Mental Health Feel like I'm running out of options

[nuttynutskin]

Pretty sure I've made a thread like this in the past, but my depression and ocd is back really bad and I'm thinking of getting back on prozac. I don't really want to tho because while it was pretty much the best med I ever took for my depression I didn't care for the sexual side effects that are common with SSRIs. Still tho I can't really keep drinking because that's causing a host of it's own problems. But yeah, I'm really starting to feel at the end of my rope as far as dealing with my depression. The way I see it I can either take psychiatric meds that make me worse or have side effects I don't like, continue drinking and ruining my health and everything else, or potentially see a counselor which I'm really cynical about and couldn't afford anyways. My current depression is without a doubt situational, but I can't really find a way out.

As Peter Steele (Type O Negative) sang...

I feel the weight of a world on my back
I see the future
The future looks black
It's what I must do
I've no reservation
Ain't talkin 'bout self preservation

That's about how I feel currently although I'm not suicidal. I would've killed myself along time ago if I had the guts tho. But yeah, anyways if anyone has any advice on meds or anything else it would be appreciated, although I seem to shoot down a lot of advice lately.

 

[nuttynutskin]

And I forgot... I got a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I want to talk to him about some of those things, so any comments would be appreciated.

 

[StanleyJobson]

Have you tried Wellbutrin? It's not an SSRI, and its sexual side effects are pretty great (increased libido, explosive orgasms...although you might go a bit limp after 10 minutes )

You mention drinking a lot. Do you have an issue with being unable to control this? There are a couple of ways to get on top of this if you're having problems with it.

 

[nuttynutskin]

Have you tried Wellbutrin? It's not an SSRI, and its sexual side effects are pretty great (increased libido, explosive orgasms...although you might go a bit limp after 10 minutes )

Yeah, unfortunately it made me really irritable as I've read it can in people with bipolar. Although I didn't get any bad sexual side effects I've never noticed an improvement either. Basically the only positive was I did feel a bit more focused but the negatives outweighed that.

You mention drinking a lot. Do you have an issue with being unable to control this? There are a couple of ways to get on top of this if you're having problems with it.

Yeah I've self medicated for quite a while. I can control it sometimes but a lot of the time I go overboard if I'm drinking. The shitty thing is I don't really like how I feel sober. I'm even more antisocial than normal and really don't get any enjoyment out of anything or feel like doing anything.

 

[nuttynutskin]

Anyone else? I'm not one to bump my own threads a bunch but my appointment is at 3pm.

 

[mb-909]

1.) Meditation

"They found moderate evidence of improvement in symptoms of anxiety, depression and pain after participants underwent what was typically an eight-week training program in mindfulness meditation."

- http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/meditation_for_anxiety_and_depression


2.) Nature

Walking through nature helps me to calm down a bit.


3.) A good psychotherapy

I am not talking about somebody who only gives you happy pills. Good talks should be the foundation you should build on. Therefor you should search for somebody you trust and with whom you are able to talk freely and trustful.


At the moment scientist are working on LSD and psilocybin based drugs without the visuals. But it will take time. Depressions don't disappear from day to day or I would be healed by now ^^. It is a work in process... I hate it so much...

 

[NOtoInvega]

Pretty sure I've made a thread like this in the past, but my depression and ocd is back really bad and I'm thinking of getting back on prozac. I don't really want to tho because while it was pretty much the best med I ever took for my depression I didn't care for the sexual side effects that are common with SSRIs. Still tho I can't really keep drinking because that's causing a host of it's own problems. But yeah, I'm really starting to feel at the end of my rope as far as dealing with my depression. The way I see it I can either take psychiatric meds that make me worse or have side effects I don't like, continue drinking and ruining my health and everything else, or potentially see a counselor which I'm really cynical about and couldn't afford anyways. My current depression is without a doubt situational, but I can't really find a way out.

As Peter Steele (Type O Negative) sang...

I feel the weight of a world on my back
I see the future
The future looks black
It's what I must do
I've no reservation
Ain't talkin 'bout self preservation

That's about how I feel currently although I'm not suicidal. I would've killed myself along time ago if I had the guts tho. But yeah, anyways if anyone has any advice on meds or anything else it would be appreciated, although I seem to shoot down a lot of advice lately.

I can help you. I have been where you are at. PM me. As you said, your depression is situational. It is not a biological, incurable brain disorder - so don't go trying to get help from people who say it is when they have absolutely 0 proof for the assertion. Don't get back on the prozac it will make things worse.

