Where to look for help

@joy7576 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect; we're very glad you found us. We are not medical Dr's, nor claim to be. We can offer our support and share our experiences, perhaps offer solutions to someone's dilemma.
I'm sorry to hear you are having problems. Was the psychopharmacologist able to give you any referrals before he/she moved away? Or can you contact him/her for one now? An alternative is to contact your local medical society for some persons you can check out. Perhaps your gp has someone to refer you to? Is there a support group within convenient range for you, that may be of benefit?
Please let us know how you are doing today. We care, here at the cyber table of friends.
Ginger

Thank you for taking the first step in reaching out to us. That was a huge step for someone with major depression. I know because I have been there. I have tried so many antidepressants and some worked for a while and then seemed to stop. It seems that this is a journey of trial and error. Do not give up as we are here to help you deal with the depression. I understand your pain. Have you tried NAMI (National Association for the Mentally I'll)? They hold meetings for those with mental illnesses where you can talk and get others input. Also Mayo Clinic research has shown that as we get older our digestive system becomes less efficient in digesting antidepressants. Thus we may need more. Has your doctor tried an increase in the dosage? Also testing for your genetic disposition for or against the antidepressants can tell you which ones will not work for you and suggest which ones work better for you. I have gone on a dosage that is about 4 times the usual dosage and that works for me. I never did the genetic testing as my insurance will not pay for it. Thus the trial and error. Please keep us informed on your journey thru the world of major depression which we are going through. I wish all the best for you as we journey together.

Hi, @joy7576 - @elwooodsdad may have some input for you, as may @guener and @aliali with the vortioxetine (Trintellex) working really well for a few years, then seeming to lose it's effectiveness.

I think you are super brave and its cool you shared your story! I had to come out with my anxiety issues recently and found it hard but then I realized that there's one word I am proud of for doing so - honest. I was honest. I feel that being honest and being willing to feel better and enjoy your life is just something to be nothing but proud of so good for you ! I pray that you feel better and better and realize how cool it was you shared!!

@joy7576 How are you doing today? We care here at Mayo Connect.
Ginger

Hi, @joy7576 - @jakedduck1 also may have some thoughts on the vortioxetine (Trintellex) appearing to lose its effectiveness.

@joy7576
Hello,
First I’m sorry this is so long, sometimes I just can’t shut up.
I suppose my first question is why are you depressed? Sometimes people know other times they don’t.
There are many things you can do to help yourself.
The things that will help the most will probably be the most difficult to accomplish.
I remember getting a letter from a friend of mine in England. She also had severe Epilepsy. She had a seizure and seriously injured her eyes. I was reading the letter to my mom and I started to cry. Although the letter was sad I couldn’t understand why I was crying. Later I watched a movie and started to cry again. I couldn’t figure this out, I have always been in control of my emotions. I went to the doctor and she said I was depressed. Go figure, I disagreed but she was insistent and gave reasons why she felt her diagnosis was correct and I eventually accepted her Cymbalta prescription (not something I normally do) and took it for about a month or so then I got mad and decided this depression was of my own doing and I wasn’t going to live like this any longer. I got angry for allowing myself to get into such a situation. A delivery man brought me a package and we talked. His son was depressed and he told his son he had a choice. He could either be happy or sad. It’s your choice. I decided I wanted to be happy and I threw out my Cymbalta. My Dad was paralyzed from the neck down and I helped took care of him. One friend hung himself another one died of Status Epilepticus (A Seizure complication) another friend died of SUDEP (another seizure complication) she was 17 years old, my then 17 year old girlfriend was in a traffic accident, she went off a cliff and died, my brother was in a horrible accident and I cared for him for a few months and on and on. Tragedies happen, people die, hardships occur, job loses, I had over 13,000 seizures virtually everyday for 44 years, my parents called many times to the hospital when I was in comas from Status being told I wouldn’t survive the night etc etc etc. Bad things happen and will continue to happen but we don’t have a choice but to cope with them. My mom just recently fell and broke her shoulder and and was in rehab for 6 weeks but was discharged without being able to use the bathroom or walk. I am taking care of her. I don’t know what I will have to face in the future but something will probably happen. (Ok so maybe we can’t get rid of all negativity, lol) I stopped doing my regular chores, visiting and calling friends and became withdrawn. I didn’t like the person I had become and I put a stop to it. I went back to the gym which I loath but it did help. I called my friend and asked if she wanted to go to lunch, she did and is very analytical and I put into play everything she suggested and the crying, the feeling sorry for myself stopped and I was happy and enjoying life again. Yes it was hard and it didn’t happen overnight.
I found helping others helped me most. I did volunteer work. I ran a learn to swim program at the YMCA, billed on a hospital, helped in a homeless shelter billed at a Therapy company and worked in the Career Criminal Apprehension Program and Crime Analysis at the Police Dept. Doing for others takes you mind off yourself.
Also get into a routine, visit friends, exercise preferably with a friend, go to the movie, concert, ballet, opera whatever you enjoy. Laughing has definite benefits. You may as well laugh as cry.
Live and eat healthy, I don’t claim to enjoy this but do it because it helps, ok so my doctor ordered me to do it. She called the gym and nutritionist to make sure I was going. Get a hobby listen to music, some hear are talented artists, writers. Go out with friends.
Pets sometimes help
Get plenty of sleep
Appears you may be married, like to dance?
Get plenty of sunshine, there are also light boxes that help some people.
Do you like golf, tennis or other sports?
Remember, the glass is half full not half empty. Get rid of negative thinking (at least try) and try to reduce stress. Look at everything that goes right instead of concentrating on what goes wrong.
You can overcome this but it will require a commitment on your part and may not be quick or easy.
Don’t assume you must have pharmaceuticals to feel and function better. Antidepressants cure nothing. Actually in studies it’s been shown that people on these meds are more likely to relapse and commit suicide. In many studies the people who improved were the ones taking placebos.
One of my favorite sayings is “You get out of life what your willing to put into it” That statement is very true.
I await hearing good news from you.
Good luck,
Jake

