I was overmedicated on multiple antidepressants for over a year. A friend of mine is in the midst of a pharmacologic circus as her shrink tries to get her chronic CRPS, fibromyalgia, and concomitant brutal depression under control. As normal people try to make decisions about how to handle this hugely profitable category of drugs, I can only hold their hands and wish them luck. Here are some fun studies to think over at 2 in the morning:
Anti-inflammatories reduce effectiveness of antidepressants. This is especially fun for people with pain:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110425153602.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmind_brain+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Mind+%26+Brain+News%29
Antidepressants may not totally fix your depression. A candidate for the “No Really??” Award:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110421082524.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily%2Fmind_brain+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Mind+%26+Brain+News%29
This set of links reaches a stunning low. All these studies are fairly recent. Hold onto your seats …
Behind Curtain #1:
Behind Curtain #2:
And the final insult:
We know that antidepressants don’t help a lot with mild to moderate depression. That’s when you lay off the sugar and learn to meditate; once you’ve meditated enough to be able to get your butt out, you start with the fresh air and activity, cut back on the starchy fatty food, and stock up on vegetables and meat.
Hints:
– Have fruit at breakfast. If you’re not a breakfast person, have just that bit of fruit.
– Don’t skip lunch.
Why? Because minor blood sugar issues are major contributors to depression. And, for reasons science has not yet caught up with, fruit starts the day properly. I theorize that it provides a digestible dose of sugar, an insulin-friendly dose of fiber, and just enough electrolytes to ease your brain into the day.
Ironically, science has finally found a definite benefit to depression: We people with depression are better at analytical reasoning — and are considerably more persistent:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/05/110504155113.htm
This is a study you can whip out when someone tells you you’re depressed because you’re weak-willed. Weakness of will is lack of persistence combined with poor reasoning. You are considerably stronger-willed than most of the un-depressed people you know!
And that’s another thing I’ve been saying for years 🙂
