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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Denise1966 on May 26, 2005, at 6:38:23
hi,
I sometimes wonder if it's possible to beat depression without the use of any medication. The thing is I never did, I spent most of my late teens and ealy 20s being mildly depressed or more depressed and never really feeling any good. It was only when I hit 24 and took prothiaden that I realised there was a nothing way and that's the only way I've known.
Antidepressants have always been the thing that got me out of it, even though they haven't for the last four years but I still pin my hopes on medication because of this and will keep trying lots of different things because of this. Is there another way apart from suicide of course?
Denise
Posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 7:40:44
In reply to Is it possible to beat depression without ADs?, posted by Denise1966 on May 26, 2005, at 6:38:23
Prothien was my first med about the same age as yourself.
I cannot function taking AD's but life is more bearable.
Is there another AD you haven't tried?
If you're the Denise that lives in UK ( sorry if I got it wrong) you may ask doc for duloxetine now.
Poop out for me is around the 2 year point and when I increase the med it is poops out quicker each time.
I asked for ECT but was refused..maybe in UK you have to be in hospital to recieve it.
I've never known anyone who has benefited from hospital stay...maybe I just meet the wrong people.
Depression can be a life long battle for some.
Many dietry/suppliment/lifestyle options are there but nothing ever partially beat my illness like a pill..
I'd like to stop but like you said previously the other option is suicide.take care
Slinky
Posted by ed_uk on May 26, 2005, at 7:57:13
In reply to Re: Is it possible to beat depression without ADs?, posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 7:40:44
Hi,
>you may ask doc for duloxetine now.
That's right, duloxetine (Cymbalta) is now available in the UK for the treatment of depression. It comes in 30mg and 60mg capsules.
Duloxetine is also available in the UK under the brand name Yentreve. Yentreve comes in 20mg and 40mg capsules- it is licensed for the treatment of stress incontinence.
If you want to start on 20mg (to minimise side effects) you'll have to take the incontinence pills (Yentreve)! I guess they didn't want the people with incontinence to know that they were taking an AD. On the other hand, perhaps they didn't want the depressed people to know that they were taking a drug for incontinence!
Kind regards,
Ed.
Posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 13:16:36
In reply to Re: Is it possible to beat depression without ADs? » slinky, posted by ed_uk on May 26, 2005, at 7:57:13
http://www.worldofmagnets.co.uk/articles/magnetic_therapy_for_depression.htm..
Posted by Phillipa on May 26, 2005, at 18:44:58
In reply to Re: Is it possible to beat depression without ADs?, posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 13:16:36
They claim it is. Excercise, fish oil, St John's Wort, I wonder if they really do work or is it the placebo effect? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by SLS on May 28, 2005, at 8:40:46
In reply to Is it possible to beat depression without ADs?, posted by Denise1966 on May 26, 2005, at 6:38:23
> hi,
>
> I sometimes wonder if it's possible to beat depression without the use of any medication.I think this depends on the nature of the depression. That is a terse answer, but it is true. If the dynamics of one's psyche is one of depressive thinking, correcting the dysfunctional thoughts can have profoundly positive effects on mood for the long-term. Talk therapy, including CBT can be quite effective. Some people enter depressed states transiently as the result of a loss of some sort or a situation in which one feels helpless to effect change. There are a whole bunch of reasons why someone might become depressed as the result of internal and external conflicts.
What makes it so difficult to distinguish between a hard biological depression versus a constitution of depressive thinking is that the way one feels effects the way one thinks. Are the dysfunctional thoughts the result of depression, or is the depression the result of dysfunctional thoughts?
Would you be willing to go through a course of psychotherapy in an effort to isolate and resolve any psychological and emotional issues that perhaps yield a depressive thought style? Of course, you can do this while you are taking medication.
What my concern is in your case is that your depression is so recurrent. It might be that a continuous "pulsing" of antidepressants to treat multiple episodes may lead eventually to a resistance to biological therapy.
What I think makes the most sense is to seek psychotherapy while you are taking antidepressants and in remission. You will be much better able to mentally process your issues. Psychotherapy involves work. It involves recognition, processing, and practicing. For some people, this is all but impossible while in a biological depressed state. At some point in your psychotherapy, you may elect to discontinue the antidepressants to see if you can live without them. If you do this, you should create a list of signs and symptoms of biological depression to refer to so that you can recognize it as soon as possible should you begin to relapse.
Give yourself ONE more chance to live without biological intervention. This is it. You better make that psychotherapy really count. If you relapse within 4 months of the discontuation of drug-therapy, you must classify yourself as having recurrent major depressive disorder, and accept the reality that you will need medication indefinitely until medical science develops a better way.
- Scott
Posted by Denise1966 on May 29, 2005, at 10:46:32
In reply to Re: Is it possible to beat depression without ADs? » Denise1966, posted by SLS on May 28, 2005, at 8:40:46
.
Posted by Mr.Scott on May 29, 2005, at 20:18:36
In reply to Is it possible to beat depression without ADs?, posted by Denise1966 on May 26, 2005, at 6:38:23
I have undergone ECT because I can't tolerate many medications (used to be able to), and have found nothing to work quite like it for severe depressions. It is an absolute miracle treatment and with right unilateral treatments I could work the very same day (if I desired!) with almost no side effect or impairment except for a headache.
Scott
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