Malaise from depression

[Drewf2]

Hi all,

I am a new member here and just wanted to ask if anyone who suffers with depression ever gets malaise? 'Malaise' is not a very specific term but in my case I get an overall 'sick' feeling without actually having a flu, a discomfort in my body, it almost feels as if I am poisoned, it is the worst feeling and makes it hard to function at all. No matter what methods I try or what supplements I take it does not relieve this feeling. I have not taken anti depressants because I believe I can beat it naturally and I do not like all the side effects from them. I have started taking CBD oil and it has helped but doesn't relieve the malaise. I should also mention I got very sick 4 months ago with ross river virus, this is what kicked off the worsening depression and anxiety. It is very hard for me to distinguish whether depression is causing malaise or it is post viral malaise, it is hard to believe that depression could cause this feeling but I can't rule it out as I know I am depressed. I am new to depression and anxiety so it has been a learning curve to try and understand it and deal with it. Any info would be much appreciated.

[White_Rose]

Dear Drewl2

Welcome to the forum. I understand what you mean by malaise as this describes how I feel at times, and probably many others.

Ross River fever can be very debilitating and takes a while to recover even after the virus has gone. You have used up so much energy that getting back on your feet is hard. Post viral malaise may be getting in on the act. I had a post viral fatigue many years ago and I had six months off work. Apart from feeling tired, do you have any muscle pain? I found this very uncomfortable and that it did not respond to many pain killers. I did find a slow release medication helpful.

It sounds as though you are fighting two illnesses, depression and the after effects of the fever. And yes, the fever could be the trigger for your depression. So what to do. I presume you have regular appointments with your GP and she/he knows all about what you have written here. If not then I suggest to rectify this ASAP.

I see no point in taking supplements unless you have discussed it with your GP. Advertising has a lot to answer for in this respect. Make sure you have a reasonable diet as this may well be more helpful than other supplements. Having said this I acknowledge that I take supplements but only because my doctors have recommended them.

Antidepressants are often a bone of contention. You say, I believe I can beat it naturally and I do not like all the side effects from them. No one likes side effects that are uncomfortable but how do you know there will be side effects for you if you have not tried them? I have a history of not tolerating ADs but I now take one that is fine for me. I once took an AD that caused me all sorts of horrible reactions but a colleague taking the same AD had nothing. There is no one size fits all with AD and unfortunately we may need to trial several before find one that works and is comfortable to take.

I have never met anyone who has recovered from serious depression on their own. Possibly it happens, I don't know, but getting professional help means it can be easier and faster than struggling on your own. Mostly we feel shame for asking for help or by admitting we have a mental illness. That should not inform our treatment. I suggest you go and have a long talk with your GP about the pros and cons of medication and the advantages of counselling of some kind.

Print out your post above and take it along with you. Write down all the feelings you are experiencing and talk about them. Come back soon.

Mary

[Drewf2]

Thanks for the response, Lucky enough I did not get the muscle and joint pain for long I liked to keep fit so I think that helped to control it as I was doing gym even though I felt like dying. I have seen many doctors in the past 4 months as well as specialists. My issue is the GP doctors rarely even listened to my story and what could be causing the malaise they just hand me a script for anti depressants like they're giving out candy. I have never had a GP offer any alternative to anti depressants when there are so many alternatives that have a lot of evidence backing them up, including diet as you say, doctors in general don't seem to know the first thing about a natural approach to fixing depression. As far as just the depression/anxiety goes one natural product has helped me quite a lot and it has given me the most benefit so far, L-tryptophan is another one I am noticing making a difference.

I have tried anti depressants 3 times in the past all with varying results, I believe they did reduce my anxiety but the side effects outweighed the benefit for me personally. Iv'e read a lot of studies on anti depressants and I would be one of the skeptics of their efficacy although if they work for someone then more power to you, I'm jealous. On paper I am %100 fit and healthy, blood tests all within range besides RRV, healthy diet, exercise regularly (when I don't feel like dying), sleep reasonably well, meditate frequently and see a psychologist regularly but the malaise feeling is persistent and unrelenting.

I agree I won't get over this on my own, i guess that's why i posted here as I might find someone who has had a similar experience and beaten it and I sympathise with anyone who has malaise as it is horrible, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.

Could low seratonin/dopamine be causing malaise? what can help relieve it? these are the questions I am trying hard to find answers for, without the use of anti depressants if possible.

Thank you for the advice and feedback, I think I will definitely write down everything and take it to the next appointment, it will help with explaining everything.