Hello all

yes it is me again...I have another question about this virus...I don't know if anyone really has an answer but it was just a thought that I had....

Do you think that deppression is a symptom of HIV...for example, for someone that doesn't know that they have hiv and don't expect that they do would they still experience depression or would the depression hit only after they have been diagosed? Just something that I was thinking about sometimes my mind wanders.

I still question my status....I have not been able to take off of work here recently but after the first of the year I will get tested and put a end once again to my worrying.

Also sometimes I think...for all of you worriers out there.....I think that maybe it is GOD's way of warning us or protecting us....because it/hiv may be very close to you closer than you think....so it is very important to take precausions. Goodbless you all.:angel:

Well, it seems too obvious to address, but depression is a condition of being, in part, out of control and, in another part, being overwhelmed. HIV depression is conditional to the way one would cope with the disease. Depression is a mental health issue. HIV is a physical issue.

Thanks, cflas...I wasn't for sure if Hiv affected the brain in someway thus causing depression. take care...

Well, HIV/AIDS does affect the brain as well as the central nervous system. There is a condition called AIDS related demetia which is very much like Alzeihmer's disease, only in younger people, people with AIDS. Depression, again, is a condition that can affect certain neuro-trasmitters and can be corrected with anti-depressants (Zolft, Prozac, etc). chris

hi tmma80
depression is a part of hiv symptoms.i was diagnosed 10 years ago and i am doing very well. i am on depression medication but it is for more than just hiv. at first i thought i had a death sentence. and that was when i started taking depression meds. like ativan, zanax now i take 3 depression meds. but i know many people in my aa support group that have had aids hiv for 20 years and they are fine. i mean there are problems but the medication they have now is amazing. i take 3 pills in the am and 3 in the pm. thats it and i am now non-detectable and my tcells are like a person that never had hiv. so i guess i am trying to say don't let the depression get you down. if you need to get tested do it as soon as possible. if you need to talk i am here.

sincerely
virgo828

From a natural perspective, the amino acid L-Tryptophan is an effective substance for depression since it naturally increases serotonin levels in the brain. It can be taken in the form of L-Tryptophan or as 5-htp. Numerous clinical trials have studied the efficacy of 5-HTP for treating depression. One compared 5-HTP to the antidepressant drug fluvoxamine and found 5-HTP to be equally effective.


Poldinger W, et al. A functional-dimensional approach to depression: serotonin deficiency as a target syndrome in a comparison of 5-hydroxytryptophan and fluvoxamine. Psychopathology 1991;24:53-81

hi tmma80
depression is a part of hiv symptoms.i was diagnosed 10 years ago and i am doing very well. i am on depression medication but it is for more than just hiv. at first i thought i had a death sentence. and that was when i started taking depression meds. like ativan, zanax now i take 3 depression meds. but i know many people in my aa support group that have had aids hiv for 20 years and they are fine. i mean there are problems but the medication they have now is amazing. i take 3 pills in the am and 3 in the pm. thats it and i am now non-detectable and my tcells are like a person that never had hiv. so i guess i am trying to say don't let the depression get you down. if you need to get tested do it as soon as possible. if you need to talk i am here.

sincerely
virgo828

VIRGO: Thanks for your reply...I am SOOO glad to hear that you are well. :) I plan to be tested the 1st of the year. No matter what the outcome of the test will be I will accept it. I guess it would be my fate. Since people are living with HIV these days it is not a death sentence and I look at it as just being different. You are probably a lot wiser than the naive people that don't have a clue. The only thing that would matter for me would be my relationship with Christ. Some people die of cancer, some people die of AIDS, its a part of life. I will keep you posted on the results. ;) :angel: