Further Help

[Phillip]

After over two years with a psychologist,psychiatrist and an anti depression medication (SSRI group), it still feels like it isnt doing much at all and this is my third medication and about my sixth increment of dosages. Where can you go for further help, because this isnt enjoyable for a lot of the time, and it is becoming more frequent. Would appreciate anything!!

[The_Real_David_Charles]

Dear Phillip,

Depression comes with a foggy mind.  Did you ever try some music therapy ?  The other thing to break the sallowness is exercise but not just mimimum stuff I'm talking rigorous exercise.  Using the remote doesn't count.

The left and right sides of the brain are disconnected with most mental illness.   Music is one of the few things that can re-connect.  Mostly Baroque music at sixty beats a minute.  The research is in on all this and the meds can only really maintain.  Switching meds can sometimes do more harm so increasing the dose is a reasonably safe way of checking out another protocol.

Again, as with your original post, I would ease off the anxious "will it get better ?" line of questioning. That's a lot of focus on negativity.  If you can stand back and get a clearer and more open acceptance then you've got a chance to move on or find the way out.  Does it really matter that drug doses are changed ?    If you had chemotherapy would you be counting the radiation treatments ?

I think I mentioned my own bipolar in your first thread so let me add that after 26 years the drugs I take are pretty much toxic now in my system and have damaged my liver and kidneys.   Now - should I beat my cheast and shout "Why me ?" or should I realise that I've been able to function at some level (given the odd psych admission) ?  Infact, my last manic admission last Jan happened when all the blood results indicated my drugs were fine and operating at optimum levels. So, after all these years I still required hospital treatment although the drugs were OK !

My son is 20 and got depression 18 months ago.  He recently moved out into a nice flat with his 21 yr old sister (a midwife).  He's off uni for a semester due to the depression and has done the meds round too.  I just fixed him up with a bike for summer.  Now what's gonna help him more ?   What's more a kind gesture from me (even though I'm his dad) actually helps my mental state too.  It's all connected.

What would be depressing was if your parents refused to pay for meds on the grounds that they're not sick and why should you be.  But you are supported.  I better send this as by the time the moderators update it the Moderators Cat will be bugging them for breakfast and I don't want that cat jumping all over the keyboard trying to get their attention and maybe pressing the wrong button.  Honestly !

Adios, David.

PS  Hey, Moderators Cat, don't touch that damm button with your paws.  Arrgghh !

[Phillip]

Thanks David, Thats pretty harsh what's happened to some of your organs. Hopefully there's something that can be done, and if not I hope that there are ways that can help you cope.

I haven't heard about the music therapy, but will definitely give it a look. As for exercise, I do make myself hop on the exercise bike a couple times a week for 30 mins. Over 3-4 months I've managed to go from 13.7kms to 16.3km. Let me tell you to get 16.3 is rigorous for myself 😛 Anyways a little more would probably, its just with my problems I find it hard to get motivated. (Don't ask me how I improved by 2.7kms) 

Whatever u got to say I'd appreciate it!! 

[geoff]

dear Phillip, I'II just pitch in after David Charles explosively good reply.

During my 'marriage' with my psychologist for 20 years, a great deal of that time none of my antidepressants were helping me, and as she was a GP as well, she was reluctant to keep on changing my medication for the same reason as what's happened to David Charles, my liver is buggered for two reasons, the alcohol which I drank while depressed, but also the large dosage of antiepileptic medication I need to stop me from fitting.

So as much as we say to people that by taking antidepressants is the way to go, sometimes it doesn't quite work for people for awhile.

But now as I have crawled out of the black hole this medication keeps me on an even keel, but if I miss out on a day or so then I crash, and as soon as I take them again within 15 minutes I recover. 

Unfortunately I can't do marathons, because the hip resurface means I can't run. Geoff.