[Nike007]

Hello. It has just started to get darker out and I feel myself slipping into depression. I know it's not fully winter yet, or even close to winter, but it's November. I know I am also super stressed due to life events going on, but winter makes it ten times worse.

Possible trigger:

I really wanted to do self harm last night because I was feeling my depression slipping.

I am thinking of taking vitamin D pills because of the link between vitamin D and SAD so. I would like a sun lamp, but I know they cost a lot of money, so... Yep. Anyways, has SAD hit you yet? Or is it too soon for many people here? Thanks for the response .

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it's been affecting me bad as well. depression's always there, but in the fall & winter months it's always worse. i hate when it gets darker earlier, and then it's cold and the trees grow bare, which makes me feel like everything is barren. i can't afford the special lights either, but i've never thought of taking vitamin d pills. i may give that a try. i've been getting steadily depressed since the change of seasons, and i do not see this ending well for me if i don't find something that works.

[Cocosurviving]

I went through a bad depression back in 2013. I was put on a med to help me with depression. The depression had started in the fall when light changed...afterward I was good. I also take mood stabilizers bc I have BP1. Now I can feel the sadness and anxiety starting. My doc gave me Ativan but I haven't told him abt the sadness yet. I will at the next visit

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[Sirensong18]

Greetings Nike007.

I'm not sure if I actually have SAD or not... but I certainly hate the Winter. I can't grow anything in my garden, it's all cold and miserable outside, the availability of fresh fruit and veggies goes way down (but the price goes up!) and all these things combined definitely contribute to my depression.

I have found a few things that help though. I do recommend the Vit D pills. Another thing I really like is Lemon Balm Tea. It's like sunshine in a glass. Very sweet tasting all on it's own, but it's also excellent with a bit of honey if you want really sweet (or have a sore throat to soothe.) I grow my own lemon balm, but you should be able to buy it in health food stores.

I've never tried a sun lamp... but I have a grow box at home that I use to be growing plants all year long. (Can you tell I love gardening? lol) I like to sit in front of my grow box with the door open in the mornings for a while when I water my plants. Maybe I'm soaking up the light, maybe I'm just basking in having green things - either way it works to lift my mood a bit.

I'm sorry to hear you were wanting to self harm. *hugs* We're here for you! This whole forum is great, so please reach out for support when you need it.

[Nike007]

Originally Posted by ennui.

it's been affecting me bad as well. depression's always there, but in the fall & winter months it's always worse. i hate when it gets darker earlier, and then it's cold and the trees grow bare, which makes me feel like everything is barren. i can't afford the special lights either, but i've never thought of taking vitamin d pills. i may give that a try. i've been getting steadily depressed since the change of seasons, and i do not see this ending well for me if i don't find something that works.

I am so sorry. Maybe the vitamin D pills will work well for you? Anyways, I am going to buy some to help me. I bought some light bulbs that are considered sunlight colour. They aren't sun boxes or sunlight lamps or sun lamps, but they are considered the same colour as the sun. I got 3 of them for $12 American. They are really bright. You can switch that light bulb into a lamp or something? Hope you feel better .

[Nike007]

Originally Posted by Cocosurviving

I went through a bad depression back in 2013. I was put on a med to help me with depression. The depression had started in the fall when light changed...afterward I was good. I also take mood stabilizers bc I have BP1. Now I can feel the sadness and anxiety starting. My doc gave me Ativan but I haven't told him abt the sadness yet. I will at the next visit

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I had a bad depressive episode in 2013 too now that I think about it. Mine started in February I think. I hope the Ativan helps . I am not sure if I should tell my pdoc about SAD or not...

[Nike007]

Originally Posted by Sirensong18

Greetings Nike007.

I'm not sure if I actually have SAD or not... but I certainly hate the Winter. I can't grow anything in my garden, it's all cold and miserable outside, the availability of fresh fruit and veggies goes way down (but the price goes up!) and all these things combined definitely contribute to my depression.

