[JohnW26]

Hello,
I had depression for several years and it is getting worse, have fibro to boot. 120MG Cymbalta, Xanax when needed (daily about 1 MG) Lyrica 150 MG twice a day, Ambien to sleep, and not a "booster" called Deplin (actually some sort of a vitamin) that helps depression and meds.
Anyway, after all that on to my question.
I can't concentrate on anything, have brain fog and depression is worsening, my talk therapy sessions are increased in frequency, but I can't seem to get focused on anything...kind of a feeling of scatter brained! I am wondering if the meds are really the answer? What would I feel like without them? I am afraid to even think about it. I am unemployed and looking for a job and at age 60, not easy! My Pdoc said maybe I can file for SS disability, but my primary doc says I would never win, since I can walk and talk! I am going to ask my fibro doc next week. I have been looking at these boards a few times in the past, but now depression is much worse and hope for support here. So....finally....long story short. Which is better the mind "fog" or the pain of fibro and the "pains" of depression?

[depressedalaskan]

Originally Posted by JohnW26

Hello,
I had depression for several years and it is getting worse, have fibro to boot. 120MG Cymbalta, Xanax when needed (daily about 1 MG) Lyrica 150 MG twice a day, Ambien to sleep, and not a "booster" called Deplin (actually some sort of a vitamin) that helps depression and meds.
Anyway, after all that on to my question.
I can't concentrate on anything, have brain fog and depression is worsening, my talk therapy sessions are increased in frequency, but I can't seem to get focused on anything...kind of a feeling of scatter brained! I am wondering if the meds are really the answer? What would I feel like without them? I am afraid to even think about it. I am unemployed and looking for a job and at age 60, not easy! My Pdoc said maybe I can file for SS disability, but my primary doc says I would never win, since I can walk and talk! I am going to ask my fibro doc next week. I have been looking at these boards a few times in the past, but now depression is much worse and hope for support here. So....finally....long story short. Which is better the mind "fog" or the pain of fibro and the "pains" of depression?

Sorry I don't have the answer, wish you luck, keep fighting your illnesses, hugs for your day.

[*freak*]

No one here can give you the answer, it depends on you
Take care

[crislsoul]

John W26,
I live on disability. It's not much but I get by. You have to get a lawyer after being denied 3 times and If you can prove pain, you can prob get it but it takes a couple of years. As to the meds I was on so many for pain and anxiety and depression and I started reading up on them and took myself off most of them. The pain pills never really worked for me, the anxiety meds made me loony, and the anti depressant made me have terrible hot flashes...But, I'm so depressed now that I made appt w/ psych doc to put me back on anti-depressant. It's like your damned if you do and damned if you don't. Never go off any meds abruptly or you will be sorry esp. anti-depressants. You really need a good MD to help you out. Depression can really mess you up so going off Cymbalta which also helps pain might not work for you. So, I know I did not answer your ? but that's my 2 cents for whats it's worth! Good luck
Still trying to figure it out in NJ

[JohnW26]

Thank you all for the reply. I would never stop taking meds all at once. I have heard bad things happen when you do. I guess, for example 100 years ago or 1,000 years ago we were all still humans and must have had depression and no meds. What did people do then? Maybe they were "braver" than people of today?

[Rohag]

Hello & Welcome, JohnW26!

Originally Posted by JohnW26

Which is better the mind "fog" or the pain of fibro and the "pains" of depression?

I, too, have been "foggy" for a long time now and don't know, or don't remember. Working with your doctors you could try a carefully monitored reduction of your meds, one-by-one so you can discover which has what effects.

[kebsfroggy]

Originally Posted by JohnW26

Hello,
I had depression for several years and it is getting worse, have fibro to boot. 120MG Cymbalta, Xanax when needed (daily about 1 MG) Lyrica 150 MG twice a day, Ambien to sleep, and not a "booster" called Deplin (actually some sort of a vitamin) that helps depression and meds.
Anyway, after all that on to my question.
I can't concentrate on anything, have brain fog and depression is worsening, my talk therapy sessions are increased in frequency, but I can't seem to get focused on anything...kind of a feeling of scatter brained! I am wondering if the meds are really the answer? What would I feel like without them? I am afraid to even think about it. I am unemployed and looking for a job and at age 60, not easy! My Pdoc said maybe I can file for SS disability, but my primary doc says I would never win, since I can walk and talk! I am going to ask my fibro doc next week. I have been looking at these boards a few times in the past, but now depression is much worse and hope for support here. So....finally....long story short. Which is better the mind "fog" or the pain of fibro and the "pains" of depression?

Don't know if this will help.....for the concentration and focus problems if your pdoc isn't aware be sure to let him know. When I was having those problems my pdoc prescribed a med for ADD. It really helped (most of the time).

As to the SS disability, if you pdoc thinks you are not able to work and will say that in writing your next step might be to a lawyer who specifically works on those cases. It would also help if your fibro doc agrees.

I had to go on disability. It wasn't an easy process. There are lots of forms and paperwork involved but the lawyer handled everything.

Good Luck
kebs

[justfloating]

Originally Posted by JohnW26

Thank you all for the reply. I would never stop taking meds all at once. I have heard bad things happen when you do. I guess, for example 100 years ago or 1,000 years ago we were all still humans and must have had depression and no meds. What did people do then? Maybe they were "braver" than people of today?

Mental illnesses are a relatively new concept, and we're only just getting past some of the stigmas now, so while I'm sure that the illness has been around as long as people have, it's possible nobody realized what it was. I don't think they were "braver", just uninformed. I imagine they were terrified, feeling the way they did with no explanation, or with wrong explanations that might have led them to believe that they were possessed, that this was their fault, that there was just something wrong with them or their personalities. Yesterday, I finished reading The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, which is basically about a young woman who becomes depressed and winds up in an asylum after attempting suicide. While it is very clear that she's suffering from depression, it's never actually named in the book, which I found interesting. I guess what I'm trying to say is that something exists and is just as painful and difficult to handle whether we have a name for it or not.

Personally, I'm scared to death of going off my meds because right now I know they're the only things that are getting me out of bed in the mornings. Psychologically and emotionally, I'm still REALLY messed up (understatement of the year ) but on the physical side of things, I've got my appetite back, I can get out of bed in the mornings and I don't have to lie down every couple of hours because I'm too tired to function. I don't have crying fits and I don't have any more suicidal thoughts. The feelings are still there, but they're dulled to the point that I can carry on. I guess the way I see things is that deciding whether or not to go off your meds should be based on choosing which state will render you more functional, and will also be safest for you. If the side-affects of the meds are really troubling, maybe there's a way to decrease your dosages without completely stopping them, to see if that makes a difference.