depression and meniere's

how do you cope with depression?

 

MK,
Find something you can do to help someone less fortunate.
Call your best friend and vent.
Vent here.
Seek professional help.

Hugs and best wishes to you.

 

hey welcome mk
i think if you looked in the menieres database you might find lots
of usefull posts that can answer some of your questions.

i take it one day at a time and try to keep my mind occupied
with something to do, not always worrying about things

best wishes

 

MK, I find isolating and feeling sorry for yourself is the worst thing with MM. Get out and do something you enjoy or take up a new hobby (i.e. painting or whatever!) regardless of how awful you feel; get outside in the sun - weather permitting of course; spend more time with people who empathise with you and distance yourself from those who don't; and as in above post, seek professional help if need be.

Andrew

 

A very valid question for many of us. I started Lexapro/Cipralex last fall with fairly good results. Talk to your doctor, see a therapist. It's hard to find a good one - even harder than finding a decent otologist. I believe AD's can be very helpful, as can therapy. This board is tremendously helpful - sharing with others who understand what you're going through. Not to be underestimated is physical activity. I walk my dog two or three times a day, even now when it's 20 below with the windchill (ok, I'm lying, not much walking yesterday and today...it's way too cold) And my dog Hugo is an excellent therapist. A great listener, doesn't talk back, doesn't ask for anything except for an occasional treat and loves me unconditionally.

Good luck with everything!
George

 

sometimes I don't cope with it. That's just the way it is. I remind myself that many facets of my life are lovely, loving, beautiful and delightful. My best remedy is to focus on those.
Paul

 

I like Paul's answer but for me it was medication and a good therapist, so good in fact that I have been able to come off of one of the meds.. The therapist that I have specializes in working with people that have had to undergo complete life style changes for various reasons and ailment. Lost lims, heart problems, strokes etc. I'm glad my GP sent me to her.. She's really helped me..

 

Comming here and vent really does help, and sharing your experience to help others always make you feel better, and low impact excercises (dancing) works for me (like a charm!)

Hope you get better soon keep us posted
Big Bear Hugs
Adri.-

 

MK-
I went through a depression after being diagnosed--the not eating, not sleeping, wish I was dead kind. Medication and therapy helped that. I very much needed an antidepressant and it helped tremendously. That was August-
October of last year.
Now I feel anxious and sad sometimes but I think its the normal sadness of someone coping with an unpredictable chronic illness.
I am a nurse and can still function well at work. Getting to see those worse off than me and getting to help them is built right into my job and I get paid for it.
I love my job.
I have a preteen and teenage daughter and they need their mom. I have a husband with whom Ive had a very loving marriage for 19 years. I get myself
up and going for them as well as for me. One day at a time and baby steps
when it gets bad. When its good, love it and enjoy it!
And this forum has meant the world to me. A Godsend. Just to hear the ones who have had MM for years express themselves about their coping and joy in life keeps me going.

 

Don't be afraid of the SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) like Paxil, Wellbutrin and I'm sure a host of newer ones. I am NOT a big supporter of pharmaceuticals and will try to find natural methods first... but these probably saved my life a number of years ago. They are not addictive and don't make you into a zombie. The only real change I noticed was that the thoughts of killing myself I had had for thirty years went away and a lot of the other symptoms of depression. See your doctor to see if they are right for you (awk - I sound like a commercial).

I'm sure too there are good books out there. Years ago, when I had depression I happened on a book written by a man having the same symptoms I had and how he came out of it by taking care of a severely handicapped person.

Don't be afraid to seek help - professionally and personally.

Take it one day at a time and don't expect to be 100% overnight.

Exercise and eat right and sleep.

