Annette Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 As some of you know I haven't been around much because I just haven't been feeling well. I just really haven't been myself for the past 3 or 4 months, not wanting to be on the computer, not working on my dh's, nothing. I just be sitting in bed except for doing school lessons with the kids. Well I have being seeing the doctor for all that time, being poked and hooked up to machines. I felt like a human pin cushion for a while there. He was looking to make sure that nothing was wrong with the major organs first as a precaution (you know heart, kidneys, all that good stuff). Well after all the testing and sitting down with me and Greg and just talking about everthing I was diagnosed with depression and anixeity. That will make you feel like your having a heart attack or other medical problems which is why he wanted to check to make sure it wasn't really anything else. So he put me on Paxil(sp?) and told me to keep myself busy with my hobbies (painting ceramics and dh's) and to get alot of 'me' time. I have a way to go to be back to 100%, but hopefully with this medicine I'll get there, I just have to keep thinking positive. That's what been going on with me, thanks for listening and it's good to be back here talking to all my friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 ((((Hugs)))) I suffer from clinical depression (20 yrs) and I am happy to say that it is in remission. It takes a good month till you really notice a big difference in your mood on medication. If you have any side effects (groggy, dizzy, sleepy, etc) just deal with them. After about 2 weeks they will start to go away. Are you going to get talk therapy too? Glad you found a diagnosis...you will be feeling better in no time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just One More Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 As some of you know I haven't been around much because I just haven't been feeling well. I just really haven't been myself for the past 3 or 4 months, not wanting to be on the computer, not working on my dh's, nothing. I just be sitting in bed except for doing school lessons with the kids. Well I have being seeing the doctor for all that time, being poked and hooked up to machines. I felt like a human pin cushion for a while there. He was looking to make sure that nothing was wrong with the major organs first as a precaution (you know heart, kidneys, all that good stuff). Well after all the testing and sitting down with me and Greg and just talking about everthing I was diagnosed with depression and anixeity. That will make you feel like your having a heart attack or other medical problems which is why he wanted to check to make sure it wasn't really anything else. So he put me on Paxil(sp?) and told me to keep myself busy with my hobbies (painting ceramics and dh's) and to get alot of 'me' time. I have a way to go to be back to 100%, but hopefully with this medicine I'll get there, I just have to keep thinking positive. That's what been going on with me, thanks for listening and it's good to be back here talking to all my friends. Hit the quote by mistake. Generalized anxiety disorder indeed can make you feel terrible. It gives you symptoms of all kinds of disorders and can be really scary, adding to the anxiety. Glad you found out the problem and are getting medication. It takes awhile but hope you notice a change soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I hope you're feeling better soon! Depression can creep up on you without you even really realizing it. As the others said, it does take awhile, sometimes, for the medicines to start to show effect. I hope you're back to yourself in no time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovecats Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Annette, glad to hear you have a diagnosis and hope your treatment goes well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SallyG Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I've been on medication for the same thing for about 4 years now and I feel like a whole, new person. Stick with it and don't give up...the medication takes about 6 weeks to get into your system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 {{{BIG HUGS}}}, Annette; I am so thankful for the awareness & acceptance of depressive illness and the new meds to help sufferers, and delighted that you have finally got a chance for relief! And what a delightful way to cope with it, making minis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Hope you feel better soon Annette. Depression can make you feel physically sick, but worse - it can ruin your life. Do what you have to do to get better! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymew Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I'm glad that you're back here on the forum. Reach out to people, even if you don't feel like it. I'm sending hugs and warm wishes that the medication will soon have you feeling much better. Minis are also a great therapy. -Susanne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnae Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 I have suffered from severe depression all my life, even as a small child. I have recently been diagnosed with severe aniexty as well. Just knowing what it is and that u are not alone really helped me. I have to go one day at a time and always remeber if I am having a bad day that it WILL get better. I take prozac and zanax (sp?). Sometimes if I am deppressed writing helps me. I just write what i feel. I have notebooks with pages and pages of the same three word sentence over and over. My aniexty is so bad I don't leave the house often. Sometimes when I have a anxiety attack I pace . Up and down the hallway, around a room, sometimes up and down the drive way at three o clock in the morning. You will find what helps you. Just keep trying. Your family will be a lot of help. My mother wasn't very understanding for a very long time. After talking to her and explaining things to her and her doing some of her on research. She is starting to realize it isn't all in my head. Medication can really help, but it won't cure u. If I stay on my medication like I am suppose to I stay out of my real bad deppressions. I take joy in the small things alot. Like rainstorms, family dinners, having a conversation with the nice lady at the library, and things like that. O.K. I have rambled enough. I just always want to tell people that they are not alone with this, because for so long I thought I was alone. ( not to mention crazy ) lol. The most important thing that has helped me is GOD. If it weren't for my faith I wouldn,t still be here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyJudi Posted May 23, 2008 Share Posted May 23, 2008 Sending big {{{HUGS}}} your way Annette. Hubby suffers from depression and anxiety also. He takes Paxil (amoung other meds) and it works good for him. You should start to feel better soon. Like Holly said, thank goodness for the awareness and new meds. So many people suffered for so long because they felt a sense of embarrassment. Simply the words "mental health" can throw people into a tizzy. If they only realized how many people suffer from some sort of embalance. The same goes for bi-polar. The general public needs to stay informed on these issues and stop looking as if someone is totally bonkers. Sorry . This is a touchy subject for me because of how much DH has gone through. Just remember, we are here for you anytime you need someone to chat with. Take care and feel better!