Depression Medication - Crystal Lake,IL

Two years ago I started on Prozac. Within a month I realized I should have been on it since my teens. Talking things out was not the solution for me, my depression was more of a deep "I'm never good at anything" inside of me feeling. It was never shown on the outside, on the outside I got mean and crabby but wasn't ever a negative person. I didn't realize how I was so negative about myself until that feeling was just gone. It was wonderful.

But I gained 30 lbs in that year. That is not good. Plus I still got monthly crabbiness beyond belief.

So I switched to a new one but it's giving me restless leg syndrome so I'm switching to a new one again.

I am not embarrassed to take the happy pills. Just like a diabetic may need medication, someone with depression may as well. Talking to others never made the depression go away, it is like the other person said, a brain chemical imbalance.

I went through this myself - my story sounds very similar to yours. I know talking about yourself is difficult, but you need to find the key to this problem. Medication can help some people, and different meds help different people. Sometimes there's a little trial and error to find the right one and the right dosage, other times people get it right on the first try. However, there are a lot of reports out lately about the ineffectiveness of many meds in milder cases of depression.

I've also had great results with nutritional changes and have many friends who have done the same. I would NOT advise you to self-medicate with so-called "anti-depressant" products from the vitamin aisle or health food store. You don't know where they are made or under what conditions, and many people get themselves in trouble by using them. Also, since pills are not highly absorbed (maybe 20-25%), you wind up wasting a lot of money on things that aren't being utilized by your body.

There are many competent therapists who are accustomed to working with people who are reticent to talk, as you are. Most psychologists and social workers also have collaborative relationships with psychiatrists - if medication is indicated, that can be arranged. Most competent psychiatrists won't just give you medication without some consultation anyway, so you might want to try to get over your concern about talking. It might feel really, really good! Check with your insurance provider to see how much of this they will cover, and ask your physician or gynecologist for a referral.

Your children are entitled to a mom who is taking really good care of herself and getting well, so please put yourself first. Please do that! You need to be your own best friend!

I would recommend pursuing both therapy and medication. The combination can be very useful in overcoming depression. Our son has a host of medical issues, including depression, and medication has really helped him become "glass half full." We've seen no side effects with the medication, but medication varies so much individually that you can't predict what you'll experience. You need to discuss that with a specialist, such as a psychiatrist, who's skilled at selecting just the right medication.

However, it's not a cure-all. As parents, we have to work with a therapist on strategies to keep our son more positive and our son also talks to him about his feelings. As an adult, you need to work through your issues, too. Don't rule out a therapist until you've actually met one. It really can be so liberating to talk to someone who understands what you're saying and can give you specific advice to overcome your challenges -- more so than just a friend can do.

Good luck!

Yes, go to a psychologist so they can hear your story and have your history.. They will then be able to help you find a medication to take the edge off. It will allow you to see things in the correct light again. You will have energy and a positive attitude. It will change your life.

If you have not had a physical in a while schedule one of those too and make sure there is nothing else going on..

You sound like a mom with your hands full. You deserve rest and some days off.. Figure out how you can get a few of those too.

Okay my response is going to be long. This is something close to my heart. I'm 40 years old and have had depression for most if not all my life. I did not get diagnosed until I was 25. Thank God I was in college and had an inspirational physiology teacher, she will never know what she did for me and my family. I wish someone anyone would have told me what I'm going to tell, you way back then. It would have saved me and my family a lot of heartache and struggle.
Depression is a PHYSICAL problem. It is a chemical imbalance in your brain. You don't just talk to someone and it goes away, just like talking to someone won't cure asthma or any other chronic illness. Will it help, probably. Do diet and exercise help of course ,they help everything. However, is very difficult to diet and exercise when you can't get off the couch. People who are depressed react differently to stress than people without. The fact you had 3 small kids in a short amount of time also contributes to the over all effect. One of the worst bouts I had was after my second child was born.
Medication has been a god send for me. Just like with any medications it might take a couple of tries to find the one that works best for you. My doctor put me on Pristque and it has been the best by far for me. I've been through them all! Thankfully I have a wonderful doctor who doesn't poo-poo me and really listens to what I'm saying.
You don't HAVE to see a therapist to have medication prescribed. Your general doctor can prescribe medication. I so wish I would have done it MUCH sooner, do you feel all weird...I don't. I'm not any different just more balanced. Another good thing is I know what I have and when I'm really low I know It is just part of the depression. Before I got help I would really consider suicide just so it would stop.
YOU GO TO YOUR DOCTOR...and decide with him what you need to do. Do it for your family..mine is much happier with me stable. Most of all do it for you! I missed out on so much when my kids where little because I was battling this illness. You will get all kinds of advice, there is a lot of noneducational negativity out there about depression. If you haven't experienced it firsthand you have NO IDEA what your up against. I'll be praying for you, good luck!

