depression and meniere's

Discussion in 'Your Living Room' started by m.k., Feb 5, 2007.

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  1. annegina

    annegina New Member

    Well hi Nassman and Cheese--
    I take some putrid filth called Lexapro and it did save my sanity if not my life when I was hit with this back in the fall. I am not flattened out at all--I still joyfully love my husband, kids and dog, my job, a sunny day, a rainy night and blah, blah, blah. You get the idea.
    I take Lexapro 10 mg, have taken it and have no need to increase my dose
    I also take Klonopin to sleep at night when my ear pain and pressure and tinnitus is particularly bad. 1/2 to one whole .5 mg.
    I tried Avanza (Remeron) and it gave me the most horrible nightmares in color.
    Its not for me. If its for you, then fine. I wouldnt call it putrid or filth.
    I also exercise and walk my dog in the park weather permitting. I am also a faithful Christian and believe God helps me ,because He's got plans for me.
    All those things have helped me with my depression caused by Meniere's.
    I have no other psych diagnosis, and before I was diagnosed took nothing
    stronger than a vitamin and the occasional Motrin. I had no reason to.

    Long ago,25 years ago, I had a depression I fought for months before, after a 30 pound weight loss and not sleeping for 3 months, I reluctantly tried a trycyclic antidepressant. It worked. I got therapy and got off the medicine in 6 months with no trouble. Then nothing, till this Meniere's hit me.

    I am an RN and have handled controlled substances in every way, shape and form. I know what they are for and what they do. Benzodiazapines and antidepressants are different. They dont even affect the brain the same way
    Ive heard about Paxil and I believe that is the hardest AD to come off of.
    That doesnt mean it cant be done. I dont buy my ADs off the street.
    The man who prescribes for me is a psychiatrist I know professionally--
    I take care of the same patients he does. He also gave me a prescription for Xanax and told me to take it whenever I need it. Its gathering dust in my medicine cabinet. I'm pretty afraid of Xanax. But if someone needs it and takes it with the knowledge that its a benzo and you sometimes need more and more to get the same effect and they can be addictive and you take it under a doctors care--then OK. The juice just isnt worth the squeeze for me with the benzos--except for my Klonopin now and then.

    Depression is pretty serious. Id hate to see someone scared off trying an antidepressant that may save their life. The poster wanted to know what we do for depression. Lexapro helped me think straighter, lessened my anxiety
    and helped me begin to cope. On bad days I'm still depressed--I try to start a project,, or get involved, get out of the house. Right now I'm wallpapering my dining room and its driving me nuts. But it takes my mind off whats going on on the left side of my head. Please be more tolerant. People really take to heart what many of us say.
     
  2. cheese

    cheese New Member

    Please be more tolerant??

    eh?

    I merely posted my own personal experience of an anti-depressant that I take, just as you just did. Sorry, but I'm not going to tread on egg shells when explaining my own life experiences. My experience may not be as rose coloured as yours, but it doesn't mean it can't be shared. People are smart enough to make their own minds. It's only when they are spoon fed one side of the story that people can make poor decisions.

    And for the people(im definitely not singling out you here) who say exercise didn't help their mood crisis, how much exercise did they really do? .....you need a solid 20-30mins of cardio in 130-160 heart beats per minute range to get the optimal endorphin release. Going for one quick walk and the saying "this isn't working" isn't really the desired effect. It takes a lot of hard work. It's a lot harder than popping a pill, but it works for a lot of people.

    And I'm well aware depression is serious ...very serious. But AD's are handed out like candy at the GP level. People really need to get evaluated by mental health professionals, particularly Psychologists. Psychiatrists are also far to quick to medicate in my experience.
     
  3. charisse

    charisse Been hanging here for 8 years

    I myself cannot tolerate AD's the only one I could take was serzone, it changed my life but quit working.
    I just wanted to say that there are people who, like me, cannot take an Ad but I have seen many who they have helped a great deal. AD's are like many meds in that some people have no problem while others will. I feel that this is not a black and white issue and that if someone is facing depression it could very well serve them to try out an AD and maybe a few to see if they help.
     
