Posted by cmorhoun on May 12, 2007, at 14:39:22
In reply to Re: severe derealization, major depression + anxiety, posted by brooke484 on May 12, 2007, at 9:31:28
stimulants are actually very anxiolotic. They run some risk of addiction but that is usually when they are abused. The thing is, with stimulants you will usually feel amazing upon starting them. they sort of get you high. Predictably they loose that umph over time so alot of people keep increasing the dose to chase that original high. If you can avoid that, they can be a very helpful. You'll get lots of energy, you'll loose your appetite which isn't a problem with most women. My problem with them is they make me overly emotional. I get highs and lows even on the extended versions. I'm exceptionally sensetive though so I doubt that's a problem for most people. Adderall XL seems to be the most popular one for depression. Depending on how rigid your doctor is, they may not prescribe it since stimulants are typically used for ADD. Demand it or go to someone else if you have to.
MAOIs...I believe stimulant use is frowned on with them but if you search the archives, you'll find there are some people who take the combo. Doctors will probably tell you it's a no no and you'll probably have a hard time getting presciptions for both. Parnate has actually been said to have similar efficacy to a stimulant. I think because it hits dopamine pretty hard. You might want to try a stimulant before the parnate just to see what it does for you. You'll know within 5 days how it's going to effect you.
Another thing you might try if you haven't already is Lithium. If you're not familar with Lithium the word alone is probalby scary but if you research it, you'll find that it's a pretty amazing and natural substance. I'm just starting it myself. Incidently I'm also starting week 4 of wellbutrin sr and unfortunatly this is the most suicidal I've ever felt. Apperanlty didn't do much for you either.
Have you tried ECT? Probalby wouldn't help you since you've been dealing with this for so long but it's always another option. You'll find lots of literature saying it's an extremely effective and safe treatment with an unfounded stigma. You'll also find lots of literature saying it's not very effective at all and can cause long term memory loss despite what the medical coummunity says. Someone on this forum once said it's more effective for people with atypical depression, not anxious depression or depression from personality dissorders. It's usually the last resort. I'm considering it myself.
Food allergies...honestly, if you're a healthy eater it would probably be a waste of time. The whole subject is very questionable, many methods of testing have been disproven. Generally you hear "stay away from sugar" with depression which you are already doing. Other than that I would emphasise eating lots of raw green veggies...supposedly happy foods. Just for kicks you might do some research on things like Candida Yeast and Leaky Gut syndrome. There are some related yahoo forums. It's all sort of the wholistic approach and will most likely amount to nothing but you might find some things to try. Just be carefull that you don't make things worse.
I'm sure you've done the psycho therapy stuff. Perhaps you could find a local support group, just to have a place to vent or not feel alone.
There are also all the altenative wholistic things like SAM-e, St. John's Wort, Amino Acid suppliments, L-Trytophan, ect. If you haven't gone down that road, it might be worth a shot.
Any therapy, suppliment, idea you come accross relating to depression has most likely been discussed on this forum or the alternative forum so search the archives on any of it. You'll learn alot. You might try searching "treament resistant" too.
I feel for you and I admire you. If you feel anything like I do I just can't fathom lasting 12 years. I've dealt with depression on some level my whole life and had a few really bad episodes around my college days. About a year ago is when I finally crashed hard and I've been in a sureal nightmare ever since. There are lots of meds and combos I haven't tried yet but I'm just not sure I'll be able to hold out much longer for more trials. I'm lucky in that I don't have a family...I don't have a 3yr old to leave behind. Hang in there and let me know if you have any more questions or just want to chat.
> Thanks for your reply. No, I never tried any stimulants. Maybe the doctors thought it would worsen my anxiety. Can you take those with an MAOI? I'm starting Parnate on Monday. I will definitely mention this to my doctor.
> About the food allregies...I've never looked into that. I do eat healthy (mostly organic), only drink water, stay away from sugar, etc. But that never changed how I felt. Do you think it's worth seeing an allergist? Do they find the food allergies with blood tests?
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> Thanks again. :)
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poster:cmorhoun
thread:751993
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070509/msgs/758146.html