I have found a few things that help though. I do recommend the Vit D pills. Another thing I really like is Lemon Balm Tea. It's like sunshine in a glass. Very sweet tasting all on it's own, but it's also excellent with a bit of honey if you want really sweet (or have a sore throat to soothe.) I grow my own lemon balm, but you should be able to buy it in health food stores.

I've never tried a sun lamp... but I have a grow box at home that I use to be growing plants all year long. (Can you tell I love gardening? lol) I like to sit in front of my grow box with the door open in the mornings for a while when I water my plants. Maybe I'm soaking up the light, maybe I'm just basking in having green things - either way it works to lift my mood a bit.

I'm sorry to hear you were wanting to self harm. *hugs* We're here for you! This whole forum is great, so please reach out for support when you need it.

I am not diagnosed with SAD at all. But I feel more depressed than normal today. It snowed last night here and the ground was covered in snow in the morning.

Thanks for the great advice . I am going to take vitamin D pills. I am not really a tea person, but I will try it.

No, that's fine. Gardening is something good to do. It's good that gardening lifts your mood.

Thanks . It was just I was thinking how my mom was getting mad at me with my mom saying I'm fat and obese, though all my friends say I am normal or just a bit overweight. The BMI thingy says I am obese for my weight, size, and gender. It makes me hate myself. But I look in the mirror and I think I look fine. I am not sure. And thanks for the response .

[CopperStar]

I'm not diagnosed with SAD, but the combination of cold + darkness does make me lean more towards depressive (bipolar). I actually don't mind the dark, but when it's constantly dark and cold, it really gets to me. Feels sort of like dying.

[Nike007]

Originally Posted by CopperStar

I'm not diagnosed with SAD, but the combination of cold + darkness does make me lean more towards depressive (bipolar). I actually don't mind the dark, but when it's constantly dark and cold, it really gets to me. Feels sort of like dying.

I can't stand the cold. I am wanting to get tested for contact dermatitis to the cold because whenever it is super cold outside, my hands are covered with rashes and burn and dry up and bleed. It's not fun. All my doctors have done is said "oh, you have this reaction, here is this cream". It's not really showing what the problem is in any way.

Anyways, I feel the dark weather hitting me. I feel super sad inside now. Today was the first day of snow. It sucks. Hope you are okay .

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[lavendersage]

Ah, sweetie, I know how you feel. I have S.A.D. - it's so not fun when it gets dark by 4pm.

My light therapy lamp cost $125 ($150?). Eight months after I bought it, my ex-bf walked in to my house with the EXACT lamp....from Goodwill. Cost? $6.99. He uses it as a desk lamp.

Keep your eyes peeled: Goodwill (consignment/thrift stores) can be goldmines.

[Nike007]

Originally Posted by lavendersage

Ah, sweetie, I know how you feel. I have S.A.D. - it's so not fun when it gets dark by 4pm.

My light therapy lamp cost $125 ($150?). Eight months after I bought it, my ex-bf walked in to my house with the EXACT lamp....from Goodwill. Cost? $6.99. He uses it as a desk lamp.

Keep your eyes peeled: Goodwill (consignment/thrift stores) can be goldmines.

Maybe I can look at Goodwill or a thrift shop like Value Village. Maybe they'll have something there. I am going to start going on vitamin D pills to maybe help with it. I am not sure if it will work, but I'll try. Thanks for the response .

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The cheapest lamp I found in Canada with the minimum 10000 lumens was the Litbook Advantage which retails for $109cdn/$80usd

I am no where near having the Depression I usually experience this time of year. Normally I would be sleeping 12-14hrs a night in addition to napping during the day. Now I sleep 8-10hrs a day with no desire to nap at all during the day. My mood is great right now but that may be due entirely to outside inclfuences, not sure. Still I credit the lamp for an improvement to my sleep which probably does have an affect on my depression.

The Canadian Mental Health Association rents them out and my local mental health drop in centre gives them out on temporary loans.