I have been in extreme depression and pulled out of it by using legal drugs as tools to change my dire situation. If you PM me, I can help you. Also, studying prophecy helped me A LOT. The prophecies in the Bible gave me a lot of hope once I saw how many of them there are, how specific they are, and how much proof there is that all of them are real. I read that over 2,000 prophecies have been fulfilled. There is proof that they are not prophecy-after-the-fact as well. Jesus is really coming back, and Jesus is not the person society teaches he is.

If you want to know what drugs I used and how they help so much, PM me, because I won't discuss that in the open. I don't like these substances being mentioned by name in the open because they are all safe, effective, and legal as it currently stands.

The drugs a psych doc will give you will just make your situation worse in the long run.

 

[NOtoInvega]

And be very careful what you tell a psych doc. They are known for involuntarily committing people who open up to them. You go for help and you get the opposite.

 

[UncookMyBrain]

I think you should take prozac and get the DBT self help book, also google DBT self help.

 

[nuttynutskin]

Back from the doc... He suggested Luvox because my OCD symptoms have been worse lately also. Basically I could call in Prozac or Luvox. Now I just have some studying and thinking to do. According to him Luvox seemed to have less sexual side effects than other SSRIs. Thanks for the replies.

 

[SixBuckets]

Back from the doc... He suggested Luvox because my OCD symptoms have been worse lately also. Basically I could call in Prozac or Luvox. Now I just have some studying and thinking to do. According to him Luvox seemed to have less sexual side effects than other SSRIs. Thanks for the replies.

I had reasonably good symptom relief on Luvox. I got a number of years out of it. I can't remember any significant side efffects.

Good luck!

 

[Rachella666]

How are you feeling now nutty nut skin.☺xxx

 

[Rachella666]

Are you a Type O Negative fan? They are one of my fave bands!

 

[Rybee]

And I forgot... I got a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I want to talk to him about some of those things, so any comments would be appreciated.

I'm so sorry I didn't see this thread before your doctors appointment.

1.) Meditation

"They found moderate evidence of improvement in symptoms of anxiety, depression and pain after participants underwent what was typically an eight-week training program in mindfulness meditation."

- http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/meditation_for_anxiety_and_depression


2.) Nature

Walking through nature helps me to calm down a bit.


3.) A good psychotherapy

I am not talking about somebody who only gives you happy pills. Good talks should be the foundation you should build on. Therefor you should search for somebody you trust and with whom you are able to talk freely and trustful.


At the moment scientist are working on LSD and psilocybin based drugs without the visuals. But it will take time. Depressions don't disappear from day to day or I would be healed by now ^^. It is a work in process... I hate it so much...

I used to hate people who said things like this, because when I was in my lowest state of depression and in my worst state of anxiety, taking 'practical advice' like this, from people that I didn't think understood what I was going through, and putting it into practice seemed like an impossibility. A fantasy. But on reflection, no bigger than the fantasy world I was living in where drink and drugs were the best medicine.

But it isn't a fantasy at all. It's the best advice you could ever take. Honestly, I can promise you that OP.

Yes, it is hard. Absolutely it is. There's really no denying that, and there's certainly no shortcut. Mental exercise is tough. It's just as tough as physical exercise, if not - tougher, but why wouldn't it be? If it was so easy to do and we could all master it in minutes, then we simply wouldn't have these problems in life, and modern life would be a walk in the park (excuse the pun!). Mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety wouldn't be the fastest growing health conditions of the 21st century otherwise.

But as mb-909 suggests: When I get anxious/feel down, I no longer reach for the drink and drugs. Instead, I take a walk through the fields and find somewhere quiet to sit down and meditate. Meditation takes a hell of a lot of practice but it certainly pays off. And if I just don't feel like meditating, then a nice walk with lots of fresh air and some music beats reaching for the drugs any day.

If you have just 10 minutes per day and want to give it a go, but have no idea how, then download the free app 'headspace'. It teaches Mindfulness Meditation starting with just 10 minutes per day for 10 days. It was the biggest change of my life to implement, but I now love meditation.

mb-909 is also right re: good psychotherapy, and the emphasis really is on GOOD psychotherapy. I tried 5 therapists/counsellors before I found the love and respect I have for my current therapist. Everybody harped on about the fact that you need to find the right therapist for your individual needs, but it's so true. Before finding her, I thought therapy was nothing other than patronising nonsense and hippy tree hugging. But she genuinely changed my outlook on life in just a few months. She's clever. Very clever. I've known myself for quite a long time now... and I thought I knew myself pretty well, but I genuinely learnt more from her in 3 months about myself than I did for the 25½ years I've been breathing. She rummages around so deep into my mind and brings my deepest worries out and helps me face them head on. To that effect, I can't stress how much I'd encourage you to keep trying with it. I get it's not for everyone, but please don't let the odd therapist who wasn't right for you, put you off from ever considering it again!

