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Do you take an antidepressant?

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Changing4Best

MyPTSD Pro
Do You Take an Antidepressant?

If so, if you don't mind saying so, which one or ones?

Do you think this helps you at all?

Have you had any increased Suicidal Ideation while taking it?

How well do you sleep, also?

I sometimes get depressed, however, I also sometimes get the other way, into a "manic." I have heard that taking antidepressants is not a good idea for PTSDers, and I currently am not on one. (I heard this from friends and family and I think I read it somewhere too, but I cannot recall where).

However, I recently have come out of a deep depression in which I experienced Suicidal Ideation, and I wonder if maybe I should have been on one during that time. I just don't know.

I do go onto a low dose of one for the winters, because I have Seasonal Affect Disorder too, however, I also have been diagnosed with Bipolar, so I have to be super careful that the antidepressant does not shoot me up into a manic.

What are your thoughts on all this? What are your experiences with these medications? Do you recommend them, or not?
 
I recall being prescribed abilify, lexapro, wellbutrin, celexa(?), effexor, and I know there were a few more but my memory fails me. None of them were helpful for me and several made things much worse instead of any better.

All of them, except the wellbutrin, created side effects that were way too overwhelming to even think of continuing. Suicidal thoughts, homicidal thoughts, rage, anger, little to no energy (luckily, I suppose), even more mood swings, binge eating like crazy, sleeping for days, diving back into previously addictive behaviors, etc., etc.

The worst part was that I had to be on them for so damn long before they'd give me permission to taper off..."just to see and give it a bit more of a chance", regardless the difficulties I reported. Screw that. Never again. Wellbutrin helped short term during a very difficult time, along with xanax, but eventually the side effects of both of them, once again, outweighed the benefits.

Vitamin D (both from the sun when it's out and a D3 supplement), magnesium (I use a topical gel mixed with coconut oil and my favorite essential oils and soak in hot epsom salt baths often), nutritional foods at each meal, healthily hydrating myself throughout the day, eliminating meat, dairy, eggs, highly processed foods, & caffeine, breath work, and fun daily exercise have helped me more than all of the anti-depressants (and other meds) combined.
 
When I have the Seasonal Affect Disorder, I used to take Sertraline, but last winter we put me on Wellbutrin, because my sister seems to do well with it. At first, it seemed to help, but then for whatever reason, I was having a lot of trouble getting up in the mornings. Like I would eat breakfast and take my medical meds (for arthritis, nerve pain and stomach troubles) and then go back to bed. I just didn't feel like getting up at all. I was told that the nerve pain medicine (Gabapentin) might have caused the tiredness, so I cut back on that as my chiropractor was helping with that, and things improved for awhile.

Then I started to expeirnce bullying and I did not want to get up at all again. I knew I had a reason for feeling depressed, the bullying, but I did not know what to do about it. Finally I spoke up about it and protested. It did not get handled in the way I was hoping that it would, as then the bully decided to give me "The Silent Treatment." However, as time has progressed, things have gotten better and I see that his silence is better than his bullying, so I am ahead.

My depression, for the time being, has lifted, but I know it will return. It always does.

I do take Vitamin D3 and all the other vitamins too. I still drink coffee though, and sometimes do eat semi-processed foods, including meats (no nitrates or nitrites). I drink dairy and I try to eat a lot of fruits and veggies. I don't feel inclined to change any of that, because I am old now and change is HARD. After a lifetime of eating these things, it would be really hard to learn a whole new way of cooking and eating, especially since I hate cooking! I eat mostly raw veggies and fruits, and as little of the rest of it as I can deal with. I often eat whole grains too.

Thanks for your thoughts and experieneces though, @Tornadic Thoughts, They are appreciated.
 
You're welcome. I agree, it's undoubtedly the hardest thing I've ever done in my life, EVER, but the beneficial side effects of doing so have made it well worth the growing pains. Had I refused to try, I'd still not know. I was convinced I couldn't live without my meats and dairy and gluten and morning eggs...and couldn't even think about not having my morning coffee and teas. Little did I know at the time that my quality of life would improve drastically by eliminating them.

It was either try that or continue to be miserable to the nth degree. I found it much harder to try to keep living (or dying, as it more often felt like) with the discomfort of all those symptoms of a supposed unknown origin (yet with very specific labels to match the buffet of meds they offered along with insurance codes) and being treated like a guinea pig by those who were supposed to know how to heal me. We all reach our limits, learn about ourselves and the effects of our choices, and aim for relief in our own way. Grateful for spaces like this to share. Wishing you well in your pursuits of relief.
 
