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Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?

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Re: Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?

#51

Post by pasabagi »

chas wrote: post #50
pasabagi wrote: post #47

> For these reasons I am completely shit-scared of them. I see them as my option of last resort but increasingly I feel my options running out. I was in the same boat. Don't listen to the haters. Anti-depressants are amazing. Most of the people who 'cured' their depression through some kind of cheap trick turn out to have been self-diagnosed. Anti-depressants, if dosed and chosen properly, have basically no side effe…

This isn’t an accurate description of the possible side-effects. Anti-depressants can cause meaningful side-effects including changes to appetite, difficulty regulating body temperature, nausea, changes to sleep, and akathisia. They are also very, very not fun to quit abruptly if you run into an intolerable side-effect. That said, nothing that you said about depression is wrong and the effects of untreated depression…

Yeah, re-reading my post, I probably should have expanded on the 'if dosed and chosen properly' part. Obviously, if you take the wrong dose, or have an adverse reaction, it's going to not very fun. I recommend talking to a psychiatrist.

That said, my first go-around with anti-depressants was a hugely overdosed prescription of venlafaxine from an overenthusiastic doctor, which is pretty side-effect-tastic, so my eyes were rolling out of my head and I was falling off chairs for a week and it was still far superior to being depressed.

Not taking anti-depressants because you're worrying about the side effects is like not wearing your motorcycle helmet because there might be a scorpion in it. The risk of dying from depression is really high. The risk of suffering from anti-depressants is fairly remote.

Re: Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?

#53

Post by alberth »

Jtsummers wrote: post #29
alberth wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Couldn’t agree more on Vitamin D (and if possible get sun, even if it’s fake sun). Also, avoid caffeine like coffee etc. Caffeine can make things worse. EDIT: why the downvote?

I don't know why you were downvoted, but I will say that for me caffeine has not directly impacted my depressive episodes. The closest is when it impacts my sleep . I've learned that poor sleep quality and insomnia are my first obvious signs of a depressive episode, but the causal direction is not always straightforward (depression -> insomnia, insomnia -> depression? Both have happened, they feed on each other). So…

Depression and Anxiety are highly correlated.

https://www.hartgrovehospital.com/relationship-anxiety-depre...

And it’s common for the same medication to treat both anxiety and depression.

Note: I’m not a doctor and wouldn’t recommend the OP to take advice from anyone other than a medical professional.

Re: Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?

#55

Post by t-writescode »

About 6 months ago I started experiencing a level of depression that was stronger than I ever had. About 3 months ago, I started seeing a therapist; and, about 3 weeks ago, I finally decided to see a psychiatrist and get anti-depressants.

Talk to your doctor or psychiatrist about everything before making any decisions. I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice.

When I started anti-depressants, it started as nothing happening, but when they kicked in, for the first time in, basically ever, I spun myself up into actual, genuine happiness. I hadn't felt actual happiness in ... possibly decades, and I didn't even know what I had been missing.

I have a long battle ahead; but at least for me, anti-depressants showed me a little bit of what can be and I am so, so grateful for them.

edit:

Sorry, I should also add: before I was prescribed anti-depressants, I was journalling (I still am); and, before that, I had been using exercise to help handle the anger and sadness in me.

Re: Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?

#56

Post by frankincense »

PLEASE do not read any of these people's advice. Talk to a MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, preferably a DOCTOR. DO NOT trust your mental health to strangers on the internet, be it reddit, or hacker news, or whatever.

If you are based in the US and live nearby a university they usually have good counseling services and the infrastructure to refer people even if you're not attending the school. Search "{school} counseling services" on google.

Re: Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?

#57

Post by tomatowurst »

pasabagi wrote: post #47

> For these reasons I am completely shit-scared of them. I see them as my option of last resort but increasingly I feel my options running out. I was in the same boat. Don't listen to the haters. Anti-depressants are amazing. Most of the people who 'cured' their depression through some kind of cheap trick turn out to have been self-diagnosed. Anti-depressants, if dosed and chosen properly, have basically no side effe…

Dangerous advice. Anti-depressants are band-aid solutions. Depression isn't an imbalance of "chemicals", it has been marketed that way for decades to sell pills.

As soon as you are off them, you will likely relapse back into depression. While it can help someone that is in immediate risk, it does not solve the core issue of what depression is which requires a holistic, non-conventional view that Western medicine shuns, and is doomed to never address.

Stop treating it like a medical issue and it will open doors. There's a reason Western society is riddled with drug abuses, addiction, mental health issues while other societies is riddled with war, poverty, and diseases.

Re: Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?

#58

Post by throwawayboise »

gdfgjhs wrote: post #48

When I had depression, I had similar symptoms like you. I had same deep pit in the morning and unable to sleep at night. I tried exercise, read Feeling Good book, took different vitamins etc. None of this really helped. What finally worked was giving into my depression. I would come back from work, listen to sad songs, cry like a child, pray, and drink until I passed out. Within a few days, I would wake up without pi…

I don't know if I've ever been clinically depressed. I've never been diagnosed, but I've never seen a therapist or talked to a doctor about it either.

I have defintely had periods of unexplained very low motivation and lethargy. I've done the "listen to music and get really drunk alone" thing a few times. It did seem to help, though I didn't do it with that intent. It kind of slapped me in the face with a "you are pathetic, get over it" message that really sunk in. It has been a few years since I have done that.

I also started exercising (weightlifting) about 2 years ago, which is something I never did before. I have tried other exercising (biking, running, swimming, etc.) but none of it ever stuck. Weightlifting did for some reason. Barbells, not machines. Squat, bench press, deadlift. Read or watch some videos from Mark Rippetoe "Starting Strength." I can't say I enjoy doing it, but for some reason I have kept at it and I do like the effect on my body. I'm 55 and have the best muscle tone I've ever had in my life.

I also take a regular multivitamin every day, along with moderate additional C, D, and Zinc. I don't get headaches anymore and I hardly ever even get a cold. I don't eat fast food or drink soda, I eat mostly chicken, steak, and salad and drink water, coffee, or tea.

Re: Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?

#59

Post by farmerstan »

Ketamine therapy is supposed to be revolutionary for depression. You should look into it and it doesn’t have to be taken daily like SSRIs.

My sister is on SSRIs. It took a couple of different meds but she is pretty happy now. You need to do both meds and therapy for good results.

Re: Ask HN: Beating depression with or without anti-depressants?

#60

Post by pedalpete »

Are you in the US? There seems to be lots of research on psychedelics for treatment these days. It's a very interesting part of the field. From everything I understand, it's not daily dosing, but only occasionally, and possibly only once.

Others have mentioned deep breathing, you may also want to look into Holotropic Breathwork. Maybe a bit woo-woo for you, but I had a fun experience, though I don't suffer from depression.

We were looking at depression treatments a little while ago for our work in neurotech/sleeptech. There is very solid research on sleep deprivation for treatment of depression. We decided to not pursue that avenue because we're focused on improving sleep, AND it can be a dangerous treatment. Specifically not to be used if you are manic depressive, as it pushes you right into mania.

However, when I was researching depression and sleep, and talking to people with depression, one person mentioned that when he feels himself sliding, he makes sure he gets exercise, and keeps it up for a few days. He says that normally keeps him from sliding. He doesn't take SSRIs, but was diagnosed by a psychiatrist, so not a self diagnosis.

----additional---- Lastly, don't apologize about depression being a taboo subject. It is becoming much less so, and it's important to talk about it. Pushing it under the rug and ignoring the problem hasn't helped over the last 50 years (or longer).

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