hello all.
I think all these health issues are mentally and emotionally wearing me out. At least once a month a new problem comes up with my heallth...some just irritating, medication adjustments, and others require surgery.
I have never taken an anti-depressant...maybe I need something for anxiety...I think I am now anxiuos about my health....
maybe I need something that does both.
Is there a medication that you know of that works (for you) and it has not dried your eyes and mouth out? I can't take any pilocarpine or anything like that...makes me have vertigo and vomiting.
If I had a suggestion from you..then when I see my PCP about this......I'll have some insider knowledge.
thanks for your help.
eye2dry
I have been thinking Bout this as well and will be watching closely.
well...back in the day, sex did it for me ;D
sorry...couldn't resist.
oh hey! I just remembered a show I watched that said upping your Niacin helps with depression a lot. The show was called "food matters". I know it's on netflix (streaming), but I think you can also get it on Amazon (streaming) really cheap. It's toward the middle of the show.
There is Niacin in many of the breafast cereals. try it! Dolly
Quote from: iraisin on June 20, 2012, 03:28:43 PM
well...back in the day, sex did it for me ;D
sorry...couldn't resist.
sex must give you
good feelings. It isn't worth the work for me. And the stress of the prep/peeing after makes me worse. Wish it did help anything for me, but it doesn't.
well, it has been quite some time.
Sorry to hear of your pain. Hope I didn't bring on bad thoughts for you. hug.
I get by taking Trazodone. I've never taken an SSRI... and I hope I never have to. Traz is drying, but not that bad. Worth it to me. Helps with sleep.
A good anti-dep will also take care of anxiety. Depression can cause anxiety.
Oh my gosh!
I open up and say I am feeling depressed (never said that to anyone before)
and I'm recommended sex and eat a diet high in Niacin???
eye2dry
I take medication for my depression. Not sure if it dries me out more but I need it to have a life worth living.
I am doing well on Zoloft (generic). I haven't noticed increasing dryness but did have tummy troubles for about a week after starting it and then it disappeared. It am not obsessing about my illness as much.
Winnie ;)
I take Cymbalta...dual purpose. It helps with my mood and it also if effective for aches and pains. It is however somewhat drying but seems to be less drying over time.
eye2dry
Please know that you can come here and talk about depression and I will always listen.
Hopefully others were just dealing with a difficult topic using humor.
Eye2Dry, I'm amazed how less anxiety/stress/depression has lessened my inflammation.
I have also reduced my workload and don't multi-task like I used to but I have been taking
Lexapro generic for about nine weeks...it doesn't dry me out at all..but again, I wonder if the reduction in inflammation due to no anxiety makes the difference.
Jazzlover, Lexapro is a SSRI. Why is that something you're glad you don't take? What is the down side to it??
Sorry y'all. The sex joke was in poor judgement.
But I'm serious about the niacin. There was a woman they were talking about on the show who's family was very concerned as she was so depressed she just sat in the corner of the room and didn't speak. This went on for years. They consulted one of the doctors that was on the show and he told them to give her niacin supplements - in the thousands of mg.
The family said she was back to normal on the niacin, but then they talked to their dr. and, although no one has ever died of niacin, that he didn't think that was good for her.So the family took her off and she was back in the corner again. It a very interesting show with another look at food and supplements.
Let's face it. The pharms are in charge of the drs. so-to-speak. Of course they want to sell the meds. to us all. It's just something else to look at and consider. The risks with trying niacin are not as bad as the risks with trying an antidepressant. Call me a hippy.
Since I've changed my diet, I have felt a lot better. I still have bouts of this crud, but not as bad. The dryness - can't get away from it with anything so far, but some supplements do help, like the flaxseed.
I will try the niacin when my time comes and I am full-time depressed. I was truly sincere with that suggestion.
Sorry, Eye2dry. I wasn't as self aware as I should have been. I am glad you opened up, please don't let my bursts of idiocy discourage you.
I have been on sertraline (the generic for Zoloft) for over a year, and at the same time, I started clonazepam to manage my anxiety right away. Since all anti-depressants take a while to work, the clonazepam was a real life saver for me.
I was so depressed at the time, that I couldn't stop crying, my mother came to help me care for my kids, and I spent a lot of time in bed because I didn't want my children to see me like that. My husband called a psychiatrist, took me to see him, I cried the whole time, the psychiatrist recommended Zoloft and Klonopin (clonazepam) and said it would help my anxiety quickly. I was like, yeah right...
That evening, when we got home, my mom was cooking dinner (she's an amazing cook, by the way :) ) but I took my Zoloft and Klonopin and went straight to bed. I was exhausted and overwhelmed. When I woke up about an hour later, I smelled dinner and for the first time in over a week, actually felt hungry. I got up, ate, talked to my family... it was like slowly climbing out of the abyss and for the first time since that horrible depression had started, I felt like I had found the ladder and could start climbing.
I was skeptical that anything was ever going to make me feel "normal" again, let alone that something was going to help me cope in the short-term, but seeing a psychiatrist and finding the right combination of medications did give me my life back, and I was in a place that I thought that was never going to happen.
Wishing you the best and please keep us posted.
Thank you to all who replied.
I am making a note to take with me for my PCP visit to address this.
When I worked in family practice years ago...one of the drs Rx'd Zoloft quite often....I suppose it will be trial and error to get the right med at the right dose....as you may well know...I certainly do not want anything that makes me drier.
Piebird...thank you for listening.
mshistory...I am so glad you got over that awful bout of depression......can enjoy life and your family again.
eye2dry
Eye2dry,
It's really hard to realize and admit you are depressed but you did it! I will admit that I am too. I have been my whole life. I just started therapy Tuesday for major depressive mood disorder, PTSD, and conversion disorder.
We didn't address anything at the first appointment (it was a 'getting to know your background' kind of appointment) but she did say my 'homework' for the week was to focus on working on my depression by #1~ exercise (anything, dance like a nut around the house is my favorite!) for at least a few minutes every day, and #2~ get outside in the sunshine for at least a few minutes everyday (but watch out for complications from the Sjs and lupus). The main thing about depression is there are many kinds of 'medicines' for it, from actual medications like SSRI's, to changing your lifestyle a little (or a lot). My therapist said that MAKING yourself exercise and go out in the sun will help as much as actually doing those things. Realizing that I AM changing the way I do things will make me feel better, and more empowered too. Does that make any sense? We have not discussed medication options at this point, but my neurologist said he wants me on something for my anger/sadness. Don't mean to make it all about me :-X, just wanted you to know you're not alone at all :)
So try to exercise a little every day and drink your coffee in the morning sunshine before it gets too hot! :P
I've taken Zoloft for several years for panic attacks and I don't notice it being extremely drying. But my fibro is so painful that I thought about asking about Cymbalta at my next visit.
Hang in there. Life gets better!
Deb