Depression

[Jennweren]

Question for everyone out there. Why is it that MS causes depression? i mean I know that it causes us pain and all kinds of issues. But dear Lord why does it have to mess with our minds too? Don't we deal with enough already? Sorry I've had enough for the time being I quit smoking 26 days ago and the struggle is getting to me.

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador]

Hi Jennweren and welcome to this Monster they call MS. Isn't it a fun roller coaster ride! Not. But welcome to our chat. I know how you feel with the depression l have suffered with it for most of my adult life. And it pretty much sucks. Lol Although mine is one of those that isn't caused by MS. Just gotta keep your head up and putting one foot in front of the other. And listening to your "head doc " is a good idea also. Are you taking anything for it? Maybe time to ck into it?

Congrats on the quitting smoking! !!!!! That's Awesome! Keep up the great work!

[Jennweren in reply to Jesmcd2]

HI Jesmcd2 yes I've been on head meds for years.. well since I was 16 but it's such a struggle some times.. it makes me nuts (Nuttier than usual) lol. I just wish they could tell us why because then I would at least have a clue. I take about 5 psych meds.. depression, sleep, mood stabilizers..ect. it sucks.

[erash in reply to Jennweren]

This may be dating me, but there's a song, I think Grace Slick. "One pill makes me small, one pill makes me tall, but mothers little helpers do nothing at all..." Paraphrasing..lbut I can relate to these words 🙃

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to Jennweren]

Hi Jennweren l can tell you what a dr told me once. After l told him to dumb it down for me. He said that "some of the connections in the brain are just not connecting anymore." Seems simple enough but sure run havoc on our life. Mine started after the first back surgery, and they had me on Darvocet. From what l hear they don't even make it anymore. All of a sudden l "couldn't quite reach" that happy, if that makes sense. So began my rd. With depression and anxiety. Just always remember that some days are going to be better than others. Tomorrow is always a new day ewww l sound like my head doc lolol

[meowmix915]

Jennweren I also deal w/ depression, anxiety & panic attacks. I take meds to stabilize but your right...it sucks! It does seem like we have no only physical symptoms due to MS but also get the mental whammy too.

Hang in there & know you're not alone 🙃

Katie

[Jennweren in reply to meowmix915]

Thank You Katie. I'm glad I'm not the only one going down the psych roller coaster with MS. It makes me crazy!

[dr92636]

Hi ! Sometimes depression is clinical and sometimes we just don't

want to face having MS and all that goes with it. There's just one

thing...we have no choice..there are no cures. I have had MS

for 40 years and many fits of depression. I have always tried to

focus on what I can do rather than what I cannot. Have lost the

use of my left side and can no longer play the piano, or paint pictures,

or do anything that requires the use of my left hand. I taught myself

to write with my right hand and many other things as I was left handed.

I'm now 80 yrs. old and still keep on trucking even tho I too feel like

giving up sometimes. Please don't give in to this miserable disease.

You can beat it if you try! Take care.

[mazerl in reply to dr92636]

I really admire your fortitude!! MS is depressing fot me as I lose different facets of myself without regaining what I lost and knowing that loss without restoration is depressing. Despite being an upbeat person I find the effort to exist extremely painful and lonely.

[Ashirva]

First of all Jenn, CONGRATULATIONS ON QUITTING SMOKING! YAAAAY!

As far as the depression goes, I believe it's because everything is connected. You can't separate mind, body and spirit - they're all connected. If any part of you is out of balance, the rest is going to 'feel' it. Have you talked with your doctor? Maybe get a referral to a psychologist, check out some things that can help you, join a group (women's, therapy, MS support)? Some depression is understandable - after all, MS is no picnic! But don't let it get too big. Please talk to someone and knock that sucker down to size!

And be proud of the fact that you're not smoking anymore! Let us know how things are going, okay?

Anne YAY!

[AngieRowe]

How could we not be depressed? We give up everything that was and change to a new 'Normal'. We also have to modify our dreams and futures. Change or give up jobs. For some of us, we lose our partners and sex becomes a chore.

[shortyPPMS]

G'day Jen. Depression is a horrible thing. I have had it for over 40 years, long before I got MS. Many things can trigger it and it is different for everyone. You may be lucky and simply get back to normal yourself but I suggest you look around and find a GP who knows about it, most know very little about it, and ask for a referral to a psychologist. Remember they are your employees so if you don't like what they say try a different one. You wouldn't keep taking you car back to the same mechanic if they were not doing a good job and your brain is much more important than your car. Don't wait to go through all the hoops where the GP has a dabble with trying you on their personal favourite medication to see how it goes etc. I went through many years of that with different docs and it ended up costing me my dream job, my marriage and my farm before I got proper control of it. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was first suggested to me about 30 years ago but my reaction was "what, talk yourself into feeling happy? What a lot of bulls*#t!". Of course that is not what it is and there are other therapies available now too. Had I been able to be receptive to CBT back then things may have worked out very differently. As I said, a GP and a Psychologist who you click with and an appropriate medication are the first steps. The medication can't cure it but can help you to get to where you can work on ways for you to learn to control it. I taught myself the principles of CBT which is a way of recognising when your thinking is depressive, analysing your thoughts, and managing them. It too is not a cure and it takes time and practice to learn and I have to apply it every day. Good luck and I hope you are close to the opposite end of the spectrum to me and that you get your depression sorted quickly.

[WAshingtongirl]

Early on in my 'walk with MS,' I complained to my doctor about my irritability-how I'd quickly snap at anything, lose my temper over nothing, and couldn't even sit still long enough to wait on my order at a fast food restaurant. Had I suddenly developed ADHD too? My doc said it was depression! Me depressed? No way! But he then explained to me that there are two kinds of depression-primary and secondary depression. He said MS relapses can physically affect the brain, causing symptoms of depression. He called that primary depression-that's what I had. Secondary depression is where circumstances in your life (including grief over losses due to MS), cause great sadness and other symptoms of depression. I hope you talk to your doctor about this. He/she may recommend medication, therapy/counseling, or a combination of both. As others stated before, I hope you feel better. We all have bad days. Hopefully, they are far outnumbered by our good ones. MS robs us of much. Don't give it the power to steal your joy and hope as well.

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador in reply to WAshingtongirl]

WAshingtongirl l remember cleaning the house and was sitting on the floor, cleaning behind some plants l have and literally yelled at my poor dog for not getting the broom. It wasn't my fault he didn't have opposable thumbs. I was put on Xanax that same day. It was horrible, l knew something was wrong. Ugh not one of my high points

[WAshingtongirl in reply to Jesmcd2]

Oh, goodness, I can relate to that, Jesmcd2. Sometimes our emotions/psyche get the better of us. I hope no one but your dog was around to witness that. 😉

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador]

My guy was outside but came in to see why l was yelling so loud. Needless to say he was the next target. I saw my doc that afternoon. Ugh Something was seriously off somewhere. Lol