Have antidepressants helped anyone here w/lyme?

I have taken anti depressants in the past for depression caused by ME/CFS .

They will not help poor cognitive function. They do exactly as it says on the box, they help you manage and control feeling depressed and hopeless. They are not happy pills, they will not transform your life but they do stop you from hitting rock bottom and they just allow you to not worry about everything so much, they do work.

If you are looking for a temporary support tool, they will work well to help you get through bad times. Don't try and tackle depression on your own, if you need help then reach out to friend's and family and if you need the help of anti depressants to reduce depression then its a no brainer, take them. They helped me and I no longer need them but they got me through dark times.

That's my experience.

Post Edited (Notorious) : 6/2/2015 8:00:50 AM (GMT-6)

I know exactly how that feels, I have been there! Don't suffer unnecessarily. Speak to your Doctor regarding depression and taking anti depressants. It does not need to be long term, they will help, trust me, if you are experiencing depression along side Lyme then anti depressants will help reduce the depression.

Lyme is bad enough don't deal with depression as well if you don't have to. I found when depressed, friends, family and anti depressants pushed my depression into the distant background where it belongs.

Wholeheartedly agree w/ Sayydina. Many lyme & co and other effects of the tick bite causing yeast/fungal overgrowth and viral infections also cause neurotransmitter and hormonal imbalances that lead to symptoms of depression and mood disorders.

Often, treatment itself resolves these issues. In fact, some antidepressants are actually antifungals.

But some psychotropic drugs actually do more to stir up trouble than they do to help resolve neuropsycho imbalances. And I also agree w/ Sayyadina's suggestion to find a good Naturopathic doctor (ND) who can help you properly evaluate your hormone and neurotransmitter levels (most MDs are clueless), you'll have a better chance of resolving issues outside of antidepressant drugs.

However, you might need to weigh the issues w/ antidepressants with the problems you're having. Some people are so disrupted they cannot maintain treatment, which suggests they should seek an immediate solution to get past the urgency of the crisis and then they are better able to seek alternative solutions…

Diet is also key when you're dealing w/ neuropsycho issues. Your gut and your brain function are interconnected and problems in your digestion can cause mood imbalances and improved digestion and immune function can solve them. It requires a personal evaluation but generally, a sugar/dairy/gluten/processed foods/ and often grain free diet is extremely helpful. Maybe not required forever but definitely helpful in times of crisis.

It's a very difficult issue to deal with and I'm sorry you're struggling. When I started my IV Rocephin, I literally lost my mind. I had nervous and emotional breakdowns HOURLY for the first 2 wks… then they resolved to just hyper anxiety, which also resolved over the following couple of months. I am much more normal now, for several reasons.

Hope you get some relief…

p

superj

Your serotonin and dopamine levels are a few of your neurotransmitters, which I mention need to be in sync w/ healthy digestion/immune (gut health) and hormone balance. So, yes, chronic inflammation and immune stress can throw everything out of balance.

p