Long-term depression

Posted by anniep @anniep, Mar 8, 2017

New to the group; would like to ask how others find something to look forward to in life? At my age, there's nothing to hope for, except death. I am a born-again Christian, so I know there is an escape from the physical pain and limitations brought on by illness, and escape from daily depression and motivation to continue. I try to remain active and do have interests, but sometimes the depression is too much. I have also realized when others say they care, etc., there truly is no one who means what they say. It's "We care, so long as you just keep doing your job here, but don't bother me - but we love you!" I'm old enough to know this is not true, but a method to keep a warm body in a position to get a job done. One of my 92 year old neighbors happily moves along, although she tells me almost all her friends are gone, etc. I can't ask her what motivates her. How do others have hope for anything after their families are gone and there is nothing else?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Depression & Anxiety Support Group.

@pearlbaby7

@lisalucier
I've always been the responsible type. If I see something that needs to be done I do it. People would ask me to do things because they knew I'd get it done.
I think I always said yes because I wanted people to like me. Also, embarrassing as it is to admit, there were times I thought I could do a better job than anyone else.
Before I found an antidepressant that gave me some relief I was on a rollercoaster that was going deeper and deeper and staying down there longer and longer.
Always saying yes resulted in being overcommitted and overwhelmed. I wasn't doing a good job with my commitments and was missing timeframes I'd agreed to. The guilt this created weighed me down even more.
Getting on meds that gave me some relief also gave me the opportunity to realize I had to pick and choose what I said yes to. I had taken an assertiveness class where I was told I didn't have to give a reason for saying no and if I got push back just keep repeating myself.
As I started saying, "I can't right now but thank you for thinking of me", I did get some unhappy people pushing back. It was hard for me to not cave and say yes but I knew I'd be in bad shape if I did. So I would repeat myself. There were a few times I had to follow up with, "Have a good day!" and hang up. The more often I did it the easier it got. If I was leaning toward saying yes when I didn't really want to (we all have those days we aren't as strong) I would tell them I'd call them back after I looked at what was on my plate. That gave me time to talk to myself and get some conviction back.
This didn't happen overnight. It was a battle I fought and sometimes still do. I've learned that I have to protect myself because no one can do that better.

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@pearlbaby7 Took me 65 years to learn it was okay to say no and not give a reason. This resulted in having no friends (they were not really friends) and alienating others as I would and could no longer live up to THEIR expectations and demands. There comes a time when it becomes necessary to set boundaries. I have learned that most people in my life were not worth it.
Doing what I can to get on with MY life. The world I have known is based on material wealth. I feel better having set boundaries. Better off lonely than being used to the point of abuse. Of course, now I am a selfish person.

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@sadamma4

Thank you for sharing Lisa!
I have allowed myself to be taken advantage of as long as I can remember.
I've been trying to change this for the last few months. I have noticed that most of those test me and are upset with me.
It does feel good at the end of the day tho. My dad ysed ti tell me, "No" is a complete sentence.
I've been told to practice, practice and practice some more.
I'd live to hear more from you regarding your feelings and successes.
Thanks again, Kelli

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@kelli It is a slow process and worth the journey-I am still traveling.

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@lisalucier

Hello, @pearlbaby7 - welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I agree that not letting yourself be taken advantage of is important.

It sounds from your posts like you may have had some experiences with needing to say no to protect yourself and your health, however hard to do. Wondering if you would share more about those, if you feel comfortable?

@theotherone - wanted to see how you are doing these days? Did you end up finding a new psychiatrist?

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Hi, @theotherone - good to hear from you. That is disappointing to not feel like you are seeing any real interest from your psychiatrist. I would feel that way, too.

You mentioned being out of fluvoxamine (fevarin) and experiencing what you believe are withdrawal symptoms. Here is some Mayo Clinic information on this medication which may be useful, https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/fluvoxamine-oral-route/description/drg-20066874. I wanted to point out this part in the Precautions section, in particular:

Do not suddenly stop taking this medicine without checking with your doctor first. Your doctor may want you to gradually reduce the amount you are taking before stopping it completely. This is to decrease the chance of having withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, confusion, headache, irritability, numbness or tingling, restlessness, trouble sleeping, or unusual drowsiness or weakness.

I'd encourage you to monitor your symptoms carefully, and please don't hesitate to go to urgent care or the ER, especially with the agitation, dizziness and loss of balance. I personally had some challenges a number of years ago when a tapering schedule I had for an antidepressant didn't seem to work out right and I had some of the symptoms you describe. I finally went to urgent care, and they took it seriously and gave me some medication to get me through the weekend and calm my symptoms.

@theotherone - do you have a friend or relative you might alert you are going through some of these symptoms with going off of the medication, or who might help with finding you a new psychiatrist?

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@pearlbaby7

@lisalucier
I've always been the responsible type. If I see something that needs to be done I do it. People would ask me to do things because they knew I'd get it done.
I think I always said yes because I wanted people to like me. Also, embarrassing as it is to admit, there were times I thought I could do a better job than anyone else.
Before I found an antidepressant that gave me some relief I was on a rollercoaster that was going deeper and deeper and staying down there longer and longer.
Always saying yes resulted in being overcommitted and overwhelmed. I wasn't doing a good job with my commitments and was missing timeframes I'd agreed to. The guilt this created weighed me down even more.
Getting on meds that gave me some relief also gave me the opportunity to realize I had to pick and choose what I said yes to. I had taken an assertiveness class where I was told I didn't have to give a reason for saying no and if I got push back just keep repeating myself.
As I started saying, "I can't right now but thank you for thinking of me", I did get some unhappy people pushing back. It was hard for me to not cave and say yes but I knew I'd be in bad shape if I did. So I would repeat myself. There were a few times I had to follow up with, "Have a good day!" and hang up. The more often I did it the easier it got. If I was leaning toward saying yes when I didn't really want to (we all have those days we aren't as strong) I would tell them I'd call them back after I looked at what was on my plate. That gave me time to talk to myself and get some conviction back.
This didn't happen overnight. It was a battle I fought and sometimes still do. I've learned that I have to protect myself because no one can do that better.

