Do you take an antidepressant?

[Scarlet13]

I have suffered with an iatrogenic injury from Lexapro. I took this for post partum depression and insomnia. It was horrific. It caused a manic reaction on top of PPD. I was paranoid, having constant suicidal thoughts, hallucinations. I had intrusive thoughts about the baby that became vivid and surreal. I developed OCD out of nowhere. Getting off the med was like walking into hell. This med actually gave me metabolic syndrom and adrenal injury. I could NOT stop pumping out adrenaline and cortisol. It was a rough, dark and miserable time. I need to prob write up an into here about this at some point. I had a terrible psychiatrist who washed her hands of me. She just kept saying that I "gave birth to an anxiety disorder. " I finally found a psychiatrist who believed the meds caused me injury and she saved my life. I now have this fear of going insane because that drug literally caused insanity. I kept my job though and my children are great. I am a licensed teacher and I have worked with infants professionally in the past so I knew what to do in the face of the craziness. I always felt that sane, normal part inside of me. My current trauma therapist says people with PTSD/CPTSD can have bad reactions to drugs.

 

[Nessa7]

I take Citalopram/Celexa. I've had my dose raised three times, but I've been lucky enough to not have to change medications. I had the advantage of knowing that a parent had taken it without any issues, which I think helped narrow it down.

It helps me. It has been pretty effective at cutting off how low my moods can go at a level that I can usually tolerate. I have a family history of psychosis, and my psychiatrist prefers to treat people with my kind of family history with at least a mild antidepressant as a preventative measure, so I will likely be taking one indefinitely.

It hasn't had any effect on my sleep.

 

[Changing4Best]

I have suffered with an iatrogenic injury from Lexapro. I took this for post partum depression...

I'm SO sorry this happened to you! I had a horrible reaction to Prednisone, and also a deadly reaction to Ceroquel, so I do know what you have gone through, quite literally, although I don't know if my situations resulted in permanent physical damage or not. I do know that is both cases I ended up in the hospital. The Prednisone landed me there for 8 days in the mental ward and the ceroquel was the worse reaction physically, but it only "merited" a 3 hour stay in the ER.

Yes, you are right, we do sometimes have adverse reactions to meds, and you never know, when you start a new one, how you will react to it. I live alone, so when I start a new med, I always have someone stay with me for about 2 hours after I have taken it, before I feel it is safe to be alone again. I don't car what medicine it is, I always try to do this when I start a new med.

I take Citalopram/Celexa. I've had my dose raised three times, but I've been lucky enough to not have t...

I'm glad for you that it is working out. My sister has good benefits from Wellbutrin, so I took it last winter. I am thankfully out of the depression I was in a few weeks ago, but I probably will have to go back on this med for this coming winter. It did not have any drastic bad affects on me at least.

I make this for my mom instead of having her drink store bought electrolyte drinks:

[URL="ht...

OK, I found some of the pink salt in the grocery. I thought I bought one bottle that I could pour it out of, but it is a grinder, just like the smaller one and there is no way to OPEN it! I bought some grapefruit juice too, 100% fruit juice, not with any sugar added. Now I guess I need to fiddle around with all this until I find something that is palatable and that keeps my sodium level at a high enough concentration that I don't feel like fainting every time I stand up. Any suggestions you may have are very welcome!

Does the Pink Salt have everything in it that Gatorade has in it, or do I still need to add something? For instance, does it have potassium in it too, and magnesium?

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

If you go back and read the comments under the video I shared with the recipe, she explains the reasoning and the benefits of the salt. Also, you can google nutritional profiles of each ingredient to check out what they're all about. I encourage doing that on anything you ingest, honestly. That's how I learned through the years. I don't want to tell you something inaccurate by relying on my memory.

I recently found coconut water on closeout sale in the International Food aisle of our local Food Lion stores. It's "Badia" brand. It also contains potassium and electrolytes, etc. I don't like drinking it on it's own, though, unless it's fresh from a coconut I open myself, but I do like adding it to smoothies, juices, and what I call my "greatorade".

I often use an organic orange mango juice that mom really likes in place of the orange juice. The mango adds more sweetness to replace all those added sugars she was used to from years of drinking the store bought stuff. Otherwise, I follow the recipe as is, except I make bigger batches since we like it, too.

I wait and catch the organic juices on sale, or I squeeze my own whenever I find the fruit on sale. It's not convenient and quick, that's for sure, but in comparing the ingredients in the store bought stuff, I definitely prefer the time it takes to make it myself. It even tastes better, to me. Mom enjoys it, too. Food prep has become quite the meditative and healing process for me. It used to be a hassle and a huge pain in my ass, now it's my joy and my lifeline, in so many ways.

 

[Changing4Best]

If you go back and read the comments under the video I shared with the recipe, she explains t...

