Have any of you guys tried to make it through depression with out meds. Everyone I have tried has made me worse or made me have woresning sucidal thoughts. I have tried anti-psychotics and they made me worse. What do you guys think or do?

Hi -
I was depressed and without insurance for years. For me, the thing that helped the most was spending a lot of time socializing. I stayed around other people as much as possible. It's not a cure, but it keeps you from brooding on your own problems.

There are also some dietary changes you could make. Sugar and alcohol make depression worse. Omega 3 fatty acids are supposed to help. They're found in oily fish like salmon, and you can get supplements. Take your vitamins, eat lots of protein and fresh fruits and veggies, yada yada yada.

I cut out sugar and alcohol last week (because I'm trying to lose weight) and I find I'm sleeping much better, which improves my mood a lot.

Hi -
I was depressed and without insurance for years. For me, the thing that helped the most was spending a lot of time socializing. I stayed around other people as much as possible. It's not a cure, but it keeps you from brooding on your own problems.

There are also some dietary changes you could make. Sugar and alcohol make depression worse. Omega 3 fatty acids are supposed to help. They're found in oily fish like salmon, and you can get supplements. Take your vitamins, eat lots of protein and fresh fruits and veggies, yada yada yada.

I cut out sugar and alcohol last week (because I'm trying to lose weight) and I find I'm sleeping much better, which improves my mood a lot.
Have you got any relief without meds?

I'm 32, had depression pretty much all my life and just started taking medication.. In one respect I feel better in the way I focus, i'm not as antsy as I used to me... I think the worse part of taking medication for me is taking medication because I'm depressed, if that makes any sense. It's not like I'm taking something because I have a sinus infection and it will go away.. You really need to work on yourself while on the meds in order for the cure. The first couple of months were the hardest for me, the whole pandora's box nearly killed me and to be honest I've stopped going to therapy as much ,more so for a mental break then laziness. Now that I know what I'm getting myself into I have a whole new out look on therapy and I'm up for the challenge.

I don't know if I answered your question but I hope I explained why it sometimes is needed.

Please please please do not consider going off meds without your doctor's help. If you don't like your current doctor, get a second opinion. There actually are doctors out there who do not believe in throwing pills at all their patients' problems, I have actually met one. Only one, but he proved they do exist.

I was diagnosed depressed in 1994, and have been on meds long-term (max 3 years) and off meds long-term (max 6 years) so I can tell you that it isn't easy battling depression either way.

many meds didn't help me. it took a lot of trial and error to find a decent "recipe" and then of course I lost it after 15 successful months, because my insurance stopped paying for one of them.

Now I have been med-free for more than 6 months, and I believe I prefer to be off meds. But, I was never diagnosed psychotic. I met some bipolar folks and some psychotics when I spent some time in a mental institution, and we discussed meds. Everyone, from fellow patients to nurses to doctors to group leaders all agreed without hesitation that stopping anti-psychotic drugs could potentially have bad consequences, dangerous consequences.

Med-free is a good way to be, goodness knows it costs less money, but if your condition is serious enough to warrant the prescription of anti-psychotic medication, I would stay on them if the alternative was living with a suicidal or otherwise dangerous state of mind.

Best of luck!

Well, look at it this way...NO ONE is born depressed!:D

It takes hard HARD work to get depressed, some people naturally brood and dwell on the bad, some people don't. I personally think depression is a LEARNED behavior, as well as brooding, dwelling, low self-esteem etc. (to some extent at least).

It took hard work to get depressed, and it will take hard work, but its possible to work yourself out of that depression.

Socialize, don't sleep too much, accomplish something every day, fill your mind with POSITIVITY, smile even if it feels fake at first, turn off the news cast, fill your mind with happy things, and thats how you'll feel!!!

Tell yourself good things, track down, hunt and eliminate negative thought patterns.

Its really not as complicated as the drug companies and doctors make it out to be.

You will feel what is in your head. If its negativity, sadness, tragedy, bereavement, bad self-talk you will feel BAD, I guarantee it.

I DO believe that certain number of people in this world are actually BORN with chemical imbalances in their brain, but I think its about 1% of those people who actually NEED to be on medication.

20% of the world is NOT naturally depressed!!!

Change our thinking and we change ourselves!!!

Please please please do not consider going off meds without your doctor's help. If you don't like your current doctor, get a second opinion. There actually are doctors out there who do not believe in throwing pills at all their patients' problems, I have actually met one. Only one, but he proved they do exist.

I was diagnosed depressed in 1994, and have been on meds long-term (max 3 years) and off meds long-term (max 6 years) so I can tell you that it isn't easy battling depression either way.

many meds didn't help me. it took a lot of trial and error to find a decent "recipe" and then of course I lost it after 15 successful months, because my insurance stopped paying for one of them.

Now I have been med-free for more than 6 months, and I believe I prefer to be off meds. But, I was never diagnosed psychotic. I met some bipolar folks and some psychotics when I spent some time in a mental institution, and we discussed meds. Everyone, from fellow patients to nurses to doctors to group leaders all agreed without hesitation that stopping anti-psychotic drugs could potentially have bad consequences, dangerous consequences.

Med-free is a good way to be, goodness knows it costs less money, but if your condition is serious enough to warrant the prescription of anti-psychotic medication, I would stay on them if the alternative was living with a suicidal or otherwise dangerous state of mind.

Best of luck!
She just tried the anti-psychotics to see if they would ease the depression. I never was prescribed them for psychotic features. I never have heard voices or hallucinated or none of that. The suicdal thoughts and feelings were worse on the meds. That is why I am trying without them. I have not tried one anti-depressant that didn't give me urges and constant suicidal thoughts. That is why I am asking if yoou can beat the real bad moods when they come on without the meds.

