I am severely depressed and it is becoming hard to function. Every morning I wake up and feel totally despondent. I have to keep going for my kids. My husband is totally insensitive.
My doctor prescribed wellbutrin which I started taking yesterday, now this morning I have a weird headache. I read the info that came with the meds and it looks like this medication can cause seizures which scares me
I was on prozac which helped some, but I was gain ing lots of weight on it so the doctor switched me to the wellbutrin. I just wondered if anyone had take this and wha t your experiences were. thanks.
Posted by chastain (Member # 34236) on :
Hi homesick. My best friend took Wellbutrin for a period of time. It gave her migraines so she stopped. She had an eating disorder in her teens however, and Wellbutrin is contraindicated for people with a history of anorexia or bulimia. It can give them seizures, but I am not exactly sure why.
If you haven't experienced either one of those conditions, I think yr chances of seizures are relatively low on it. I may be wrong however. I haven't taken many psych drugs so I'm sorry I can't help more.
All the best Jess.
Posted by homesick73 (Member # 36551) on :
thanks chastain. I know I need something, but am a little paranoid about the side effects of this. I have had severe headaches for years, so it worries me that this could trigger them again.
Posted by chastain (Member # 34236) on :
I hear ya. My best friend went through a cycle of meds for years. She has been able to stay off antidepressants through Cognitive behavioral therapy. Stay on the meds during the acute phases of the depression like she did, then maybe try therapy to see if you can step off the drugs.
I really wish you all the best. My heart goes out to ya. jess.
Posted by homesick73 (Member # 36551) on :
I've been clinically depressed for years and have tried therapy to no avail. Maybe I have brain damage from this awful disease, I don't know.
The only thing that seems to give me any relief are the pills, though it seems like they lose their effectiveness after a while, so I have to try something else.
Most of my problem is my situation with the lyme and with problems in my family. there doesn't seem to be any answers so everything seems hopeless. I have to keep going for the kids sake, they are the only thing keeping me going.
I just try to put one foot in front of the other, but it's really hard. I don't have to tell you that though. I am so glad to have found lymenet. The people here acutally get it.
Posted by chastain (Member # 34236) on :
Homesick, I am sorry for what you are going through. I would urge you to try therapy again if and when the depression seems to lessen. My best friend doesn't have lyme but she has chronic depression and had a severe eating disorder. She was told she could never be off pills and she would never be "ok".
Well, now she is married and healthy and happy and the only thing crazy about her is her sense of humor, which i share lol. I say do not give up on at least the possibility of the depression lifting someday without pills. Def take em now when you need em, but know there is hope to be free of depression.
It also sounds like a lot of yr depression is situational, i.e. all that you are going through. I can relate. I am pretty depressed at the moment myself, but its because of being sick and having some other personal issues. I think if we werent depressed being this sick, that would be really crazy lol.
I know how hard it is to keep going. I cry myself to sleep MANY nights. But ya gotta keep fighting. I wish you all the happiness and health in the world. Jess
Posted by homesick73 (Member # 36551) on :
Thanks for the kind words.
Posted by chastain (Member # 34236) on :
Anytime!!!
Posted by MannaMe (Member # 33330) on :
homesick, do you take omega 3 fish oil? I found it to be helpful when I had depression.
My healthcare provider said he finds most depression is caused by a lack of omega 3's.
Posted by homesick73 (Member # 36551) on :
Manna me, I do not take omega 3s, but probably should. Thanks for the tip, I will give it a try.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Wellbutrin caused me to faint, a lot. Legs would just give out and I'd flop to the floor.
Magnesium & Fish oil are the two best helpers for mood. B vitamins, too.
In addition to MAGNESIUM, & FISH OIL, Good B's:
I did far better with Adrenal support. THAT's why my mood would crash each afternoon, adrenal exhaustion and nutrient deficiencies.
Also was taking cytomel (T3) and that can cause severe depression mid-day when it wears off.
I had a terrible reaction to all the chemical antidepressants but by supplying needed nutrients, my mood has been just fine (of course, all things considered).
Going Gluten-Free also really helped lift depression. Amazingly so.
Bottom line, though: be sure that all infections are being addressed - including the parasites that often travel with lyme - heavy metals, food sensitivities and environmental triggers (mold, chemicals, etc.)
LIVER support, too, is vital to help mood. When the liver is overwhelmed, depression WILL occur. With lyme and with treatment, the liver is always overwhelmed.
Be sure your liver support plan is very solid.
Milk Thistle, NAC, Dandelion, etc.
-------------------------------
And PROTEIN helps mood, too. -
[ 07-11-2012, 11:43 AM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
The Importance of MAGNESIUM to Human Nutrition -
Posted by Nicole_Denise (Member # 20620) on :
I am on Wellbutrin. I started on 150mg, but that made me not sleep, so my doctor moved it down to 100mg just recently.
To be honest, I need to follow up with her because I don't know if 100mg is enough to do anything, but so far I am having no side effects. And even on the higher dose it was only insomnia
I picked Wellbutrin because it had fewer side effects than other anti-depressants. and even my ND thinks it is better than most others
There are lots of horror stories of anti-depressants, and some of them aren't good, but not all of them are awful.
There are a lot of not-awful possible side effects, but honestly, I would give it a try. If you have side-effects, you can stop.
Posted by Nicole_Denise (Member # 20620) on :
Also- wellbutrin is more likely to cause weight loss than weight gain (I know, not the most important thing, but let's be honest- it's not like we need to add gaining weight to our list of things to worry about)
I would recommend trying to see a psychologist- I saw one for months before starting an anti-depressant- but that doesn't necessarily mean that pills won't help.
Therapy helps, but the strategies they gave you take effort. On bad days they take a lot of effort. I found myself just getting too tired of trying so hard all the time.
My way of looking at is was that therapy gave me coping mechanisms, and anti-depressants made those mechanisms easier, and made the bad days a little less bad.
Posted by chastain (Member # 34236) on :
Homesick, how are you doing on the wellbutrin? Side effects becoming more bearable yet? Jess.
Posted by homesick73 (Member # 36551) on :
They are about the same. I have had a very hard time sleeping lately and think the wellbutrin might be making this even worse.
I took some drops with melatonin in them last night felt really out of it. I don't know if that's just from the drops or the wellbutrin had something to do with it. I did sleep though. Not sure what to do at this point, maybe try for a few more days and see.
I like the idea of trying theomega 3, since they don't have the side effects. Thanks for checking on me.
Posted by chastain (Member # 34236) on :
Homesick, I really hope something works for you very soon. My best friend went through the antidepressant rounds, as I told you, and I know from helping her through how rough the side effects can be.
Yeah, she takes fish oil supplements to this day and they help her with her mood tremendously. I hope you try them and they help. And no need to thank me, though I appreciate you doing so. Feel better. Jess.
Posted by homesick73 (Member # 36551) on :
I like to thank you guys because I am so grateful to have new friends who understand.
Posted by pab (Member # 904) on :
My son (age 26) started Wellbutrin recently for depression. It was helping, but his headache was a 10+. (He has psuedo-tumor cerebri and his headache is always at least a 7.)
His psychiatrist told him he would get a headache for a few weeks if his dopamine level is low. The headache should go away when the dopamine level increases.
Posted by kelmo (Member # 8797) on :
Wellbutrin literally saved the life of me and my daughter.