depression

I suffer from depression and I feel like it's already eroding my relationship with my husband. I'm a fairly emotional person at the best of times, however this seems to have gotten worse since my diagnosis. I'm on Sertaline (100mgs once a day) but I do not feel they are helping at all. We are waiting to hear about counselling but have been advised that it can take between 6 and 8 weeks to get an appointment/session with someone. I also feel rubbish that we have to go to counselling in the first place as we've only been married for just over a year and when I attended on my own before I knew my husband, it didn't help me.

@Pisces1981  , I am sure your husband will support you . Taking the rough with the smooth is what relationships are all about . I am a very emotional person , so I understand where you are coming from . If you feel that Sertraline is not helping you ask your doctor about fluoxetine or mirtazapine , I take both of these together and they really help me . I hope the counselling helps you . I am waiting for one to one counselling but there is quite a long waiting list in my area . My sincere best wishes to you and your husband , if I can offer any advice on medication or therapy feel free to ask :-)

Daren

@xDarenx: Thank you for your words of support. I do feel lucky that I have my husband around to help me when I'm really feeling the depression. I'm intending to go back to the doctors soon and may speak to them about changing my medication. I'll admit, I'm not overly hopeful about the counselling but I know it's my own bad experience from last time that's causing me to think that way in the first place.

Hi everyone. I don't know how this works. Hopefully my message will go through to everyone on this thread?

I was on seroxat over 16 years, addicted and getting mood swings. I switched to prozac in April. It's been a good move. My mood is much more stable now, but it's a kind of low grade depression. I can manage it, and I'm back at my 8 hours a week job, but I have too much time on my hands, I'm struggling to find a purpose, and sometimes trying to run away from the depressed feeling, so I don't relax. My life has changed so much. It's difficult to get used to it

 Today I let myself relax, instead of running from the depression and the lack of direction. I faced how I was feeling. It's quite hard to slow down and rest at home, because I associate it with the times when I stayed in on the couch all day.

Anyway, it's good to message each other on here, and support each other.

I hope this post gets through.

Hi @twmc95 - well done you - sounds as if you have a good grip on your problems and try to face them and deal with them.  I know how hard his can be, so give yourself a huge pat on the back for progress so far.  Have you thought of doing some volunteer work with all that time on your hands - there is all sorts you can do and there is nothing like it for giving creating that 'feel good'  feeling of doing something worthwhile and helping other in the process.

Have a look at these websites to see if anything takes your fancy -

http://www.volunteering.org.uk/

http://www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/volunteer?gclid=CjwKEAjwkK6wBRCcoK_tiOT-zFASJAC7RArirNA_EXAKX22vHsoxU1JeiLp8gxV5HeO0xSiZ_bUGUxoCbl7w_wcB

Suncatcher2015 xx

Hi @Suncatcher2015 

Thanks for your encouragement and good advice.

Currently wrestling with vagaries of do-it site.

You are so right, I need a new challenge

Thanks again

@twmc95 - Good luck!

@twmc95 , Hi , I am taking Prozac (fluoxetine) , but I also take 30mg of mitazapine at night . This combination has really helped me a lot . Prozac can increase anxiety and I feel that taking the mirtazapine along with it seems to even things out . I just thought I would mention this as it may be worth discussing with your doctor , you have nothing to lose . My sincere best wishes :-)

Daren

Thanks Daren. I'm also taking lamotrigine 100mg twice a day, so not sure how that would mix. I contacted my so called care coordinator some weeks back now, and she said she would contact me the following day, but hasn't contacted me at all, which is not impressive, but I'm so low I haven't done anything about it, and anyway I have no confidence in what they might suggest. They suggested olanzepine before, even though I'm not psychotic, and when I objected, gave me quetiapine, which made me feel absolutely terrible. Also it's been such a massive change from the seroxat, I'm reluctant to put my body through any more changes. I feel I need support, which plainly I'm not getting from my so called care coordinator. It helps to write this. Being busy, but within my comfort zone, helps. Trouble is, I have so many times in my week when I'm feeling bored, lonely and low, and lacking in confidence, feeling inadequate because I'm doing so little...

@twmc95   , I have previously taken Lamotrigine  ( a mood stabiliser ) , there is potential for an interaction with this combined with fluoxetine , however if you are monitored you should be okay . I have also been on Quetiapine and Olanzapine at some stage and I must say they did not help me . Quetiapine made me feel like a zombie . Have you heard of a medication called Abilify (Aripiprazole) , I have some friends that take this that have really got on well with it , But again this will interact with fluoxetine ... If you take Aripiprazole you would have less interaction with something like Fluvoxamine . If you are like me , which it sounds like you are , then there are many tablets that you just can not tolerate . I had to go through dozens of tablets before I found a combination that I could get along with . There are so many different things you can do chemically . Perhaps even Mirtazapine ( an antidepressant ) and Sodium Valproate (Dapakote), another type of mood stabiliser , these two mix because I have also taken these together in the past with no problems . Apart from medication , you must keep your mind active . Join some group sessions or one to one psychotherapy or counselling , anything to give you an agenda that will distract you from feeling negative or depressed . I hope some of this helps , if there is anything else you would like to know do not hesitate to ask . My sinsire best wishes :-)

Daren