1. < Mental Health

Depression worse in evening?

Posted by LyndaMM @lyndamm, Jul 22, 2016

I have Major Depression, recurrent. I take Prozac for my depression, I've tried several others but Prozac works best for me. I also take Effexor, low dose, to help cope with the hot flashes and other side effects of the drug I'm on to try to prevent a return of breast cancer. Recently I have found that my depression gets worse in the evening, I hate to see the evening come aound. Does anyone else experience this and if so how do you cope? Right now my depression is a little worse but I think it's due to having had open heart surgery 7 weeks ago.

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LyndaMM | @lyndamm | Jul 24, 2016
In reply to @68dian "Hello, I felt like I needed to send you a hopeful note. First of all, I..." + (show)
@68dian

Hello, I felt like I needed to send you a hopeful note. First of all, I am<br>a retired nurse so I know a bit about what I am talking about. Heart<br>surgery in and of itself causes depression, so many changes to your body<br>and lifestyle. I f you are able to get out and take short walks in the<br>day/evening you might feel much better. Summer nights are soooo looong! I<br>get down in the evening too, I live in hot Arizona, and am recovering from<br>back surgery. I don't go out til the sun is almost down. I also have an<br>intolerance to heat so summers here are not my favorite season. You also<br>might try a support group, just being able to talk with others about the<br>way you feel is really soothing, you can help each other and maybe set up a<br>phone call or visit for coffee, or ice tea, or whatever. Hope some of these<br>suggestions help you- you could also be open with your doctor and tell<br>him/her that you may need an added anti-depressant, at least til you are<br>feeling better. God bless you and feel better! Diane<br>

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Thank you for your reply, I know I need to get out at least once a day. My grandson is going to start taking me somewhere where it is flat and I can walk. I live on the Oregon coast so at least heat is not an issue, rain is but it's our drier season. I would love to find a support group, unfortunately there is none anywhere near me.

REPLY
Minnie1971 | @lesbatts | Jul 25, 2016
In reply to @colleenyoung "Lynda, I'd like to bring a few members into the conversation @kareniowa @nhaegele @liz223 @dawn_giacabazi @wolfer1975..." + (show)
@colleenyoung

Lynda, I'd like to bring a few members into the conversation @kareniowa @nhaegele @liz223 @dawn_giacabazi @wolfer1975 who have written about depressaion, as well as @crhp194 and @thankful who haven't written about depression and anxiety as well as managing heart issues.

You may also be interested in joining this discussion https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/i-have-been-on-so-many-anti-depressants-over-the-past-35/

@lyndamm, how do you help yourself face the dread of the evening coming around?

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I never had breast cancer or open heart surgery. There seems to be some misunderstanding with this conversation.

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callalily74 | @callalily74 | Jul 25, 2016

I am trying to clear up some misunderstandings about my posts. I had breast cancer and a radical mastectomy when I was 29. My husband had a heart attack and triple bypass surgery 6 weeks ago. I am 75 and he is 71. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings. I have been afflicted with PDD forever. That is Persistent Depressive Disorder.

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davidwhitehurstbrown | @davidwhitehurstbrown | Aug 6, 2016

“Diurnal variation of depressive symptoms appears to be part of the core of depression. Yet longitudinal investigation of an individual's pattern regularity, relation to clinical state, and clinical improvement reveals little homogeneity. Morning lows, afternoon slump, evening worsening - all can occur during a single depressive episode. Mood variability, or the propensity to produce mood swings, appears to be the characteristic that most predicts capacity to respond to treatment. Laboratory studies have revealed that mood, like physiological variables such as core body temperature, is regulated by a circadian clock interacting with the sleep homeostat. … Diurnal variation of depressive symptoms (DV) with early-morning worsening is considered a core feature of melancholia in both DSM-1V and I CD criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD).This is not the only pattern, however: an afternoon slump or evening worsening also occurs. …”
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181887/ Wirz-Justice, Anna. "Diurnal variation of depressive symptoms." Dialogues in clinical neuroscience 10, no. 3 (2008): 337.

Patients with a major depressive disorder and morning lows and/or evening worsening might consider light therapy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_therapy#Mood_and_sleep_related

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callalily74 | @callalily74 | Aug 6, 2016

Thank you, David. A little too scientifically oriented, but the main thing I got out of it was: Mood swings, which I absolutely have, are a definitive characteristic of depression, any time of day. P.S. This morning I woke up very depressed, and then after some food, a shower, and a phone call from my daughter put me back in an acceptable mood.

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