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Discussion & help on depression & mental health related issues

trebilcock66 said:
Referring to recent posts on people feeling as if on a roller coaster....up one week and down the next. Seems to me that this is the normality for many people....it's how a depressed person responds to that up-and-downness that marks him/her out.

My own experience of dealing with depression is that often small steps are the catalyst for longer term changes. Small steps are easier to contemplate.

Example: I said out loud some years ago to my family that one day I'd run the London Marathon. They fell about laughing. Next day I put on the trainers I wore to do the decorating, some old trackies and ran round the block - about 7 mins. Had to lie down for an hour. Two days later I went out again and ran the same distance...same result. Two days later did the same and found just a bit easier. So ran a bit further. Carried on and built up the distances over a long period but in small increments. That was 12 years ago. Now run about 20 miles a week and it's become habitual.

...And I'm no saint (ask my wife....). I still have good days and bad. I feel lost sometimes and completely alone.

I just plodded on, adding a bit here and a bit there. But each advance was a little victory for me. Now I seem to accept the mood swings as normal and deal with them as such. I know they'll pass. So I wait to feel better in the certain knowledge that I'm not unusual.
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Some great practical advice on there . The fella who started Ultra Marathons started in a very similar way.
 
counsillor cox said:
Well my gp told me one in the morning, one at night, with ot without meds i only wake up about 11 anyway so no real difference in the time i come to. Ive had antis before but they kind of made me feel like i was on speed where as these just level me out a bit if that makes sense? A bit off topic but did you get a solution to your insomnia issue mate?
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Got some advice on vitamins, amino acids etc that I,m going to try. It's definately an anxiety thing, as if I,m worried about the slightest little thing, I can guarantee that I,ll wake up with my head racing and a churning stomach in the early hours. If I go to bed without any worries I,ll get to about 5am before waking up. I,ve had over 10 yrs of sleeping like this and it's amazing what you get used to !
 
COYBL25 said:
Got some advice on vitamins, amino acids etc that I,m going to try. It's definately an anxiety thing, as if I,m worried about the slightest little thing, I can guarantee that I,ll wake up with my head racing and a churning stomach in the early hours. If I go to bed without any worries I,ll get to about 5am before waking up. I,ve had over 10 yrs of sleeping like this and it's amazing what you get used to !
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to be honest with you mate ive been diagnosed as depressed but as time has gone by it feels more like an anxiety issue ive got myself. Panic attacks in asda? The thought of the Traffofd Centre makes me shudder, dropping my son off at school, all them peeople make me scared shitless. Have you personally tried any form of councilling? I understand the stomach churning you mention, every day whilst im at work, i manage to convince myself im gonna [Poor language removed] up big time, doing things i could do in my sleep, spend all day saying to myself"calm down for gods sake", ending up out of breath. Excuse my ignorance but have you had any sort of diagnosis?
 
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counsillor cox said:
Got some advice on vitamins, amino acids etc that I,m going to try. It's definately an anxiety thing, as if I,m worried about the slightest little thing, I can guarantee that I,ll wake up with my head racing and a churning stomach in the early hours. If I go to bed without any worries I,ll get to about 5am before waking up. I,ve had over 10 yrs of sleeping like this and it's amazing what you get used to !
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to be honest with you mate ive been diagnosed as depressed but as time has gone by it feels more like an anxiety issue ive got myself. Panic attacks in asda? The thought of the Traffofd Centre makes me shudder, dropping my son off at school, all them peeople make me scared shitless. Have you personally tried any form of councilling? I understand the stomach churning you mention, every day whilst im at work, i manage to convince myself im gonna [Poor language removed] up big time, doing things i could do in my sleep, spend all day saying to myself"calm down for gods sake", ending up out of breath. Excuse my ignorance but have you had any sort of diagnosis?
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Long term diagnosis of depression with bolted on anxiety issues. I've has 2 lots of CBT over a 10 yr period, which doesn't work for me. Early on into all this I spoke with a community pyschiatric nurse, who truthfully told me that treatment was all about the allocation of resources ( money ). Unless you were a danger to yourself and others, were functioning to some extent - dressing, washing and eating there wasn't much out there to help really. The mad thing is that everything seems to be focused on sorting out the depression and the anxiety seems to be treated as a side line. I,m not trying to turn this into a war story, but over the years my anxiety has caused eczema in my ear canals, which has permanently damaged the ear drum in one ear ( dried it out ), tinnitus, insomnia and a myriad of other problems. I became hooked on anti anxiety meds, which took a year to kick with 3 days in bed due to withdrawals at the end. Yet all the focus remained on depression despite pointing all of the above out to my GP and a therapist. I have the depression pretty much under control and have learnt to manage the anxiety problems as best as I can, although I,m always looking for new ways to improve my situation and I've learnt to accept that this is something that probably be with me for the rest of my natural. It's just the way it is mate.
 

