How much can dysthymia have impacted on my life?

Licho~

Dysthmias are extremely difficult to diagnose and they resemble several symptoms that you have with depression.  There are some people that experience the numbness and loss of sensation in their bodies and find that it is related to the depression.  Dysthmias are rare and very little of the population are diagnosed with any of the different dysthmias.  Usually neurologists are the best physicians to diagnose this ailment.

 

The SSRI drugs do help people with serotonin uptake issues but I must tell you that they are not a cure all by any means.  There is no drug for depression that cures it but there are many meds as well as treatments that can curtail it for some time.  SSRIs helped me because my depression is mainly chemically imbalanced.  Your doctor would better know which meds are a good "cocktail" for you.

 

Good luck and let us know!

 

Teresa

Licho said...

Hello everybody,

I suppose that I've dysthymia. Almost every symptom of it, described in the articles, refers to me....

Cheers to you all who read it, I hope I'll maybe get some hope...

Hi Licho.

Please read the thread on "Rhodiola Rosea works!"

Hi Licho,

My GP diagnosed me with dysthymia when I was 18. I left my appointment with a prescription for AD's and feeling like I had won a million dollars; finally someone could tell me what was wrong with me, and that it was the illness that made me feel the way I did. However, my experience with medication was not good; I was on 150mg of Effexor XR a day and stayed on it for 8 years. The side effects weren't pleasant, but they never are, so I could deal with that. The withdrawals were hell, and I really think even two years later it still affects me in some way. I feel like I have lost the last ten years of my life, like I was on autopilot, and there is very little that I can remember about the years that I was on Effexor.

I dont have depression now and cant say one way or the other whether the Effexor had a part in it, and I would never say that if it happened again I wouldnt go back on the meds because you do what you have to in order to feel better. This is not meant to deter you from medication at all; it may be the best thing for you. But this is the advice that I can offer you;

1. Find a good doctor or specialist that knows what they are talking about; not one that will just give you a prescription and take your money. Read up on what meds they may give you so you know the questions to ask when you get there. Make sure that you know everything about the drug you are about to put into your body and how it will affect you.

2. Can your mum come with you to the doctor? It is so important that you have all the support that you can and that those closest to you have an understanding of what is going on. I shut everyone out of my problems, especially when I was withdrawing, and that is a big part of why it was so hard for me. I know that its hard to confide in people sometimes, but that is why the people who love you are there. Someone else who knows what is happening is also able to monitor your progress from another perspective and see things that you probably wont see.

3. If you do go onto meds, make sure you go to see your doctor regularly to check that the dose is still ok and that your body can handle them. Also, please please please ask what you can expect when/if the time comes to stop taking them. Some of them are an absolute ***** to stop. I really believe that information is vital; it wont make you feel any better but at least you expect it and understand why you feel the way you do. And better to know it before you start taking them.

I hope that this helps in some way. Please feel free to email me if you need any more info... I could go on forever!!

All the best to you,
Kate

Hi Licho,

Thats great that you can take your mum with you to help you through this; its so important to have that support. I hope that you can get to see a doctor soon; do you have a good GP that you can see to start off with?

I know how you feel about being tired; sometimes the mental exhaustion is worse than the physical. Just try to take care of yourself as best you can at the moment.

My thoughts are with you,

Kate