You have been given some good advice, and some to which I take exception. First, if possible, try to locate your psychopharmacologist to get an opinion and a referral. Short of that, find psychiatric help. General practitioners have varying degrees of interest and expertise in treating depression. I have tried multiple medication protocols over the last 30 years, and have supplemented that with counseling. My experience with Trintellix was the polar opposite of yours, and I was prescribed a drug which has been used for a long time, Prozac. I am doing better with it. I have dysthymia, so I function with a constant low level of depression interspersed with a major episode from time to time. It’s a management problem. It is a brain chemistry problem. I do not believe solely upon positive thinking, mind over matter, glasses half full, exercise, etc. Clinical depression cannot be willed away, at least in my experience. I would be pleased to not be medically maintained, but there is no reason not to, other than the promoted stigma against mental issues. The brain is an integral and necessary part of your being. If any other part of your body needs attention, you find someone to address it. Do not go this alone under any circumstances. Local or state medical societies are a resource, and if all else fails, even a suicide help line should be positioned to offer some direction. Prayers for success.

@jakedduck1 While there are certainly alid thoughts in your post, I do feel that there are times when a person needs to have a chemical intervention to help balance the brain. That's been proven. That doesn't mean that each person needs to remain on some type of a medical intervention the rest of their life but sometimes they do. That's not saying one person on no medication is better than another person who does need medication and finds the one that works best for them. That's what makes every person so unique, in my humble opinion. I'm glad that you have been able to find your way without the use of medications. At the current time I am not on anything, but in the past I have taken Celexa for periods of time while my brain rebalanced itself. For me, that's what worked. I can only describe my experiences. I am not ashamed to take medications when needed; rather, I am proud to say that I recognized the need to get help and do whatever it takes because I value myself enough to reach out and try to get balanced.
Ginger

So very true, @gingerw, thank you for your thoughts regarding meds for mental health

Brain chemistry is much like the chemistry of other parts of the body. It would be dangerous to tell an epileptic not to take meds for seizures or equally dangerous to tell a diabetic not to take insulin. These are meds that help balance out what the body is not producing and alleviate symptoms.

It is a well-known fact, that brain chemistry is altered by certain life experiences (especially those of trauma) that cause stress. Mental health meds tend to add to what has been depleted. For some reason, however, there is still a stigma regarding mental health meds.

Isn't that strange?