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@parus Boy, I can really relate to this! At 65 now, and having just moved to a new city where no one knows me, I am working hard on taking care of me. There is the depression of feeling that my support system that was in place in the other city has permanently disappeared. But the need to create a net of support will drive me to step out, but have to remind myself everyday to not trade it for saying "yes" when It's not true.

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@lisalucier

Hi, @theotherone - good to hear from you. That is disappointing to not feel like you are seeing any real interest from your psychiatrist. I would feel that way, too.

You mentioned being out of fluvoxamine (fevarin) and experiencing what you believe are withdrawal symptoms. Here is some Mayo Clinic information on this medication which may be useful, https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/fluvoxamine-oral-route/description/drg-20066874. I wanted to point out this part in the Precautions section, in particular:

Do not suddenly stop taking this medicine without checking with your doctor first. Your doctor may want you to gradually reduce the amount you are taking before stopping it completely. This is to decrease the chance of having withdrawal symptoms such as agitation, confusion, headache, irritability, numbness or tingling, restlessness, trouble sleeping, or unusual drowsiness or weakness.

I'd encourage you to monitor your symptoms carefully, and please don't hesitate to go to urgent care or the ER, especially with the agitation, dizziness and loss of balance. I personally had some challenges a number of years ago when a tapering schedule I had for an antidepressant didn't seem to work out right and I had some of the symptoms you describe. I finally went to urgent care, and they took it seriously and gave me some medication to get me through the weekend and calm my symptoms.

@theotherone - do you have a friend or relative you might alert you are going through some of these symptoms with going off of the medication, or who might help with finding you a new psychiatrist?

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@lisalucier so I went to my doctor today. I called her yesterday and she told me I can come. My visit tool less than 5 minutes. I just asked for the prescription, there were no space to discuss anything, like the problems I have with withdrawal symptoms. By the way, is it common that her daughter is there with her? She is around 10 or 11 I guess. I mean literary sitting there and listening to her discussions with the patients? For me gt was not possible to open up and talk about what I should talk to her. I just asked for my prescription and left.

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@theotherone

@lisalucier so I went to my doctor today. I called her yesterday and she told me I can come. My visit tool less than 5 minutes. I just asked for the prescription, there were no space to discuss anything, like the problems I have with withdrawal symptoms. By the way, is it common that her daughter is there with her? She is around 10 or 11 I guess. I mean literary sitting there and listening to her discussions with the patients? For me gt was not possible to open up and talk about what I should talk to her. I just asked for my prescription and left.

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My wife knows about the difficulties I've experiencing but nobody else knows. I didn't want to bother anybody. It's always harder and harder for me to open up to somebody. It is not good, I know.
Hopefully, there symptoms will stop now when I have my medicine.

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@theotherone

@lisalucier so I went to my doctor today. I called her yesterday and she told me I can come. My visit tool less than 5 minutes. I just asked for the prescription, there were no space to discuss anything, like the problems I have with withdrawal symptoms. By the way, is it common that her daughter is there with her? She is around 10 or 11 I guess. I mean literary sitting there and listening to her discussions with the patients? For me gt was not possible to open up and talk about what I should talk to her. I just asked for my prescription and left.

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@theotherone [Jan] this is absolutely not usual in my experience. If the Dr's daughter was there, the Dr. should have asked you if it was okay for daughter to be there. Only two instances in my experience. In Jan 1999 I was in hospital for hysterectomy, and Dr came in on Sunday morning to check on me. He brought his little daughter as it was his day off, but it was okay. The other time I was seeing my old PvP, he had a high school student following him around for a few days. He escorted him out as we were going to talk about my depression, but I asked the young man to return, because he should not gloss over that people do get depressed.
Ginger

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@theotherone

My wife knows about the difficulties I've experiencing but nobody else knows. I didn't want to bother anybody. It's always harder and harder for me to open up to somebody. It is not good, I know.
Hopefully, there symptoms will stop now when I have my medicine.

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@theotherone we are all here for you. Society seems to place such a stigma in people sharing their heartfelt emotions when in the throes of depression. It feels like there are no safe places. We care
Ginger

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@gingerw

@theotherone we are all here for you. Society seems to place such a stigma in people sharing their heartfelt emotions when in the throes of depression. It feels like there are no safe places. We care
Ginger

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@theotherone Hello Jan. I hope that you and @gingerw don't mind my interjection in your conversation. Yes, there is stigma still about mental illness, but not as much as you believe. Just about everyone has a relative or family member that has some form of mental illness, whether it be OCD, bi-polar, or straight up depression. My daughter has bi-polar and ocd. She THINKS nobody knows or cares (but everybody does know something is not right with her and does care). She will not open up about any of it to anyone. SHE is the one with the stigma. I feel badly that you feel like there is nowhere to turn to. Have you ever heard of NAMI? They are a national group that supports and educates in the name of Mental Illness. They are fighting hard to elimenate the stigma. I am doing my part by openly talking about my daughter. You can Google NAMI and try to find a physical/local support group. You can really learn a lot from other people. I really wish my daughter would open up about her bi-polar or reach out when she is able, but she doesn't. I worry incessantly about her and feel helpless. You and Ginger have shared your feelings about your depression; I just wanted to share mine from the other side of the fence. Sending you both hugs.

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I think you need to start looking for a new doctor!
Hang in there!
Ainsleigh

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