All in all, I recommend them.

[gayleggg]

My therapist is still trying to determine whether or not I'm affected by SAD. He tends think I am. With all the rainy days we've had it does seem like I'm more depressed. I haven't tried light therapy and am just hoping the antidepressant holds it off.

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[Nike007]

Originally Posted by rcat

The cheapest lamp I found in Canada with the minimum 10000 lumens was the Litbook Advantage which retails for $109cdn/$80usd

I am no where near having the Depression I usually experience this time of year. Normally I would be sleeping 12-14hrs a night in addition to napping during the day. Now I sleep 8-10hrs a day with no desire to nap at all during the day. My mood is great right now but that may be due entirely to outside inclfuences, not sure. Still I credit the lamp for an improvement to my sleep which probably does have an affect on my depression.

The Canadian Mental Health Association rents them out and my local mental health drop in centre gives them out on temporary loans.

All in all, I recommend them.

Wow, that's a lot. I found one on Amazon for $96-97 on sale. It was about 50-60% off. This was from Canada, but I'll look at the states prices too and convert to Canadian.

That's good. I would like to get a lamp, but I am afraid of being judged by family members with it. I am by a CMHA where I work. I can look at it there to see.

Thanks for the response .

[Nike007]

Originally Posted by gayleggg

My therapist is still trying to determine whether or not I'm affected by SAD. He tends think I am. With all the rainy days we've had it does seem like I'm more depressed. I haven't tried light therapy and am just hoping the antidepressant holds it off.

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I am not sure if rain affects me much. I know the winter is bad. I guess now that I think about it, rain/stormy weather affects me because the sky is darker. I am on an AD, but I still feel super depressed in the winter. It really sucks. Hope you find something that works for you .

Originally Posted by Nike007

It has just started to get darker out and I feel myself slipping into depression. I know it's not fully winter yet, or even close to winter, but it's November. I know I am also super stressed due to life events going on, but winter makes it ten times worse.

Thank you for starting this thread, Nike! I am suffering from winter depression too and hope that persons who struggle with the "deep dark" in the winter-months can support each other through it. Every winter my depression becomes worse. Sometimes it feels like I'm going to explode from the inside because of a higher level of tension and sometimes it is as if the dark hurts.

It is possible to make the symptoms weaker in their strength, but to hope that they shall disappear completely is, the way I see it, a hope that cannot be realized. So please, let all the SAD people (diagnosed or not) stick together for this winter. As we all know social support is very important for depressed people. Let us come together at this thread to share and support each other on this thread. I mean, not the "I have SAD too", but using the thread to tell what is difficult and what is not through the winter. Let us support when it's difficult and celebrate when we are able to, for a day or more, conquer the "Winter-Beast".

I use D-vitamins and at least 30 minutes of physical activity outside in day light as my main contributors in my try to lower the effect of the SAD.

Hugs to all who struggles with "Winter-Beasts"!

[Nike007]

Originally Posted by Singer47

Thank you for starting this thread, Nike! I am suffering from winter depression too and hope that persons who struggle with the "deep dark" in the winter-months can support each other through it. Every winter my depression becomes worse. Sometimes it feels like I'm going to explode from the inside because of a higher level of tension and sometimes it is as if the dark hurts.


It is possible to make the symptoms weaker in their strength, but to hope that they shall disappear completely is, the way I see it, a hope that cannot be realized. So please, let all the SAD people (diagnosed or not) stick together for this winter. As we all know social support is very important for depressed people. Let us come together at this thread to share and support each other on this thread. I mean, not the "I have SAD too", but using the thread to tell what is difficult and what is not through the winter. Let us support when it's difficult and celebrate when we are able to, for a day or more, conquer the "Winter-Beast".


I use D-vitamins and at least 30 minutes of physical activity outside in day light as my main contributors in my try to lower the effect of the SAD.


Hugs to all who struggles with "Winter-Beasts"!

