Anxiety/ depression

[Jammerz64]

Hi I’m Jamie, have been on medication for about 6years now for anxiety/ depression, looking back at my life I believe I’ve suffered since a teen now I’m 57, tried many tablets but still none have made me feel good, struggling.

[gracy225]

Hi Jammerz64, I empathize with you. The sad fact is it takes a long time for a medication to work. I was lucky. After about 6 prescriptions, finally I found one that helped me. I realized during that period of time, I needed to help myself as well. It's so easy (at least for me) to depend on a little tablet to fix everything. I wished it worked that way, but it does not. Best of luck to you! xgracy

[Pearwig]

I have suffered with depression/anxiety for about 20 years. At the moment I am well, trying SLOWLY to reduce my daily dose of antidepressant (Sertraline) and trying to resist the temptation to take on too many stressful voluntary activities. Be kind to yourself. Take a nap if you feel the need to (but 45 minutes maximum and not more than 2 a day!). If anything seems too difficult, try to do a tiny bit of it and then rest, and reward yourself. Go outside for a walk each day. Try to talk face-to-face to someone every day. Believe that YOU WILL GET BETTER. Best wishes to you and yours.

[DaveSpice]

I have always been anti-medication, they are mostly quick fixes that don't last and have side effects too. I try to find ways of fixing the problem, by whatever means. With anxiety we are having irrational thoughts and we need to talk ourselves out of them. It takes a lot of time and effort, but most things that are not easy, they are usually worth it.

If we are dealing with a crisis that is one thing, but long term depression is something else. This guy has helped me a lot with stress and as a result I don't allow things to bother me as much. I have lists of things to do on my wall based on what I have learned, ok I have a poor memory, so I write it down and I can even revise when I am feeling good, to keep things in my mind for the bad times.

Start with this one and search for more youtube.com/watch?v=JiDaTi_...(Not working as expected?)

I don't know how busy you are, but if you are not get busy and a great idea is to help others and when you have brag about it in your mind, or with your artner "I/we did that and look how that person's life is better" I am not talking about putting money in a charity box, that is another quick fix, I am talking about doing something where you can see the result close up, where it takes effort.

This will improve your self worth and that is always benificial. Is the world a better place as a result of my existence?

Wean yourself off the pills and/or throw them away and be proud that you have.

[IFearFear]

Hi Jamie! I empathize with your situation. I turned 50 last year and have been battling anxiety and depression for as far back as I can remember. My parents used to tell stories of me as a small child having meltdowns in certain situations - which I now recognize as panic attacks. It took a very long time to find a medication that works for me, but currently I am pretty stable. I even made it thru a long much needed dentist appointment last week - which was a huge accomplishment for me. I have never understood the anti-medication stance for mental health. I have an underactive thyroid for which I will take a pill daily for the rest of my life. I have family members with high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes - all things that require monitoring and medication. Even with diet changes and exercise, sometimes medications are required, side effects and all. Mental health is no different. There is no shame or weakness in taking appropriate medication for any illness - physical or mental. It takes amazing strength and courage to seek help and you should be proud that you are still fighting and working to get better. It exhausting for sure. I hope that you see some improvement soon - whether that is with or without medication. We all deserve to live a full, peaceful life.

[designguy]

hello Jamie, i'm not sure if it is available in the UK but I had tried numerous meds without success and wound up doing a psychopharmacological test using my dna that determined which meds were best suited for me genetically. My test was from Genesight but there may be other brands available. I started on one of the meds it recommended and it has worked well. It also showed that none of the meds I had tried before were right for me.

Even on the working med I still had issues with anxiety. It took learning that what I had been taught about it was wrong and the way to deal with anxiety was by learning to accept the anxious thoughts and feelings and not fight or resist them. I recommend the DARE Anxiety book and their youtube videos on how best to approach and heal anxiety.

Also learning and practicing simple mindfulness to be able to not get caught up in anxious thinking and let the thoughts flow in and out is very helpful. It also helps you be more present in your life.

Learning and practicing self-acceptance and self-compassion are also very important for your healing and there is a lot of good info on youtube and books for it.

Best to you.

[Bunny742]

Hi Jammerz 64 don’t feel alone. I am in the same boat as you although I have been seeing drs and been on meds much longer. I don’t feel like any med will ever make me not have severe anxiety. It’s a terrible feeling. And its like no one understands how I feel. That’s why I joined this group.

[Alladin]

Although I do not downplay the role and help of meds they do have limitations and sometimes they are automatically viewed as a cure all before other “slower” things are tried. I know several people who used a wholistic approach and slowly weaned themselves off meds, with their doctors’ approval and guidance, of course. A diet consisting of less processed food and more fruits, nuts, and vegetables can do wonders. I myself have lost a lot of weight by avoiding processed food, carbs and sugars. Keto diet had also helped some of my friends’ anxieties. It is something you might want to look at, if you have not considered this. There is so much hope. Hope you get better, my friend.