Depression has hit

I have slowly tapered to 7.5mg from 8mg over the last 7 weeks I've been on straight 7.5 for the last 5 days and depression has hit me today feeling awful, nearly 6 years of pmr and it's so hard to cope,although no pmr symptoms at present, thank goodness!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Possibly your adrenals being lazy. Hunker down where you are and see if it will improve - it is hard I know. This is a low dose - what your body would be making anyway so the docs shouldn't be in a panic. Someone said in the last couple of days that their consultant regards 10mg as low and safe. Nice doctor

[Hidden in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you I thought as much since getting to 8mg about 2 months ago I have been suffering from allergy problems and nightime terrors and have also put this down to adrenal glands not up to speed.I think I will stay at 7.5 for several months and see if things improve. I was meant to start on Leflumonide to help me reduce pred but I shall bin that idea as I can't reduce any faster than my adrenals allow .

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

And to be honest at 7.5mg, why bother with leflumonide. As you have found its a low dose! I hope you are feeling better soon. I was very up and down a few months ago at 6mg with a dmard, so it's no guarantee that steroid sparers help that much at low dose when we are waiting for adrenals to stop snoozing!

[SnazzyD in reply to Hidden]

I thought differently. I decided that 7mg wasn’t enough to get me through the day without the adrenal top up but that wasn’t going to happen because 7mg was still too much for the adrenals to think about waking up. I decided to carry on reducing 0.5mg every 6-8 weeks because I decided it was worth the risk rather than being in this hellish limbo.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SnazzyD]

Carrying on reducing is one thing. Leflunomide is another.

[SnazzyD in reply to PMRpro]

Agreed

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

If you have got to a physiological dose as you have I really think telling you you need to add a heavy duty so-called steroid-sparing DMARD to the mix is wrong. And exactly!

[SnazzyD]

The hit the skids emotionally at this level and assumed it was due to adrenal function. It was worst from 7.5mg to about 6mg. By 5 is was much better and not all day. I waited it out.

[Hidden in reply to SnazzyD]

Thank you,it sucks doesn't it.

I will hopefully get through it to.

[Blearyeyed]

You may not be suffering from the physical symptoms of PMR at the moment but feeling depressed is definitely one of the more common Mental symptoms that can hit us all at any time , for any reason , or no reason at all , with a Chronic Illness.

Allow yourself time to let your mind rest , then try and think of what might have triggered this new low mood and Fatigue , then remember the sorts of things you like to do , to listen to or think about that usually help you to see that little ray of sunlight again.

Don't feel bad for feeling bad , it happens to us all .

Instead, give yourself a pat on the back for coping for so long with this condition , and for being brave enough to reach out and tell people when you need a little help and support.

No, wait a moment , let me give a hug and a pat on the back . You deserve it!

When you feel ready you might want to look at Herons recent post about forum members favourite antidotes for low mood and Depression. They may inspire you to try something new to help or remind you of things that you love to do or just make you smile.

Whatever you choose , just remember we are here , we understand and we are all holding up our hands behind you so you won't fall down.

Take care and let us know if there is anything we can do to help you XXX

😘😘💑💏💟💓💔💕💞💞💗💖💖💟💛💚💙💠💐💐💠🌺🌹🌹🌺⛅🌅🌄🌞🌻✨🌟🌌💖💖

[scats in reply to Blearyeyed]

Just the colourful line of emojis should help to put a smile on someone's face!

[Hidden in reply to Blearyeyed]

“ holding up our hands behind you so you won’t fall down “. Love this mental image. 🤗

[Blearyeyed in reply to Hidden]

That's how I like to think of this forum , doing this together for all of us .

