Depression: What treatment can I try after so many years?

@wsh66, I've used both CBD and THC for different reasons. I found CBD calming during my withdrawal from taking Tramadol 50 mg 4 times a day after my L5 laminectomy in Dec. 2016. I withdrew from Gabapentin and a muscle spasm med first after 4 months on them. No fun! I waited nearly a year to get off the Tramadol due to continued pain from my L4, and concern about how hard it would be after my Gabapentin withdrawal experience.

As I began to slowly withdraw from Tramadol, I experienced a great deal of anxiety and fuzzy thinking. I decided to try CBD which I had never used before, to see if it would help. To my surprise, it REALLY eased my anxiety from withdrawal and I was successful in my getting off the Tramadol.

I also had discovered ART (Active Release Technique), which was recommended by a Connect person as helping them with back pain. I researched it and found a local practitioner who my therapeutic massage person recommended as he just happened to be the masseuse's chiropractor. I was a bit nervous about using a chiropractor, but had tried everything else to no avail. Dr. Andrews said $600 for 2 sessions a week for 3 weeks. I decided to take a chance and his work nearly completely relieved my pain. I still go to him about once a month for other issues but no longer for back pain.

Since I can't take NSAIDS and have osteoarthritis pain, my doctor prescribed Tramadol 50mg again, but only 1 a day. It does help, but sometimes pain recurs in the evening. When that happens I take a 10 mg. marijuana edible, along with Tylenol. It works for the pain, but I don't think it would work for anxiety. In fact when I was trying to figure out the correct dose, I took too much once and had a panic attack. So, I caution everyone about that. I hope this information about my experience helps you.

Your last two sentences are what I was getting at. THC has always been associated with paranoia. It is also associated with worsening depression when used for a long period of time, at least that's what I was told by the experts when I was working in restorative justice with teenagers. I was never sure about that claim. Whether people turn to drugs when they are depressed or have other emotional issues or if the drugs the kids were using, caused their issues, which was the party line in that field. Verifiable, reproducible research has shown us that of all the people who experiment with drugs and or alcohol about 10% become addicted and or dependent. Something is obviously different about the 10% of people who become addicted. As a culture we seem to be very resistant to the idea that something about the way we live is causing so much stress for many people that they become drug dependent or alcoholic. I don't know if those numbers, the 10%, are still good, still accurate. I doubt that they are. America has never seen a drug epidemic like the opioid crisis. During that time and for the last 50 years life has been getting harder and harder for people on the lower half of the income scale. They're working harder for less money. They're seeing the good job they had, go away and be replaced by less good jobs. Guys in midlife who were once in tech, working for solid 5 figure salaries are now working at Home Depot for a fraction of what they used to earn. A number of books have been written on this subject. Books about what it is like to be working hard and still being poor in the richest country in the world, the richest country in the history of the world. By the way, what keeps us the richest country in the world is what is owned by the top few percent. We no longer have the highest standard of living in the world in fact we don't have the highest of much of anything in the world if you're looking at the figures that come from the government and from University studies.

If THC helps you with anything, I'm glad you have the privilege of getting it legally. Let's not forget that most people in America don't have access to legal marijuana and many of the people who do have access to legal marijuana cannot afford it because the cost is prohibitively high. A very large portion of the people who inhabit our prisons and our jails are there because of marijuana. If you were arrested for marijuana and you are black, you face a much different future than if you are white, upper middle class, and college-educated.

After using GeneSight testing to find out which psychotropic meds would work best for me or at least which my body could metabolize I found very good solutions to y very severe depression. I also employed bibliotherapy and I saw a psychologist regularly for a number of years. I was one of the fortunate ones who could afford both my medications and had insurance which would pay for my psychologist. Remembering those times I cannot imagine that getting high on anyting wood have improved my situation.

We also need more research into the other components of marijuana which are produced in much smaller quantities than the THC. I heard an interview on public radio with a scientist from a company that developed a process for turning sugar into THC. They manipulated the DNA of yeast to cause it to actually ferment the sugar into THC and they were hopeful that they could use the same process to produce much greater quantities of some other less studied components of cannabis

, which may have even greater medical value than the ones we know about now.

Make no mistake about this. It was my generation that began the push for legalized marijuana for medical purposes and it was definitely a matter of getting the camel's nose into the tent. Another first step in legalizing recreational marijuana. The most dangerous and deadly drug that we use in America is alcohol. Nothing has a body count like alcohol and drunk driving but it's legal because it's part of our culture. Marijuana is now part of our culture and has been for at least 50 years and if two should be legal. Some experts believe that all drugs should be legal, that they are a medical problem not a police problem not a problem to be solved with jails.