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alycemina Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 I hope you feel better soon. You have a good doctor to do tests to rule out other conditions. I have taken Effexor for several years and it is wonderful for me....if God didnt want us to feel better, he wouldnt have made great drug chemists! talk therapy helps too - remember that their is no shame in getting help (I feel sorry for those who refuse help). Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 Annette, I'm glad that they figured out what's wrong and have you on the road to recovery. It's good to see you feeling well enough to be back online with us. You've been missed. Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4miniloves Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 I have been on meds for the same thing for almost 3 years, after a 20 year battle trying to find the right med. So good luck! Yes making dh's is great theropy. I still have not figured out if it was ths dh that got me out of the slump, or I started my dh because the meds had finally equlized. I like to say the dh fixed me! Any how, good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted May 24, 2008 Share Posted May 24, 2008 I wanted to add something. I do not know about the script Paxil but with most anti-depressant meds you should have bloodwork done at your regular GP check-ups to make sure it is not effecting your liver or kidneys..Nothing to worry about or to stop you from taking it but it is just a good precaution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellee Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 I am so glad you figured out what was wrong. I am dreading it but I need to go to the Dr. I am so tired and just feel stressed all the time.! Kellee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Annette Posted May 25, 2008 Author Share Posted May 25, 2008 Thanks for all the support and hugs, just coming on here and talking to all my friends again definitely helped. I go back in 4 weeks so I'll mention to him to see if he thinks I'm going to need the blookwork to check everything regularly, thanks for the heads up Heidi. As for the talk therapy he did tell me that and a couple other treatments that we could do if the pills aren't enough. So I'll see how the next few weeks pan out on them, to give them time to start getting into my system, and go from there. I have alot of support here at home and they always sit and listen to me when I start babbling on, that helps also. I will keep you all posted on how everything is going. Thanks again for everything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chattycathy66 Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 Annette, I feel for ya...I've had depression in varying forms since my first son was born 13 yrs ago...I just dealt with it then...but it got harder with each of my next two children...what I've found is that medication helps you cope and get out of bed in the morning...but I've had to deal with causes or else it never really goes away.... The dollhouse therapy is great though!! Creating beautiful things really lifts the spirits!! It's great that there's so many wonderful people on this forum too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChildhoodRevisited Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 About 10 years ago, I went through the same thing. I went on Paxil, and what a difference 2 weeks on it make! You will soon feel much better! This was after many tests, including wearing a heart monitor as I was having palps. Turns out they were due to the anxiety. I didn't want to leave the house, didn't want to do anything. Made myself go to work as we needed the money. My husband (now ex) was working 3rd shift and I wouldn't sleep as my mind told me I would stop breathing and my kids would find me dead. (The dying part didn't bother me, it was my kids finding me!) Sounds stupid now, and I knew it was stupid then, but couldn't stop myself. About 5 years ago, Paxil had a recall (nothing bad, they were just breaking up into pieces and we couldn't get any) so my doctor switched me to Lexapro. I am still on it but now a lower dosage and it does help with the menopause. Make sure you take it every day! If you skip 1 day, it's ok, but more than 1, you will have these really weird electronic feelings in your head. Not painful, just weird and aggrevating. Best wishes for a speedy recovery! I felt happier after being on it in 2 weeks then I had in a long time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 25, 2008 Share Posted May 25, 2008 The bloodwork is very important because of some of the side effects of anti-depressant meds, and ALL meds are metabolized by the liver, so regular liver enzyme tests are very important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honey Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Depression is a big pain! I have been medicated for 20 years. Pick yourself up dust yourself off and do what you like. If you can get out and walk it helps to increase your endorphins which make you happy. Think happy thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honey Posted May 26, 2008 Share Posted May 26, 2008 Depression is a big pain! I have been medicated for 20 years. Pick yourself up dust yourself off and do what you like. If you can get out and walk it helps to increase your endorphins which make you happy. Think happy thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalygirl Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Gotta say, I wish that mental health wasn't such a taboo to the general public! MH is just as important as physical health, and not talking about something that's wrong won't help fix the problem. I've worked in the MH field for about 10 years, and something that always makes me laugh (in an ironic sort of way) is when clients tell me that I can't understand what they are going through, because no mental health professionals have mental health issues themselves. NOT TRUE!!!! I have depression and severe anxiety, and have been on psychotropics for years. Am now on Cymbalta, and so far, so good. If you do have medication, please, please please make sure to take it as prescribed, and tell your doc the truth about all your symptoms and any side effects of your meds!!! (gets down off the soapbox) In any case, I send loves and support out to anyone who has a mental illness, and please remember, you aren't alone and you CAN get help!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 no mental health professionals have mental health issues themselves.Oh, is THAT ever a misconception! When I went to work at the State Hospital at Chattahoochee I was required to take an 18-hour series of college classes for unit treatment and rehab specialists & supervisors and our profs were two clinical psychologists from Tallahassee, and the senior prof introduced himself & his assistant the first day of class by telling us he won't hire anyone for his practice who hasn't sat on "the other side of the desk", because unless someone has faced his/ her own mental issues there is no way he/she can begin to help a patient, precisely because they could never understand what that person is going through! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet2Dawn Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Oh Hun so gald you have found a good Dr and are on the road to recovery. I went to the ER via ambulance with anxiety attacks thinking it was my heart. And now being on Effexor for a few years, I am much better. Like everyone has said there are still good days and bad, but less bad. Find joy where ever you can, make time for yourself, do it. Talk, write, unburden......ask for help with everything. You are never alone with this illness or your feelings. This forum is the best boost to some of my worst days. We are all hear for you!!!! Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.