he prescribed. And therapy is Monday.

Sleep depravation is horrible. I get now how some people accidentally OD b/c they just want to go to sleep. No worries here......I would never do that. I will take my meds as prescribed.

And I think if the subject of antidepressants come up I will maybe be a little more open minded to a low dosage, like you guys said. Thanks for the good advice.

Glad to help, and I definitely know what you mean about sleep. When you don't get good sleep, or the right kind of sleep, it can destroy your life.

One other tip that may sound kind of silly, but it's cheap and worth a shot - a sleep mask. It keeps out the light that even through your eyelids can keep you from getting a good night's sleep. It's crazy, but for some reason my husband's snoring even bothers me less. I know the sleep mask isn't affecting my hearing, but it must be helping me get deeper sleep so that I'm not as likely to be woken or disturbed by his snoring.

doesn't sounds silly. I have to put electric tape over our thermostat b/c the little green light bothers me. I also have to cover up our clock, turn the heat down to 65 degrees & turn on the humidifier to drown out all noise.

I will do anything for a good nites sleep. And man did I get one last night! I fell asleep around 9:00 & did not move until my alarm went off at 6:30. I was all kinds of disoriented b/c I felt like I had just laid down, there was just NO WAY I'd slept soundly thru the entire nite. I haven't done that in I don't even know how long. I usually get up at least once to go to the bathroom.

It was truly, truly wonderful. I'm a little worried about taking the Ambien every nite tho b/c I know it can be habit forming. Maybe I'll just limit it to weeknights, as I usually don't have trouble sleeping on the weekends & if I do it's okay b/c I can sleep in so I don't get too sleep deprived.

Jill