How to talk to dr. about anti-depressants

[Maying]

Okay, well my dad has this theory that I'm depressed. He thinks I got it from his mother (not sure if there's a genetic component or what). But he may be on to something...

I've always been a lot more sensitive than anyone I knew, and I can never remember a time when I was truly happy, and I have always had problems with controlling my anger :( . I know what happiness is like, but it's always felt temporary. I don't know, I tend to brood on things in the past and I can never seem to get over anything and I replay everything in my head until I kind of get caught in this pit of hopelessness and shame. And then it goes away for a bit, and then creeps up again and again and again. I sought help from a clinical therapist when I was younger, still in high school, but he chalked it all up to teen angst. But somehow I feel like there might be something else. I look at my own younger sister who, despite the occasional outburst, is rather well adjusted. We've only ever fought once (incidentally over my D dx), but she's always been very capable of putting everything behind her, and feeling a general sense of contentment in her life. I've never had that, I'm just not happy. I'm not suicidal or anything awful like that, but I'm not happy.

So I'm wondering maybe going on a low-dose anti-depressant might change something for me? How would I talk to my doctor about this? Or do I need to see a psychiatrist for a depression dx, I am a bit confused on the process :confused: .

[Jonathan_R]

An anti-depressant may not be a bad thing, but what you are describing is a the result of a learned negative image. The way to undo that is with therapy. Anti-depressants by themselves will not fix this. You must address the negative self talk, and the negative image. Cognitive Model of Depression (http://www1.appstate.edu/~hillrw/Dep%20Cognitive/Cogindex.html)

[Cormac_Doyle]

Your A1c is 8.4 ... that means you are generally running very "high"

Before I was diagnosed with diabetes, I was on Antidepressants ... because without checking your blood glucose levels, someone who has high or fluctuating blood glucose levels will appear depressed - lethargic, bad tempered, constant "imaginary" headaches and general pains (BTW - the headaches are real ... it's caused by high blood sugar)

My advice - get your A1c down below 7 and you'll be a new person - no depression.

Of course, there are some people who do suffer from both depression and diabetes ... but don't look for additional trouble when the symptoms you are worried about are most likely caused by your diabetes.

finally - many people rfind the shock of being diagnosed with diabetes can cause a short term depression ... if you can avoid ending up on antidepressants, don't use them - they have horrible side effects, and only a very limited medical benefit.

NB - the "best" SSRI on the market today was released because 37% of the people who took it showed "some improvement" - a criterea for effectiveness simply because previous medications had even less effect. Even assuming the antidepressants do work for you, the side effects are wide ranging and potentially devastating.

For example: Seroxat actually INCREASES the likelyhood of self-harm!

Almost all anti-depressants cause significant weight gain

Many antidepressants interact badly with alcohol - which means you may need to change your lifestyle; and some can be FATAL if you take alcohol ... even in food, or as vinegar, or "alcohol free beer".

[Maying]

Thanks a lot!

It's not so much that I'm rushing to take more meds (hate them actually) but I've felt this way looooong before I developed diabetes. I was having regular random and fasting glucose tests done twice every year because my mom was afraid of me developing diabetes and not knowing about it, so my doctor estimated that I've only become full-blown diabetic this past year, so I'm not sure how much my A1C has to do with it. But I agree that waiting until it's down will probably be a good thing before making any kind of decision on this.

[orpy]

First of all, you are not alone in feel sad, depressed, lack of happiness, especially given diabetes. Life is a struggle. I do agree with the above who recommended therapy; especially along with the anti-depressant.

I've been on anti-depressants and there are times I've felt that they've helped and then other times where I thought that the medicine has reached some sort of plateau. I can't advise but be aware that once you get on them, it can be really hard to get off of them. (Never just stop; I did this once and really suffered). Try exercise, therapy, etc. before getting on the med. However, if you are truly depressed and not enjoying life one bit, you may want to try a med.

I realize this isn't too helpful; it's not an easy decision to make.

[foxl]

Rose, want to make sure you are aware SSRI's (prozac-type antidepressants) can -- CAN -- make your blood sugars harder to control.

That does not mean they are not worth looking into though of course. I am sorry you are feeling depressed, and concerned over depression. I think it is something many introspective people experience. I hope you can find a way to feel better -- pharmacologic, or not!

[MCS]

Okay, well my dad has this theory that I'm depressed. He thinks I got it from his mother (not sure if there's a genetic component or what). But he may be on to something...

I've always been a lot more sensitive than anyone I knew, and I can never remember a time when I was truly happy, and I have always had problems with controlling my anger :( . I know what happiness is like, but it's always felt temporary. I don't know, I tend to brood on things in the past and I can never seem to get over anything and I replay everything in my head until I kind of get caught in this pit of hopelessness and shame. And then it goes away for a bit, and then creeps up again and again and again. I sought help from a clinical therapist when I was younger, still in high school, but he chalked it all up to teen angst. But somehow I feel like there might be something else. I look at my own younger sister who, despite the occasional outburst, is rather well adjusted. We've only ever fought once (incidentally over my D dx), but she's always been very capable of putting everything behind her, and feeling a general sense of contentment in her life. I've never had that, I'm just not happy. I'm not suicidal or anything awful like that, but I'm not happy.

