do you ever get bad depression or panic attacks?

[kla37]

You really should see a doctor, as symptoms of depression can actually be caused by something else. It could be food allergies, vision or hearing problems, vitamin or hormone deficiencies, etc. I had problems with it for a long time, and finally found a good Dr that did extensive tests to root out the problem. The first thing she found was Hashimoto's disease, which is a disease of the thyroid, and a lack of thyroid hormone can wreak havoc in your body. That only takes one little pill a day to fix. The next thing she found was MS, which is more serious, but still it was nice to know there was a tangible reason for how I had been feeling for so many years. Get to a Dr and talk to them and make sure you tell them you want bloodwork done to check for any physiologic reasons why you may have symptoms of depression!

Take care of yourself, and go hug a chicken!

 

[welsummerchicks]

Many people experience the 'blahs', or grief, or situational unhappiness. These can be called 'problems of daily living'(NOT depression). Many people experience temporary depression or anxiety that is 'self limiting' (goes away by itself). They often conclude, 'Well, the tea worked!' or 'Well the pep talk worked!' AND that it will work for every one, every depression! They're wrong.

For one thing, these feelings can very well be due to a completely undetected other, medical problem, such as heart disease or other condition that needs treatment. Anxiety and depression can form after months of chronic pain, too. Alcohol use can also cause these feelings, as can pot and other 'recreational' substances.

Anxiety can be mild or severe or anything in between. It can happen in certain situations or suddenly pop up randomly. It can be a general, all day long feeling or a sudden 'attack' that lasts only minutes. It may wake you in the middle of the night or prevent you from falling asleep. You might feel as if you're going to fall, go nuts, die or have a heart attack. It can be very, very unpleasant. Some people even turn to alcohol or sleeping pills to try and deaden it.

Depression isn't the same in all people either. It can make a person feel numb, dull, listless, unable to concentrate or make decisions. It does not always make a person think unhappy thoughts or feel self blame. It can interfere with eating, sleeping and working or studying. It can effect decision making or it can seem as if the entire world is going 'down the tubes' and current events are a catastrophe. Depression can EVEN cause a person to see things or hear things that others do not, or want to harm themselves. It can also cause aches and pains, often with fatigue and sudden 'fatigue crashes', where a person feels as if they cannot move.

Some people will need medication, some will not. Just because a home remedy worked for one person, does not mean it will work for another.

It's very, very dangerous to insist everyone 'should pull themselves up by their own bootstraps', do without medication or that medication is a 'cover up' or a 'cop out'. OR to even subtly imply that 'tis so much more noble and strong a person that does not need it, so much a superior person that others MUST copy or feel embarrassed and ashamed and inferior.

For SOME people medicine is unnecessary. For some it IS. Some of the toughest and most accomplished people in history have had real big time depression.

If home remedies are not working for you, act and act quickly, make an appointment with your doctor. Don't just suffer along for months and months!

Keep in mind the very real possibility that these symptoms COULD be due to something you haven't even considered, such as heart disease or something compressing nerves, such as arthritis. Something that needs a completely different focus. That is only one more reason to head to the doctor, pound on his desk and insist this is important. BEWARE that anxiety and depression are often ignored by doctors when the patient is a woman! Be persistent.

When these feelings are related to a situation and are temporary, it's more likely someone can manage with home remedies like positive thinking, positive self talk, and exercise, pleasurable activities and a friendly listener.

But when these feelings are much more general and persistent, or when they are incapacitating and unrelieving no matter what home remedies are tried PLEASE, DO NOT stick to home remedies.

The simple fact is that all people aren't the same. All depressions and anxieties are not the same.

The only 'noble' thing in this is finding out what works for you and making it happen. The only 'bad' course here is sticking with something that doesn't work for YOU. The 'better' person, the 'stronger' person, is the one who finds what works for him, whatever that solution is does not matter. What matters is that YOU GET BETTER.

It's important to recognize that while 'barely surviving' might be considered noble, EVERYONE deserves to not just barely survive, not just barely drag themselves through every day, but to LIVE and ENJOY it.

 

[kla37]

Quote:
X2!!! Doctors are doctors for a reason, find a good one and follow their advice!

