Treatment resistant depression help.

I have been battling depression for many years, and insomnia for a long time. I tried a sleep study. All I was told that I have bad insomnia and restless leg syndrome. A lot of lab work. I'm not anemic or have a vitamin deficiency. GeneSight test to show which meds would be best, okay, and not a good fit for me. TMS last year. Walking and going on different diets. Last month I tried Spravato. It seems like it's getting better. Sometimes I feel nauseous and throw up. If I planned better, I don't throw up.
In a few months, I'll be working with my health coach again that does functional medicine.

@joyann80
I found that a low dose of Abilify - 5 - 10 mg helped my restless legs and somewhat helped insomnia if I took it at night. Magnesium also helps the RLS somewhat. What may have helped more sounds like an old wive's tale - putting soap under the lower sheet - look it up! Also your iron has to be better than low normal, so just not being anemic isn't good enough.

I also have TRD. I finally agreed to ECT because something has to change. I feel that ECT is like many drugs — is the risk more/less the ECT outcomes. ECT is supposed to be the most effective therapy for severe depression and the memory loss is normally brief (if at all)

Otherwise, EMDR might be worth a try, especially if you’ve experienced trauma. I’m also getting great benefits from Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, but it is hard to find an IFS trained therapist.

I’ve been tried on several meds. Two made me suicidal, and around 5-6 didn’t work at all. I’m being trialed on Effexor right now. Also consider supplements that might work for you. If you have low folate, L-methylfolate might work (I became over-methylated on it); low dose Saffron is also supposed to be good..

@suzleigh I tried ECT for about 6 months and all it did was mess with my memory. I'm taking Cymbalta now and am researching EMDR. I won't do TMS either. It's just my opinion, but I'll never let them zap my brain again in any way. I'd rather fight thru it. I'm 60 years old and I only have 1 daughter and a granddaughter left alive. I'm a widow of 10 years now and all but 2 deaths were expected...my parents. I want my memories bc as I get even older and start to lose them naturally, I'm hanging on to the memories I have and not gonna risk getting zapped and losing more...just my thoughts..hugs

@abosier65 Don’t blame you for your feelings with brain zap. The couple of weeks I did ECT, I felt that it actually opened up memory connections. I’ll be starting TMS in a couple of weeks, noting this is not a brain zap and there is no need to be put under for it.

My new therapist does do EMDR and may be doing that in the future, but right now I have no full memories to get over.

Still not on any anti-dep. My damaged brain just can’t handle it.

@suzleigh if it wouldn't be too much to ask, would you share this TMS journey with me. I know everyone has different outcomes, but your experience with this could truly help me on my personal journey 💝

@abosier65 Starting May 1, I was provided an ‘old school’ prescription for Nortriptyline and started 2mg. On May 2, I woke up and thought, “so this is what depression free brain feels like.”
A one day positive response to an anti-depressant is unheard of, but here I am 20 days in remission.
Since I have an atypical brain, I’m being careful what happens to it — including TMS. With the support of the TMS doctor and my med manager, I’ve decided to put off TMS until such time that I feel I might need it

If someone else has TMS stories, please share!

What are other things that I can do?Tms lasts only a short time. Ect is connected to memory loss.Any new medications?Can’t sleep!

What are other things that I can do?Tms lasts only a short time. Ect is connected to memory loss.Any new medications?Can’t sleep!

I suffered from insomnia from age 10 to about age 69.
I had severe anxiety and PTSD that caused me to be unable to sleep; always was on guard looking for the next dangerous or stressful event about to happen. Anticipatory anxiety was also a nightmare.

Without medications, I would literally go for nights without sleeping and then end up in an ER with panic attacks or worse. Anyone who is sleep deprived long enough will end up in an ER due to panic attacks, psychosis, or other clinical symptoms of sleep deprivation and or anxiety.

It took me 20 years to finally find what worked best for me: propranolol.
It is a heart medication that worked best for my daytime anxiety and sleep when used with hydroxyzine (an antihistamine). I have also taken both Cymbalta for more than 20 years, as well as Buspirone for the last 4 years.

This is all taken for anxiety and PTSD from physical and sexual abuses as a child. I was abused for more than 15 years then sexually assaulted as an adult twice. Therefore I have complex PTSD, severe GAD and OCD.

The other thing I HAD to do was withdraw from anxiety provoking activity and situations. I had to learn what situations I could handle, realize how much I can handle, and learn what to stop doing that provokes anxiety in myself. Even if that means to stop doing things I loved to do. Example: I may love to take long road trips, LOVE driving for hours and hours, BUT arranging trips, paying for trips, sleeping in hotels on those long trips? : they produce anxiety even if I didn't realize it until I examined situations I needed to eliminate.

Now at 70 I think I have the anxiety and PTSD all sorted out. I and am sleeping 8-9 hours a night 9 out of 10 days, and avoid anything that causes anxiety. I have also learned that there will be anxiety producing situations that cannot be avoided or situations I just really WANT to do and with those things I have learned to be in control of how much and when I face them. I keep the anxiety "doses" short so that my GAD, PTSD and OCD symptoms stay in check and I don't lose sleep.