It certainly makes me more confident dealing with every day knowing I have the whole gang from here behind me ready to catch me if I fall xxxx😘😍

[Mstiles in reply to Blearyeyed]

So beautifully written Blearyeyed, your caring heart certainly shines through your words. 💖

[SheffieldJane]

I know it’s weird, like the life’s been sucked out of you. I had ( a too early Synacthen Test) and was told that I wasn’t producing enough Cortisol. The next test, at a lower alternate dose ( 4mgs and 4.5 mgs day about) showed a marked improvement. My mood is still a bit browned off but I think my energy ( and creativity, always a good sign) is improving. I think we just have to plow through this, always aware that negative thinking is not the truth. I spent all day on my ( Australian) grandsons’ bedroom with new bunk beds and a rainbow striped carpet. Deciding what baby toys had to go etc. A real trip down memory lane. I feel utterly shattered but satisfied. They’re coming in September. There is a surprise in every nook and cranny.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to SheffieldJane]

Not to mention - every crook and nanny! 🤣😂🤣

[SheffieldJane in reply to DorsetLady]

Ha ha 😉

[Oumaof2 in reply to DorsetLady]

My daughter when a wee tot used to say crooks and grannies😂😂

[whitefishbay]

If you feel up to it try to go for a little walk and meet a friend for coffee or take a slow gambol @ a museum. Even if I REALLY feel very depressed I will keep a rendezvous to do something and always feel better afterwards. Hang in there.

[PMRnewbie2017]

Do you eat much oily fish or take take Omega 3 fish oil supplements? There are a few small studies which suggest that upping your dietary intake may help bipolar disorder and ease symptoms of depression. They are also considered to be anti-inflammatory and from the very start of my PMR/GCA journey I upped my intake (both dietary and through supplements). Personally my journey has been fairly uneventful and I'm down to 5mg after less than 2 years. I did get down to 2.5mg but went too fast and had a reminder that my body couldn't cope with such a low level of cortisol !! A lot has been written about our diets having an incorrect balance of essential fatty acids n3, n6 and n9. I certainly notice the difference if i stop taking my fish oils for a few days.

Can you get out into the sunshine and into nature? New research has shown the benefits of both.

You are obviously struggling at the moment and this illness is a real bummer sometimes, but try not to get too down. I have just heard that my closest friend has stage 4 ovarian cancer and her prognosis is not good. Compared to her, I consider myself fortunate.

[Hidden in reply to PMRnewbie2017]

Thank you for your reply.

Yes I do take high strength fish oils everyday and eat a lot of oily fish as I do believe they are very beneficial to my health.

I live on the south coast 2 mins from sea so I'm always soaking up the sun on the seafront which I find very thearaputic.

I know it's just a stage in this horrible disease I have to work through and I will, just reading people's kind replys helps an awful lot. I'm so lucky. X

[Blearyeyed in reply to Hidden]

Just a mini point on fish oils , if you take a combination oil , 3/6/9 , it would be a good idea to change to individual 0mega 3 and adding more 0mega 9 in your diet instead .

You need to ditch the Omega 6 , we all do with an inflammatory condition , as Omega 6 is a pro inflammatory and does increase the swelling and pain . Omega 6 be gone!!

Omega 3 is great for brain function , as is magnesium and potassium and the B vitamins , and help reduce the chemical causes for lower mood and Depression. That's why Bananas are good , it's the only fruit that can advertise by shape that it literally comes with a free smile.😁😘😘😍

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

But is your vit D level good enough? I live in northern Italy and almost never use sunscreen on arms and legs, rarely on my face. I am outside enough to be able to make vit D from sun - but without supplements the blood level falls steadily to very low levels. Being in the sun is only enough if your skin factory works and as we get older it runs down to very low levels. Worth getting it checked.

[Jackoh]

Agree that adding lefludomide to the mix at this level seems ludicrous! Good that you’ve posted, good that you’ve recognised the problem for what it is. Good that you’re doing all you can diet wise and exercise wise. You can’t do anymore except sit it out and know it will improve eventually. Best wishes.

[Iloveholidays]

Hope you feel brighter soon 🌻🌻

[Hidden in reply to Iloveholidays]

Thank you for your kind reply.