 

[NellaBean]

I've had anxiety for years.......self managed to a point. I had some health problems last year that went on for months and got steadily worse.....they put the anxiety thing over the edge. I finally HAD to go to the doctor for it, and was prescribed a daily pill plus "emergency pills" (lorazepam) in case I was having an actual panic attack.

I had to go back for a 6 month check up and when he asked me if it was working I honestly said "I don't know. I feel normal.". Which quite honestly, is a sign it is working. I don't feel drugged up or different. I just feel "normal". I feel like it just evens out the emotions a bit........I can still get anxious (if there is a valid reason) but it is reasonable and not overwhelming. I did stop taking the pills for a week or two and definitely noticed a difference.

I did "function" for years without medication, but I sure am happier WITH it. On a sidenote, I have never needed to take the "emergency pills" (lorazepam) but I did carry them around for months just in case. Then I left them on the deck railing and my dog ate them. Chewed up the whole container, complete with 30 pills. She is fine and dandy and I no longer have any pills to carry around just in case. And I'm fine and dandy with that too.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

What welsummerchicks said x 10!!

Depression and panic attacks are very personal things and they ARE biologic in nature and need to be treated as such. Some people get cold, something they suffer through and get over, other people get the flu, they get pretty sick and need some help with the symptoms; of these, some get severely ill or get pneumonia and need hospitalization. Not all depressions are the same for everyone just like not all respiratory infections are the same.

 

[animals1981]

hey all yeah i have been in therapy for the last 10 years or so on all kinds of diff meds tried the homo therapy also the vitamins st johns wart everything you name it

lots of medical tests

i have klonopin for emergency panic attacks he doesnt want me to take it though unless it really is an emergency so i try not to take it


currently on lexapro (just over a month)was hoping this would change things i have a really good shrink

 

[NellaBean]

i'm on citalopram. only 20mg, but sometimes I use 40mg if I'm having a bad week. its onthe $4 list at wally world, woot woot.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I also have anxiety and panic attacks. It's been about 6 or 7 years now since I was diagnosed.

 

[lacasitarojafarm]

I have had self-limiting bouts of depression all my life. It affects me differently each time. Sometimes it's the stay in bed - can't get out- crying and don't want to eat - kind. Sometimes it won't be so severe but it will affect my decsion making ability. I will be seized by anxiety in making event he most mundane decsions (what I will have for lunch, whether to start freezer camp, if my daughter's need a new coat)

and my husband will notice and he will baby me for a while but then sometimes I have the kind that makes be very short-tempered and angry and I have a standing prescription for fluoxetine for those times as I will have a short fuse and be anxious and that's very hard to live with and around

.

HOWEVER when I had my first child, my post-partum depression was so bad that my mother and husband did most of the childcare duties for the first two weeks.

All I wanted to do was disappear. I was anxious that I'd be a bad mother, had racing thoughts, panic attacks and cried at the drop of a hat. This was bad and and dangrous as well and it was hard on my husband who is, really the most wonderful man in the world, a saint. My doctor watched me closely as well. There's a scheudle for post partum depression and if you don't snap out of it within 10- days to two weeks or start coming out of it, then you go on medication. I was trying to breast feed but I gave it up and took meds and fed my daughter formula to get better. Find a good doctor. My doctor was excellent. He asked a lot of questions about how I felt and how I was reacting to medication. He also spent time talking to my husband about how this was all on a spectum of "normal" and how he could support me. However you can see I am not the most private person, if my husband or doctor asks how I am feeling I am candid and frank. I am usually considered a very cheerful person. I don't think many who meet me would guess that I suffer from depression. I have only had *very* severe depression once, it was scary and it was very hard on my family. It's a treatable medical condition. Seek a doctors help, support and advice. Teach your family what to look out for. Get out of the house. Reading helps me a lot. Also watching my hens fight over treats and get all freaked out if I change anything in the run (don't you love how they run over to it and peek at it like "what the &*%?) . You have my best wishes. You can PM me if you like.

 

[animals1981]

i think my dr is just a bit confused cause ive done everything hes said still have a lot of trouble it starts to get scary not sure where all the pain comes from recently have just been having these crying spells where i just hide from everyone and cry for hours in my room i usually just wait for roomate to leave have the house to myself get a glas of wine and do that its so pathetic