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Going downhill again

6 replies

haggisRus · 11/01/2011 12:38

I have struggled with depression on and off for years. I'm on Fluoxetine but due to see my gp in Jan with a view to coming off it. I can feel myself going downhill despite the meds and cant face coming off them atm. Have no motivation to do anything & dont know what to do..................

OP posts:
haggisRus · 11/01/2011 13:03

Can anyone help me with some advice I dont know where to start?

OP posts:
Vanillacandle · 11/01/2011 17:22

Sorry you're feeling so awful. It sounds to me like this is not the time to come off your tablets! Has your GP said you actually need to stop taking them?

How long is it until your appointment? It might be an idea to try to bring it forward and have a chat to the doctor about how you're feeling now and that the tablets aren't helping. It could be that a change of prescription will do the trick - there are so many different types of AD and you often have to try a couple before you find the one that really works for you.

What kind of support network do you have at home (DH, family, close friends etc)? Is there someone you can talk to who understands?

haggisRus · 11/01/2011 18:41

My prescription is on repeat until Jan & then I have to see him for review. I had CBT Therapy last year & was doing really well but then had a family bereavement & illness & things just seem to have spiralled. DH is pretty good but he doesn't really 'get' why I feel so bad as we have a pretty good life - no debt, safe job, compared to others. But its more about how I feel about myself. Can't really talk to friends about it as I feel such a failure & I dont think there's anyone who would understand. Thanks for replying though I think I'll just have to see the doc & take it from there

OP posts:
SnotandBothered · 12/01/2011 18:59

Haggis. You would probably get a surprise if you spoke to a good friend - they might be more understanding than you imagine. Not saying you should if you don't want to but I have recently been under the impression that everyone felt generally 'jollier' than me but I am now not so sure that this is the case.

Is there any way you can do some more CBT as it helped in the past? TBH I think it is perfectly 'normal' to experience s setback after a family trauma and you shouldn't be too hard on yourself.

Agree that you shouldnt feel pressured to come off Meds if you are not ready unless there is a medical reason why you should.

ItsGraceAgain · 13/01/2011 00:11

You know, I was terribly 'ashamed' of being on antidepressants. After a bit more therapy, I came to the part where I needed to question whether all my feelings of shame had any foundation in truth and query myself with "What's the worst that could happen ...?" No surprise that I found I couldn't really justify all the secret squirrel stuff around my meds. So I started telling people as and when it became appropriate.

Gosh! At least half my friends either were on ADS, or had been, or their nearest & dearest were! I had no idea Grin

Oh, yeah, and everyone said "Well done for telling, it's great to be able to talk about it for a change."

Vanillacandle · 13/01/2011 16:23

Haggis - please tell your DH from me that it doesn't matter how fab your life is, if you have depression you will feel bad. It's nothing to do with what the common use of the word "depressed" means (i.e. a bit cheesed off or fed up with something in particular or even life in general), it is an imbalance of the hormones and brain chemicals where the "happy" and "coping" chemicals are at a lower level than normal (depressed). Rationality doesn't come into it!

Anyway, rant over - it just really pees me off the way people mis-use the term as it trivialises the hell that depressives can go through (and I live with one, so I know).

I also agree with Snot and Grace - there must be one friend you can talk to? Most people will be understanding even if they've not had personal experience of the condition.

And don't be ashamed of being on tablets - after all, if you had diabetes you wouldn't be ashamed of being on insulin, would you? There's no difference with ADs, you are just replacing a different hormone.

I still think a good chat to the doctor about the tablets and how you are doing on them would be a good idea, but you must explain exactly what's happened in the last year (bereavement etc) as this will give him the complete picture.

I hope you're feeling a bit better now you've got it out in the open, at least on MN!, and that there are people here who want to help and who will listen without judging you.

Best of luck with the GP.

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