[theres_always_hope]

Just started Prozac after unsuccessfully being on Cymbalta, Lamictal, Celexa, clonopin, pamelor, zoloft, & others. I know there's no one "magic pill" but Im just sick of being a guinea pig for all these endless pills. I feel like a freaked lab rat & my Dr is a mad scientist. I exercise daily & eat extremely healthy/natural, I take vitamins, I drink enough water & get adequate sleep, am I missing something?? The only thing that can get me out of bed is my adderall which I convinced my Dr to prescribe me for "add" as a study drug & for motivation but I hate always having to be on something to feel happy/motivated. It's made me feel so disconnected with life that Im now having dissociative symptoms daily. Its scary how fake I feel, along with life itself. I know Im missing something... But what?

Hello theres_always_hope: Over the years, I've been on allot of the med's you mentioned I recently went off of the generic variety of Cymbalta due to cost considerations after being on it for going on 3 years. I'm now med-free. Personally I would say you're not missing anything. It sounds like you're doing pretty-much everything there is to do. You didn't mention therapy. That's something else, if you don't have it. Plus there are such programs as DBT, CBT, etc.

Unfortunately my perspective is that you are correct. There is no magic pill... or magic anything else either. That lab rat feeling you described is pretty-much the way it is... along with feeling like you're on a treadmill to nowhere.

There is an author, Parker J. Palmer, whose work I am fond of. Palmer asserts that healing must come from within. The most others can do is to stand at the perimeter of a person's being & provide quiet support. One element of healing from depression that I feel is important is finding something that is really important to you. I know this can be a tall order when one is struggling with depression. But if you can find something that you truly love, & if you can pursue it, it can I believe help. Like I said, I know it's a tall order.

The other thing that occurs to me to suggest is to consider having your hormone levels checked by an endocrinologist. I don't know if you're female or male. If male, I do know that sometimes men can have low testosterone & this can contribute to depression. I would presume there is something similar that can effect women.

Good luck with your search...

[theres_always_hope]

Thank you for your reply-The Skeezyks. I am currently looking into a therapist & will most definitely look into Parker J. Palmer I do find reading helps. I am female & low thyroid runs in my family so I should get that checked since its hormone related. Thanks again.

Just curious...how do you feel if you don't take any psych medications?

[theres_always_hope]

Jo_thorne- honestly I can't tell you that sadly because its been over 7 years. That really gets me thinking though...

[vital]

Originally Posted by theres_always_hope

Jo_thorne- honestly I can't tell you that sadly because its been over 7 years. That really gets me thinking though...

That is worth thinking about if the meds aren't working.

About having tried everything, there are still quite a few possibilities that aren't on your list. For purely medical/nutritional issues not on your list, there is hypothyroidism, omega 3 fat deficiency, gut problems, infection, heavy metal toxicity. My understanding (I'm not an M.D.) is that all of these things can cause mental problems including depression. These are common problems, not always checked for, and if you have any of them, fixing the issue is surely going to be an important step. You take vitamins, but are you taking enough of the right vitamins? People sometimes have difficulty absorbing B vitamins for instance.

Exercising daily is great. Does that include aerobic exercise? One possible thing to try is to increase how much you exercise and see if this makes a difference.

One item that's missing from your tries is meditation. People tend to think that something like meditation is not going to be powerful enough to help with a serious depression, but I suspect that this is wrong. There are people at this site who report having completely resolved their depression with just meditation. They also almost all say that it take a couple of weeks of solid practice before the benefits kick in. I'd suggest you try "SNAP CLUB" described in the thread below. This may also seem not very serious, but this can sometimes have a huge effect and it is ridiculously easy to try. In my case, for instance, this was more powerful than anything else including meds. There is also light therapy, brain training, binaural beats. All of which people do report successes with.

I like Skeez's idea to see a therapist too. Someone with enough experience may be able to notice something that's hard for you to see yourself.

http://forums.psychcentral.com/4262681-post105.html

- vital

there are other options: seeing a therapist, ECT, exercise, mindfulness, meditation, St John's Wort, group therapy, journaling.

