Hi Chris. Good description of what your depression is like, not easy to do. I haven't had an episode that hellish for several years, but I recognized it in what you wrote.

I'm pretty tired right now, so I'll just say that I noticed that you mentioned headaches. I wanted to ask if you check your blood pressure or if your doctor does. It's important with Effexor to keep an eye out for high blood pressure.

I took 375 mg/day for about five years with no problems with my blood pressure then suddenly (well, after about 6 months of not seeing a doctor) I had alarmingly high blood pressure.

The headaches don't necessarily have to be from high blood pressure. I think Effexor itself often causes headaches.

I hope that you are able to get your meds stabilized so that you can start to heal and recover.

I have been at that can't read/can't listen to music/can't watch a movie/everything seems like a hugely exhausting task place. It's horrible, but it doesn't last forever. Sometimes I was able to lower the level of things and still do some things (like watch silly 30 min. sitcoms or read YA novels.)

It really does feel like your brain and nervous system have taken a huge battering and recovery can take a while.

Last winter when I was too exhausted to cook, I found this list of 10 Foods I Eat Every Day to Beat Depression by Therese Borchard, a mental health writer who founded the "Beyond Blue" online community and is on the board of Psych Central.

A lot of foods on that list don't have to be cooked. I added Greek yogurt and oranges and olive oil (not by itself) to my list of foods to keep around. It really does feel like these foods give my brain a boost.