[Hopeinnyc]

Has anyone spent months trying to find the right medications while being severely depressed? What did everyone do during this time? It's hard to converse with people or leave the house. Need guidance.

[Polar Pixie]

Originally Posted by Hopeinnyc

Has anyone spent months trying to find the right medications while being severely depressed? What did everyone do during this time? It's hard to converse with people or leave the house. Need guidance.

Months to a year at times. There's times down the road where medications will need to be "tweaked" if your doctors feel that's what is best.

Keeping my hands busy was best thing for me. It can be anywhere from making something, playing with puzzles, or even playdoh.

I'm medicated and I hate talking to people in public haha. I just keep my headphones on me while I'm out running errands to keep people from talking to me. At times I have no music playing, but people would only know that if they are rude and nosey and ask me what I'm listening to. It fun to respond with anger management tapes and how to deal with rude nosey stupid people hehe... It's a long road, but have people around you that understands what is going on, give them articles or anything to read that will help them understand you better, and they can be by your side.

[Hopeinnyc]

You are right. It has been almost a year now of wheaning on and off medications. Im often too depressed to hold a conversation but otherwise stuck in my head. So confusung this all is..m

[unicornlady]

I would second the recommendation of puzzles. I spent an entire summer and fall pretty much doing nothing but puzzles. That way you can invite people over (and spend time with them) without being pressured to make conversation. On your own time, can you read? I know I couldn't, when I was really really depressed, but I could look at yearbooks, magazines, etc. and enjoy the pictures and familiar faces.

[Justugh]

hi

ok part of the trouble always is the meds .......feel good u stop or forget too and by the time rem u do not feel like it

try some of this St. john's wort: Indications, Side Effects, Warnings - Drugs.com
can get it in any drug store in the vit isle ........it will only help some not a cure all but it should make it easier to get back to getting better

as for the pills u got to set a routine i been doing this for a long time so it is now second nature to me (infact alot of time i will do with eyes shut sun is bright in the morning) ......but it will be something in the morning right after u get out of the shower with cup of tea/coffee...........as for lunch and that stuff set your phone to beep at 1 pm and then take the pills...........night time u can do it with after dinner just after u clean up for the night ....or right before u go to bed

get one of those gaint old ppl pill things that are broken out into months worth of pills......when u get the pills put them in there keep the bottle for the numbers and incase u need to prove it to someone (if u carry your pills on u outside the house cops will give u **** unless u can name each pill what is for and then prove u are legally taken it) the places u get pills from can give u a print out keep in the car for that

as for ppl and talking to them and stuff .........be yourself and talk they will like u or not but with 7.8 billion ppl on the planet so what if they do not like yah billions more left (51% of them are ladies if that matters to u ) ...........i look amish u are from NY u should know what that looks like i get ppl coming up to me all the time asking if i am ....little kids call me a leprechaun........i talk with those ppl more then happy too .....but i also did not leave my house for 3 years .......currently i am as much of a hermit as i can be i rarely go out and when i do it set it up so i do multi things so i do not need to leave again for several more days

[sidney1771]

Not sure what hobbies or interests you have, but what helped me is having both my dad and an aunt being retired and neither one of them liked to talk much at all. Both understood what I was going through and that sometimes I needed to get out of my house and do something that didn't involve much interaction. With my dad, he and I would watch ball games. With my aunt, we'd play cribbage or watch some movies. It helped get through the time in a more healthy way then just staying at home alone. Puzzles rock. I decorated three patient rooms for my family doc that way. Origami is a lot of fun too, especially if you do the modular geometric styles. Those are a little easier to do and you can make them as big or as small as you want and still feel good about what you created.

Medication changes are challenging because you really need to let them take hold and see if they work, but you also need to keep to healthy routines in order to evaluate them which means getting out of the house. Explain your challenges to family and friends and see if they can help. Once I learned to start asking for help I have yet to have anyone say no.

[nicole84]

This thread is actually helpful for ideas, I'm in the same boat as you Hopeinnyc. Currently starting from scratch (again), coming off Prozac, starting a mood stabiliser then have to get that to a good level and see what else needs to be added then. It's scary to read 'years' in this thread though. I've already had years of up and downs before a decent pdoc

Doing something artistic or creative might help? This might sound silly, but I like to colour. It can take your mind off of things for hours. I'm not good at drawing, but there's many forms of being creative too. The puzzle idea is great, I might go out and buy one this week. Maybe cross stitch too?

[Hopeinnyc]

Hi guys,

Thanks for so many great ideas. Its definitely a challenge to find something to do that doesnt require too much concentration. The puzzle idea is great!