[kpaige21]

Hi all
I am new to this forum and I hope it's okay. Although I am not suffering from depression, my 25 year old daughter is. She has had major depressive disorder since late last year and I found this forum for her in the hope that she would log on and talk but I can't seem to get her to. I have lurked for a while and was so inspired by you all that I decided to join anyway.

This is YaYa's second bout with depression. The first time she made a dramatic response to Lexapro. This time she has been on Lexpro and Zyprexa for almost three months now, on increasingly higher doses to no avail. I have gone in and spoken to her psychiatrist twice, but he is reluctant to change her from lexapro since it worked before. She has recently been terminated from her job because of her depression and that has just made things worse.

Its so hard to see my beautiful little girl losing weight and becoming so thin and pale and sad and not being able to help. her. And no one, not her doctor or her therapist seems so understand the urgency. She is dizzy all the time from the 30 mg dose of lexapro she's on. She can't sleep without her sleeping pills and when she takes them she sleeps all the time...sometimes for entire days on end.

I am shopping around for second opinions but few doctors subscribe to her HMO and because she has lost her job, soon she won't even have that and we can't really afford Cobra. I have also started looking for depression studies and university clinics I am at my wits end and looking for help and support out there. I know that you guys may not be able to solve my problems, but if it's okay, I hope at least I've found someone who will listen

you are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars
you have a right to be here

[dexter]

You are very welcome here. This forum is a place for sharing support and knowledge about depression. Learning more about your daughter's illness and recieving support as it effect you too are an important part of the equation. It is very very commendable that you are learning more about the disease in order to support your daughter and that you are looking for the support of others who know "first hand". Many parents are in denial and impose uncomfortable feelings and expectations on the person suffering, which just makes it infinitely harder for them to cope.

I wrote some information about depression from my experience with it at http://www.idexter.com

[(JD)]

Welcome. Just a thought, are you sure she's taking her meds? And, another thought, many times medications find a level where they "quit" working. Doctors are often reluctant to realize this. Many of us here have had those experiences, and even drug companies state that their drugs help fewer than 30% of the ppl who try them (or is that 3%?)

Come back often.

<font color=blue> meditation is a true way to connect to the Source </font color=blue>

[darkeyes]

I think 3 %

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

[bptoo]

Hi and welcome! I think it's great that you're trying to help your daughter like this. Give her time and she may want to give the forums a try. There's a lot of very helpful and caring people here. I wanted to mention that it is not at all unusual to try a med, have it work great, go off that med, start it up again, and then not have it work at all. Can I ask what dosage of the Zyprexa your daughter is taking? I'm asking because Zy is notorious for causing weight gain (I gained 55 lbs on it), and you mentioned that she is losing weight. Also, I hope you'll stay after her Psych about being more open-minded with a possible med change. Three months is plenty enough time to give a med, or meds in this case, a chance to work. If she's on Lexapro, then Celexa might be a possible alternative.

I wish you all the best, and I hope you'll stay in touch and let us know how it goes.

Greg

[Rapunzel]

Trying different meds could help. Is she getting any therapy? Meds are not enough by themselves - in order to get better and stay better the underlying psychological factors really need to be addressed. I think it's great that she has your support and that you are looking for ways to help her. Having someone care makes a huge difference.

I love your signature, and have copied it down into the notebook I keep for things like that. It struck a chord with me, since one of my issues has been whether I had any right to even exist.

<font color=orange>"They accused us of suppressing freedom of expression. This was a lie and we could not let them publish it." ... from the Director of Censorship...

</font color=orange>

[shakes]

Hello,
Please feel welcome here. I understand what your daughter is going through right now. After I attempted suicide last year I was in the hospital for a few weeks. They started me on 100mg of Welbutrin twice a day, 20mg of prozac twice a day, and something for my anxiety that I cannot remember. The point is I was so drugged I could not even see straight. My body twitched constantly from the pills (I'm a tiny girl) and I had every side effect of every pill. I stayed on them for 3months before I had to give them up because I could not deal anymore.
You and your daughter are not alone.