Back from the doc... He suggested Luvox because my OCD symptoms have been worse lately also. Basically I could call in Prozac or Luvox. Now I just have some studying and thinking to do. According to him Luvox seemed to have less sexual side effects than other SSRIs. Thanks for the replies.

I've not tried Luvox (Fluvoxamine) myself but I've heard some pretty good things about it. I've been on Prozac so I can understand why you may be hesitant to go back on it.

Prozac (Fluoxetine) / Celexa (Citalopram) / Effexor (Venlafaxine) ruined my libido, and the latter, my complete ability to ejaculate. I suffered really bad post ssri sexual side effects too, which took a year to get under control.

My opinion would be to go with Luvox and give it a try, if you don't like it, swap to something else

 

[Erikmen]

And I forgot... I got a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I want to talk to him about some of those things, so any comments would be appreciated.

Some of these medications do cause suicidal thoughts, I Am sure it's true because I have read most of the labels.
As of Prozac, I believe it's 'era' has expired. There are new and effective meds out there and changing medications can sometimes take some problems away.
I have had some experience with Prozac and feel that it causes lots of side effects so ask your doctor if you should maybe change.
I wish you good luck!

 

[Erikmen]

There are many types of effective medication that could help you with your sexual life.
You need to make an exam in order to see how your testosterone levels are. Hormones, in right doses can change all of these sexual issues for sure.
If not hormones, it could be within another line of medication. It works!

 

[jammin83]

Feeling any better nutty?

Did you ever try lamictal? It didn't work for me but I know people that like it. Not too bad in the side effect department besides a rare rash that can be very bad news. Not sure about coming off of the stuff which is where a lot of these medications become tricky to say the least.

It sucks so bad having to choose between medications and feeling like shit. The wrong meds make you feel worse, ones that work suck coming off.

 

[nuttynutskin]

How are you feeling now nutty nut skin.☺xxx

I'm doing better than the day I made this thread. I'm a moody bastard tho so that could all change in an hour. HA!

My opinion would be to go with Luvox and give it a try, if you don't like it, swap to something else

I may although it still is an SSRI and everything I pull up on Youtube is people talking about going off it and the withdrawals. I'm undecided if I'm going to go back on anything at the moment.

There are many types of effective medication that could help you with your sexual life.
You need to make an exam in order to see how your testosterone levels are. Hormones, in right doses can change all of these sexual issues for sure.
If not hormones, it could be within another line of medication. It works!

Ummm, the only time I've ever had any sexual dysfunction was taking Prozac and even then I could get it up just fine, it just felt like shit. But off of psychiatric drugs I have absolutely no problems in that area other than no one to fuck currently. I'm pretty sure my testosterone is just fine.

Did you ever try lamictal?

No, I've heard of it tho. It's not one I've really researched much and I don't know if there's a generic.

It sucks so bad having to choose between medications and feeling like shit. The wrong meds make you feel worse, ones that work suck coming off.

Yup, pretty much. I think if I want to go the med route again I really need a psychiatrist, because while I like my gp he's not always the most knowledgeable about psychiatric drugs. Problem is I don't think psychiatrists are covered by medicaid, I could be wrong tho.

 

[brink]

Luvox always looked interesting.

Have you tried Remeron? It may alleviate SSRI sexual dysfunction issues. At least, that was my experience and something a lot of people comment about online. Really enjoyed Lexapro plus Remeron, all except for some bruxism. No clenching experienced on Remeron alone. The anxiolytic effects are subtle until ceasing... great antihistamine, sleep aid, appetite stim.

Had a similar irritable reaction to Wellbutrin. Could be practically useful if driving in a destruction derby.

It took many years for me to notice how much anxiety drinking caused, and now I almost never drink. After experimenting with drugs which had direct and indirect GABA effects, it's clear now how similar the tolerance and withdrawals of alcohol are, even a day or two after having drinks. Perhaps I've become sensitized to these things, though.