  4. ToniG

    ToniG Guest

    Ok...everyone back up the train. :eek:

    The board has been pretty calm lately. Now a new poster, with 5 posts under his/her belt, and we're going after each others throats again?? :p
     
  5. Linda1002

    Linda1002 New Member

    Get your mind off yourself....here's how:
    Stay busy
    Exercise
    Read
    Help others/volunteer
    Come to this forum and help others
    Get professional help if necessary
     
  6. nave alta

    nave alta Guest

    I think the point nassman is making is that anyone considering taking these drugs (or any other for that matter) needs to research and educate themselves and not blindly dive in because someone claims that said drugs are not addictive or harmful in some other way. I wholeheartedly agree. And you certainly don't want to go on the word of the pharmaceutical companies. Just make an informed decision.
    For myself, I will never touch any SSRI again. I was on Zoloft for about a year. I wasn't sure it was helping, but Terry said she saw a difference. Then I started getting these butt-kicking headaches and knew I had to get off of it. My headaches subsided before I had tapered all the way off, so I continued on that tiny dose for a while. Then the headaches came on again, so I stopped altogether. That's when the hell started. I had all kinds of weird, sometimes unexplainable, physical sensations going on, one of them like a bolt of lightning going through my head. I also had all sorts of bizzare and scary thoughts going on and I felt manic often. Frightening stuff. It took months and months for all this to go away. Never again.
    To be fair, many have been helped by these drugs with no ill effects. I guess it's all individual like so many other things.
    Again, be an informed consumer, and don't let someone else make up your mind for you.
    My 2 1/2 cents worth.
    Earl
     
  7. charlesj

    charlesj New Member

    I just live with it. (Depression, I mean.) I talked to my doctor about it and he said to "tough it out". I asked him to refer me to a counsellor and he told me to go look in the yellow pages.
    Believe it or not, toughing ot out seems to work.
     
  8. bryant99

    bryant99 New Member

    My depression is for other reasons.My menieres don't make me depressed any more.I talk to my doctor and he gave me zoloft for my depression and boy did it help out.I went from sleeping all the time and not wanting to do anything to up and going and feeling alot better about things.So get to a doctor and get help.It will make a world of difference.
     
  9. Isis_M

    Isis_M New Member

    They worked for me, too, when nothing else had helped. I took prozac for several years and then was weaned off of it with no problems. I've been off of it for about 10 years now and have had no depression since. If I had heard then what I've heard about antidepressants in the last several years, though, I don't know if I would have still chosen to take them.
     
  10. cowcollector

    cowcollector Don't hug a tree, hug a cow!!

    i think we should all take into account that everyone is different.
    i exercise 3 to 5 days a week for at least an hour or more. i am
    losing weight, stabilizing my balance and feeling better however
    i am also taking an ad. i have several stressful things going on in
    my life in addition to dealing with mm. the exercise has not gotten
    rid of mm but it makes it more manageable because i feel like my
    overall health is better. i am all for exercise and diet to make your
    overall health better. i dont down anyone who feels like they need
    the ads. ads do not make my problems go away, they just help me
    learn how to cope better. i hope one day to not have to use them
    but until that happens i will just do all i can to take care of my health
    and not let some of the unfortunate things in life get me down.
     
  11. Isis_M

    Isis_M New Member

    I'm glad that exercise helped your depression, but it doesn't work for everyone else's. It never did much for my depression. Yeah, sometimes I felt a little better for a few hours after working out, but the effects didn't last. I've been a regular exerciser for years and years. So it's not like I tried it a few times and then gave up.

    Your suggestion for exercise is a very good one, and something that every depressed person should at least give a fair try if possible--but to imply that it is the solution for everyone's depression is just way off base, IMO.
     
  12. Linda1002

    Linda1002 New Member

    Exercise can be a daily walk. It has a cumulative effect if done regularly. I don't think it's THE answer, but it helps in many ways.
     
  13. shakySean

    shakySean Ya gotta shake.rattle and roll ...

