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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 15 of 15. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by zuma on December 20, 2005, at 17:20:49
i'm trying to seperate what are symptoms of depression and what are unrelated symptoms of severe fatigue. i have the desire to exercise and feel a little better after i do so, but a complete inability to recover from exercise. the next 2 days after exercise i am more depressed and fatigued. if i only suffer from mental illness/depression i should NOT have this inability to recover from exercise. exercise should lift my mood. and i know it's not just a rough adjustment period to exercise, b/c there was a recent period of time where i made myself exercise for 2 straight years. i am not overweight at all and was in good shape for most of my life.
Posted by Phillipa on December 20, 2005, at 20:13:40
In reply to depression and inability to exercise, posted by zuma on December 20, 2005, at 17:20:49
Same here and I can't explain it either. I was attributing it to getting old. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by redscarlet on December 20, 2005, at 22:58:08
In reply to depression and inability to exercise, posted by zuma on December 20, 2005, at 17:20:49
I would like to know the answer to this myself because I'm the same way.
I have never felt better or energized after exercising. In fact it's just like you said, I need to recover after exercise !
It doesn't seems to matter what meds I take or if I'm not on meds, it's all the same.
It's very frustrating when you want to exercise but you know it will not make you feel any better.
And I too exercised for a long time, over a year I got up every morning and worked out for an hour and I never felt any benefit from it, however I guess there were health benefits from it I just never felt it !
I've been trying to get myself back into exercise but I'm already tired all the time so I'm not to motivated !
Maybe someone will have some ideas what this is ?
Posted by summerflowers on December 25, 2005, at 1:55:28
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise » zuma, posted by redscarlet on December 20, 2005, at 22:58:08
I recently read up on severe depression and how it can cause tiredness in the arms and legs and lack of motivation so that could be caused by the underlying depression,so if your on medication it could be one of the things the medication cant help with,that is still coming through.Have you had a medical cheakup? Also do you smoke?I gave up smoking and had incredible motivation and energy.Just some thoughts.(arina)
Posted by redscarlet on December 26, 2005, at 17:45:41
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise, posted by summerflowers on December 25, 2005, at 1:55:28
Hi Arina ~ Yea I think the depression has a lot to do with it. I'm still trying to find the right meds to keep the depression at bay.
I don't/haven't ever smoked but I'm sure stopping if you do would definitely would make some big health improvements.
I have had MANY checkups and blood work and every time they are normal. Seems I'm healthy as a horse except for my brain !!!Take Care & Happy New Year
Posted by summerflowers on December 27, 2005, at 4:17:27
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise » summerflowers, posted by redscarlet on December 26, 2005, at 17:45:41
Happy new year to you too.(arina)
Posted by greenhornet on December 27, 2005, at 7:03:22
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise » zuma, posted by redscarlet on December 20, 2005, at 22:58:08
Hi,
Yep, been this road also! What I finally did was pay the fee for a personal trainer for a few sessions at our wellness centre and she showed me how to start out REALLY slowly and work up to a "normal" workout.
Also, my husband was having a problem with getting effective workouts without terrible fatigue until he had sleep studies done and found out that he has sleep apnea. Since he has been treated for that, he is MUCH BETTER.GH----------------------------------------
> I would like to know the answer to this myself because I'm the same way.
> I have never felt better or energized after exercising. In fact it's just like you said, I need to recover after exercise !
> It doesn't seems to matter what meds I take or if I'm not on meds, it's all the same.
> It's very frustrating when you want to exercise but you know it will not make you feel any better.
> And I too exercised for a long time, over a year I got up every morning and worked out for an hour and I never felt any benefit from it, however I guess there were health benefits from it I just never felt it !
> I've been trying to get myself back into exercise but I'm already tired all the time so I'm not to motivated !
> Maybe someone will have some ideas what this is ?
>
Posted by utopizen on December 30, 2005, at 8:15:28
In reply to depression and inability to exercise, posted by zuma on December 20, 2005, at 17:20:49
I will not comment, or judge you, because, that's the last thing I would have listened to back when I was depressed.
I will merely say what I did when I was at my deepest level of depression ever. I am grateful for having entered remission. I no longer crave sleep, etc.
Anyhow:
I loved riding my Cannondale racing bike. So, they say you're suppose to do something when you exercise you love. Whether that's paddling a canoe, or playing basketball, or whatever, do not confine exercise to something that you associate to as tedious. Think of something you loved doing physically as a kid, and do that.
