Question:
Is it possible to fight depression without medication?
I have read alot of profile inwhich AMOS members have stated that the have gotted depressed after surgery for whatever reason. Is there anyone who have suffered from depression and did not seek professional help. If so, how did you fight it? — Shiwanda H. (posted on April 22, 2002)
April 22, 2002
When you have a headache you take an aspirin. Same thing.
— faybay
April 22, 2002
When I have a headache, I light some lavender oil and do some relaxation
techniques - I try to stay away from medications when I can help it. I do
not believe that all answers come from popping a pill - seems like what
society is the most comfortable with, for the most part. I believe there
are alternative measures to treat every minor problem - I've gone through
the down modes after surgery, that's for sure but as soon as it kicks in, I
remember how badly I wanted the surgery and for what reasons. I jotted
down on my journal the worst of the worst days prior to surgery and the
best of the best days prior to surgery. Even my worst days after surgery
do not compare to the down parts I had prior to surgery - I made it through
surgery !! It's a blessing within itself - God's given me a chance at life
again - a healthy life...it's far more of a blessing than others. Hang in
there when the times get low - things will always pick up.
— Lisa J.
April 22, 2002
Hi there. I am 28 days post(-18lbs) and believe I am "suffering"
from depression. I have never had depression before and didn't
"DO" anything for two weeks. Then I decided I'd had enough of
it....so I went to church! AND I refocused on the reason for the WLS to
begin with. Also, the weather is getting better, my back pain isn't as
great, I can get out and walk----I'm still struggling w/ the water thing
but I'm taking each day as it comes. Exercise is a good way to ward off
depression and so is prayer. Hope this helps. Good luck. Page
— V. Page C.
April 22, 2002
I also have found that some depression is totally normal after WLS. Mine
really hit in at 18+ months post op. You need to decide if this depression
is serious enough to warrant outside help (therapy or meds). You must look
at the frequency, duration and intensity of the depression. A mild
depression you can probably dismiss as a change of life thing. However of
you notice that you can't seem to get yourself out of bed 3 days a week and
are crying on a dime, I would seek the advice of a professional. Have you
had depression issues in the past? Another thing you must consider is
attending support group meetings. This will propably confirm that the
depression is associated to the WLS and you can speak to peers that have
gone through the same thing.
— Jeannet
April 22, 2002
I'm with Page. I always have peace with deep, meaningful prayer. The Lord
is the Comforter. He can give you peace. I had peace going into the OR
and never had a day of depression. I give all of the credit to the Father
above. Yes, hormones can wreak havoc with you after surgery, and mine
certainly did. But you just have to be strong and have faith. I'm sure
that there are going to be many that don't understand, but I will challenge
them to try it. Enjoy your journey, each step of the way!!
— Cheri M.
April 22, 2002
Just a question...how would taking an aspirin help with
depression?<br>
Just kidding!
— Becky H.
April 22, 2002
Hi, if you do seek medical help and are told you should try
anti-depressants, please remember to trust your instincts about how you are
doing overall. Hopefully you already have a trusted primary care physician
and he or she can evaluate the possible need for medication. My point is,
don't be afraid to take an anti-depressant, but do some research on them
first and try the lowest dose first so you don't get overmedicated. Don't
let anyone talk you into taking numerous medications if you have never had
any symptoms of a serious emotional or mental disorder. Depression is far
different than a severe psychosis. Remember that these medications do take
some time to work...you may feel MORE tired or "blah" at first
but after the first 3 or 4 weeks that should subside. If you're still not
feeling up to par after 6 weeks, then you should try to increase the dose.
Don't be shy about telling your doctor about any side effects. Most
importantly, do your best to keep active and expose yourself to people who
are positive influences on you. It really IS better to be alone than to
surround yourself with negative influences. I've worked on my emotional and
mental health to a point now where I understand myself better than I ever
have. That's one thing that makes me more confident going into WLS. I know
it could still be tough, but I also know how to recognize when I should
seek help. Take care and God Bless - Anna
— Anna L.