Thank you . I'm not sure if I should bring this up to my pdoc or not. I am okay right now, but for the future.

I'm sorry that winter is bad for you too. I don't consider myself to have MDD all year, but certainly winter times I am like this.

We can talk about SAD stuff here, that's fine.

I just started taking vitamin D and fish oils, along with a multivitamin. I hope it helps me. I do walk 20-40 minutes a day. Well I try. I kinda have a winter allergy.

Social anxiety disorder, GAD, OCD, and panic attacks

Lexapro, 10 mg

[lavendersage]

Originally Posted by Nike007

Maybe I can look at Goodwill or a thrift shop like Value Village. Maybe they'll have something there. I am going to start going on vitamin D pills to maybe help with it. I am not sure if it will work, but I'll try. Thanks for the response .

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You have Value Village? Great! That's actually where he got it but I said "Goodwill" because it's a more broadly recognized thrift store name.

If you haven't, get your Vitamin D level checked. A lot of people are seriously deficient. I was last winter. I mean, I barely registered a level it was so low! I was put on a mega-dose that boosted it up to a "normal" level. Now I just take a maintenance dosage.

It bugs the crep out of me that you have to be so cautious revealing things to your parents and your pdoc. Ah the powerlessness of being a teenager! No. Thank. You. So glad that part is DONE in my life.

Nonetheless, it's obvious from your posts across the board that you are extremely intelligent and able to advocate as best as you can for yourself.

[lavendersage]

Take a QUALITY fish oil - I recommend Nordic Naturals (yes, you will pay more for quality).

Also - have your B vitamin levels checked, too. They can seriously affect mood if they're "off".

I can't remember if getting blood drawn requires a doctor's orders. Anyone?

[Nike007]

Originally Posted by lavendersage

You have Value Village? Great! That's actually where he got it but I said "Goodwill" because it's a more broadly recognized thrift store name.

If you haven't, get your Vitamin D level checked. A lot of people are seriously deficient. I was last winter. I mean, I barely registered a level it was so low! I was put on a mega-dose that boosted it up to a "normal" level. Now I just take a maintenance dosage.

It bugs the crep out of me that you have to be so cautious revealing things to your parents and your pdoc. Ah the powerlessness of being a teenager! No. Thank. You. So glad that part is DONE in my life.

Nonetheless, it's obvious from your posts across the board that you are extremely intelligent and able to advocate as best as you can for yourself.

Yep. I don't know where you live, but they have it here in Canada at least.

I might. You see, I just got a bunch, like 7-8 vials of blood taken from me in the past 5 days or so to do a crap load of test. I don't really understand the medical forms, but I know one is to make sure I don't have diabetes, along with checking my cortisol levels, my free T3 and T4 levels, and I had to do the lipid test to check cholesterol levels. Sigh.

That sucks. I will think about getting it checked. My mom would be like "why do you need your vitamins checked" and such.

Ya. Parents and pdoc. I am not sure what and what not to say. I am trying to think if I should tell my pdoc about SAD. I am going to get a full screening, mainly for ADHD, ASD, and LDs, but they do check for psychiatric things too. I know that they don't want to "overdiagnose" someone so they may claim a person doesn't have X condition because it is explainable by Y condition. If I get diagnosed with SAD, they may say I don't have ADHD as an example because this inattentive part has mainly shown this winter, and a part of depression causes lack of concentration and an inability to do things; motivation levels are low. I mean, I lack motivation and concentration levels all the time, just they might use that as an "excuse" for my inattentive things.

And thank you . I feel like I could do better in a lot of things if I didn't have major anxiety issues. It really sucks. My anxiety mainly affects my music course, because all it is on is performance things and I have moderate social anxiety so no thank you.

Also, yes, you need a doctor's note to get blood work for vitamin screenings. They need the special sheet or whatever. Anyways, thanks for the response .