A mother of three children 3 yrs old and under-you're a superwoman! You can't snap out of depression when the focus of the day is the kids and not you. You need a management tool-like Prozac-it's tried and true-it gives you strength and levels out the emotions and allows you to use objectivity. Don't ever let anyone make you feel small. You have to love yourself in order to love those children who need and depend on you. It is understanable to be tired and weepy and short tempered when you are taking care of small children-but having the things your mother said to you as a child should not be running through your mind-when they do, it is to remind you that you will never say those things to your children-you will be a better mother-and your children will benefit the most by you being realistically strong for them.

Start with your ob/gyn or your primary care physician who knows your health history and can point you in the right direction, whether it is to see a counselor/therapist/psychologist (LCSW), a psychiatrist (who is an MD and can prescribe meds), or both.

I know you said you don't like to talk about yourself but taking a pill won't magically solve your issues (and trust me, I am not anti-drug!). Suppressing your feelings and hiding them deep inside is probably what has led you to the point where you are. It can be immensely helpful to find a therapist with whom you connect and they can help you start to change your perspective on things and have a different outlook on life through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy (which sounds sophisticated and scary but it isn't; it's just examining your behaviors/feelings/reactions and gaining positive control over them). Pills won't make your low self-esteem improve but working with a trained professional can help.

I switched anti-depressants four times because everything I took had some side effect I couldn't handle. Paxil and Lexapro both made me sleep the day away. Zoloft gave me night sweats and killed my libido. Wellbutrin gave me bouts of rage that almost cost me my relationship. But every drug affects every person differently. I finally stopped taking anything.

I would talk to a psychologist or a counselor first. It's nothing to be afraid of. They're the most patient and non-judgmental people you'll ever meet. And they can be objective since they aren't personally involved with you or your family. They're also bound by patient confidentiality laws so if you don't want anyone to know you're seeing a counselor, word won't get out about it. (I even had a counselor once who told me that if she saw me in public she would not acknowledge me unless I spoke to her first).

I don't want to air my dirty laundry or anything, but I guess I've been to a counselor kind of a lot in my life. Each time I was at some sort of cross roads that they helped me get through. I don't regret it at all. I wish more people would ask for help like that with their problems.

I'm not sure drugs by themselves are the answer anyway. That's treating the symptoms and not the problem. The drugs don't make the depression go away; they don't "heal" it. They just make the symptoms more bearable.

Medication should always be the last option. Before I refer any of my clients to the psychiatrist for medication we try everything first. What is your diet like? Do you get any exercise? What is your social support system like? What about supplements? Do you take any? I'm guessing with three small children you don't get enough sleep. That alone will throw the body into a depressive state.

You may be right. You might need medication. However, I tell you this as a professional: regardless of how much our society tells us there is a pill for everything, psychotropic medications are serious business. They can have serious and long lasting effects that in many cases leave people feeling worse than where they started. Knowing this risks, and knowing that all to often lifestyle changes are enough, I never want my clients to start with medications.

Please consider sitting down with a therapist. I promise you we do much more than just "talk about your problems."

B.:
I have been where you are now, counseling will help a lot more than medication. Medication will only mask your symtoms not get rid of them. Through counseling you will learn about the good things you are and do. Go to a library or bookstore and get some books on positive mental attitude. Read and surround yourself with positive uplifting people, if anyone trys to be negative around you stop them or stop listening. Right now take out a pad of paper and make a list of all the positive things about you. Start with 'I asked for help'. You can add 'I'm a good Mom', etc. As you start to see yourself in a positive light keep adding to your list. You will soon see how much good you have in your life and what a terrific person you really are. Stop comparing yourself with others, you haven't lived their life and they have not lived yours. Remember you are a survivor, you survived your Mom and are stronger and better for that experience.
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I had a bout of depression a few years ago, when my kids were young. I was surprised that I was able to take an antidepressant (Lexapro) prescribed by my regular doctor, without seeing a therapist. It was a short-term thing, one year, that helped me. My mother suffers from depression and has been on medication and in therapy for years. My childhood and adult life have been relatively stress-free, but I do feel that I was genetically prone to depression. This short course of medication helped me and I was able to get off it easily. The only effect I had was stomach pain when I first started, for a week or so. Good luck to you. And congratulations on realizing there is a problem and that you can work on it, rather than take it out on your children.

Good luck with the doctor appointment...your doc should help you talk through what you need. I saw a psychologist for years and finally agreed to speak with my doctor about going on medication. I'm on pristiq and have no side effects. Initially I had some side effects (a little tingling in my head and some nauseousness) but it all passed after after a week or two. It makes a world of difference...

