There are more and more people today living with and being diagnosed with depression. Are you one of them? I will admit I am...and for the most part? I'm one of the lucky ones. Some are finding treatment easy and they're back to "normal" soon while others continue to struggle with theirs and it becomes life consuming. If you live with depression too...how is treatment going for you?
Have you ever thought your treatment wasn't working for you? Have you ever wondered why? Have you ever thought you were getting worse instead of better? What has your treatment been like for you?Very personal questions I know and I do apologize but please give it some thought...and if you think your treatment isn't working for you...what have you done about it?
There are many reasons why you may find your treatment isn't working. Some is in your control and unfortunately some isn't. You may even find your treatment works for a little while and then stops. You may even find too that your medication(s) worsens yours symptoms and cycles. Not all treatments will work for every one person. We are all different and our needs are different too. Our goal is to find the find the treatment(s) that work for us and to keep trying until we do. Sometimes depression can become resistant and once we know that we can give ourselves a little more understanding too. I hope you will and if you're finding your depression is becoming resistant...talk with your doctor okay?
Today I'd like to share some information about treatment resistant depression. I'm not sharing this information to replace the conversation with your doctor and please understand that this is shared for you personal entertainment and information only. Please...if you find yourself struggling with you depression and treatment too...speak to a qualified medical professional. There are alternative treatment options available for you.
Have you ever thought your treatment wasn't working for you? Have you ever wondered why? Have you ever thought you were getting worse instead of better? What has your treatment been like for you?Very personal questions I know and I do apologize but please give it some thought...and if you think your treatment isn't working for you...what have you done about it?
There are many reasons why you may find your treatment isn't working. Some is in your control and unfortunately some isn't. You may even find your treatment works for a little while and then stops. You may even find too that your medication(s) worsens yours symptoms and cycles. Not all treatments will work for every one person. We are all different and our needs are different too. Our goal is to find the find the treatment(s) that work for us and to keep trying until we do. Sometimes depression can become resistant and once we know that we can give ourselves a little more understanding too. I hope you will and if you're finding your depression is becoming resistant...talk with your doctor okay?
Today I'd like to share some information about treatment resistant depression. I'm not sharing this information to replace the conversation with your doctor and please understand that this is shared for you personal entertainment and information only. Please...if you find yourself struggling with you depression and treatment too...speak to a qualified medical professional. There are alternative treatment options available for you.
Treatment-Resistant Depression
If you're dealing with long-term depression, you may wonder why you can't feel better. Other people you know may have recovered from their depression more easily -- a few months of therapy or antidepressants, and they were back to normal. But it hasn't been like that for you, no matter what treatment you've tried.
There's no one reason for treatment-resistant depression. For most people, it's probably a mix of different factors. Some of them are beyond your control, such as the genes you were born with. But some things you can control. Talk to your doctor about what you can do to feel better.
Possible Causes
Not staying on a medicine long enough. Antidepressants can take as long as 6 to 8 weeks before they fully take effect. Unfortunately, many people -- and sometimes even doctors -- give up on a drug too early, before it's had a chance to help.
Skipping doses. You'll never know if a drug is working unless you take it exactly as prescribed.
Unpleasant side effects. Many people who have side effects stop taking their antidepressants. That isn't a good idea. Instead, talk to your doctor and get some help. You might be able to get rid of or ease the side effects, or switch to a different drug or combo of drugs. Also, keep in mind that side effects tend to decrease over time.
Drug interactions. Some other medications don't mix well with antidepressants. When taken at the same time, neither one may work normally. In some cases, interactions could be dangerous.
The wrong medicine or the wrong dose. Antidepressant drugs work differently in different people. Unfortunately, there's no way to predict how well a depression medicine will work without trying it. So finding the right medicine, at the right dose, takes trial and error -- and occasionally, some time. Many people give up before they find the right one.
Your genes. Researchers have begun to examine genes that may be linked with harder-to-treat forms of depression in some people. But genetic tests can't, as yet, pinpoint which medicines are the most effective for a given person with depression.
Other medical or psychiatric conditions. Some medical conditions -- like heart disease, cancer, or thyroid problems -- can contribute to depression. Other conditions, like anorexia, can too. It's important that you get appropriate treatment for any underlying conditions in addition to depression.
Alcohol or drug abuse. Substance abuse often goes hand-in-hand with depression. It can trigger depression or make it worse, and interfere with the effects of antidepressant medicines. If you have a substance abuse problem, you need to get help.
The wrong diagnosis. Some people are simply misdiagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. They might actually have another condition, like bipolar disorder or an anxiety disorder. This is why it's so important to work with an expert.
The above article was copied directly from WebMD.com. All rights belong to them.
If you're dealing with long-term depression, you may wonder why you can't feel better. Other people you know may have recovered from their depression more easily -- a few months of therapy or antidepressants, and they were back to normal. But it hasn't been like that for you, no matter what treatment you've tried.
There's no one reason for treatment-resistant depression. For most people, it's probably a mix of different factors. Some of them are beyond your control, such as the genes you were born with. But some things you can control. Talk to your doctor about what you can do to feel better.
Possible Causes
Not staying on a medicine long enough. Antidepressants can take as long as 6 to 8 weeks before they fully take effect. Unfortunately, many people -- and sometimes even doctors -- give up on a drug too early, before it's had a chance to help.
Skipping doses. You'll never know if a drug is working unless you take it exactly as prescribed.
Unpleasant side effects. Many people who have side effects stop taking their antidepressants. That isn't a good idea. Instead, talk to your doctor and get some help. You might be able to get rid of or ease the side effects, or switch to a different drug or combo of drugs. Also, keep in mind that side effects tend to decrease over time.
Drug interactions. Some other medications don't mix well with antidepressants. When taken at the same time, neither one may work normally. In some cases, interactions could be dangerous.
The wrong medicine or the wrong dose. Antidepressant drugs work differently in different people. Unfortunately, there's no way to predict how well a depression medicine will work without trying it. So finding the right medicine, at the right dose, takes trial and error -- and occasionally, some time. Many people give up before they find the right one.
Your genes. Researchers have begun to examine genes that may be linked with harder-to-treat forms of depression in some people. But genetic tests can't, as yet, pinpoint which medicines are the most effective for a given person with depression.
Other medical or psychiatric conditions. Some medical conditions -- like heart disease, cancer, or thyroid problems -- can contribute to depression. Other conditions, like anorexia, can too. It's important that you get appropriate treatment for any underlying conditions in addition to depression.
Alcohol or drug abuse. Substance abuse often goes hand-in-hand with depression. It can trigger depression or make it worse, and interfere with the effects of antidepressant medicines. If you have a substance abuse problem, you need to get help.
The wrong diagnosis. Some people are simply misdiagnosed with treatment-resistant depression. They might actually have another condition, like bipolar disorder or an anxiety disorder. This is why it's so important to work with an expert.
The above article was copied directly from WebMD.com. All rights belong to them.
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