First post

[Anttman]

Hi

i want to just put in type where my heads at. I've been diagnosed with long term severe depression.

shrink has me on medication.

after a huge brain fart and having a massive blue with my wife I went cold turkey. I now see that as a incredibly bad choice. It was made for all the right reasons at the time. So now about 3 days later, I'm at home in bed. After coming home sick from work with what I thought was some kind of nasty stomach virus. Chills sweats excessive toilet visits vomiting heads spinning. A quick read of dr google (don't crucify me) seems to point more to withdrawal symptoms. I'm an idiot.

i text my wife and told her all this, she agrees I need to at least taper off. 

i will rest and hope things calm a little.

[Ellu]

Dear Anttman,

Thank you for sharing your situation with us. I am really sorry that you are strugglng with major depression. I myself have bi-polar disorder and have experienced the depressive cycle many times. It never gets any easier, but medication has helped me dramatically in the past, in fact I am on medication now and have been well for over two months. We all do silly things from time to time, but I don't need to tell you that going off your meds is not a good idea. Don't forget that most psychiatric medication takes a few weeks to have an effect, so don't give up if you don't get immediate results.

In my experience the most important thing in dealing with mental illness is to be under the care of a health professional you can trust.Then when at times you are not doing so well you have someone trusted to touch base with. And I do believe that medication is an important part of the treatment plan. There are many medications out there, so you will find one which suits. I am 63 years old and have had bi-polar disorder for 47 years! There have been some rough times, but with the aid of an excellent psychiatrist I have managed to weather the storm an have a career and 4 children. Maybe when you see your psych next you can work out a management plan for your depression - some things you can try as well as medication to help you get back together again.

I hope this has been of some help to you - I have been there and understand. You will find many supportive people on this forum, so do post again and let us know how you are doing. All the best,

Ellu

[Starwolf]

Hi Anttman, welcome to the forums.

Acceptance of the need for medication doesn't come easy, particularly when applied to a mental condition. But mental/emotional turmoil is a medical condition, just as diabetes or high blood pressure for example. Why is it so much easier to accept dependency on insulin, blood thinners etc... ?

Please do not beat yourself for making a mistake. Being human, we all do. Experimenting is often the only way we learn. The important thing is to learn from our mistakes and move on...just a little wiser. Since I doubt you'll repeat the cold turkey experiment in the future, all will be well.

But please do not hesitate to seek medical assistance if the symptoms persist or worsen. Even tapering off is more safely done under professional supervision.

I wish you all the best.

[Anttman]

Thanks Ellu and Starwolf

update:

have been to see the shrink. Who I love, he just calls a spade a spade and doesn't mince words. A change in meds will hopefully get my spark back. He is frustrated by my case, in that I am on meds for a while then they lose effectiveness. As other meds have done so before that. And he says it's a common thing

My wife who must be up for a award or something, likes him too and totally agrees with this next plan of action.

im off work for a week to get right so everything's crossed.

ill update daily I think on how I'm going..

cheers all

[Anttman]

I can't believe ur profile pic looks so much like my two girls. They passed away in the last couple of years. Good looking dog!

[Starwolf]

Thank you for the reassuring update.

I'm relieved you have found a therapist you can connect and work with. I hope it will be the beginning of a positive turnaround. It often takes time to find the right pro help and the right treatment, but you're halfway there already.

Thank you for sharing the photo of your 2 girls. I work with all kinds of dogs but have a special affinity with German Shepherds as my family has been breeding/training them for 4 generations. There are 2 permanent Shep residents at home.

I hope you and your wife are enjoying a peaceful weekend.

[Shred1106]

Welcome Anttman

The meds side of things is a challenge too. I know however that when you find what works - stick with it. Mine lasted a full 19 years and I managed extraordinarily well on it combined with a good psychologist I was almost completely normal!

It takes a good deal of patience, acceptance, support and understanding from professionals and those around you to move through the process. If you have a good relationship with your psych this makes a world of difference. And, if you feel like ranting or just saying hi, we are all here!