April 22, 2002
If a person has real depression, not just sadness or blues, they are no
more able to pull themselves out of it, than we were able to just eat less
and exercise. How people who have had WLS, cannot understand the
disability of depressions is beyond me. Medication and therapy for
depression is not "the easy way out" or just a mater of will
power. Love to you all. Fay
— faybay
April 22, 2002
Hi. I just had to respond to your post. The simple answer to that is
"NO". I suffered for 5 yrs with depression. I thought it was just
a mood swing, figured I'd get over it. Never happened. Prozac alone didn't
help either. Therapy and prozac together helped. And that was only after my
depression swallowed me and I tried to commit suicide. If you have true
depression, nothing, not hugs, kisses, food, anything, can ever get you out
of it. If you have a mood swing then yes, you can get over it (by mood
swing I mean you feel sad for a day or week but it goes away and comfort
things make it better). But sadly, real depression is something that can be
gotten over so easily. After my suicide attempt my mother kept telling me
to "snap out of it". I was not able to. It took over 6 months of
therapy and medicines to bring me to the wonderful place I am today.
— Renee V.
April 22, 2002
YES, you CAN fight depression without meds!!! I come from a long line of
manic depressives and can tell you that for a fact!!! I had some problems
dealing with my dad's cancer when he was dying (12 yrs ago), felt that I
needed someone to talk to, went to a psychologist (he gave me a test &
told me I had the worst case of manic depression he had ever seen), he in
turn knew my gen. physician, and between the two of them I was on every
anti-depressant known!!! I was suicidal too (my daughter is the only
reason I'm alive today), the day I got better was the day I flushed every
one of those pills down the toilet!!! I have learned to recognize my
'depressed thoughts'. When I have them, and I still do, still have the
crying jag on occasion, I have learned to think positive, think about how
wonderful my life really is, think of something I want to go do, think of
something I HAVE to do, anything, just keep myself busy!!! There have been
times since my dad's death that I have been seriously depressed, after I
had my son, after my WLS, and I DO just have to "snap out of it".
Life is too short to be depressed, keep yourself busy... read a book,
play on the puter, do a little housework, dream of what your new life is
going to be like, play a game with your children, make slow love to your
husband. Yes, there will still be depressed thoughts, but you have to
recognize them for what they are, you can let them take you down, or you
can take them down. Like L.J., I have kept a journal, it definately helps,
just keep a lock on it :) And like Cheri and V., I have God in my life, he
always listens to me, calms me, none of this would have been possible
without His unconditional love surrounding me... I close my eyes and can
see Him holding my hand :) I know I'm not the only one that will say a
prayer for you, Good Luck Hun!
— DonnaCarol
April 22, 2002
You've taken the first step toward fighting depression without meds or
doctors. Reach OUT to people. Reach out to family, friends, loved ones
and other WLS patients like us. If your WLS doctor offers a support
group-GO! If he/she doesn't find an online support group. Talking to
someone does help. Being around others who are suffering like you are does
help. Try the chat room even, but don't let yourself feel like you are in
this alone. You're not. Good luck to you.
— Michelle L.
April 22, 2002
Been there both ways and now I ask myself over and over "why did I
want to battle this problem without medication?" It was uphill for a
long time and for years I stuggled upwards on a peddle bike. Now I've got
a motor on the bike and it's name is Medication. This med does not zombie
me out, (if it does have the dr try another) but rather makes the chemicals
the levels God intended to begin with)but rather makes me feel
"normal" like most people feel all the time. Try it without if
you want but please don't eliminate it as a option. Life has enough
battles we can't get out of, why make them any harder then needed? God's
blessings
— Brenda F.
April 22, 2002
You know, I just can't get over people who are MO telling others that to
beat depression, they just have to 'snap out of it' and so on and so on.
It's exactly like telling someone who is MO that they should 'just push
themselves away from the table.' With all due respect to whoever it was
that told you that you had the worst case of manic-depression he had ever
seen, Donna, that is so not true. If you truly had manic-depression, the
odds of your being able to treat it w/o meds are incredibly small. It is
one thing to suffer a period of post-op depression because of all the
changes your body has gone through. It is another thing altogether to
suffer from clinical depression. Clinical depression is a chemical
imbalance in the body and is very unlikely to get better without meds and
therapy. You can no more 'snap out of it' than you can 'snap your fingers'
and have your excess weight disappear.
