Hi there I'm Melissa 24yrs I was dignosed with aniexty and panic also depression 2 years ago. I have been on so many medications that I go to the point where I stopped taking all my meds. I'm back on them again cause It seems that I cant function on a daily basis without my meds. I take now 200mgs of Zoloft and .5 of Xanax 4 times a day .All I can say is that Im tired of feeling liek my life is crap all the time. all the doctors want to do is pump u up with meds. Im trying to figure out how they can say we have have a chemical im balance in the brain when they don't take any blood test or anything else to determine that . anyone can walk in and say i feel like i can pull my hair out or I feel depressed for that day cause u lost something or say so . just examples . and then they have the right to say ok you have this and u have that take this u'll be fine...Im confused how can anyone get better If were told we have something that might JUST MIGHT BE IN OUR HEADS? I have came along way with dealing with what I have . I know I need my meds but sometimes I think I need them cause im Addicted to them . or the feeling being told you have something makes u want to stay on them so the fear of dying will go away . I have been on so many meds that it has effected my work and my life as my memory so bad. that I feel useless at times. But I never give up . I strive for the next day . I know Im one confused WOMAN but there has got to be another way out of this misery....

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MELISSA POTUZNIK

Hi Melissa,

Antidepressants assist the neurotransmitters which are the communication gateways of the nervous system, and therefore cannot be diagnosed through bloodwork.

You pose some very searching questions that I think most of us have wrestled with, who have struggled with psychological issues. And there aren't any really clear cut answers, I don't think. Ask 10 different people and you'll likely get 11 different answers. My own view is that in most cases, there are both emotional and physical factors involved in depression. I say that from my own long experience with it, and everyone's situation is different but that's my opinion.

Antidepressants have been necessary for me at various times in my life and made it possible for me to survive and keep moving through my life. But what has kept me thriving is therapy, which has enabled me to understand my emotional issues and gradually change the patterns. I never would have survived without a good therapist, and I've been very lucky to have a few excellent ones over the years.

However there have also been times when my depression was more than my therapy could deal with, and there seemed to be a physical component that could only be helped by antidepressants. When depression was the worst for me, it was like trying to walk on a broken leg. Antidepressants gave me the splint I needed to keep going, but it was therapy that enabled the break to heal over a long period of time (and is still going on). I required both to survive and thrive -- definitely the therapy, and sometimes the drugs along with that.

If you're not in therapy, you might want to consider it. If you're already in therapy, keep going with it. :) If you're not happy with your therapist, find someone else. Sometimes it takes a few tries before you find the right person for you, and sometimes you need to find someone else because your old therapist has taken you as far as they're able to.

I don't know if that helps, but there's my 2 cents worth. Good luck and hang in there! :)

TheOneInFour

Hi there well thank you very much for answering me. I think Im just very lost right now . cause I seem to be having alot of problems.. I know things will get better. I have seen a therapist and I did not like her . Im gonna try another like you said . that was my intentions last time i seen my phycitrist. having what we have . doesnt help with me being sick all the time and other medical problems and financial but .... im no one but a pea in a pod theres others concerns that are way more important in life. and me babbling and thinking I am fighting this challenge . is the least of my problems. thanks for the info again

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MELISSA

Hey Melissa,

I hope you do try another counsellor or therapist. :) There are often clinics around that take people free or on a sliding scale. There are also support groups around through clinics, hospitals, colleges and universities, doctors, social service agencies and places like the Y. A group might not be what you'd prefer, but it could help get you through until you're in a better situation to afford a one-on-one therapist.

If you are working for a fairly large company, they often have a counselling service available for employees that is confidential (they don't tell your employer what's going on with you). Ask the Human Resources department.

There are also free 12-step programs which are peer-support groups. For example, there is Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) for people who grew up in a home where there was substance addiction, but people also attend who grew up in other kinds of dysfunctional homes, like with violence, sexual abuse, psychological abuse, etc. You might be surprised how much stuff like that can still affect you as an adult.

I know how hard it can be when you've got %*&# happening in your life in other areas, but you need to be as strong as you can to deal with and work with those other problems. While depression may not seem to be your biggest or most crucial problem right now, it can sap your strength and will power and make it much harder to deal with the other stuff, so it's still very important to do whatever you can to ease it.

Hang in there! :)

TheOneInFour

THANKS FOR SOME MORE HELPFUL INFO. TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH i DONT WAORK IT SEEM LIKE EVERYTIME I GET A JOB I LOSE IT CAUSE I EITHER GET SICK OR SOMETHING HAPPENS WITH THIE DAMN PANIC CRAP. ALL I KNOW IS IM TIRED OF IT . NOW I HAVE TO TAKE A DRUG CALLED NEURONTIN . I WAS DIGNOSED WITH SHINGLES . AND THE PAIN WAS SO BAD .. I HAD TO TAKE OFF WORK AT A NEW JOB ISTARTED CAUSE I WAS CONTAGIOUS .. ( SHINGLES IF YOU DONT KNOW ARE ADULT CHICKEN POXS) BUT ITS MORE PAIN WELL I SEEN MY DOC TODAY CAUSE I WAS WORKING IN ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND I HAD TO SIT UP AND USE THE COMPUTER . AND IT KILLED MY BACK. I WAS IN SO MUCH PAIN I COULDNT TAKE IT ... NOW IM DIGNOSED WITH POST HERPETIC NEURALGIA .. WHICH CAN STAY WITH ME FOR AWHILE . MEANIGN THE PAIN . SO ONCE AGAIN IM OUT OF A JOB . MY DEPRESSION HAS SKY ROCKETED AND I SEE MY PHYCITRIST NEXT WEEK . IM THINKING OF GOING IN TO A GROUP FOR AWHILE . TO BE BY MYSELF AND THINK AND HAVE GROUPS TALKS ... AND IM ALSO TRYING FOR DISABLITY.. ALL THIS AND IM 24 WHAT ELSE CAN I ASK FOR

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MELISSA