So I'm wondering maybe going on a low-dose anti-depressant might change something for me? How would I talk to my doctor about this? Or do I need to see a psychiatrist for a depression dx, I am a bit confused on the process :confused: .

So after you get your BS under control and you still think you need help. Simple, when the Doc ask what can I do for you today, you say, I am depressed and I need help. If he is a good Doc he will then draw blood, get baseline levels of your all of your hormones, and go from there. Wife and daughter both have had bouts of depression. Daughter is considered to have major depression. She nows has a master's degree in accounting and works for the gov. She has a wonderful 2yr old that keeps her busy and I think for the most part she has finally reached contentment in her life. She is on two different kinds of antidepress both of which say do not take if you are taking the other kind of antidepress. It was the combination of the two that brought her back from the brink. Good docs are out there, just takes a while to find one.

[sable_032592]

i've been on an anti-depressant for more than a few years, and i will be talking to my endo in 2 weeks about either changing the meds or increasing the dose... but being diabetic can lead to depression however, depression doesn't lead to diabetes...

if you want to, you can try taking st.john's wort for a few months (3 to 5 months will show if they're working at all)... they stink and taste awful, but they are generally well tolerated by people on few or no other medication... i would check with your pharmacist or even online @ drugs.com to see if st.john's wort has an reaction with any meds you're on...

a lot of people would rather try natural supplements before they go to actual psychatropic drugs (zoloft, effexor, welbutrin, etc...)... missing a pill like prescription mood stabilizers can lead to deeping and even suicidal thoughts... i forgot my effexor one day a few years ago and i spent the whole night crying and wondering why i woke up from my coma in 99... it was scary...

but it's up to you, you know yourself more than anyone else... listen to yourself...

[Granny Shanny]

It's good that you are concerned with this, and I agree that getting your numbers down first may be helpful. But I also know that the ruminating (brooding over things, the hopelessness & shame) is a strong indicator of depression. So is the anger.

My sweet husband was prob'ly clinically depressed for most of his life, but he kept trying to measure up to people's expectations of him and always placed the blame on himself for failing them. His own father was a GP, and had little use for psychiatric medicine, so any suggestion of depression was rapidly blown off. DH was over 60 years old when our doc finally started him on an SSRI. But during a vacation that year, he lost his pills, didn't tell me, and was off the meds for several days. That resulted in a psychotic break.

Long story short - he's now a happy man . . . he takes three kinds of meds for this condition, and it took several years to recover from that break with reality. Getting the meds fine-tuned is critical.

I, on the other hand, began to get bent outta shape at every little thing. Since DH's depression manifested itself as sadness, it never occurred to me that my anger might be a symptom of the same malady. But when I finally flew off the handle at an innocent toll booth operator, I muttered that I'd better talk to doc about this, so DH held me to it. And as soon as doc heard it, he put me on an SSRI also. I only took it to prove that it wouldn't work, because I was CERTAINLY not depressed! Shows you how much a fat old woman knows . . . Voilà! It worked!

So whatever you do, don't put it off. Mention your symptoms to your doctor & ask if it could be depression. Discuss it at length, if that's possible. Medication is not always the answer, but when it IS the answer, it's good to get started early.

[Moonglo]

Thanks a lot!

It's not so much that I'm rushing to take more meds (hate them actually) but I've felt this way looooong before I developed diabetes. I was having regular random and fasting glucose tests done twice every year because my mom was afraid of me developing diabetes and not knowing about it, so my doctor estimated that I've only become full-blown diabetic this past year, so I'm not sure how much my A1C has to do with it. But I agree that waiting until it's down will probably be a good thing before making any kind of decision on this.

Not to be nosy, but what were your eating habits like before you were diagnosed as diabetic? I only ask because there is research that suggests that most forms of depression can be attributed, at least in part, to malnutrition.

Having said that, I also agree that there's some value to going to therapy, if you can find a therapist that you like. I've found that I have to be extremely picky who I go to for therapy sessions, because finding a personality that meshes with mine is paramount if I'm going to be talking to them for an hour at a time.

If you still think you might need to try an anti-depressant, be sure you know your mental health symptoms first; for example, if you have a tendancy to get anxious and panicky, Wellbutrin is generally highly recommended, especially in people who are concerned about weight control, but probably not a good one for anyone who has anxiety issues, as it tends to make these go a little haywire. So, at the very least, I would try to talk to a licensed psychiatrist to determine what they would recommend for your particular symptoms.

Best of luck in figuring this one out. There are so many different meds out there to choose from, and it really can be hit or miss in finding one that works for you. If you do decide to try them, be patient, as they take about a month to take full effect.