Depression really does hurt

You hear these commercials on t.v. how depression hurts.  I never really believed and understood until I was treated.  For about 1 year I've been complaining of my feet burning and tingling at night.  To the point where I couldn't cover them with the covers.  If I sat on the couch for more than 20 minutes, my feet and legs would hurt really bad.  I honestly thought it was due to the weight gain.  At night I sleep on my belly with both arms up around my head.  I would wake up in the middle of the night in horrible pain in my arms and shoulders.  I always thought it was my sleeping position, so I tried real hard to change my position, however, in the middle of the night I would wind right back to my favorite spot.  Well, about 2 months ago my doctor put my on Cymbalta, (for depression) my first fear was, how much weight am I gonna gain?  After my first check up, I had actually lost 4 lbs.  with out really even trying.  During my check up I was complaining about a head ache.  My doctor proceded to ask me about all the other symptons, it was as though a light bulb was turned on.  I suddenly realized, the pain was substantially less.    We are still dealing with the head aches, but honestly they could be triggered from my eyes.  I'm on the computer all day.  And the headaches seem to get worse by the end of the day. 

Depression is so common, people just do not believe or understand.  Since I've started taking the Cymbalta, I've noticed and so has my husband just how I've changed.  I'm more playful.  I actually like going home and hanging out with my family.  Don't get me wrong.  I love my family very much.  But all I ever wanted to do was just sit on the couch and be left completely alone.  My 7 year old daughter said to me the other day "Mommy, your alot of fun and you're so funny. I like playing with you, again."  That meant the whole world to me.  Plus, I'm enjoying playing with her too.  My husband even said last night that I'm more like I use to be.  Meaning playfull.   He likes what's happening. 

So my message to everyone.  If you have unexplained pain or feel like you would just rather disappear, please - please, go see a doctor.  It very well could be due to depression.  I'm a believer.

My son is taking the same med you are.  We tried other meds and at first I never really believed in them but it got to the point we had to do something.  This child was miserable and nothing we ever did made him smile.  He went from D's & F's and no friends, to a straight A report card.  He is very outgoing now and he even has friends over.  Depression is horrible and it must be taken care of.  I have seen what it can do to a person and it is just unbelievable until you experience it.  I have no clue what he does through but I can see the effects it has.

Take care....I am glad you and my son are both doing better.

I totally agree with you.  I am a depression sufferer...have been since about 1986.  I've been taking Paxil for years and years.  It's really helped stabilize me....more energy, more excitement...and like you said, more playful.

It's nothing to be ashamed of....it's real and has real consequences.  It's wonderful you found out and are feeling better.  I salute you!  Keep up the good work!

For those of you suffering, I have a couple questions. I have reason to believe that I may be suffering from depression. I moved to a new state and away from all family and friends. It's been very difficult for me to meet people. I often find myself just sitting in my apartment not doing much. My boyfriend and I spend a lot of time together, but even when he is around I get lonely. When I talk to people about it they give me the same advice, "Just get up and go do something." Honestly though, I don't want to. Some days I really just want to lay on my couch with my remote and although I'm sad and lonely I just don't want to move. Last time my boyfriend went away for business I cried and cried and cried. Almost two whole days (no I did not look pretty).

What do you guys think? Do you have any advice? I would like to talk to someone, but I feel ashamed of it. I am perfectly healthy in body and understand it's OK to be sick in mind, but I am just having a hard time asking for help. What can I do?

**** tinydesire ****

  Here is a self-assessment checklist from the Cymbalta web site.  If this sounds like you, please print this and take it to your doctor.  You would be totally amazed at how much better you'll feel by talking it over with him/her.  It is nothing to be ashamed of, it could be just as simple as a chemical imbalance.  Something you have absolutely no control over.  Please keep me in touch.  I worry about any one who suffers from depression.  I've dealt with it on and off for the last 7 years, I've just finally found a drug that really helps.

Self-Assessment Checklist

Everyone experiences the symptoms of depression a little differently, but healthcare professionals have identified some common emotional and painful physical symptoms of depression.

Fill out the checklist below, then print your results. Use your answers to help you talk to your doctor about how you are feeling. Only your doctor or healthcare professional can make a proper diagnosis.

This checklist was developed by depression experts at the University of Michigan.

Depression Checklist
Check all boxes that apply to you.

I'm often restless and irritable.

I don't enjoy hobbies, leisure activities, or time with friends and family anymore.

I'm having trouble managing my diabetes, hypertension, or other chronic illness.

I have nagging aches and pains that don't get better, no matter what I do.

My sleep patterns are irregular:

I'm sleeping too much.

I'm not sleeping enough.

I often have:

Digestive problems

Headaches or backaches

Vague aches and pains (e.g., joint or muscle pains)

Chest pains

Dizziness

I have trouble concentrating or making simple decisions.

People have commented on my mood or attitude lately.

My weight has changed considerably.

I feel that my functioning in everyday life (work and my interactions with family and friends) is suffering because of these problems.

I've had several of the symptoms I checked above for more than two weeks.

I have a family history of depression.

I've thought about suicide.

Yes, a lot of people that have depression never realize they have it until someone either points it out to them, or they realize it long after they've had it.

I myself was depressed for a couple years, very irritable, agitated, a total homebody (in comparison to when I was a teenager and was NEVER home, always out and about)... Anyway, I also have Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I decided to see a doc about the anxiety, who then diagnosed that I had depression as well. Well, after a few months of meds for anxiety, I felt better, but not completely, so they took me off ot it. My mood swings got worse after getting off the medication, and they soon found out that I was Bi-Polar. This was just a few months ago. I was put on medication call Lamictal for Bi-Polars and was just yesterday put on the full dose to see how well it works out. My anxiety is around all the time, whether I'm on an up or down mood, so they decided to add an anti-anxiety medication in there as well yesterday to calm my anxiety. I'm feeling ok this week (yes, this week... I rapid cycle, meaning depressed one week, happy one week... yuck)... Hopefully the new medication works.