I would recommend a psychiatrist over a psychologist. Depression also runs in my family, my mother suffered for years. Took a while to get the meds worked out for her. There is no one pill that fits all. Be very careful who you choose as your doctor, there are a lot of flakes out there, the field attracts it. Talk to friends and family for a good recommendation. I have seen what my family went through when it came to finding the right doctor.

Really try and go to a doctor to discuss this stuff because it won't go away without your doing it. It's not always a chemical imbalance either. You just might need to talk things out and find new ways to cope.

I would definitely start with getting a general physical from your physician. He/she can get some basic blood work to make sure your thyroid isn't low (which could be your issue). I went on some Lexapro after my second baby, but had to go off of it b/c we're trying for a 3rd. It did really help me, but I wish there was a way to heal/deal with things without the meds. Now, we have been trying for a year to get prego, with no luck, which has made me more anxious and a little depressed... but I am not going to go on anything, so I am looking into other options. I would start with your GP, then see what they say as far as referring you to someone to just talk with. You may find that the only thing you needed was an hour a week away from the kids, to talk to someone. Good luck!

I have depression and anxiety too and I found that seeing the psychiatrist (Terry Hanusa, MD in Glenview is fantastic he's been seeing my dad for 30 years and me for 10) was the best thing I ever did. Once I got on Lexapro I was able to sleep and eat again and not feel anxious about everything. I liken it to a chemical imbalance almost like a person with diabetes might need insulin. It takes about a month for the drugs to kick in. Make sure you start exercising (walking is great) possibly outside so you can get some sunshine at least 10 to 30 minutes a day. You may need some talk therapy too to sort out the issues you have from growing up. I wish you the best in feeling better; it will happen just have faith in the process.

Sorry to read your story. I became depressed about a year after the birth of my baby...this time if year is really bad for depression because the weather is crummy and the sun is not out. I do think you should talk to someone about your childhood I would see the Phychiatrist because I think you may need medication to help get over the "hump" initially.
...However back to what I was on...my OBGYN put me on Zoloft and that did help...sort of. It made me not feel so anxious about the housework and my job. My job was feeling extremely stressful and after being on the meds, I sort of didnt care about the desk..however the bad side to Zoloft is your sex drive goes in the gutter. Since you wont really care that the housework needs to get done and stuff, you really dont care about anything...I KNEW i had to do housework but the rush to do it and the drive was gone...so was the sex life...so on one hand, I solved the problem of being anxious, I now had a messy house that I didnt care about and husband who was feeling neglected. I elected to go off the medication 2 months after I started..the pro's did not outway the con's. I will say being on that medication made me realize what is priority....so that helped...then spring came and I was able to get outside which helped ALOT.
And for what its worth, my mother is similar to yours...she always compared us kids...the middle child (my sister) felt it the most...she became an alcoholic and passed away at 26. My mom still talks to us like we are not good enough. everytime I see her I am either too fat or too skinny and then she will accuse me of having an eating disorder. I had to take mom out of my daily life and put her in the category of a fair weathered friend...we are pretty much just coordialy and I dont listen to her comments about how I look

Sometimes that chemical "off" can be hormonal. My depression was caused by too low of progesterone and too high of estrogen. I didn't know it until I was prego and having problems. It can be genetic too as my mother ended up having low progesterone...that's also why I started to look into it. I had already dealt with therapist and was still depressed. I think that you are doing some good things. I would recommend getting your estrogen/progesterone checked and seeing where it stands. If you are on the Pill, it could be throwing you off. I wish you the best. :)

BTW, if you use progesterone, only use the bio-identical, not the synthetic like they put in the Pill, it doesn't work the way that you need it too. Also progesterone is a precursor to seratonin, so if there isn't enough, you will not have enough seratonin to be happy. Also try a light machine if you are happier in the summer.

H.

I agree with the last poster about the hormones - definitely you should get your hormone levels tested first (as well as thyroids; they also affect many things). Could be postpartum depression since it seems to get worse. As the last poster said, you are probably high in estrogen, low in progesterone -if you are able to take a bioidentical progesterone cream, you would be truly amazed in what a difference it would make - you will feel like a different person. You may very well have emotional causes as well, and I think going to counseling is a great idea, but avoid pills/antidepressants if you can - the progesterone may do the trick (and faster) and you will do a lot less harm to your body in the long run. I am taking pro-gest, from a website called Vitacost; probably not covered by insurance (although I hadn't looked into it) but it's not too expensive. I sure wish there were more gyn's who specialized in this sort of thing - it seems like there aren't enough. (because it's not a male problem.)