Have any of you guys tried to make it through depression with out meds.

What do you guys think or do?

Yes, I tried like crazy (so to speak) to get better without meds, when my dd was 6,7,8,9 months old. I tried everything sponsoredbynobody said--things that might work with mild depression.

I also tried vitamins, exercise (thanks Tom Cruise), meditation, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, being mindful and staying in the moment, and on and on. All it got me was more depressed, wasted time I could have spent being a normal mommy, and I landed in the psych ward for 2 weeks.

What worked was finally giving in to the meds (in the lovely hospital) and being there for two weeks....long enough to make an improvement. A good psychiatrist, even if I didn't personally like HIM, he knew his meds and mental health. I was fortunate because the first antidepressant worked (then and still does now) along with an antianxiety med and an antipsychotic med (I wasn't psychotic, but the med helped).

I've never been that bad again, partly due to taking meds again when I've needed to.

hope something in this thread helps. I knowyou've been trying to shake this for some time.

Yes, I tried like crazy (so to speak) to get better without meds, when my dd was 6,7,8,9 months old. I tried everything sponsoredbynobody said--things that might work with mild depression.

I also tried vitamins, exercise (thanks Tom Cruise), meditation, yoga, progressive muscle relaxation, being mindful and staying in the moment, and on and on. All it got me was more depressed, wasted time I could have spent being a normal mommy, and I landed in the psych ward for 2 weeks.

What worked was finally giving in to the meds (in the lovely hospital) and being there for two weeks....long enough to make an improvement. A good psychiatrist, even if I didn't personally like HIM, he knew his meds and mental health. I was fortunate because the first antidepressant worked (then and still does now) along with an antianxiety med and an antipsychotic med (I wasn't psychotic, but the med helped).

I've never been that bad again, partly due to taking meds again when I've needed to.

hope something in this thread helps. I knowyou've been trying to shake this for some time.
I do not know what else to do. I have tried several meds and each one makes me more depressed and gives me severe suicidal thoughts. I tried just on an anti psychotic and it did not work I got worse on it.

boiler,

I'm sorry. It sounds like you are getting to the end of your rope, and just would like SOMETHING to work already. I hope that something shows up for you soon.

take care

I've posted at some length on this in your other thread boiler, but I know from my own and others experiences with medication that I would always try and avoid meds unless is was medically impossible for me to carry on without them. It has been proven that some medication can increase suicidal thoughts and depression, and everyone reacts to each med differently. Personally I believe if depression comes from the mind it can be cured from the mind - sometimes meds are needed as a stop gap, sometimes not.
A lot of people put faith in omega 3 oil, st johns wort, magnesium, which you might try looking into. I just make sure I keep myself occupied and learn when I need to do something for myself. I've been very lucky in the friends I have around me, so I know just how valuable support can be as well, make sure you have people who can pick you up and make you smile.
I'll always be here to talk to.
Flinch
xxxxxxx

I've posted at some length on this in your other thread boiler, but I know from my own and others experiences with medication that I would always try and avoid meds unless is was medically impossible for me to carry on without them. It has been proven that some medication can increase suicidal thoughts and depression, and everyone reacts to each med differently. Personally I believe if depression comes from the mind it can be cured from the mind - sometimes meds are needed as a stop gap, sometimes not.
A lot of people put faith in omega 3 oil, st johns wort, magnesium, which you might try looking into. I just make sure I keep myself occupied and learn when I need to do something for myself. I've been very lucky in the friends I have around me, so I know just how valuable support can be as well, make sure you have people who can pick you up and make you smile.
I'll always be here to talk to.
Flinch
xxxxxxx
Do you get the dark painful spells sometimes each day? I did not have any yesterday just some stray thoughts. Felt a little down but not real bad. It hits me different each day. I can function and take care of things until one of the dark ones hits and I feel so bad I want to just set.

Have you got any relief without meds?

As I said, my social life helped more than anything.

There's no reason an antipsychotic would help you with depression; I don't know why you were on one.

You don't say what meds you've tried, and I can't tell from your post if you just don't want to use them or if you've tried a lot and none have worked. There are eleven different classes of antidepressants and they all have different side effects. The ONLY ones known to cause suicidal thoughts are SSRIs, and ONLY in teenagers, so I wish everyone would stop saying they cause suicide.

People have given you a lot of suggestions on this thread. Are you trying any of them?

It depends really whether I get them every day, how bad they are etc, althought I'd really love to know what it depends on. Sometimes I can point to where things are stemming from, others it just seems to grip from nowhere. I don't feel the need to sit however, I get the urge to walk or run away from absolutely everything, including the thoughts in my head. If I can't do that I just fall into black thoughts, I self injure as well which is a consequence rather than an attempt to distract myself.
xxx

It depends really whether I get them every day, how bad they are etc, althought I'd really love to know what it depends on. Sometimes I can point to where things are stemming from, others it just seems to grip from nowhere. I don't feel the need to sit however, I get the urge to walk or run away from absolutely everything, including the thoughts in my head. If I can't do that I just fall into black thoughts, I self injure as well which is a consequence rather than an attempt to distract myself.
xxx
I dont self injure, I just all of a sudden get a bad thought and then i will get a episode of oh, no!!!! Sometimes it is intense ans sometimes it is just an out of control feeling Sometimes it is kinda there all day, and then it will just hit in spurts. Do you work? I am laid-off right now. Some days i have energy and some days I dont. Thanks for all of your help. Do you feel the depression is there with you each day?