So tell me, in more detail, what does your diet consist of, like do you cook, or eat mostly raw foods? What kinds of recipes do you make? How do you get enough protein? Just to give you a few pointers, I am not crazy about tofu and rice (yes, even brown) binds me up pretty badly. @Tornadic Thoughts
 
I eat nuts, seeds, legumes, lots of dark leafy greens, lots of fruit, and many veggies. Scan the "What Did You Eat" thread for specific meal ideas that I can't remember off the top of my head in the moment. Protein is found in many fruits and veggies along with nuts, seeds, and legumes. They just don't have large industries paying big bucks to widely promote them on commercials, billboards, and in schools and such. Here's a helpful site with a list: Plant-Based Protein Charts - Rebel Dietitian

I cook food as well as eat it raw...we mostly steam or roast. Making time one day a week to do some serious prepping goes a long way in helping to make it all happen on a consistent basis. Cooking extra to freeze is rather handy, too. I use a food processor and a blender once in a while, and a Yonana's nice cream machine. Crock pots are a great tool to have, too. During the summer I like to grill lots of veggies and mushrooms. I also have a spiral slicer (that was a gift) that I use to cut zucchinis and other veggies with to make veggie noodles. All of my kitchen gadgets were bought used at thrift or consignment shops or via craigslist, unless they were given as a gift, so the cost of acquiring them was kept way low. I actually prefer to juice by hand than I do using that big clunky machine.

Mornings are for hydration only in my world (used to be polar opposite). I drink lemon water upon waking, then have an herbal infusion of some of my favorite herbs like burdock root, red clover, sarsaparilla, stinging nettle, etc., then have some fruit juice, then I finally eat something around noonish or so, have a healthy snack in between, then have dinner around 7ish. I try like hell not to eat after that, rather only sip on more herbal infusion with ginger, or some veggie stock, or eat cucumber chips instead of greasy ones, etc.

I choose fruit as my first meal each day, sometimes it's a half of a cantaloupe, or a huge chunk of watermelon, or freshly picked berries, or a banana wrapped in leafy greens of some variety or on a romaine lettuce boat, or a blended smoothie made of bananas and other fruits with hemp seeds and greens. I try to eat seasonally as much as possible, and grow as much stuff as we possibly can ourselves, both in pots and in the ground.

Lunch is usually a huge salad of some variety topped with chick peas and hemp seeds and a favorite dressing, or a chickpea salad (made like tuna, chicken, or egg salad) served on a romaine lettuce boat topped with cherry tomatoes, or sliced veggies dipped in homemade hummus or dressing, or lentil and veggie soup, or green split pea and veggie soup (adding curry is always a hit), or leftovers from last night's dinner.

Dinner is usually a roasted or grilled something served with a steamed something or a salad. Unless it's tomato season. :o) I'm not much on desserts after learning more about food combining and late night eating, but when I do make some, it's usually black bean brownies, chickpea blondies, medjool dates stuffed with a nut of some variety and dipped in dairy free chocolate, etc. I don't drink with my meals (no more than a cups worth of liquid with the meal if I feel I need to) but rather 20 minutes before or after, and in between. I'm constantly sipping on lemon water.

I make a vegan taco "meat" with soaked English walnuts and serve it on a romaine lettuce leaf, topped with chopped tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, and a cashew vegan "cheese". It's also good to make taco salads with. I crush some tortillas first, then top with salad, then top with taco "meat" (or black beans if I don't have the taco meat made), then top with salsa, and I also drizzle a bit of my favorite papaya poppy seed dressing on it.

Baked sweet potatoes are another favorite that don't require any additional seasoning. I don't do rice and very very little tofu. I'm not a big soy fan. Once in a while I'll buy a meat replacement, but only if it's on sale. I enjoy quinoa in cold and hot dishes. I only use gluten free pasta. I make a chickpea flatbread that's good to help with cravings. It can be seasoned however you wish to suit the palate. When I have bread cravings, I go for a gluten-free variety and toast it really well. I add dulse granules (sea vegetables) to most of my cooked dishes and on top of salads and such.