Anyhow, here's what I did, happening to love the high I'd get riding my Cannondale road bike fast:
At 5 A.M., I got out of bed. I didn't let myself think. I didn't deliberate. An alarm far away from my bed went off, and I didn't let myself think, "aw, me tired, me depressed, sad me." Of course I already knew all those things. I rolled out of bed in DEFIANCE of all that. I treated depression like it was a punk kid trying to mess me up.
It wasn't me, and it's never anyone. It was just a stupid punk kid I had to ignore when I needed to do anything.
So the alarm went off, I jumped out of bed, literally, and ran to my Cannondale across the room. I through my bike garb on, my cycling shoes, helmet, and carried my bike down the steps, in a frenzy, and rolled out onto the road.
I was happy, even if it only was for an hour or two. I was going fast, I was happy. I achieved something.
Is it hard to do stuff when you're depressed? Did my biking cure me? No. Months later I still was depressed, after biking for months. It was Lexapro and the combination of lots of things that ultimately did it.
But that didn't mean I let the punk kid others call depression tell me I wasn't going to be able to do something I loved as a teenager. No one would get in-between me and my bike. Not even a punk kid.
I would be tired, of course, having just 5 hours of sleep. But that returned only after riding, because the riding woke me up like lightning wakes up the dark overcast sky.
Exercise isn't a cure, but it makes SSRI's and other meds work, and, it at least helps you feel better, healthier, and proud of yourself.
So could I have read studies from doctors writing about arm movements or stuff like that instead of riding my bike? Of course!
If I read those studies, um, I probably wouldn't have loved cycling so much, wouldn't have met my girlfriend, on my college cycling team, wouldn't have met my friends on the team, wouldn't have anything to do on the weekends, or in the mornings.
Don't listen to studies. Don't wait for drugs to "kick in." These things are only pills, they can help, if you help them out by trying your best.
And most of all, do something you love. I doubt it'll help your depression to do tedious exercise alone.
Posted by summerflowers on December 30, 2005, at 16:26:42
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise, posted by utopizen on December 30, 2005, at 8:15:28
wow that was so true and well said(arina)
Posted by zuma on December 30, 2005, at 17:38:43
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise, posted by utopizen on December 30, 2005, at 8:15:28
>
> Exercise isn't a cure, but it makes SSRI's and other meds work, and, it at least helps you feel better, healthier, and proud of yourself.
>
that's the problem, i exercised for 2 years, and i loved it, and yet felt no better. my fatigue was still so brutal. i just can't seem to build my body back up, on or off meds.
Posted by nicky847 on January 3, 2006, at 10:29:32
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise, posted by summerflowers on December 25, 2005, at 1:55:28
i would recommend you try and just do a LITTLE exercise..you don't have to get all better in one day..you won't, but you have to start little by little..you may be surprised that even a little bit of exercise will make you feel GOOD, and give you confidence to do more things.
Posted by zuma on January 3, 2006, at 16:07:54
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise, posted by nicky847 on January 3, 2006, at 10:29:32
> i would recommend you try and just do a LITTLE exercise..you don't have to get all better in one day..you won't, but you have to start little by little..you may be surprised that even a little bit of exercise will make you feel GOOD, and give you confidence to do more things.
that was the impetus for my original posting, that i cannot recover from even moderate exercise. it makes me feel worse the next 2 days, both physically and psychologically. i tried to slowly build my body up for 2 years with various forms of mild to hard exercise, and it didn't work. that's the dilemma i'm in.
Posted by nicky847 on January 3, 2006, at 16:16:13
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise, posted by zuma on January 3, 2006, at 16:07:54
that is interesting that exercise would make you feel worse...have you had a physical done recently? perhaps you have some sort of anemia or thyroid condition that makes it difficult for your body to handle exercise..
Posted by zuma on January 3, 2006, at 17:00:47
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise, posted by nicky847 on January 3, 2006, at 16:16:13
> that is interesting that exercise would make you feel worse...have you had a physical done recently? perhaps you have some sort of anemia or thyroid condition that makes it difficult for your body to handle exercise..
i included that in my orginal post as well. i've had a full physical more than once. everything was fine.
Posted by Phillipa on January 3, 2006, at 17:12:42
In reply to Re: depression and inability to exercise » zuma, posted by Phillipa on December 20, 2005, at 20:13:40
I'm finding excercise and a new med isn't cutting it for me. I'm just too tired. Fondly, Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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