Social anxiety disorder, GAD, OCD, and panic attacks

Lexapro, 10 mg

[floradenophora]

I'm only in Minnesota and I start getting worse in October usually. More than the cold weather is the increased stress in school (and work: peak season) and the frozen, dead landscape only makes it worse.

Because of that I haven't looked into SAD treatments as much as I probably should. I take vitamin D currently, but have no lamps.

Best wishes.

[lavendersage]

Originally Posted by floradenophora

I'm only in Minnesota and I start getting worse in October usually. More than the cold weather is the increased stress in school (and work: peak season) and the frozen, dead landscape only makes it worse.

Because of that I haven't looked into SAD treatments as much as I probably should. I take vitamin D currently, but have no lamps.

Best wishes.

They're all over craigslist in your area. Check it out. Better to have a so-so lamp than no lamp at all - especially in cold, dead, abysmally gray MN.

[lavendersage]

Originally Posted by Nike007

Yep. I don't know where you live, but they have it here in Canada at least.

I might. You see, I just got a bunch, like 7-8 vials of blood taken from me in the past 5 days or so to do a crap load of test. I don't really understand the medical forms, but I know one is to make sure I don't have diabetes, along with checking my cortisol levels, my free T3 and T4 levels, and I had to do the lipid test to check cholesterol levels. Sigh.

That sucks. I will think about getting it checked. My mom would be like "why do you need your vitamins checked" and such.

Ya. Parents and pdoc. I am not sure what and what not to say. I am trying to think if I should tell my pdoc about SAD. I am going to get a full screening, mainly for ADHD, ASD, and LDs, but they do check for psychiatric things too. I know that they don't want to "overdiagnose" someone so they may claim a person doesn't have X condition because it is explainable by Y condition. If I get diagnosed with SAD, they may say I don't have ADHD as an example because this inattentive part has mainly shown this winter, and a part of depression causes lack of concentration and an inability to do things; motivation levels are low. I mean, I lack motivation and concentration levels all the time, just they might use that as an "excuse" for my inattentive things.

And thank you . I feel like I could do better in a lot of things if I didn't have major anxiety issues. It really sucks. My anxiety mainly affects my music course, because all it is on is performance things and I have moderate social anxiety so no thank you.

Also, yes, you need a doctor's note to get blood work for vitamin screenings. They need the special sheet or whatever. Anyways, thanks for the response .

Social anxiety disorder, GAD, OCD, and panic attacks

Lexapro, 10 mg

If you just had blood drawn you should be able to call the doctor who ordered the labs and request that they screen for D, B and whatever else, too. They just add those to the labs and use the blood they've already drawn from you.

[RomanSunburn]

My most recent pdoc gave me a SAD diagnosis in addition to chronic depression and generalized anxiety that I've had since I was 16.

I have a Verilux Happy Light. It's only 5000 LUX, but it was also only $40 or so. I have it on a timer so that it turns on when I'm trying to wake up. Then I sit in bed and eat my breakfast sitting right next to it. I also take a multivitamin (women specific, so it has extra iron) and fish oil, except I caved and take fish oil gummies. I got so sick of taking the capsules in addition to my other medications.

[Nike007]

Originally Posted by RomanSunburn

My most recent pdoc gave me a SAD diagnosis in addition to chronic depression and generalized anxiety that I've had since I was 16.


I have a Verilux Happy Light. It's only 5000 LUX, but it was also only $40 or so. I have it on a timer so that it turns on when I'm trying to wake up. Then I sit in bed and eat my breakfast sitting right next to it. I also take a multivitamin (women specific, so it has extra iron) and fish oil, except I caved and take fish oil gummies. I got so sick of taking the capsules in addition to my other medications.

That sounds like a good idea. I am thinking of buying one off of amazon. I found I think a 10000 LUX for 90. It was 50% off so. I think I need to start taking my iron pills again to give myself more energy. Thanks for the response .

Social anxiety disorder, GAD, OCD, and panic attacks

Lexapro, 10 mg