Depression Support Group

I am basically PRO medication. It has to be the right one(s) and in the right dose, and that is not easy to arrange, ... hence highly educated doctors. They don't know what is right off the bat,.. finding the right "stuff" is initially calculated experimentation. Were you doing better on them? Keeping in mind, I am PRO,... you might want to get them another try if you are disappointed in your progress.

Hi John,

No I'm not. I've tried it but each time after about 6 weeks I can feel the world starting to collapse so I go back to meds. I'll keep trying as I don't like tablets etc. I've just had to realise through sheer terror and bad experience that I need the awful things, possibly for the rest of my life. I'm 57 so don't panic.

It is certainly possible to recover without meds. Many people do it but usually those that do have the ligher versions of D and either deal with it through a variety of methods or try and ignore it.

The most common 2 non meds paths are talk therapy or alcohol. Hotels, clubs and casinos are full of very depressed people desperately trying to pretend to themselves they are OK.

How do I know? I did that for 15 years and everyone I met there was the same. Our aim was to get as drunk as possible as quickly as possible. You do have some fun times but it just papers over the problem which re emerges after the hangover, if you wait that long.

My best advice whichever way you try is to research it yourself. Get to know and understand how it works, why you have it if you can and what the triggers are.

For example so many of us take meds hoping they will fix us but we continue living the same life where the problems either started or were triggered. The classic example is physical abuse. Taking meds won't fix that. Do you follow?

Examining your life, your history and future possibilities are what needs to occur for any recovery, meds or not.

You must have medical support. Unfortunately too many GP's simply write a prescription when you say you feel depressed so avoid that.

I have no doubt meds are not the answer but they do relieve the symptoms for most of us so we can at least tolerate life. Hopefully much more than that too.

Read, read and read. Ask question as you have. Try a self help book or two so you know what they offer.

Which prompts 2 short jokes if I may. Here 'tis :

"If self help books work why do we need more than one to be written?", and

"How on earth can I expect to cure myself through self help when I'm a complete idiot?".

Depression humour!

In simple terms the answer is work hard, avoid alcohol and drugs, exercise and eat regularly and healthily. No guarantees there and of course depression stops many of us even trying these things, me included.

With meds obviously you've tried them before etc but don't rule them out if things deteriorate. Think of them as your life boat to be used when needed and only then.

Hope this at least gives you some thinking material and talk to you again.

Best

Peg

Currently, I am dealing with A LOT of depresion but refuse to take any meds for it because mine is purely situational and the meds mess me up more---so my physician and I agree. Also-I have tried so many that they have pooped out. Try to find things that make you happy, remember ANY time you felt happy, what you were doing, who you were with, try to re-create those memories now.
Good luck to you! Keep us posted!

If your depression is bad enough I would use the meds. Dont know your history but you can live a good side effect free life with the right med and amount. See a good psychristrist for help.

I need meds for depression. There's no two ways about it. I'd be in worse shape if I didn't take medicine.

I have tried for many many years to deal with the depression without meds. A couple of the attempts at meds. resulted in terrible side effects that I just could not live with, even if they were only going to last a couple weeks. My last attempt at meds., with Wellbutrin, yielded mixed results. Ultimately, my doc. and I concluded it was not working...and the next step is to try Cymbalta. I don't have any answers for you, and clearly, there are no pat answers to this quandary...but I sure relate to your desire to deal with it without meds. When I have been able to remain relatively non-depressed without taking meds, it has been when I've been able to spend plenty of time outdoors, preferably in a cool green forest in the mountains, or when I am eating well (very limited sugar). Exercise helps too...but time at the gym does little but pump me up for a hew hours; it has to be a nice walk around the neighborhood, a bike ride with a friend, or getting my butt outside to do anything physical, even if it's windy, nasty, and cold/hot outside. I hope things work out the way you wish them to.

I keep hoping that I will get off my meds sometime in the future. But, honestly, I'm too scared to try it alone. It almost killed me before.
I will keep watching to see if anyone has any good ideas. I read what Pat said about taking meds to "fix" things and we still go on living our life the way that helped us get into this mess in the first place. Pat, have you spoke to my therapist? HE HE HE

Medication should be one option. I went for years without any support or medication (I've been depressed on and off for far too many years), and only been on medication during times when my depression is at its worst (three times in the past four years).

One thing that's helped me, on the rare occasions I can do it, is actually working. I did a week-long work placement recently, and I felt GREAT whilst I was there (especially if I went to bed around 10 or 11 to get up in time for work the next day). Medication will affect the chemical balance, but sometimes (and this is only in my experience) keeping your mind busy by doing something you enjoy and requires your full attention (which working in a radio news-room making packages for broadcast does) seems to be one of the best non-medication methods out there.

Note though this'll only keep the depression at bay, and I'm a fan of a wide variety of things each supporting each other to eventually get over the depression.

The only thing I have taken for My depression is wellbutrin(think i spelled it wrong), which didnt work at all. I've been dealing with depression since I was 13 or so, Im now 29. I have tried other peoples meds for depression (yea I know stupid)which never worked either or made Me feel like warm horse doodie.

Warm horse doodie? LOL :)