Happy Pills
Posted , 7 users are following.
hello,
it seems pretty clear that one of the side effects of this horrid old CFS/M.E. is a bit of depression, and quite understandably so. :roll:
It's been interesting to hear what kinds of anti-depressants everyone is on, and I was just wondering if anyone else was on escitalopram or similar, or had been on it?
I was on low dose citalopram ages ago and it did the job fine until I was ready to come off it. Then I tried to go on escitalopram a couple of years ago, had a terrible time with side effects, and came straight off it. Luckily I managed to pick myself up without it and was fine.
I decided to try again when I was diagnosed with this and found myself weeping every day :cry: and wandering around wailing, 'oh god, why meeeeee?' in a dramatic fashion. I've started really slowly and built up and the side effects aren't too bad, but this last few days I've felt really really flat, like I can't get particularly 'up' or 'down' about anything. The problem is I'm just mildly irritated all of the time and being a bit of a pain to my nearest and dearest.
Can anyone else relate to this and know if it will pass? I just feel kind of disassociated and disinterested in everything. Im expecting it to go away but would be nice to know im not alone. Of course, i could just be a misanthropic old grouch :wink:
Trees x
0 likes, 28 replies
Trees-r-green
Posted
Guest
Posted
Don't worry about it. I will remove the other one and leave this one in place.
Melbi x
LouLou
Posted
katie.k.
Posted
And I'm sure I'm a misanthropic old grouch too (only I'm not sure what that is :lol: ) but it sure sounds good Trees 8)
I can have extreme highs and lows several times a day, and then just have days when I feel just .... nothing. Those are the worst.
From my bible 'depression should be seen as yet another nasty symptom rather than to do with the personality of the patient. Many ME sufferers are people with no previous history of emotional disurbance, and their changed behaviour can be alarming to both their relatives and themselves'
TOO RIGHT :evil:
It gets worse :shock: 'uncontrollable tears, terrible black depression, despair, panic, suicidal thoughts - all these can be felt by someone previously regarded as well-adjusted and in control of his or her emotions.
Such a miserable wreck can also become cheerful, laughing or manic, the transformation taking place overnight or over several days'.
Criky .... think I'll just keep taking the tablets!!!
alicia
Posted
When I got my written report from the N. ME C. Dr Mitchell wrote that 'Mrs B. is not suffering from clinical depression' and he underlined it twice. After this my GP stopped pushing them on me and I vowed never to take mood altering or brain affecting drugs again.
I cannot judge who I am or what I am feeling if I am artificially controlled by some chemical that earns a lot of money for the pharmaceutical companies.
True depression is an imbalance of brain chemicals and can be helped by anti Ds, but if depression is not there then they can do more harm than good.
I am talking about Depression with a capital D, not merely the blues as a reaction to events or environment. Doctors are too quick to prescribe them, especially to women of a certain age with a vague array of non specific symptoms.
katie.k.
Posted
I feel that any side-effects outweigh the positives. Several types of drugs which were originally used only for depression are now being used as pain relief particularly for systemic pain eg. fibromyalgia for which normal analgesics just are not effective.
Pain relief antidepressants usually also had a sedative effect and are taken at night and have definitely improved my sleep quality.
I recently decided to try and cut down on the medication but my pain returned with a vengeance.
We all have a choice, and I know what my choice is.
Teedie
Posted
My mood varies, when i'm tired i get really cranky, I moaned non stop when i came home from work today but no wonder the day i have had. :evil:
I find i am crying at the least wee thing, like X factor :oops: Maybe i'm just a wee softy :cry:
katie.k.
Posted
Now that's CLEVER!
Teedie
Posted
Is it because we say \"wee\" alot :lol: Everything is: a wee cup of tea - a wee drink -a wee baby etc :lol:
LouLou
Posted
katie.k.
Posted
Amitriptyline is in the same group as Dosulepin and both act as muscle relaxants and therefore are pain-killing - are also best taken in the evening as have sedative effects.
Dale
Posted
Dale xxx
katie.k.
Posted
I'm sure your weight will stablilse .... I have put on half a stone in two years but the the last year it has remained pretty constant ..... so I'm sure yours will settle down soon too.
Katie :D
I've actually been trying to tone up a bit these last few weeks ... nothing drastic though. Like doing a few pressups on the kitchen work surfaces whilst waiting for my wheatbag to heat in the microwave :puff:
Trees-r-green
Posted
i haven't decided to go on these pills lightly, and was very proud when I actually got myself off anti depressants some years ago. i've always suffered from mild-middling depression although luckily ive never been severely incapacitated by it. :roll:
the problem is that when i decided to get myself better my 'magic cure' was exercise :fairy: just 3 20mins sesssions a week swimming or running or doing yoga made the world of difference, and i hadn't felt unmanageably down since starting that. of course, CFS = no exercise, and i think that, and coming to terms with this horrid thing, have tipped me over the edge a bit. :cry:
ah well. im still feeling a bit odd today. :? i just hate the initial few weeks of being on these things. like i said, the sort of flat, irritable, disaccociated feeling is the worst and i made my girlfriend cry last night :cry: that made me feel worse than anything else. i'll have to buy her a :gift: to make up for it i think.
maybe i am just a miserable old grouch! :erm:
Trees x
alicia
Posted