Hope this helps. You will get better. Hang in there

SpinininOhio

 

HAS ANYONE HERE TRIED BIOFEEDBACK? I HAVE TRIED VESTIBULAR THERAPY...GENOMYACIN SHOTS...AM NOW DOING ACUPUNCTURE AND FOUND A CLINIC THAT DOES BIOFEEDBACK AND WONDERED IF IT WOULD HELP.
DEPRESSION IS SOMETHING I DEAL WITH ON A DAILY BASIS AND TEND TO MAKE A LIST OF MY BLESSINGS IN ORDER TO REALIZE THAT I HAVE IT PRETTY GOOD. BUT, SOMEDAYS I JUST CRY AND IT MAKES ME FEEL BETTER. MY LIFE SHUT DOWN 6 YRS AGO AND IF I DWELL ON THAT I WOULD BE IN AN INSTITUTION SHORTLY...SOOOOOO, I MAKE LAP QUILTS FOR NURSING HOMES...LEARNED TO DO WATER COLOR PAINTINGS AND TAKE ON ANYTHING ELSE I THINK I CAN DO WHILE DEALING WITH THIS CONDITION. I CAN STILL LAUGH AND WATCH MY GREAT GRANDSONS PLAY AND MY ELDEST DAUGHTER AND I HAVE BECOME GREAT FRIENDS AND THE MAN IN MY LIFE, WHO WAS USED TO LIVING A VERY INDEPENDENT WIFE, IS NOW MY CARE-TAKER AND HE IS GOOD AT IT. HE NEVER MAKES ME FEEL GUILTY OR A NUISANCE...HE JUST LOVES ME AND TAKES ME ANYWHERE THAT I THINK I CAN HANDLE. SEE, I FEEL BETTER JUST LISTING MY BLESSINGS...TRY IT...IT MIGHT WORK FOR YOU. HUGS, TWINKLE

 

See, these are the types of statements (see bold statement above) that really gets to me.

Last week I was crucified for suggesting (out of genuine concern) that somebody might be addicted to the many anti-depression meds they admitted to taking, but when a statement like the one in bold is made above, nobody says a thing!

Are you 100% sure that they are not addictive? Paxil! Are you sure? Have you seen, or read about, the thousands of lawsuits world-wide against Glaxo-Smith-Kline, the makers of Paxil? Here, let me show you:

Drip Drip Drip Paxil Info Leaks Out
April 25, 2006. By Evelyn Pringle

Secrecy agreements in litigation hide information about defective products or a company's negligence, and sometimes go so far as to prohibit the parties from discussing that there ever was a lawsuit. Such is the case with Paxil and as a result, unwitting patients continued to take the drug long after its dangers were known to GlaxoSmithKline.

Many lawsuits filed against Glaxo have been settled out of court, with confidential agreements that prevent the public from knowing about the harmful effects of the Paxil.

Previously sealed documents and internal company memos suppressed with protective orders, prove that Glaxo knew about the problems with Paxil before it received FDA approval, but continued to sell the drug for over a decade without warning consumers.

Long overdue legislation is currently pending in both the US House of Representatives and the Senate known as Sunshine in Litigation Act of 2005, which basically says that a court shall not enter an order restricting the disclosure of information obtained through discovery, an order approving a settlement agreement that would restrict the disclosure of such information, or an order restricting access to court records in a civil case.

Glaxo currently faces thousands of lawsuits over Paxil side effects related to addiction, dependence, and a severe withdrawal syndrome.

SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) like Paxil, are not addictive in the sense that "an individual would mortgage their livelihoods and all they hold dear for further supplies of the drug," according to Dr David Healy MD, FRCPsych, North Wales Department of Psychological Medicine.

SSRIs can hook patients in the sense of making you "physically dependent," he explains.

