Although I wouldnt say I am depressed I am feeling very down in the dumps recently. Being young and feeling like this is quite hard to cope with I find. I have to miss nights out with friends, day trips with family and many other things because I just dont feel up to it. I know things like this are not the end of the world but being pretty much stuck in the house really gets me down. Friends are sympathetic but dont quite understand.
I would just like to know what sort of things people do to help them perk up a bit and keeps them away from sinking into a depression?
xx
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hjones
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I have been there many times so i know how you feel it is hard to see light at the end of the tunnel sometimes but there is hope.
I can only tell you what has helped me and hope something might help you.
firstly i would go and see your GP and get on an anti-depressant as with fibromyalgia our serotonin levels deplete faster and that has an effect on your mood. ( i am not a big believer in popping pills for the answer but with this i am speaking from experience)
I would also go and speak to someone I went to the womens center and got some counselling (for free) you get seen quicker there than you would through your GP it was my GP that told me about it. it gives you a chance to talk openly and it may even give you a different perspective on things.
But what helped me the most was hypnotherapy it really helped me to accept the changes that fibro brings and to stop beating myself up for not being 'able' to do things. and it is amazing how big a change comes when you look at things in a different way.
I think that depression/low moods is something we will always have to battle off and on so now when i feel my mood changing I do meditation, listen to music and do things that cheer me up.
I also find that saying yes to social events is important ( i know it is easier to stay in, i became a hermit for some time and its not good for your soul) even if it is visiting a fried for a bru/meal etc. I have found the extra pain is worth it because i had fun and i could be in pain the next day anyway.
i have probably missed something out but I hope something here helps
if you want to talk further please don't hesitate.
i think its guna be something i mention to my gp next time i go. like i say, im not quite at depression stage as yet, i have suffered with it many years ago and i know i dont feel as bad as i did then but i cant see how i could end up with depression again. it seems strange as i find when i have had a good day with limited pain come the evening i feel down in the dumps but when i have a day of constant pain i dont feel the same in the evenings, maybe it because im just to tired to care after a bad day!
i think you make a very good point about looking at things in a different way, thats how i used to live my life - a glass half full kind of girl, everything happens for a reason- but since being so ill it seems impossible to think like that, what reason is there for me to be so ill is what seems to go through my head now. i am finding talking on here a really positive thing as well, ive spent many hours on here today reading through people's posts and blogs and while im looking through here i find my down feeling temporarily lifting even though some of the reading can be quite scary!
I'm on Mirtazipine and it is and anti depressant and relaxant in one and I have had no side effects.
good luck and here if you want to talk further
Keep smiling x
I agree with Irene I am not depressed at the moment but have been there I take 75mg of dosulepin with 0.5 mg of clonezapam nightly. The combination of both the anti depressant with the muscle relaxant helps me sleep and keeps me on an even keel and gives me a boost cos I get sleep at night before this combo. Used to cat nap and was so tired I couldn't really function. I also have some relaxation stuff on my iPad that helps when I get stressed. I have had fibro for over 20 years but it only got bad when I got arthritis 4 years ago at 43. That hit me hard but you gradually accept that you are still you inside but the shell on the outer doesn't work as well once I had accepted that I felt much better and having a great gp who insists he isnt giving up on me till he's got me as good as he thinks I can be is a great help. There are some really nice people on here as Irene said if you ever feel overwhelmed please contact me too I may not be able to help but I can certainly listen and sympathise cos I was your age when fibro first hit
many thanks, the combo of tablets you have mentioned sounds like something i could be doing with as i have awful trouble sleeping despite having extreme fatigue which of course being so tired does not help feeling good either so its kind of a combo of everything at the moment i think thats dragging me down slightly.
Are you on any pain meds at the moment? The reason I ask is, I was on a whole host of pain meds every day for over 2 years, three of which are opiate based drugs. These were Co-codamol, Tramadol and liquid morphine (Oramorph). Long term use of these meds can cause adverse effects including more pain! The other thing they do is reduce moods and cause severe depression, so much so I nearly took my own life. Instead, I stopped taking the pain meds which is something not recommended as they are addictive and they say you should ween yourself off them, but as my depression was so severe, I felt I had no choice but to stop. Within 48 hours it was like a fog had lifted mentally and I felt so much happier. Physically the pain is worse, but not by much, so the meds weren't doing that much anyway and all research I have done has indicated that normal pain meds won't work with Fibromyalgia apart from Pregabalin which has an effect on the neurotransmitters in the brain that are interpreting nerve signals incorrectly as pain. If you are taking opiate based pain meds regularly, they should not be used for more than 3 months so as your GP to take you off them and try pregabalin.
i currently take gabapentin, 6-9 per day, 4-6 ibfufen per day and i alternate between tramadol 3-4 per day and dihydrocodine 3-4 per day and if im having a really bad day i take zapain inbetween. the reason i alternate is i find after 4-5 days i dont feel the effects as well so every 4-5 days i switch the tramadol and dihydorcodine. dont know if this is safe to do but doctor hasnt said its not and it kind of works for me. considering im taking so many and quite strong painkillers i wouldnt expect to be in any pain but still am even on the max dose i can take each day. the pregabalin has been mentioned a few times by people on here so im going to try and get to see my gp and ask about it which will take a while as trying to see the only 2 decent doctors in my surgery is near on impossible.
that sounds like scary stuff that can end up happening and its so scary to think that something is meant to be helping us can actually make us so much worse.
thank you for your very honest response and warnings
The three pain meds you mentioned are all opiate based (Dihydrocodine, tramadol and Zapain) and long term use will not help you and make you depressed. I tried the gabapentin which was described as a good all rounder, but it had no effect on me. Like I have said before, the reason FMS sufferer's feel pain is due to signals from the nerves being interpreted wrong in the brain, due to the wrong levels of neurotransmitters (particularly Substance P). Pain meds are designed to target the area of pain, but technically there is no pain in the area's we feel it, so they don't work. There is a video on youtube youtube.com/watch?v=jtc2JAR... which explains in far better detail how people with FMS systems work. Have a look and see what you think.
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