    I think Depression is a major component of vestibular disorders - perhaps it's a component of all chronic illness.

    I find that Meniere's (and vestibular disorders) causes those who are stricken with it to isolate themselves.

    The symptoms can be embarrasing - falling down for ''no reason'' , a sloppy gait ('' he's probably drunk") and the deafness many of us suffer can be the worst.
    Asking people to repeat themselves - repeatedly or not being sure on what one has heard and making an ''educated guess" at what was said only to very,very mortified.

    Being an Irishman gallows humour is always a good beginning to coping with depression - One has to laugh at some of it at some point.
    I find myself using humour allot when I need people to repeat things or to get on my ''good side'' (knock on wood).

    But isolation can breed depression.

    I am the kind of person who needs allot of time alone anyway - always have been a loner - but solitude and ISOLATION are worlds apart.


    As for anti depressants - be careful - as one should be with ALL medications.

    Personally I despise how these drugs are prescribed.
    Just because they are not ''downers' or ''sleeping pills'' or ''tranquilizers'' the impression given is that these drugs are not addictive - the idea that these powerful chemicals do not affect people like the drug classes I mentioned.

    I think in many many cases good old fashioned Valium or a small amount of Klonipin can help with the anxiety that accompanies depression but I found anti depressants intolerable.
    The ''flatline'' effect occurred - but I believe that is the very DESIGN of allot of these medications - to trim the peaks and fill in the valleys of mood to a more managable flat trajectory.

    With Pamelor for myself - there was a profound physical component as well.


    And always - Always remember that in this World there are those that suffer far worse than each of us.

    What I mean to say is that when we focus on ourselves entirely in moments of despondancy I think we lose sight of all around us and sometimes we fail to see (or hear) how very blessed each of us may be in so many ways.

    It's trite of course but when I think of the young men and women coming home from Iraq with missing limbs and shattered bodies - it puts things in perspective.

    Even if just for moment.

    Good Luck
     
  14. paris 48

    paris 48 New Member

    The "good old fashioned Valium"is not so good either.It sedates,it isw a downer.I have to take it because my vertigo attacks have become unpredictible.One minute I am fine,the next I am laying on the floor with the room spinning like crazy.Now I cut my five mg in half and take one in the morning and one before going to bed.Havent had a attack in over a months now but the meds.suck the life out of me.I hate that stuff,but if I have to choose between the vertigo or the Valium,the latter is the lesser of the two evils.
     
  15. songbird

    songbird New Member

    As a fellow depression sufferer, I have found that exercising, positive thought reinforcement and DIET play a huge part in rebalancing your life. I try and make a list of all that I'm grateful for. And that works too. I ask my husband to reinforce all the good things that I'm doing to help myself. A big one...and I express how I feel when I need to. He understands that I need to say it out loud to make the fears/anxieties go away.

    Right now, I'm in a limbo state and it's causing me some anxiety. I thought I had Meniere's Syndrome, but a second ENT told me he wasn't convinced. Thinks it's TMJ because I have bite marks in my mouth and Migraine Associated Vertigo. So, I went back to wearing the night guard I've had since the last bout of jaw pain and have adjusted to wearing it every night. I did some research and found out that TMJ can cause the tinnitis and fullness that I'm experiencing and the facial pain. Ok, I can deal with that.

    The MAV is suspected and I've found many good suggestions on this site and the Internet in general for eliminating the triggers and changing my diet.

    Exercise is a bit tricky right now, I'm having NUCCA treatments and the associate said "NO EXERCISE" but I think I'll get back to walking at night, even though it's cold here in Ottawa for a while yet. I need to do something - I've been off work for a few weeks thanks to some disequilirum that I think was caused by the TMJ and a cocktail of supplements, including iron that didn't agree with me. I'm anemic as well!

    But I think that not being active is one of the big contributors to depression, at least I'm feeling it. I didn't have a problem when I was exercising.

    Oh, and now I do yoga at home and at a studio down the street from me, and that helps a lot too.


