I am one of the unlucky men with fibro. I also have diabetes, High blood pressure, Menier's Disease.chronic divertitulitus and several other problems.
But nothing has ever taken me down like depression. I have battled it now for three years and tried almost every antideppresssant on the market. I took ultram for pain for 3 years and that has been the biggest mistake I have ever made. I got a utopic feeling from it and ended up with a addiction. I have been completely off it for 3 weeks and am still grieving it.

I currently take 300mg wellbutrin, 3 20mg RitalinXR and at bedtime 2mg of Kolonipin and 2.5mg of Zyprexa. This does not include my Diabetes and High Blood pressue medicine.

I feel uttter sadnest every day even with the addition of the Ritalin. My fibro pain is at a low right now and no stressor's or any reason for the depression.

I have reached a hopeless situation. I am 40 and my life id falling apart. I would trade the pain any day over the depession. It is like a big black dog. My family has supported me but I can see the starting of lack of understanding in their eyes now. I know it has worn them down.

Any help or ideas that may give me some hope,
donifty

I am so sorry for your mental anguish. Exercise has always helped me fight bouts of depression. If you are able and you truely want to help yourself start out walking as much as you can tolerate then gradually add more distance. Walk everyday. I bet you'll see a difference in your BP, depression and Blood sugar.
Hope this helps.
Charlotte

I know this is just going to sound like nothing, but I take for general well-being feeling these in particular. First, you need your B's, especially folic acid, helps depression. Then fish oil capsules help depression among other things like inflammation. Also, men around 40 become deficient In DHEA and you can get it in supplement form at any drug store. It is cheap, too. It gives you more energy and you feel better.Sometimes a side effect is incresed libido, however. Supposedly, men especially need this and you are welcome to type it in and do a search for information about what it does so you are not taking my word for it. I hope this helps as we need supplementation as time goes on, some more than others. Even, evening primrose oil helps mood. It comes in capsules and at the drug store. Try to research these so you are comfortable in trying. You may see a difference . Because of high blood pressure, though, I want you to do good internet search on info about DHEA, it may help high blood pressure or it could be you shouldn't take it. But, that supplement needs to be searched and you need to get an answer before trying to be sure it is safe for you to do so. I just can't remember all the info about it and anytime anyone has high blood pressure, I am very careful in suggesting something. The other supplements should help your other conditions. Except, do not take a megavitamin "B", only minimum 100%RDA vitamin B, w/ high blood pressure, o.k? Some people react to one of the B's in the mix. I even break a B in half as that is my case. Good luck with this. Soleil

Welcome Donify,
I have had terrible depression in the past due to fibromyalgia for the past twenty years, high blood pressure also for the same amount of time. I am on Lotrel for high B/P now and my blood pressure readings are never over 130/80 and my lows are about 107/72!! The best I have ever had for many years.

I take Reglan for gallbladder/and gastroesophogeal reflux disease with hiatal hernia. (Spicy foods causes great burning all the way up from stomach to my throat so I stay away from that.

With fibromyalgia we lack the proper amounts of magnesium so I take supplements of magnesium and calcium citrate with magnesium. Magnesium helps to stabelize your blood pressure!! (And it works!)
Walking about 40 minutes per day brings down blood pressure and raises your natural endorphine hormones, your natural pain reliever that your body makes.
My biggest problem with fibro has been unrelenting pain, morning stiffness, and irreversable muscle spasms. My fibro has been caused by spinal problems or maybe flared into reality when I had a few car accidents in my past history. It has been 20 years of misery so I sure can relate to your misery.
Then depression set in, and became so much worse in the past 4 years. So did the pain so I went on Ultram and I agree with you, the worst thing I ever took in my life. It made me feel high, then so low when it wore off. And I hurt even more. The cycle of pain and depression became endless.

The walks gave me about two hours of natural relief and I had to force myself to do that. Last winter at 20 degress below zero I only walked five minutes outside, no malls in this town to walk around!

I KNOW how you feel.

Some of the former suggestions are good. But the best relief I have found and this works for most autoimmune diseases and for diabetes is low dose Naltrexone, fast-acting made by a compounding pharmacy. A regular medical doctor can prescribe it. You take one capsule at night, 3 mg or up to 4.5 mg. What it does is increase your endorphines while you sleep. You wake up refreshed, not dog tired and in pain. It is not a narcotic, in fact you cannot take morphine or codeine or any opioids. Since you long for the Ultram again but you are off of it, this is the best time to get on Naltrexone. My whole world and attitude has changed for the better. My mind is clearer.
The third morning after starting this simple little pill my depression lifted. I wish more people would try this but so many are on Oxycontin, codeine, morphine etc. I refused to go on those drugs. It was h--- getting off the Ultram and my total body pain was terrible. I substituted Neurontin instead for 2 1/2 weeks to get me off the Ultram. (Neurontin is for epilepsy but is used for fibro too.) You can still take any necessary drugs like B/P, your diabetic meds, sleeping pill on Naltrexone, but not anything with opioids such as a duragesic patch, morphine pump, tylenol with codeine.

I don't need anti-depressants now! And I tried many kinds also. I don't need pain drugs. Occasionally I take Baclofen or Norflex but not everyday.

People might get tired of hearing about this, but I just want to help someone else. 20 years of suffering made me feel like dying and last winter was one of my
worst ever.

Also, have your thyroid checked if you have not had that done. It controls the whole body metabolism. I am assuming you also were checked for Ebstein-Barr virus, Lyme disease, other bacterial infections and RA?
(Rheumatoid arthritis) These are normal things to rule out for fibromyalgia.

Depression is usually the end result of chronic pain. Not the cause of it in most circumstances.
I hope you find that relief soon. MistyMisty