Jessica

[kpaige21]

Thank you so much for your kind welcome. I almost wept (heck I did weep) when I saw all the kind answers today. It feels so good to have someone to talk to who will actually listen!!

...you are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars
you have a right to be here...

[kpaige21]

I have been monitering her and making sure that a) she is taking her meds and b) because she tried to leave us last year, that she is not overmedicating, especially on her sleeping pills. She is scheduled to see her psychiatrist tomorrow and I hope that he will suggest a med chnge for the exact reasons that you mentioned. From my reading, I have gathered that 30 mg of Lexapro is kind of excessive and they haven't shown that there is any difference between the effect of 20 and 30. She is also on 15mg Zyprexa (someone asked that)

I wish that her psychiatrist saw her more often. I thought that at least once a week was standard when they are trying to get the right level of meds and then they taper off to maybe onece every three to four week, but he's been seeing her much less often.. more like once a month.

...you are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars
you have a right to be here...

[kpaige21]

Hi Greg
Yaya' is on 15 mg of Zyprexa. She actually has lost weight not gained. I guess that's just one more thing about her case that's not typical. We are trying hard to keep weight on her especially since she is 5 foot 1 and used to be 100 lbs soaking wet. The last time she was weighed she was 88 lbs. She used to bodybuild and had a solid muscle base, now all of that is gone and she looks anorectic!!! She has an appointment tomorrow and I am getting prepared with as mich info as I can, ready to do battle so thank you for all your suggestions
Paige

...you are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars
you have a right to be here...

[kpaige21]

Thank you for your words of support. My signature comes from a verse in a poem called the Desiderata by Max Ehrmann that is kind of the mantra for my life. The entire verse is

you are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars
you have a right to here
and whether or not it is clear to you
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should

I am happy that it spoke to you too....

paige

...you are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars
you have a right to be here...

[kpaige21]

so how are you doing now, Jessica?

paige

...you are a child of the universe
no less than the trees and the stars
you have a right to be here...

[shakes]

Paige,
That is such a difficult question to answer. I do not know if there is a point in my life when I am "good" per se. I have my really good days and I have my really bad days. Most of the time it is just a struggle to get out of bed in the morning. The only thing that keeps me going most of the time is that I know I have to go on. I guess I look at it this way, I have two choices in my life: One is to let my depression control me and god that would be easy and two is to fight it with everything I am and live the best life I can live.
It's a struggle everyday and there is no black and white. If someone asks me if I am glad that I did not suceed in killing myself I really can not answer them. Somedays when I am outside watching the sunset or watching my boyfriend laugh I am so glad that I am here.
Other days...well I just do not know
I hope this helps.

Stay strong,
Jessica

[dexter]

>>I wish that her psychiatrist saw her more often. I thought that at least once a week was standard when they are trying to get the right level of meds and then they taper off to maybe onece every three to four week, but he's been seeing her much less often.. more like once a month.

Scheduling probably varies with the office and the practitioner. Although I am still in pretty bad shape depression-wise, I am stable on my meds and see the pdoc about once a month. I see a therapist once a week, that is my primary treatment. At the beginning I was in intensive group therapy every day, seeing the pdoc about once a week or however necessary... when I moved to private therapy the pdoc had me in once every three weeks to evaluate the changes he was making.

Of course this assumes the meds are behaving as expected. He makes small adjustments now during my visits, still trying to find the right combination for me. But if I have any adverse effects or are worried about something medicine related, I would contact him between appts or at least talk to my therapist about it, he and the pdoc work together somewhat.

Is your daughter in therapy? As things seem so acute with her now I would expect that would be much help. It will also give her a place to discuss whether it is time for a change off of Lexipro although that is a decision for the pdoc. If you feel you need for her to see the pdoc more often I would definitely discuss it with him, he may accomodate you or set your mind at ease that the scheduling is appropriate. Worst case he may be insensitive to your daughter's needs and maybe time to shop for a new one. That does happen sometimes.

good luck.

-- The world is what we make of it --
-- Dave
-- <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.idexter.com>http://www.idexter.com</A>