Lucyllama11

[Lucyllama]

I have been feeling very down and depressed is there anything more I can take for this I'm already on antidepressants. I cannot take any lupus related drugs as they make me I'll

[LUPUSadmin]

Hi Lucyllama11,

Sorry to hear that you're feeling this way. Depression be caused by your lupus as well as being a side effect of your lupus. How long have you been feeling depressed for? Have you told your GP that you are still feeling this way despite taking antidepressants?

We have a fact sheet about how lupus can effect the brain called: 'LUPUS and the Brain'. You can access this here: lupusuk.org.uk/publications. There's a section inside that focuses on depression.

Do you know why you can't take any medications for lupus?

George

[Heather53]

Hi that is very sad bad enough having lupus maybe get vitamin d checked . Look at eating patterns and avoid processed food . Try and colour in , or something to make you laugh they say exercise , tough one . Do something new, eat something new, ring someone you haven't done so keep putting it off . Hope you find some help soon xx

[Lucyllama]

Everything I took for lupus made me really sick. I gave them all a good try but to no avail. I'm very worried also about my brain as I keep forgetting things. I'm due for a rhematology appointment so I will mention all of this

[LUPUSadmin in reply to Lucyllama]

I'm sorry to hear that. Do you know which medications you have tried? We have a factsheet about medication called 'LUPUS and Medication'. Lupus is treated with a wide variety of medications so perhaps there's something in there that you haven't tried? The factsheet can be found here: lupusuk.org.uk/publications

Additionally, there is a section in the factsheet that I linked you to before about brain fog and forgetfulness as it is a common symptom for people with lupus.

Let us know how you appointment goes.

George

[Lucyllama]

I've tried a couple of different drugs one isn't suitable because I suffer from seizures the other I can't remember the name because my brain just won't register anything at the moment so maybe tests are maybe the order of the day

[Diagnosed2012]

Hi, you're not alone. This condition gets to a lot of us, mentally and physically. And a lot of us get the brain fog thing too. So try not to despair too much, and think you're not coping compared to others because a lot of us do struggle with this. Some just hide it better than others.

[Cookiecutter76]

Hi! We appear to have a lot in common! I have also found the lupus medications make me very ill and I've had seizures as a result (although from what you said I think you had them before?) I'm also on antidepressants.

Its hard to suggest what you should do without knowing how bad your lupus is at the moment and the nature of the reactions to the meds, but I would certainly focus on getting the depression under control. I found my depression eased when I was put on prednisolone (10mg) and it allowed me to reduce and stop the antidepressants. Then when I had to reduce the steroids the depression came back with avengence and I went back on a low dose of antidepressant. I use citalopram in liquid form so I can alter the dose really gradually as I'm so sensitive. You're going to need to discuss all this with a good GP and rheumatologist to work out a plan of action. It's complicated but do-able, there are a load of treatment options and if you find something to help the lupus it'll almost certainly help the depression and vice versa. It's just a case of working out what you can handle.

Big, big hugs to you!

x

[Lucyllama in reply to Cookiecutter76]

Thank you for your input. I see the rhematology department on Monday luckily so will have a good chat about it all I hope x

[Purpletop]

The depression is very likely due to the uncontrolled lupus. You need to persevere with alternative medication, once the lupus is under control your neuro symptoms, including the depression, will improve.

Have you looked at how you react mentally (mood and focus) when you take steroids? If you've seen even the slightest improvement, that's a good sign.

There are many meds that could be used for lupus, some with quite good effect on neuro symptoms. If you've only tried two of them, then you've got more to try.

Don't give up, be patient until you find the right combo. As for the seizures, you might consider trying a ketogenic diet. Recently there has been a lot of success in treating seizures and epilepsy with it.

I know how difficult it is to even focus on all these details but take it one step at a time. It's better to do something slowly and succeeding than rushing and failing.

Take heart, you're not alone.