[Secretum]

The past few days, I have been really run down. Everything is effortful. I am concerned about this, because I tend to get energy symptoms around this time of the year (late July) that develop into full-fledged depression come September. These depressions are usually severe (usually more so than the year before), and change my life. I don't want to go through that again. I don't know if I could survive another bad depression. I'm going to bring it up with my pdoc when I see him in 3 weeks, but I don't know if he will do anything about it since my current symptoms are minor. I'm just afraid of what is to come...

Anyway, the seasonal depression is something I've lived with since I was 15 (though I managed to skip last year! ). What I'm confused about is this: around 7 PM every night for the past four nights, my depressive symptoms get a lot worse. Things are 100 x harder to do. Hopelessness and sui thoughts set in. I get really restless, with this intense need to move my legs. I have a 7:30 AM class in the morning, so I've been using that as an excuse to just go to bed really early. (I went to bed at 8:30 last night. It was still light outside. Not kidding. I haven't done that since I was in elementary school!). By the time I wake up in the morning, the mood has past, and I feel alright again.

Does anyone know what this could be? I've never had anything like this before, where I could predict down to the hour when my symptoms were going to set in.

Thanks!

[Confusedinomicon]

I went through something like this for a long time. I don't know what fixed/stopped it from happening again. I wish I had a solution for you.

It's very likely the side effects of one of your medications. I'd discuss that possibility with my psychiatrist if I were you (particularly the restless leg condition).

It can also be caused by foods in your diet, strangely enough. I often wake up in the morning feeling great only to have the feelings dissipate after breakfast foods or luncheon foods that could contain "fast foods". And part of it is the acidic buildup of residue (or ash) caused in the digestion of medications.

Try using the lemon thing to remove that late in the afternoon; that might give you some relief. You know the "lemon thing": squeeze two fresh lemons into about 5 oz. of water; drink it. If you aren't better in 4 hours, repeat the process. It might work for you; it does for some of us. Give it at least two days before you resign yourself to the idea that it won't work for you. It takes a while to dissipate that acid from your fluids and tissues.

Some people use Alkaseltzer and that might work, but for those who have high blood pressure,
it would be precluded because it contains sodium bicarbonate. It's not as healthy for
us as the lemon is, anyway. (The lemon is a strong detoxifier of the liver which is responsible
for removal of many toxins from the system; medications can be toxic in one way or another.)

If it does work, use it thereafter only occasionally when you feel the bad feeling tones
creeping back.