Need help! Depression and anxiety

I don't think I have ever tried an MAOI. But I've certainly tried many others.

Jim

The reason my psychiatrist wanted me to try them was because he said I had the worst treatment resistant depression he had ever treated. I was episodic, meaning I was in an episode, of mostly non-functional depression or I was fine when not having an episode. No medications or 3 different sessions of ECT (22 total) helped me in over 25 years. He had only one other patient he had prescribed an MAOI for and it was working. I had been seeing him (he is an amazing psychiatrist who really cares that his patients get well) about 3 years when he suggested the MAOI and I was very scared to take them but I was about out of options. I had no hope this medicine would work either but it did and worked pretty quickly. No real side effects other than weight gain. Downside is diet and all the medication interactions. I am use to the diet and it is not a problem and I have a pharmacist who knows all about the maoi and even if I might forget about an interaction she never does! The medication gave me my life back.

Phenelzine (Nardil)

Has the crisis passed?

You can always call a talk line (hot line) to talk when extra anxious. Do you want me to send you numbers?

I have found that I have to self advocate nonstop. If your psychiatrist won't listen, there are people who will. I have had to be extremely tenacious.

Have a great day!

Welcome to Mayo Connect.

I have been in and out of counseling since the early 90s. I feel I have to see progress to sick with a counselor.

I discovered in the last couple of years that I need a trauma specialized counselor due to my life long challenges.

I encourage you to tenaciously self advocate until you find the care that you need.

Have a great day!

Hi, @healingone - wondering from what you said about discovering you need a trauma-specialized counselor if you were diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)?

Yes. If the US had a C-PTSD diagnosis, I would have it. I have had lifelong challenges.

Hello everyone. These words caught my attention : "Treatment Resistant Depression. " Oh how I can relate to that.

I am finally on a path to wellness. Turns out my body does not make dopamine or seratonin properly without assistance. I take a folate supplement and a fairly new antidepressant, Vibriid.

I also have severe anxiety which undoubtedly is related to my being on the Spectrum. My senses are ablaze, and very difficult to regulate. I wear earplugs and sunglasses, sit where I can leave early if a meeting gets too crowded.

I am able to have a good quality of life now. I practice mindfulness and my own take on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. I believe in having lots of visual reminders around to emphasize positivity and faith.

My CRNP did gene testing on me and discovered why nothing really worked for me all those years.

Its not been easy. But it has all been worth it to get to this point.

Love and light,
Mamacita Jane

My doctors have in their notes the labels of intractable pain and treatment resistant depression and pain, @stw. That's why they recommended ECT, and I was interviewed and approved for it. I spent a lot of energy toward making that happen, but just before I scheduled my first appointment for treatment my wife spoke up and told me that she didn't want me to do it. That was 5 years ago. At the time I was pretty much non-functional because of depression and suicidal ideation that I'd been working on with therapy and medication for more than 10 years and was too overwhelmed to fight against her objections and and to wrap up the details of housing and final plans. So I called the university hospital and cancelled my treatment. There will always be the regret that I didn't follow through, and wonder if ECT would have given me my life back. I guess I'll never know.

Jim

I know it helps some people and the very first time I did it. It helped a little but in 4 months I was back to pretty much non-functional. Over the years I have had 3 different series totaling 30 different treatments. Now they just put tiny electrodes on your head and can target areas better. My 1st Series was over 20 years ago and it looked like I had metal coke cans on either side of my head. ( just like One flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest) it was mortifying. AlL 3 series came with really bad short term memory loss - didn’t recognize even my family. However that does get much better within a week or two. The 1st one left me with horrible long term memory! I believe the way they do it know does affect that as bad. Between the depression itself, the medications and the ECT’s there is so much I don’t remember. Huge chunks are missing. The worst is I don’t remember a lot of my daughter growing up. This was also why I finally agreed to try the MAOI. I was pretty much out of options and I had taken most Of the medications out there in my 36 years of dealing with this. ECT does help some people but I was not one of them. The electrodes they use now do not Usually have the long term memory loss. I am so glad my doctor wanted me to try the MAOIs. I was very frightened to take the them but finally I agreed to take it 5 years ago, I started them on Valentines Day. I have been well ever since. The MAOIs gave me my life back!! Not many Drs will prescribe them today. I would think about finding a Dr that will prescribe them. But the Dr needs to really know about them. You have to adhere to food and medication rules or they can be potentially fatal. That scared me to death but I have no problem following that Cuz it gave me my life back! I had finally found an excellent and a very medication knowledgeable psychiatrist. Also he is very kind and compassionate. Rare- at least compared to the other psychiatrists I had seen. I saw him for about 6 years and he exhausted Pretty much everything before he suggested trying those.