COYBL25 said:
Long term diagnosis of depression with bolted on anxiety issues. I've has 2 lots of CBT over a 10 yr period, which doesn't work for me. Early on into all this I spoke with a community pyschiatric nurse, who truthfully told me that treatment was all about the allocation of resources ( money ). Unless you were a danger to yourself and others, were functioning to some extent - dressing, washing and eating there wasn't much out there to help really. The mad thing is that everything seems to be focused on sorting out the depression and the anxiety seems to be treated as a side line. I,m not trying to turn this into a war story, but over the years my anxiety has caused eczema in my ear canals, which has permanently damaged the ear drum in one ear ( dried it out ), tinnitus, insomnia and a myriad of other problems. I became hooked on anti anxiety meds, which took a year to kick with 3 days in bed due to withdrawals at the end. Yet all the focus remained on depression despite pointing all of the above out to my GP and a therapist. I have the depression pretty much under control and have learnt to manage the anxiety problems as best as I can, although I,m always looking for new ways to improve my situation and I've learnt to accept that this is something that probably be with me for the rest of my natural. It's just the way it is mate.
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If you dont mind me asking pal, how old are you? Just trying to get a n understanding of how long this has been effecting you for?
 
COYBL25 said:
Late 40,s , been going on since late 30's. It was kicked off by over 2 yrs of hell in the job I was doing at the time - sustained and unrelenting pressure. I think the term commonly used is burnout !
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What is your personal experience of trazodone? Ive only been on them a week, just wonderingif they done anything for you and uf theres any effects i should look out for/be weary of? Also, are you taking anything now pal?
 
counsillor cox said:
What is your personal experience of trazodone? Ive only been on them a week, just wonderingif they done anything for you and uf theres any effects i should look out for/be weary of? Also, are you taking anything now pal?
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Took them briefly, early days when the doc was trying to find the right meds. Didn't agree with me as I found it hard to stay awake on them. I'm on Venlafaxine when required. I'm that experienced now with my symptoms that I can almost self medicate, as I recognise the signs that I'm slipping and that's when I restart them again, then slowly reducing the dose over a period of time. This isn't something I'd advise anyone else to do without consulting their GP first as it's not normal practice . Believe it's not something I ever aspired to - self medicating with anti depressants !
 

COYBL25 said:
Took them briefly, early days when the doc was trying to find the right meds. Didn't agree with me as I found it hard to stay awake on them. I'm on Venlafaxine when required. I'm that experienced now with my symptoms that I can almost self medicate, as I recognise the signs that I'm slippislowly reducing the dose over a period of time. This isn't something I'd advise anyone else to do without consulting their GP first as it's not normal practice . Believe it's not something I ever aspired to - self medicating with anti depressants !
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I was on venlafaxine about 5 or 6 years ago but for me personally the side effects where too much, sweating, sleepy, constantly eating, put about 2 stone on, and, not sure if it was the medication but around that time i was having some really strange dreams, the type where you've woke up but still convinced what you've just dreamt is real. Im finding trazodone is really helping. Looks like a perfect example of whats good for one doesnt suit the next man.
 
I was on Venlafaxine...I think. Led to weight gain sadly, and that's about all it did for me. The operative word there is "for me", I don't think it was right for me but I hope it does the job for you COYBL25.

Just read Coxy's response & it reminded me of another side effect. I was always hot when using it....no, not good looking, just physically hot.
 
counsillor cox said:
I was on venlafaxine about 5 or 6 years ago but for me personally the side effects where too much, sweating, sleepy, constantly eating, put about 2 stone on, and, not sure if it was the medication but around that time i was having some really strange dreams, the type where you've woke up but still convinced what you've just dreamt is real. Im finding trazodone is really helping. Looks like a perfect example of whats good for one doesnt suit the next man.
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Totally agree mate, what's good for one person may not suit another, that's why it's not n exact science and can take a bit of tweaking before you get the one that's right for you.
 
;)
counsillor cox said:
I was on venlafaxine about 5 or 6 years ago but for me personally the side effects where too much, sweating, sleepy, constantly eating, put about 2 stone on, and, not sure if it was the medication but around that time i was having some really strange dreams, the type where you've woke up but still convinced what you've just dreamt is real. Im finding trazodone is really helping. Looks like a perfect example of whats good for one doesnt suit the next man.
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BiggyRat said:
I was on Venlafaxine...I think. Led to weight gain sadly, and that's about all it did for me. The operative word there is "for me", I don't think it was right for me but I hope it does the job for you COYBL25.

Just read Coxy's response & it reminded me of another side effect. I was always hot when using it....no, not good looking, just physically hot.
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All of them have some side effect or other, it's a question of tweaking and changing if need be until you find the one that's right for you .
 

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