Great. I made my first 3 cups of home-made Sports Drink. I used the pink salt and the grapefruit juice and some distilled water. I doubt I will be able to find coconut juice around here, as I live WAY out in the boonies, in the mountains. So what I did today is probably going to have to do. I do take multi-minerals that are cheolated, so I figure I will also be getting some of what I need from them. I've decided to take the small bottle of pink salt with me wherever I go in my bag and leave the big one at home for my Sports drinks and to salt my home-made foods with. I think this will help a lot and I will be able to manage without the ZERO. I am taking it slowly though. Ending up in the ER or DEAD even is not on my "to do" list! LOL...

 

[Changing4Best]

I have discovered that the pink salt does indeed have minerals in it, however I wonder how well my system has access to them, seeing as some of them are the size of grains of sand and they are gritty! @Tornadic Thoughts?

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

I don't know the specific scientific answer to your question, and would suggest googling it to find reputable sources for answers to look a little deeper if you're still concerned, however, the first thing that comes to mind is this: how well do you already absorb minerals from your solid food substances that aren't fully liquefied when you eat them?

Salt is grainy and sandy, yes, and this particular salt isn't as highly processed, so it will naturally be in bigger pieces. That's why it has a grinder, to grind it into smaller pieces. If it's truly disturbing, perhaps use a little warm water to dissolve it first, then mix it into your 'greatorade' recipe, paying close attention to the measurements as you go.

You actually bring up a good point, as we are supposed to masticate (chew) each and every bite very well before swallowing. Our stomach has no teeth to finish chewing what we so often woof down in a hurry. I chew everything, even my water and juices, to get the digestive enzymes activated and flowing in my gut so they'll do their thing as intended. I practiced for a while by making it a point to chew all of my solid foods 30 times before swallowing. I even did a presentation at a small business class having folks chew popcorn 30 times before swallowing. I still cross paths with some of the participants who tell me they're still chewing and teaching their families to do so, too. I hope that helps.

 

[Nessa7]

Doesn't pink salt only contain like 2 to 4% stuff that isn't just regular old salt? You'd have to eat a ton of the stuff for it to make a difference.

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

I only know that switching the regular old salt out of my diet and using sea salt instead, along with using more sea vegetables (kelp and dulse), has helped me tremendously with my overall health, mentally and physically, in addition to eliminating meat, dairy, eggs, and many other highly processed and artificial things. Here's a link that may prove to be helpful in offering a more in depth explanation regarding specifics in the different types of salts:

Link Removed

 

[Changing4Best]

Thanks for the info, @Tornadic Thoughts. That was interesting. I guess since the pink salt has iron in it, that is good for our blood, even if it is not that much iron. I will keep in mind your thoughts on chewing. I am a fast eater, but I did not used to be when I was a kid. I think one time I had a half hour lunch period at one job I had once, and that changed how fast I have been eating. I wish I could remember to slow down again. There is no rush. I live alone. No one is rushing me but me!

 

[ms spock]

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?

Yes.
I am on Endep,
also prn temazepan and valium - quite rarely.
Wouldn't be alive without it. It allows me to work on my recovery and healing.
Not sure if I have an increase of suicidal ideation - it has been such an overwhelming issue for me since I was 8 years old.
My sleep is pretty crappy.

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).

If you read this forum you will find many discussions of people with PTSD taking medication. Why don't you talk to some medical professionals?

It is not good to be on or off medication due to what friends and family say. Reading uninformed opinions on medication on the Internet re medication is not a useful investment of your time.

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.

I don't understand this, so I would suggest getting professional advice tailored to your particular situation.

What are your thoughts on all this? What are your experiences with these medications?

Do you recommend them, or not?

What do your medical professionals suggest? The ones that understand both your PTSD and your Bipolar?

I am not a medical professional so I can't recommend them or not - as I don't know your medical history or how your Bipolar manisfests and what allergies you may have or how your body metabolises drugs. I can take enough to sink an elephant and not have any effect, my partner is 2 metres tall and is effected by the slightest amount - a quarter of a low dose tablet.

They were a life saver for me. At one point I had such a serious reaction to one medication that I almost died. I still needed to take the medications though.

My goal is to wean off my medication - but I have to work hard to get there.

 

[Changing4Best]

Yes.
I am on Endep,
also prn temazepan and valium - quite rarely.
Wouldn't be alive without...

My next appointment isn't for awhile yet. I have talked with my Psychiatrist about all this stuff in the past. I guess what I was looking for is how everyone here is doing if they are on one. I am not really even sure if I do have Bipolar. I sometimes think it is just my PTSD and not really Bipolar. But, of course, I am no expert. But you know how it is, your P-doc has only 20 minutes to see you, if that, and much of that 20 minutes is taken up with his writing of the prescriptions on his computer, which he is very SLOW at! So I don't get a chance to say much of anything. And my Therapist is not someone who writes prescriptions, nor does she know much about them. Also, I live W-A-Y out in the boonies, in the mountains, so getting some other Dr. is not an option. There is only one other P-doc in the area, and it would cost more to see him and I am not even sure if he is taking new patients at this time....