— garw
April 22, 2002
Gar, Forgive me, but I feel I am right. I have struggled with depression
all my life. I have been to more than one psychologist, psychiatrist,
counselor, etc., the one I referred to just happened to be the first to
test me, but not the only one to diagnose me as manic depressive. I
watched my great-grandmother, still watch my grandfather, and watched my
father struggle with it. Not much was known about it during their lives,
but there is so much knowledge about it now. I not only have it, but my 16
year old daughter lives with it too, she was diagnosed as bipolar (the new
name for manic depressive) four years ago, before that she dealt with ADHD,
OCD, ODD, and so many other disorders. It was explained to me then that
ALL these disorders stemmed from her being bipolar. Her psychiatrist had
her on so many drugs she didn't know which end was up, trying her out on
something new whenever the old quit working, zoned her out, made her cry
constantly, made her a walking time bomb, caused her to gain 30 pounds,
etc., the list goes on and on. I was sick of seeing her in that shape and
she was sick of being there. She wanted to quit the meds, and after 13
unlucky years of meds, I let her. I started talking to her, asking her to
be aware of her thoughts, aware if what she was thinking wasn't right, to
talk to me, to talk to her counselor (who is aware of her diagnosis and how
we both feel about the meds). It works for me and it's working for her.
She stays busy, rides her horse, rides her 4-wheeler, plays tennis, shops
and goes to the movies with friends, she reads and keeps a journal, does
what she now knows she has to do in order to keep the depression at bay.
Best of all though, I have seen her thinking go from chaos to reasonably
calm and rational (as good as that gets for a 16 year old). I have seen
the change in her since she stopped taking the meds and started listening
to her thoughts. I know the changes in myself since I stopped taking them.
Sure, if you are hearing voices, or seeing snakes crawling up the wall,
you definately need to be on something. But I KNOW even true-blue manic
depression can be handled without medication, I have two cases of living,
healthy-minded proof under my roof.
— DonnaCarol
April 22, 2002
Well, forgive me, but this is a subject I feel strongly about. I have an
inherited disorder that causes a chemical imbalance, and you can see it in
jst about all the female members of my mother's side of the family. I have
fought chronic depression and anxiety due to this disorder since I was 13.
I 've had docs zombie me out, and I've had docs tell me to pull myself up
"by my bootstraps." To me, this is like having diabetes. If you
have it, you want to treat it. This can kill you just as easily as cancer,
I know because it almost did me. Faye B. is right, if you have a headache,
you take tylenol or aspirin for it, unless you just like suffering. Love
to all, Donna in AL
— Donna S. C.
April 22, 2002
I don't believe that Shiwanda is talking about long-term depression with
chemical imbalance here. In her question it appears that she is asking
about the immediately post-op blues that seems so common following WLS.
There is a difference when talking about being 'down' from a hormonal
imbalance and being chronically depressed from a chemical imbalance. There
is absolutely nothing wrong with treating a disorder with medication, and
those having that difficulty should seek that help. Those that suffer from
post-op depression, or what should be called the 'blues', should realize
that it won't last forever and should try to keep a postive state of mind.
I didn't think that offering a simple suggestion of prayer would cause so
much conflict.
— Cheri M.
April 22, 2002
Cheri, I believe your last post was excellent. Sometimes we all give
blanket answers to multifaceted questions. Thanks for the clarity. Hugs
Fay
— faybay
April 23, 2002
Things that helped me were getting LOTS of walking in, lots of sunshine,
espically important in the winter, and having some fun. They never did find
a anti depressant that didnt have bad side affects for me. One generated
pain ike kidney stones, one made me a mental imbecille, one had me climbing
the walls.... Fortunately I was one of the lucky ones that lost the weight
AND depression. They say in my case its a matter of self image. Whatever
surgery WORKED~!
— bob-haller
April 23, 2002
It depends on the type of depression. If it is just post-op related, it
probably is possible to help with psychotherapy. In my case, I have a
chemical imbalance which effects me even when things are great!!! (runs in
the family). So medication is the choice for me, but I do not go to
therapy. It's good to be prepared though.
— emilyfink
April 25, 2002
The best nonmedical treatments for Mild depression are exercise and
cognitive behavioral therapy. I have taken meds for chemical depression for
years, but I do not think all depression warrants this. Post-op I find now
that if I don't exercise regularly, I get depressed- even while taking
meds. Therefore don't underestimate the power of exercise. However, if you
are having thoughts of hurting yourself or others- get to a doctor pronto.
There is no virtue in suffering needlessly.
— Kathleen C.
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