Posted by Relapse on February 25, 2009, at 11:11:02
Hi all,
Just wanted to let you know I have been reading your posts for a while now. They are very helpful to me, so I joined a few days ago.
I just wanted to add some personal information that I have experienced over the years concerning my fight with anxiety/depression. It started when I was 20, I am 53 now. When it started, it was blown off as a restless kid kind of thing. When I was going down for the last time, I was put on an SRI about 15 years ago. My doc also told me, based on my history (number of depressive events); I would never beat this thing. So what I needed to do for the rest of my life was to manage this disease. Well, 3 years ago, I took an early retirement from a company I worked for about 30 years. That really took a lot of stress off of me. So about a year ago, I took myself off of an Effexor/Zyprexa combo. I really felt pretty good and fairly confident for a while. Good diet, exercise everyday and plenty of rest. After a few months, I stood in my front yard and proclaimed to the world, (or the squirrels in my cul-de-sac anyway) I beat depression. Thought about writing a book. You know, maybe getting a spot on QVC. Well a few months ago, my mental foundation started to shift somewhat. There were warning signs. I heard the monster scratching at the door. I ignored it, being cured and all. Well, when it knocked my door down and got its hooks in me, I had the worst 2 months of my life. Anxiety off the chart, which led to horrible depression and my first real bout with OCD. Meds now forever, I think so (lithium, Seroquel and Zoloft). Anyway, this post is not to say we cant get off the meds. Its just to say be careful, especially if you have had multiple depressive events. Listen to your body, I had some warning signs and ignored them, wrong.
Lastly, I am blessed with a very supportive family. That really helps. But I just wanted to say thanks to all of you. They support from people who really know just how devastating this disease is, helps tremendously. One more thought. I think we all share this. Even when we claw our way up to a remissive state, we know the monster is still out there, and that is always unsettling.
Thanks again.
poster:Relapse
thread:882379
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090223/msgs/882379.html