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Anyone Successfully Treated For Treatment Resistant Depression?

Posted by jseabass @jseabass, Jan 4 6:41pm

I am 65 years old, and for 25 years been suffering from treatment resistant depression and anxiety. Five psychiatrists and numerous meds with no or little short succes. I am currently back on Lexapro 20mg and Xanax. My doctor wants to raise it up to 30mg which I hear is not recommended. If anyone out there knows a med or treatment to help cure my TRD and anxiety I will be forever grateful!

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mvictoria | @mvictoria | 4 days ago
In reply to @tiller "@jseabass I am thinking about TMS. I need to do some more research" + (show)
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@jseabass I am thinking about TMS. I need to do some more research

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@tiller
Hi I have been wondering about TMS myself as I have been on Effexor for years (75mg)
That is not a high dose however I would prefer not to take it at all.

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daveshaw | @daveshaw | 4 days ago
In reply to @johneckenrode11 "I've suffered lifelong depression, but manage it well these days, and without prescription meds. I'm very..." + (show)
Profile picture for johneckenrode11 @johneckenrode11

I've suffered lifelong depression, but manage it well these days, and without prescription meds.
I'm very much a "diet lifestyle exercise" kinda guy - eat healthy, don't drink to excess, no smoking, and have an exercise program that's age relevant. Also there's great mileage in "training your brain" to minimize negative thoughts. My favorite approach here that when a negative thought arises, snap out of it and immediately think of something very positive. This is where the "snap out of it" expression came from! Try it for two weeks - at first it's not easy, but once it becomes a habit, you may just get amazing results. Plus no doctor or pharmacy bills!

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@johneckenrode11 For your sake you truly don’t suffer from depression and you insult those of us who do truly suffer from this debilitating disease.
Eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis even help those not suffering from depression.
Not reading the paper or watching the news these days also helps these days. I might add staying off facebook or other online sources of media.
Try reading books instead.

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jseabass | @jseabass | 4 days ago
In reply to @indyanthony "I have treatment-resistant depression, and I've come to believe that nothing is going to get rid..." + (show)
Profile picture for indyanthony @indyanthony

I have treatment-resistant depression, and I've come to believe that nothing is going to get rid of it for me. However, Spravato (esketamine nasal spray) helps me stay out of inpatient. I go to a clinic once a week, self-administer the nasal spray, and sit in a dark, quiet, comfortable room for two hours. Afterwards, I am not allowed to drive or make important decisions for the rest of the day (until I've had a full night's rest). If you are barely hanging on, I recommend jumping through the hoops needed in order to get on Spravato. For me, it has really been worth it. Even though my depression isn't gone, my life is MUCH better with consistent Spravato treatments. I hope this is helpful.

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@indyanthony
Thank you much for letting me know that Spravato works and helps you! I may need to go that way...

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jseabass | @jseabass | 4 days ago
In reply to @indyanthony "@johneckenrode11 It is never helpful to tell a depressed person to snap out of it. This..." + (show)
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@johneckenrode11 It is never helpful to tell a depressed person to snap out of it. This is the kind of thing that people who don’t understand the nature of depression say. People with depression can’t “snap out of it,” or else they already would have done it. Therapy and medication together have been shown to have actual beneficial effects.

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@indyanthony
Hey indyanthony,
Yes, thank you for so properly defending the terrible agony people with anxiety and depression suffer with! And what goes with it is the years of struggles dealing with family, freinds, employers and people commenting on this site who just dont understand....

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ruffnerdoodle | @ruffnerdoodle | 4 days ago
In reply to @indyanthony "@johneckenrode11 It is never helpful to tell a depressed person to snap out of it. This..." + (show)
Profile picture for indyanthony @indyanthony

@johneckenrode11 It is never helpful to tell a depressed person to snap out of it. This is the kind of thing that people who don’t understand the nature of depression say. People with depression can’t “snap out of it,” or else they already would have done it. Therapy and medication together have been shown to have actual beneficial effects.

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@indyanthony It is not at all helpful to say “snap out of it. My dad used to say that to me with my anxiety/panic disorder. Don’t you think I would if I could???