[pinkflower17]

If I were you, I'd get a full medical exam to rule out medical causes. Everyone likes to blame medical reasons for depression, but in reality, medical causes of depression are pretty uncommon. They contribute quite a bit, but cause depression? Hardly ever. The most common reasons are anemia and hypothyroidism. They can be easily check for.
For me, I have to do a lot of other things in addition to meds to feel okay. For me, work helps. Exercise helps. Staying in contact with friends helps. Journaling helps. I also have a pretty strict routine, eat well and use a sun lamp.
What other meds have you tried? There are a lot, a lot, a lot of meds out there and sometimes it takes a long time to get the right combination. Have you ever tried augmentation with an atypical antipsychotic (abilify, Seroquel, risperdone, zyprexa)? Have you tried a TCA? amitryptiline, doxepin, nortryptiline, imipramine, desipramine etc. What about some of the new SNRIs or the old and new novel serotoninergic meds? Fetzima, Pristiq, Brintellix, Viibryd, trazodone, remeron?
Sometimes you need to doctor shop to find a psychiatrist who's willing to think a little bit outside the box med wise.

[komet68]

Originally Posted by theres_always_hope

Jo_thorne- honestly I can't tell you that sadly because its been over 7 years. That really gets me thinking though...

I've been hospitalized three times with depression caused from pain. I was on so many dang drugs and was having side effects from every single one! About six months ago I tapered off of the last one and I feel better without all the drugs than with them! All I am using is a pain patch. Thinking of you.

i can also recommend Remeron and Seroquel. they might not give you Seroquel as its an anti-psychotic, but its also a mood stabiliser. i have severe MDD and the symptoms are eased slightly by these two meds.

[theres_always_hope]

Originally Posted by 8888an8888

i can also recommend Remeron and Seroquel. they might not give you Seroquel as its an anti-psychotic, but its also a mood stabiliser. i have severe MDD and the symptoms are eased slightly by these two meds.

Ill ask my new Dr. Thanks for the advice!

[battledepression]

Have you thought about TMS,ECT or VNS. I have tried all three of these. TMS didn't help me but I have heard success stories, ECT I am still doing it has helped plot with my depression and VNS i just got implanted and I am hoping it will work. I think all three of these things are a good option if beds are not working very well or not at all. Hope you find something that will help you. Best of luck!!

[Fuzzybear]

I've tried everything I have access to and have done research on the more invasive and painful treatments, not keen on ect or tms with the information I was provided with from the hospital.

Mostly everything else in this thread I have tried - didnt work for my brand of depression.

[Fizzyo]

I'm in a similar situation to you, mental health team are saying there is little else to offer and I need to be realistic and learn to cope with my situation.
I feel for you, it's hard to stay hopeful and keep the faith. I've also been told ECT is likely to do more harm than good. We both trying to find some sense in it all.

[Fuzzybear]

Ahhhhhhh...I'm sorry but I do not appreciate their attitude!!!!! GGGrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Fizzyo

I'm in a similar situation to you, mental health team are saying there is little else to offer and I need to be realistic and learn to cope with my situation.
I feel for you, it's hard to stay hopeful and keep the faith. I've also been told ECT is likely to do more harm than good. We both trying to find some sense in it all.

[Fuzzybear]

Grrrrrrr!!

Lab rats and mad scientists is perhaps where it's at!? GGGRRRRRRR

Originally Posted by theres_always_hope

Just started Prozac after unsuccessfully being on Cymbalta, Lamictal, Celexa, clonopin, pamelor, zoloft, & others. I know there's no one "magic pill" but Im just sick of being a guinea pig for all these endless pills. I feel like a freaked lab rat & my Dr is a mad scientist. I exercise daily & eat extremely healthy/natural, I take vitamins, I drink enough water & get adequate sleep, am I missing something?? The only thing that can get me out of bed is my adderall which I convinced my Dr to prescribe me for "add" as a study drug & for motivation but I hate always having to be on something to feel happy/motivated. It's made me feel so disconnected with life that Im now having dissociative symptoms daily. Its scary how fake I feel, along with life itself. I know Im missing something... But what?