I still eat fries, potato wedges, onion rings, potato chips, and such (my weaknesses are starch and oil), but definitely suffer afterward via acne, lethargy, increased body pains, etc. I make it a point to read all labels and don't buy stuff with added sugar, like peanut butter, or any other ingredients I can't pronounce. I steer clear of artificially sweetened, flavored or colored anything as much as possible. I keep it as real as I can with the thought of buying things that cause the least harm as possible to other living things, including but not limited to self, most especially when it's on sale or on the reduced produce rack. Keeping my mind geared towards what I can add to enrich my health/life rather than focusing on the lack of the unhealthy, yet very tasty things I used to be hooked on helps big time, otherwise, I land myself in some huge cravings. Hope that helps paint a clearer picture.

Cronometer is a cool place online to go track your nutritional intake for free. I often find it interesting to have folks, especially those who express great concern for my vegan eating habits as having me bordering on multiple deficiencies, go enter their own current fare to see just how nurtured they are in their choices. It tends to be rather eye opening and shocking. Many may be well fed, but they're severely malnourished. Our greatest wealth is truly in our health, or so it seems to me after all my experiences. May we all find our fortune.
 
So, I can't rattle off a list of everything I've tried, but I spent several years working through 2-3 anti-depressants from each of the major classes (and was diagnosed Bipolar II at the time).

I remember that I took Parnate for a long time, which is an old-school MAOI, and was on SR lithium at the time. Maybe worth a try if you haven't been on one of those, because they aren't new and shiny and the first choice for most pdocs.

About 2 years ago I switched to Pristiq (desvenlafaxine) which is a twist on Effexor. I take a small dose, which means that I don't have many (any) side-effects. I don't have seasonal issues, but my depression gets out of control every Christmas. Last Christmas we increased the dose significantly, which gave me a lot of side-effects, but helped a lot with my mood. We then dropped the dose back again after the anniversary period ended, and the side effects dropped off. Knowing that I can bump the dose up for short periods is really helpful for me (although the side effects are...phwoar!! Hallucinations and very vivid dreams).

I know a few people who have gone onto Saffras (a relatively new wafer) after trying pretty much everything else on the market. I couldn't take it without throwing up, but for others (who have literally tried everything) it seems to have been a game changer.
 
I have heard that in different countries, the medicines are sometimes given different names. I have heard of Pristiq though, and good things at that about it too. So I guess it goes by the same name in each of our respective countries.

I had a violently allergic reaction to Ceroquel, so I have to be REALLY careful trying anything new. New to me, that is. It made my heart stop, basically. I passed out and threw up all over myself. Thankfully, even though I live alone, I was at a friend's house, so I am alive to tell the story. An ambulance was close by. CPR is not fun though. I don't recall it, of course, but my chest sure did!

I am through the most recent depression now. I am just wondering what to do the next time it occurs, because I know that it will sooner or later, since I am Bipolar 1. I did do well on the Wellbutrin, but I am not sure if it was what was making it really hard to stay up in the mornings. I was just so TIRED. I know that can be a sign of depression too, so I am not sure what to ask my Psychiatrist to do, come mid-to-late Fall. I wish I knew for sure what had caused that tiredness. If I did, I would know what better to advise him.
 
Yes, I do stay away from soy, I agree. I just don't like it. However, that it messes with your hormones is even more of a reason for us to stay away from it!
 
Speaking of messing up hormones...many things screw with our endocrine system BIG TIME, but are much less regulated and/or discussed than food is.

Artificial scents is a huge one. Be it in candles, laundry detergent, fabric softeners, febreeze, glade plug ins, shampoos, soaps, hair products, cosmetics, cleaning products, etc., etc.

Not to mention the hormones that get injected into the animals that many choose to ingest multiple times daily. We be swimming in a giant sea of tox-sick-city, for real.

None of that stuff gets discussed during doctor appointments and such, though, at least not during any of my attempts at finding help and answers in all of the professional arenas made available, unfortunately.

I used to burn scented candles, use tart warmers, glade plug-ins, would spray febreeze on the furniture on days I didn't feel like cleaning, kept air fresheners in my car, in my office, wore body sprays from bath and body works, used multiple hair products, kept my nails painted, picked all the best smelling cleaning products, used april fresh downy, ate a whole lot of artificial food-like substances, artificial sweeteners and colors in diet sodas/foods and such, etc., etc. All of that stuff is gone now and I can breathe and function so much better. Coincidence? It doesn't appear to be, to me.
 
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