Posted by jhj on November 14, 2010, at 23:17:08
In reply to Re: Has this happened to anybody?, posted by Tomatheus on November 13, 2010, at 10:24:40
> Jatin,
>
> I'm sorry to hear that you've been struggling with depression and anxiety for as long as you have and that the treatments you've tried have not brought any relief. As someone who has had a lot of difficulty getting depression treatments to work consistently and on an ongoing basis, I can sympathize with you, but I can't say that I've never experienced any benefits from the treatments that I've received. I think that most patients treated for depression and anxiety experience some sort of relief from treatment, even if it's only temporary, so it must be very difficult and frustrating for you to have not responded to any treatment at all.
>
> Even though you haven't had any success with the treatments that you've tried so far for your depression and anxiety, I would urge you to keep trying different methods that might help to ease your symptoms. It doesn't seem likely that more antidepressants, benzodiazepines, ECT treatments, or CBT sessions are going to help you, but there are other options to explore. As polarbear206 pointed out, you might want to consider trying a mood stabilizer. I take a mood stabilizer (Lamictal, or lamotrigine) myself, and I can say that it's slightly reduced the severity of my depressive symptoms. Another medication that I take is Abilify (aripiprazole), which is an atypical antipsychotic with mood-stabilizing and antidepressant properties. It too has helped reduce the severity of my depressive symptoms, particularly the hypersomnia and circadian-rhythm abnormalities. Have you tried Abilify or any of the other antipsychotics?
>
> Besides medications, dietary supplements are another option to consider for someone looking to elevate mood or reduce anxiety. Some of the most commonly used supplements for depressive symptoms include St. John's Wort, SAMe, and fish oil, but there are a lot of other supplements with different mechanisms of action that may potentially have mood-elevating properties. One of the supplements that I've found to be the most helpful is an herb called kanna, or sceletium tortuosum. As far as I know, kanna has never been scientifically studied for its antidepressant effects, but anecdotal evidence suggests that it can elevate mood and ease anxiety.
>
> What you might want to consider before trying any more medications or supplements, though, is getting some tests done to rule out any non-psychiatric medical problems that might be contributing to your symptoms. Have you ever had your thyroid tested? If not, I think you should. Oftentimes, thyroid problems can masquerade as psychiatric disturbances such as depression and anxiety, and treating the underlying thyroid problem may end up taking care of your psychiatric symptoms. I think it's very possible that one of the reasons why you haven't responded at all to any of the treatments offered for psychiatric disorders is that you might have something going wrong in a part of your body other than the brain that might be treatable with something other than a psychiatric medication.
>
> Well, I hope that I've given you a few ideas to think about and that perhaps some of the things that I mentioned might open up some new doors to some more successful treatment options. I wish you luck with everything and hope you find a way to alleviate the suffering that you've had to endure for so long.
>
> TomatheusHi Tomatheus,
Thanks for your suggestions. I have got thyroid tests done and the reading is in normal range. I have taken lamotrigine and lithium in the past without any benefits. I have taken risperidone in combination with Fluoxetine and Paroxetine in the past but with no avail. I have also tried St. John's wort. I used to blame generics available in india for my non improvement but I have talked to many patients and those drugs have benefited all of them at least to certain extent.
Jatin
poster:jhj
thread:970046
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20101107/msgs/970276.html