Depressed or nutrition-deprived?

[WOlfman67]

I live in the Lehigh Valley, Pa.

I did some research on Pepcid and Prilosec and it seems that the active ingredient " Famotidine" .
Some of the side effects with taking them consist of depression, confusion, loss of appetite, anxiety and more.
These pills also contain Omeprazole.

[URL=http://www.nexiumresearch.com/omeprazole_prilosec_side_effects.html]http://www.nexiumresearch.com/omeprazole_prilosec_side_effects.html[/URL]

Now when I look back... I'm beginning to think I was in a vicious circle. The new job was stessing me and I would have all this anxiety when I ate. Then I was taking Pepcid almost every day. My concentration was horrible. Cold sweats, blurred vison and red blood shot eyes. Heavy burping. These symptoms can all be caused by taking too much pepcid, prilosec etc.
Now I am trying to limit breads, chips, anything creamy like salad dressings so it does not bring on any GERD, therfore leading me to take these pills.
My life has been turned totally upside down by this.

[WOlfman67]

Update!
Well, I have been getting alot of support from my parents and friends. I am went to a local GNC Health store and talked to the manager there. He was a great help. When I started to explain my situation, he guided me in the right direction.
He explained to me in great detail how the digestive system works. He was a bodybuilder and would always keep a strict meal plan.

He told me about Enzymes and the mineral Magesium. I bought a bottle of Mulit-Enzymes containing a bunch of goodies that he believed I was lacking in breaking down the foods I've been eating. He agreed with me that popping all the PPI's for GERD was damaging my intenstines.

I have been taking the Enzymes before each meal for two days and so far no gerd. Yeah, I still burp a little, but they are not so loud.

He also explained that since my dugestive tract is probably on vacation that maybe instead of a mulit-vitamin tablet that I drink a liquid multi-vitamin solution.
I bought a huge bottle of this too for under $25.00. It tastes pretty bad (even in orange flavor) but I feel more alert and vibrant.
He asked me to repair my digestive system first before I take magnesium tablets.
I need to eat something every 2-3 hours. More fruit & veggies. I am also keeping a journal of what I eat. I told him I am not a muscular guy but I do need to gain some weight back and tone up.
I do see a connection in what we put in our bodies (or not put in) and with our mental state of mind.
Stress is a killer. I want to feel confident about myself again.
When I was offered that job I wanted to make everyone proud of me and it totally backfired. I try to hold my head high, but I am 38 and I am finally figuring out that all this time I was never really taking care of my body.
When I was in my 20's I did recreational drugs and drank. I had mood swings, depression and would break down in front of my friends. Now...only in my late 30's am I understanding. If I didn't fall in to the wrong crowd and stayed positive I probably would have had a real career by now.

Hopefully this new "understanding" will work and I will be able to enjoy my life again.

[Jess75]

Well keep us updated on your gluten free diet! I bet that's the problem.

[GettingWellAgain]

All I have to say is that although stress can be very detrimental to your health and can, at times, cause some physical symptoms, you can not attribute all of your symptoms to stress. YOU KNOW HOW YOU FEEL, and do NOT let anyone tell you anything is all in your head, ever. You may definitely have some issues with depression, but depression doesn't cause immediate bloating after eating. Depression can cause digestive upset, but bloating is inflammation, and there can be 10 million causes for each and every thing that goes on in your body. Our bodies are complex and even doctors and psychiatrists do not know EXACTLY what causes chemical imbalances in the brain, and actually, they don't even know for sure you have a chemical imbalance because there AREN'T ANY TESTS for mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, and they only go by screening questions. Also, if you are in fact depressed or you are experiencing the SYMPTOM depression at all, it can be caused by nutritional deficiencies, gluten intolerance for sure, food allergies or SENSITIVITIES (which ONLY show up on an ELISA test, not a RAST test), thyroid problems, Candida yeast overgrowth (which affects almost EVERYONE to some degree, you should really look into that), or a million and one other syndromes. The fact that you are having digestive difficulties cannot be ignored and just blamed on stress. It needs to be dealt with, not MASKED by psychotropics, which have an incredibly high incidence of major side effects. I think you made the right decision by moving back to PA, and I also think that your "friend" is a toxic person for making you feel so incredibly guilty because at that point in your life, you couldn't handle a change. That is YOUR decision and it is nobody's business to question what you choose in life. But, all of this is just MY opinion. Keep us updated
~Katalina

[GettingWellAgain]

Wolfman,
I posted my last post to you before reading your update. Those supplements can defnitely help, as well as staying gluten-free, if you feel that gluten is the big offender. If you can afford it, a naturopathic doctor would be a great place to begin, but you sound as if you are doing a great job helping yourself through good nutrition. Good luck with everything, and again, keep us updated
~Katalina