I'm not sure I agree with that idea but I do wonder, I think about how much money there would be to use to treat addiction if we didn't have to employ the police and the courts and the prisons to deal with drugs. The last time I saw any kind of reputable information was about 15 years ago. This report said that if you took everyone who was in jail or prison for 1/2 pound of marijuana or less and release them you would be releasing 50% of the United States prison population. Think about that.

Again I'm glad you have something that's working for you oh, I do too. Love & blessings

@miray67 Wondering how you are getting a long? Have you been on Lexapro or Lamictal? Lamictal is a mood elevator. I take both in the AM. Hoping you are feeling better and less depressed. Blessings

@lilypaws I think I belong to this group. I am summertime4. I am over board with frustration stemming from neuropathy, lymphedema, back issues. I do belong to the neuropathy group which is very helpful. My anxiety and depression are wearing me down as much as the pain is. I was diagnosed with depression and anxiety long time ago. I have been on sooo many medications. One I remember being helpful was Zyprexia. I took it for several years and the entire time my head was feeling normal my body was getting heavier and heavier. The weight gain was too unhealthy so I weaned off. It was the worst time I ever had with medication withdrawal. I know it was at least a year of sheer hell. Oh I lost weight 208 down to 145 within 6 months along with the depression. Moving fast forward. I continued with depression and anxiety and was on several medications. I think I stayed on Zoloft for years. Ok-2 years ago my husband died. I bean seeing another provider as I really wasn't seeing a psychiatric nurse and just getting meds from my PCP. I was prescribed Effexor. Didn't do anything but stayed on it, @ months ago I was referred to a psychiatric nurse for medication check. She did Genesight test. Effexor wasn't a good med for me/ Of course I knew that. Very difficult withdrawal from 37.5 Effexor and while withdrawing was prescribed Trintellix. Stopped 2 days ago under doctor's ok. So 3 days no psychiatric meds. Nurse recommended Pristiq. Has anyone taken that? Sounds alot like Effexor. I also looked up

Anyone who needs these meds and/or pain meds could benefit from GeneSite testing.

I'm so sorry for all you've been through with all the meds and the grief of losing your husband. I went through so many meds and was sensitive to in one way or another to all of them. I know that we are all different in what works for us but Lithium is what finally cured me with NO side effects probably because it is a salt, a natural element, not a drug. I have been taking it for 33 years! Check with your Doc on this one and by the way, you probably learned, it is dangerous to stop taking a med without getting the OK from your Doctor first. God Bless You.

I am amazed that you did so well with lithium. Not surprised by the success but the lack of side effects. I've known several people, artists who kept going off lithium because it killed their creativity and sex drive, both of which are of tantamount importance to artists. I'm glad to hear that news. For years, manic depression was considered the most dreaded form of depression because lithium was what worked and that it had those side effects. Live and learn.

@summertime4 Sounds like things have been really tough for you. I lost my first husband (who I loved so much) on after being married for 11 days. I was only 18. It was hard, but I'm married again. It's hard losing a husband, how long were you married?
I have been through all kinds of antidepressants (mental illness runs in our family) my mom took her own life. My son is Bipolar 1 and we have no contact with him or his family and both my sisters and others down through my family fight mental illness.
One med does not help another. For me the med that works is Lexapro and Lamictal, which is a mood stablelizer.(sp) and Klonopin, which I don't have to use more than 2 a day. I can take 3 1mg a day. My love and thoughts are with you and may God put his arms around you and give you peace.

I am 75 y/o as of May 21. I have been on antidepressants for over 20 years. Some meds worked. Some did not. As of yesterday May 27, I am taking Vraylar. This is an anti psychotic med also used for bipolar and psychotic behavior. No, I have not been diagnosed as bipolar or psychotic. Many years ago a doctor did prescribe Zyprexia and it worked well. I went off because of weight gain. Ok so now after Effexor and several others I asked the doctor to put on Zyprexia. Well she doesn't prescribe that. She did prescribe Vraylar. This is an antipsycholi. The typical dose is one time a day. She wants me to go slow so I am to take 1.5 mg 2 times a week. I took the first one yesterday. I am feeling pretty awful right now and of course feel awful Has anyone taken Vraylar?

@summertime4, I moved your message to this discussion where you've connected with other members like @gailb @lilypaws @wsh66 @miray67 and more who are talking about the search for a medication that will help with depression and anxiety. I'd also like to bring in @sandij @lla2019 and @roochie who have taken Vraylar for depression.

Summertime, I suggest keeping a journal about your symptoms and feelings. Can you describe the awful feeling you're having?