Dr Healy, is considered an expert on Paxil and has had access to confidential studies from the Glaxo archives. The common symptoms of withdrawal, he says, break down into two groups. The first group may be unlike anything you have had before, he warns, including:

• Dizziness
• Headache
• Muscle Spasms
• Tremor
• Electric Shock-like Sensations
• Other Strange Tingling or Painful Sensations
• Nausea, Diarrhoea, Flatulence
• Dreams, including Vivid Dreams
• Agitation

The second group overlaps with general nervousness, Dr Healy says, and may lead you or your physician to think that all you have are features of your original problem. These symptoms include:

• Depression
• Lability of Mood
• Irritability
• Agitation
• Confusion
• Fatigue/Malaise
• Flu-like Feelings
• Insomnia or Drowsiness
• Mood Swings
• Sweating
• Feelings of Unreality
• Feelings of being Hot or Cold

These symptoms appear in anywhere between 20% to 50% of patients taking SSRIs, Dr Healy says, sometimes within hours of the last dose.


Rest of article: http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/paxil.html



There are so many more such articles. A simple search will find thousands.


People, you can attack me all you want but when I see dangerous statements made about the "supposed" safety and non-addictive nature of such drugs, I will ALWAYS step in to prove otherwise. Not doing so would be criminal.

 

A family member was on Paxil and had a bad experience. Now he's on Topomax, but my old carpool buddy was on it for migraines and had a bad experience, too. So...what to do? I excerise and keep busy.

 

I don't recommend making the step to antidepressants lightly........but

........if you are deeply depressed or even slightly suicidal they can be a godsend.

 

I hope Tom Cruise isnt readind any of this, but antidepressants work for me. As well as keeping spiritually active in my faith. friends and family help too. Hang in there!

 

.

 

I never wanted to take Anti-D's, and never really felt the need.

A doctor a couple of years convinced me that they were the "only" thing that would take my symptoms away. This is when I was in the 'boy who cried wolf' stage of trying to get a diagnosis.

They're a putrid drug IMO.

I wake up every morning feeling like I've been hit with a sledge hammer. I take Avanza, which I think is called Remeron in the States.

It's not a classic SSRI ...it effects the noradrenaline receptors aswell as the seretonin ones.
My doctor "assured" me it wasn't addictive, and trot out the same bullshit lines that all these doctors say ....It's funny, because I would bet my life that 98% of these doctors that claim its not addictive, have never even fargin tried the drug before, let a lone tried to come off it.

A year ago I tried to come off the drug, and I spiraled into a state that I had never even come close to before taking the drug. It scared the shit out of me to be honest, and I immediately went back on it to avoid the withdrawals.

My advice, as someone who is stuck in a vicious cycle taking this chemical filth ........Buy a treadmill, exercise bike, or a new set of runners, and try to get better the way our bodies did for the thousands of years before pharmaceuticals hit the shelves. Endorphins.

There is an exceptional book available called, Conquering Depression and Anxiety Through Exercise. (But it here) ....Obviously we are unable to do some kinds of exercise, but we're far from quadriplegics.

I scanned the first 4 pages of the prologue from that book. It's an excellent story IMO, please take a look if you have the time.

Prologue - 1
Prologue - 2
Prologue - 3
Prologue - 4

 

God bless you cheese.

Thank you for voicing what I have been trying to express this whole time.

 

Thanks mate.

Like you, It just frustrates me that Ad's are always the 1st line of action, rather than last. This is from someone who actually takes the filth.

Another thing I have found with them. They take a lot of "love" from your body. You look around at things that you once loved so deeply, and you just get a "meh" sensation. You can't tell me that taking away a persons "love" and natural highs is good for their depression.... if anything it makes you feel worse. I'm not someone who is bi-polar, who may need those ecstatic lows and highs capped off. I'd say my mood swings were in the "normal" range, but I still felt flattened out considerably. I'd rather feel love, and pain, than feel nothing at all.

 

I have been depressed for about the last four months or so. I have tried everything nonpharmaceutical and I just cannot snap out of it So my doc put me on Cymbalta today, start it tomorrow. Part of the reasoning behind it is that it helps with chronic neuropathic pain and it has been found to be helpful in relieving some migraine symptoms too. So we might be killing three birds with one stone. See what happens. Never been on an anti-depressant in my life.