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indyanthony | @indyanthony | 4 days ago
In reply to @jseabass "@indyanthony Hey indyanthony, Yes, thank you for so properly defending the terrible agony people with anxiety..." + (show)
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@indyanthony
Hey indyanthony,
Yes, thank you for so properly defending the terrible agony people with anxiety and depression suffer with! And what goes with it is the years of struggles dealing with family, freinds, employers and people commenting on this site who just dont understand....

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@jseabass absolutely. If I see invalidating comments and have the internal resources available to counter them, I will do it. I want other people with mental health conditions to see that dismissive and invalidating remarks do nothing to help, and that they usually cause harm - but that there are people who will hold care and compassion at the forefront. Some folks do get it - we just need to find each other!

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indyanthony | @indyanthony | 4 days ago
In reply to @ruffnerdoodle "@indyanthony It is not at all helpful to say “snap out of it. My dad used..." + (show)
Profile picture for ruffnerdoodle @ruffnerdoodle

@indyanthony It is not at all helpful to say “snap out of it. My dad used to say that to me with my anxiety/panic disorder. Don’t you think I would if I could???

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@ruffnerdoodle I completely agree with you. Your dad was out of line saying that to you! It shows he was uninformed about your condition and not willing/able to educate himself about it properly. You deserve care and compassion, not judgment.

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jseabass | @jseabass | 3 days ago
In reply to @indyanthony "@jseabass absolutely. If I see invalidating comments and have the internal resources available to counter them,..." + (show)
Profile picture for indyanthony @indyanthony

@jseabass absolutely. If I see invalidating comments and have the internal resources available to counter them, I will do it. I want other people with mental health conditions to see that dismissive and invalidating remarks do nothing to help, and that they usually cause harm - but that there are people who will hold care and compassion at the forefront. Some folks do get it - we just need to find each other!

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@indyanthony
Thank you again! I actually felt worst adout myself from that person's negative remarks and then got very anxious making my defensive reply.
Thank you again for understanding and helping more than you know!

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yram | @yram | 2 days ago
In reply to @jseabass "@topkat2011 I know what you mean my freind. I go from, desperation to fed up to..." + (show)
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@topkat2011
I know what you mean my freind. I go from, desperation to fed up to giving up....
I hope you will find a way....

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@jseabass
Me too. Right now I am recovering from a broken hip and chronic back pain. I feel trapped. I don't want to live like this. I have terrible time being positive. My mind likes to go to negative all the time. Suffered from depression all my adult life. I keep praying . I know God loves me

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Jim, Volunteer Mentor | @jimhd | 2 days ago

I'm looking at my options for treatment resistant MDD, ECT, TMS, Spravato, Psilocybin, whatever might relieve the depression, anxiety and PTSD that I've struggled with for more than 25 years. The problem with TMS is the hour drive each way, and even more, having to stop Wellbutrin and Klonopin, both of which I've taken for 20 years. I'm afraid that stopping (tapering) them will put me back in the suicidal, deeply depressed place I was in when I started them. ECT is the definitive treatment, but my wife objects strongly to it. She only sees the possible negatives, and it makes me feel like my mental issues aren't important enough to risk any possible side effects. The ECT is only a 30 minute drive from home, and only 6-12 treatments, as opposed to 30 TMS treatments an hour from home.

I reacted badly to Ketamine, given to me post surgery last year, and my wife thinks that Spravato would cause the same dissociation, even though the dosage is a fraction of the Ketamine pain medication I took.

At this point, it seems that my only option is to trudge on. I'm just tired. At this point, TMS is too much of a commitment, Spravato may be contraindicated because of my reaction to high dose Ketamine, and Psilocybin is still in the experimental stage. Unless there are other treatments for treatment resistant MDD, that leaves ECT as my best option. I'm not afraid of the possible side effects, but I have to decide if I want to do it in spite of my wife's objections.

It's hard to make these kinds of decisions when a person is truly depressed. But the decision has to be mine, hard as it is. I know I can't be forced to make a decision that I'm not comfortable with, or be told a treatment I select is out of the question. At 75, and being of sound mind, it's still a challenge.

Jim

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