depression

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robbie
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depression

Post by robbie »

can anyone let me know if they take anything that helps there mood. i am going to my neuro this week and need some help. i feel like i am falling into a hole. there does'nt seem to be anything to help the ms so at least i hope there is something to brighten my mood. if there is a drug that you feel really helps i would much appreciate the name of the it thx.. rob
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thinkingoutloud86
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Post by thinkingoutloud86 »

Sorry to hear about how you've been feeling...there are many antidepressants available and it requires a little bit of trial-and-error...there are different categories that have different mechanisms of action...thus, they can have different characteristics, such as their side-effect profiles ...what i would suggest is that you go over the different options with your neurologist and try to match the characteristics that are most important to you...for example, some antidepressants can take up to a month before one sees the benefit while others can act quicker...either way, there are a number of options that you have available to try...

hope you feel better soon,

thinkingoutloud
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jimmylegs
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counselling and nutrition

Post by jimmylegs »

oh robbie that doesn't sound good :( i hope you find a solution soon. i don't know about drugs. i know about nutrition, and counselling.

when i had my attack i set up a team and a counsellor was one of the group. the counselling service was available through an employee assistance plan at a part time job of mine. when i called, i made sure to specify i wanted someone who was used to dealing with patients who had just received a nasty diagnosis. so now i see a lady every two weeks. i think she is great, and the process is great too. since then, i read a study that showed counselling really helped people combat the depression common to ms patients. i believe it.

regarding nutrition, ms patients are typically low on vitamin D. vit D has been shown to be useful in the treatment of SAD (seasonal ?affected? disorder) and therefore supplementation above the normal recommended daily may be helpful not only for immune system function, but for mood. vitamin D has also been shown to be preventative for alzheimer's so there is definitely some brain chemistry going on with this substance. i don't know where you live and i am not sure how long it takes people to benefit from sun exposure in spring (there is a lag from input to high serum values), but just after winter everyone living in areas with less UVB exposure will be at the low end of their annual vitamin D cycle. particularly those who don't get out in the sun. i have read SCADS on vitamin D and also have been advised by my naturopathic doctor, who has ms, to take 4000 IU cholecalciferol per day. the current recommended daily supplementation of vitamin D provides sufficient levels for bone health but not for immune system function and perhaps not for mood.

other mood vitamins include a combo of B6 and B12. so a good b-complex should also be helpful. chin up robbie!
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CureOrBust
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Post by CureOrBust »

hypericum is also a suppliment (ie available without a prescription) that i read had some history / research that indicates its affective for some.
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JFH
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Post by JFH »

Three things helped me robbie earlier in the year when I was really down - and still are helping - getting back to a regular exercise pattern, some sessions with a clinical psychologist and a course of Fluoxetin.

Best of luck with whatever you try !!!
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bromley
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Post by bromley »

Robbie,

Thanks for raising this - I think the vast majority of us with this disease experience these feelings. I have no solutions to suggest. The thing that keeps me going is the thought that someday in the not too distant future there will be treatments which (i) halt the progression of the disease and (ii) repair the damage done. I don't know when they will come but getting better is my dream. I still curse this disease for taking away what I had (health etc) but my mood swings would certainly improve once neuros can start getting people better.

All the best

Ian
beatms
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I removed my post

Post by beatms »

I removed my post
Last edited by beatms on Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Arron
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Post by Arron »

Dave, as I said in the other thread you posted this message in, this is not a religious forum and it is therefore irrelevant what is 'sinful' and what is not.

While your opinions are certainly as valid as anyone else's, refrain from involving religion as this is not the place for it.

Thanks for understanding.
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Disclaimer: Any information you find on this site should not be considered medical advice. All decisions should be made with the consent of your doctor, otherwise you are at your own risk.
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Brownsfan
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Post by Brownsfan »

In addition to the vitamin D that Jimmylegs refers to, I also take a good amount of fish oil daily. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is actually studying fish oil therapy for MS-related depression since some early evidence shows benefits. It's worked very well so far for me.


Official Title: Fish Oil as an Adjunct Therapy for Depression in Multiple Sclerosis

Further study details as provided by National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM):
Primary Outcomes: Three month change in MADRS scores; three month change in interferon-gamma (IFN-g) levels
Secondary Outcomes: Whether the change in IFN-g level is correlated with the change in MADRS scores
Expected Total Enrollment: 60
Study start: May 2005; Expected completion: June 2009


Depression occurs in 50% to 60% of all individuals with MS. Evidence suggests that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil supplements can significantly reduce depression with a low risk of side effects. Therefore, fish oil supplements may be a safe adjunctive therapy to improve the therapeutic benefits of antidepressants. This study will determine the effectiveness of fish oil supplements in reducing depression in MS patients who are taking antidepressant medication.

This study will last 3 months. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either fish oil supplements or placebo daily for 3 months. At the end of 3 months, participants who show an improvement in their depressive symptoms will have the option to continue their treatment for an additional 3 months. Participants will do no respond to treatment will be excused from the study. All participants will remain on their antidepressants and MS medication throughout the study. Participants will have weekly study visits. At each visit, participants will be asked about their general health, and self-report scales will be used to assess depressive symptoms. Medication adherence will be monitored by pill counts and through red blood cell fatty acid analysis. Blood collection will occur at study start and at study completion.
robbie
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Post by robbie »

been takig vitimin D supplements and omega 3's, just got home from the doctor's and got prescribed paxil so well give it a go. whatever, thx for the responses, rob
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jimmylegs
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paxil/question

Post by jimmylegs »

hope the paxil works for ya rob. how much vit d do you take each day?

d
robbie
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Post by robbie »

1000 iu's of D a day and a b1 complex, q 10, b 12.. i hope the paxil works two..
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jimmylegs
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for your consideration

Post by jimmylegs »

you may or may not care to consider bumping up to 4000 iu per day robbie, and if you want me to send you some references to back that up, just say the word.

my one doc said 4000 iu/d is best for maintenance. i also knew where that figure came from in the literature. people can even take as much as 10,000 IU/d with no adverse effects, so don't worry about overdoing it with 4000.

*update: i later overdid d3 at just 4000 IU/d via inattention to cofactors, with magnesium levels depleted to serious extents.*

it is not something to undertake without monitoring your serum levels, however. if interested, once you find out your baseline level (test 25hydroxycholecalciferol NOT 1,25dihydroxycholecalciferol) then you aim for 125-150 nmol/l (that is very conservative but still lots higher than the 75 or 80 you commonly hear) and supplement accordingly.

there is research out there that lets you do the math to figure out how much you need per day to get up to your target range in 5 months. if you want to do it faster you have to get prescription cholecalciferol so you can megadose without taking tons of pills.

if you decide to do this, the doc will have to take care with the lab requisitions. specify the 25 one, not the 1,25. your result should come in nmol/l, not pmol/l.
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art
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Consider what might be causing the depression

Post by art »

Depression in MS can be caused by a number of things. It is important to try and identify which ones might be affecting you in order to address them:

1. Depression may be a side effect of a medication you are taking. Interferons can have this effect on some people e.g.

2. Other MS or drug side effects may be interfering with your sleep. Sleep disturbance can cause depression

3. It could be the effect of MS on your brain physiology

4. It could be psychological depression from having a sucky disease

5. It could be a combination of the above

I'm sure your physician can add to this list, but don't discount #1 above. Changing a medication (rather than taking a new one) can make a big difference. Various anti-depressants can be very helpful for some of these. You might need to try a number of them, because they tend to be pretty specific to individuals. If you have relatives who have responded well to a particular anti-depressant you might start with the same one as effectiveness seems to run in families.
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