does anyone here struggle with anxiety / depression ??

[almost-pro]

I have since i was 19 or so.. been on and off tons of meds since then. my most recent which i am currently on was 200mg of zoloft (yea i know, HIGH) along with 6mg klonopin/day, 60mg buspar, and 10mg ambien at night(for sleep.)

Over the course of 6 months, although it has caused me many days of not wanting to even get out of the bed and many nights of not sleeping I have cut back to 50mg of zoloft ED, 30mg of buspar ED and completely off the klon's, and ambien as needed. I am starting to come around and see things more clearly now but it is still hard as hell to do this. I am doing it under the supervision of a psychiatrist. I just wanted to know if anyone else out there has struggled with this sort of thing? I think the roughest part is over now... in the beginning there were times I would just start crying for no reason at all and at night I would lie awake sweating... i felt like a heroin addict or something. I do feel better now and more like myself but I still have bad bouts of depression and anxiety that just make me want to stay in the bed all day. I don't let it stop me from going to work, but I will admit that on the weekends I do alot of sleeping and laying around.

 

[string_bean00]

I used to be on depression meds, shit never worked for me in the least. sounds cheesy but lifting is always what helped me out, natural endorphins

 

[Bikini Mod]

What is causing the depression?

I have been struggling with severe depression even though I am a very positive/happy person by nature. I have SEVERELY depressing issues that permeate every aspect of my life so I try to not use meds as I hate to be drug dependant but when I got so bad that I was actually hallucinating, having panic attacks during sleep and otherwise pleasant social situations, night terrors, etc... I knew I needed some help to regulate my body's physiological responses to NORMAL daily stresses. Once I got my body under control I weaned myself off the meds slowly - MY GOD WAS THAT A NIGHTMARE. I had what I call *brain farts* where for just a few seconds (but it seemed like FOREVER) my mind just wouldn't function. It would like "misfire".... hated it.

My life situation hasn't changed but I do deal better now that I have a supportive husband and plenty of projects to keep my mind from grieving literally every second of every day... but it's still very hard. There are DAYS when I don't shower or even get out of bed. If I make it to the gym though, I ALWAYS feel better.

 

[almost-pro]

my psychiatrist or myself have never been able to link the depression with one major event in my life. i just know that i have always seemed to stress over everyday things and turn them into huge ordeals that lead to depression and panic. i just started feeling this way shortly after high school and i delt with it for a year until a doc at a local clinic put me on paxil. things actually went downhill with a few high spots after that. im now 26 and have the mental strength (god knows how) to tell my psych to take me off the meds. some days completely suck and some days are fairly decent. i am hoping that my body will adjust to being off the meds soon and i can function normally again. I don't understand how my body actually feels better taking HALF the dose than it did when my doses were HUGE. I am coming up on my 1 year seperation from my wife which is causing me a big set back because of having to deal with all of that crap....

 

[the_clockwork]

I used to be on depression meds, shit never worked for me in the least. sounds cheesy but lifting is always what helped me out, natural endorphins

how long were you on them? They don't work overnight

 

[string_bean00]

how long were you on them? They don't work overnight

it was a few years ago, not that long, like 6 months or something. but to be fair the doc was always changing up my scripts so I never got used to one, I just quit taking them

 

[H_T_]

as a long time survivor of this non-sense, i have to say the most important factor is choice. you have to choose wellness. wiki: mindfulness, it's being used as a treatment now, it may help....

 

[Bikini Mod]

as a long time survivor of this non-sense, i have to say the most important factor is choice. you have to choose wellness. wiki: mindfulness, it's being used as a treatment now, it may help....

I concurr... you have to learn to change negative patterns and opt for better choices in your behaviors so as to stop the downward spiral of negativity.

As soon as I felt my body's physiological responses becoming proportional to the level of stress of any given stimulus, I weaned myself off the drug slowly. I can't remember the name of it now. Was a year ago... The drugs helped me to regain control over my body but it did not *make the depression* stop.

I fully recognize that the main contributing factor of my depression isn't going to magically go away any time soon so I have to CHOOSE to WANT to live every minute of every day. Some days are better than others, but if at day's end I still have hope, then I am somewhat satisfied with that 24 hours past and look forward to the next 24 hours in the hopes that *today* I will make things better.

Wanting to change and wanting to live (imho) is half the battle. Learning to identify negative triggers and finding more positive options or dealing with/eliminating those triggers is the other half.

I am no shrink nor do I have any sort of formal schooling on the subject. I am only relaying my personal experience.

I hope that I have helped in a small way.

 

[PICK3]

anxiety on and off for decades

oh yeah ... fuck buspar

 

[Smurfy]

as a long time survivor of this non-sense, i have to say the most important factor is choice. you have to choose wellness. wiki: mindfulness, it's being used as a treatment now, it may help....

great post.