This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Alright I have been kind of in a depression since, my diagnoses in Feb. and now im worst cause I might not get state aid, which means Im jsut worst

Im tired all the time, I cant focus, I cant get motivated to do anything.
How do I get out of this slump? I was a very energic person before all this news...I mean I have good friends asking if im ok, cause I just cant seem to get excited about anything

Plus another question, my niece had a cold, and she has giving it everyone , Why happens if you get the cold or flu with MS?

Hi LiquidSkin
you need to talk to your doctor about how you are feeling. If you do have depression you could feel so much more energetic if it's treated properly.

Some people find that they will have a brief flare-up after a cold or infection. It might make good sense to get a influenza vaccination (I get one each year). But colds just do the rounds, so the usual stuff like washing your hands applies but most of us catch them.

Hi LiquidSkin,
What you describe certainly has all the hallmarks of depression, and that's only to be expected after receiving your diagnosis: it's perfectly normal. Financial worries will also add to the mix.
Have you stopped doing all the things you used to enjoy, and if you have, is it because you physically can't do them or you just can't see the point any more?
If you can't see the point, it might be that you could force yourself, (and I understand what an enormous effort it is, even to take baby steps), to just do something you used to do – even if only for 5 minutes, just once in a while – so that you can see for yourself the old you is still there.
If you physically can't do things then this is part of the huge and continuing adjustment we make as we shift from being able-bodied to disabled. It's the painful letting go of what we thought our lives were as we inch forward into the unknown.
In either case you need the support and help of people around you, and there's no shame in needing the help of antidepressants to get you through: in fact there is evidence that some of them in the Prozac family physically help with neuroprotection.
Plus, of course, we're all here for you,

_________________
Dom

I have tried Provigil, and found it very good at helping with the above symptoms. But it is not cheap.

I am actually taking prozac, for this reason.

I am not clinically depressed, but of course am pissed that I have MS , and do not notice any changes whatsoever to my mood. I have read that it only helps those that have a major lack of seretonin.

I have actually noticed that the Provigil improves my mood much more than the Prozac ever did.

Some people do not react to colds any different to non MS people. Where as I, have an infection as my only known cause for a relapse. I now take amantadine (an anti-viral, which is also prescribed for MS fatigue) when I think I am at risk of catching a flu, and Tamiflu when i do catch one. If only I had known of them ten years ago

I think what I'm going to say has pretty much already been said. It sounds like the sypmtoms of depression to me. I've been there and I am now a counsellor. The most destructive negative cycle of depression is to stop doing the things that make you happy. So easy to do when your energy is low and you aren't feeling great about yourself. But the less enjoyable things you do the worse you feel about yourself so you do even less in turn. It might help to write a list of the things you enjoy doing and try and set yourself a target to do an enjoyable activity for 15 mins a day or whatever you will find manageable.

Personally, I find going out for a walk, even just a short one can make me feel better because I am out of the house and the exercise gets the endorphins going.

It might also help to speak to your dr. Maybe some anti-depressants for a short while might help you get back on track. I know that's a scary prospect but it really helped me and once things were back on track I was able to come off them again. There's absolutely no shame in needing a little help sometimes.

As for the colds - some people are jsut fine and have no problems. A cold is just a cold. Me - they scare teh crap out of. Every relapse but 1 i have had has been follownig a cold or similar. Best avoided if you can but don't assume the worse if you get one.

take care and feel free to pm me if you want to talk.

George x