So point is, yes, depression is a very common thing amongst us. And most people don't even know they have it! My husband I believe is also suffering but refuses to see a doctor (it's usually the males that have trouble believing they have depression).

I've had bi-polar and dystonia due to the medication I was taking at the time for epilepsy.  When I stopped taking it, it went away, but the dystonia will remain with me forever, sadly.  Sometimes medicines can make you worse.  You just have to be careful.  The medicine I take now is helping both my epilepsy and dystonia, sadly this was recommended by my father in the first place, but the doctors ignored him.   Sometimes, all they care about is money.  So, you have to be careful when picking doctors too.

cmshinn - thank you for that test! i added you as a friend. I hope we can talk about htis and whatever else happens to pop up. i appreciate your help. i have printed the quiz and will take it with me to my doctor in april. i really think this is going to help and i hope my doctor is welcoming about the topic. she is wonderful and very receptive so i'm sure it will be no problem.

I'm glad I posted the message and it was nice to hear what everyone else goes through with their depression. At least I know I am not alone. I'm sure it will take me time to handle this, but i'll get there.

I have Seasonal Affective Disorder (you get very depressed during the winter months because there's less sunlight and then feel a surge of euphoria once spring hits because the increase in daylight hours) and I also get very bad mood swings with my PMS. But I suffored for years with Major Depression (low self-esteem, self imposed isolation, feeling worthless and useless, hating myself and contemplating suicide). I helped myself recover by using St. John's Wort and through many friends who listened to me and helped me through a very difficult period in my life. www.coping.org helped me a lot.

Some people can recover from depression on their own, but for the majority of people you need help from a doctor and that may include needing to be put on a medication. Especially if you are so depressed that it is affecting your life and your ability to function. It took me six months to get to wear I feel comfortable to be sociable and feel like I don't need to hide in self imposed isolation all the time. But it took a lot of hard work on my part and a lot of telling myself what a wonderful person I am.

Self Esteem also plays a part in depression so look over this checklist and see how you score http://www.more-selfesteem.com/test.htm   If you score low on the test than it may be another sign of depression.

I feel so much better now than I have in years. I have a lot more self esteem and I love myself. I still have my days where it's difficult. But they are only days, not weeks and months and years. There is hope. You can recover from depression.

I was just diagnosed with a bunch of mental health disorders! This after 42 mentally healthy years!

i have Major Depression, OCD, ADD and Anxiety disorder. The anxiety is the worst for me although when the depression was at it's worth I did consider ending my life. I am the mother of seven with a wonderful DH.

Thankfully DH saw the warning signs and literally dragged me to the doc and eventually a phsychiatrist. I am currently taking three different anti depressants, an anxiety med, lipitor for the bad cholesterol, tamoxfin for breast cancer. it's a lot of meds but I am getting better. I also go to therapy once a week.

Major history of depression in my family of origin never talked about. This needs to come out of the closet if people are going to recover.

Louise.

I'm so confused on what to do. I'm not sure if I have depression or not. I've looked through pages and pages of textbooks, online websites, and I'm still unsure. Maybe I'm bipolar?

I'm almost always happy. Unusually happy. Energetic too. I'm fun to be around and always the "life of the party." But every now and then I'll fall apart. I'm not completely sure what triggers it. Like today I called my boyfriend on the phone in hopes of doing something today. He told me he was at a friend of mine's house at an Easter Egg Hunt. He sounded like he was having the time of his life. It was nice to hear him so happy, but then suddenly I felt like me being on the phone with him was this huge burdan and I didn't want to take him away from being with his friends. So I said bye, and that was that. Then I started sobbing and I felt this huge aching in my chest and I wanted to die ...

And whenever I get into this depressed mood I start thinking about my dad. He died when I was nine (7 years ago) and to this day I think it's my fault. I've talked to people about that, but it won't get out of my head all the things I could've done to save his life.

I know you're reading this and probably thinking, "She's insane...get her help!" But ... I am a bit nervous about asking my doctor anything. I know that our doctor isn't a very good one. She's only there to suck money out of our pockts ... she's one of "those." If I ask her for anything she'll just prescribe me the most expensive drug on the market that'll screw me over so I'll need to take four billion other pills. I don't want to do that. :(

But ... it's just now. Right now I'm completely in the dumps. I can't do much of anything (I've been trying to do my homework for the past few hours and it's not working. So instead I've been doing some research on depression.) But tomorrow morning I'll wake up and look at what I've just written and laugh. I'll be like, "what was wrong with me?! I was just being over emotional."

Am I?

How can I find out?

Please help,
Chimerical

chimerical, it's quite normal to have ups and downs, especially at your age.  with the sadness in your life from losing your dad, you will always have moments when you will be reminded of that, and sink a little lower than you otherwise would.  it really helps to have someone to talk to, and it sounds like people are trying to help you, but unless you have someone who's been through what you've been through, it may not be enough. 

so, i guess what i'm saying is, it's OKAY to feel extremely sad sometimes.  it sounds like you do bounce back pretty quickly.  but if you find it's lasting a lot longer than a day, see if you can find someone else to talk to about it.  if you are here on calorie-count hoping to improve your diet, you may even see a difference in how you feel emotionally, after you get a healthier body.  i congratulate you on starting so young!