    Still... my anxieties in not knowing have caused me to have interrupted sleep and that's giving me more anxieties that I need right now. So I'm off to the doctor to ask for something to help me SLEEP. Not an anti-depressant. I took Effexor and Paxil for a while and got off of them about 5 years ago. And I'm not looking forward to getting back on them.

    All to say - we need to find all the coping mechanisms we can that suit our personal situation. It's like treating MM - you have to try different things to find the right combination that works.

    Now, if you 'll excuse me, there's a Sun Salutation series that's calling my name on DVD. I hope to be back at work next week - after my 4th NUCCA adjustment. And there's a gym at work too....

    This has been a great resource for me and I appreciate all the points of view. Let's keep it positive, people, we have a lot of life to live!!!

    Songbird
     
  16. burd

    burd New Member


    same here
     
  17. johnny pinwheel

    johnny pinwheel New Member

    this is me to a tee. i was always a loner type anyway. but now i'm sometimes scared to go out for fear of symptoms. one of my best friends called me an "isolater". can't stand noise or verbal chatter sounds like jibberish. my hearing is going the audiologist wants me to get a hearing aid. and the depression is awful sometimes worst than the disease. i've lost my house had to move into a trailer, been out of work for 2 years. last night my cat died and i cried all day. not because of him dying , but because i knew he was sick and don't have money for a vet. i hate taking pills and refuse to become dependant. my life has gone down so fast since getting sick. i'm a single father that was always the "provider" working hard so we could have a good life. now a good day is when i can get up and walk without feeling dizzy or worse falling down and getting sick. i've been stranded in parking lots for hours because i can't get up out of my car or drive, but i don't want to call for help either. i keep a strong front, no one knows how bad i hurt or how bad the disease is, i don't let them see. at times i don't know how much i can take , if it wern't for my kids i might just give up . i feel the nature of my condition makes me isolated ,most people don't understand how devastating vertigo is. i really need help and don't know where to turn. this sucks out loud!
     
  18. LisaB

    LisaB New Member

    I also think a lot of great points are made about the side affects of meds........I would not want to take antidepressents but would in a flat second if I was having thoughts about running my car into a wall, which I did often a few years back. I did try 2, and couldn't tolerate either, and when I was about to try a 3rd, the veil just lifted and I felt a lot better. So I was able to go on without them. I don't think any of us would choose to be on any medicines, but I have learned over the years how they can also change my life for the better. I think if you try these it's important to get a doc who you trust, and work closely with them. I emailed my doc about not being able to eat AT ALL on the 2nd one, and he emailed me STOP taking it right away! Communication is key. Therapy also can be awesome......I think knowing help is out there is critical for those of us with chronic illness. Exercise is great too, but if you can't leave the house to do it, it won't help much. I have suffered various degrees of depression over the years, (I think some of mine may be chemical imbalance?) and I know if it's the get yourself busy kind, or the scary kind. I think if you have the kind where you are scaring yourself you should seek medical attention immediately. Reach out for the help that is there. :) Lisa
     
  19. TheSpinStopsHere

    TheSpinStopsHere New Member

    Besides the bickering on antidepressants I think we need to address Johnny's post. I am really sorry for what you are going through. I have not been here in a while and I have previously posted under a different name. My point is things got a lot better for me without explanation. Some medicines can help. You don't say, at least in this post, what you have tried or whether you have access to medical care. If you are in the US you might qualify for programs that provide medical care and could improve your life. You certainly have been through a lot and you have every reason to feel the way you do. Things can change, do not give up.

    I am not sure what made my symptoms improve, I can only speculate, but they did improve. Take care of yourself, you are the beginning of a really great success story.
     
  20. DizzyDon62

    DizzyDon62 My Hearing Ear Dog Ember

    I live with my Bipolar everyday and cycle between severe depression and hypo mania most of my meds have kept me stable exept for the sleep part. I don't require alot of sleep that just how things are friends on here know how bad it gets for me not to complain. The best thing when it comes to medications is research them well and know everything about them before taking them its your right to know. There are many good sites these days but I use www.mentalhealth.com I hope my info helps Don
     

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