Treating Depression

Off Topic
101

i heard of people using paxil to last longer, but why would i push something so mundane? ive lasted a half hour sometimes and it wasnt anything special. paxil makes sex a frantic race to cum before the pressure increases past your pain threshold, alcohol just makes you numb. ive tried both. im not a sexual health guru here. i am a guy recommending something that gives orgasms that people cant have normaly. a rather admirable goal i should say. i am thinking about trying the goat weed too. what about combining them? how decadent.
initialy i was just mentioned this because i was talking about side effects. but then i remembered about how crazy it made sex.

but about testosterone. i’m just saying, what are the chances he is low?statisticaly? and i thought it was funny because this is T-Nation.
i think bigger guys have more T. like cops. often stout and bald, good bench pressers. could be wrong.

some people just have low serotonin

102

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:
So getting right to the point:

I feel like shit, I have no ‘vitality’ and I go to sleep of a night hoping I don’t wake up the next morning. I know have plenty to live for, I’m in good health, smart, relatively good looking I guess, but I just can’t shake this feeling of emptiness I’ve had for the last 6 months or so.

Does anyone have any advice for getting over this sort of thing? I feel that it would be a bit of a dramatic step to go see a psychiatrist.

P.S. I still go to the gym, 12 times a week lately, mostly because I can shut my brain off and not think about anything.
[/quote]

There is that saying a “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” I like to shorten it, at times “a mind is a terrible thing.”

I feel for you, and hope you get on the right track, unless you have been through it, no one could explain the despair an individual can go through with mental and emotional illness. Always misunderstood, often marginalized and always stigmatized.

I have dealt with depression and OCD for almost 20 years and have at times felt like an absolute lab rat with the amount of meds I have taken. I will concede that what got me out of my abyss was the combo of psycho therapy and meds.

Medication is a very, very difficult issue for me because while they helped I have been on them for so long I am terrified to go off of them for the fear of losing myself and family once again.

See a professional therapist and psychiatrist, do not go to a GP, as I did a long time ago and was prescribed Welbutrin and it led me into a pysch ward for a little while. As you can read that Welbutrin may effect someone better than others, I am living proof of that, it led me into a mania that could of ended horribly wrong.

You need to listen to other peoples journey but not follow it, while many of us have had similar issues no one has your issues specifically. Get help, understand your warning signs and triggers. Understand and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, don’t lose hope. Good luck brother[/quote]

Hmmm… that’s why doctors asked 4 or 5 times in different ways if I’ve ever had symptoms of mania before prescribing me wellbutrin.
[/quote]

My GP never asked me, I never experienced Mania before I took Welbutrin. [/quote]

Wellbutrin is one of the more typically well tolerated ones. But I have heard of it inducing mania, but typically with people who have experienced it before. Sounds like you were really unlucky. [/quote]

I have to caution strongly against wellbutrin. While it has been found to have some clinical effect for depression, it’s also strongly correlated with anxiety. For those who do not tolerate it well, the side effects can be a nightmare and it takes a long time to get over them. I personally think this drug is going to get pulled eventually. It’s too harsh.
You got to be careful with your squash. If your depression is tinged with anxiety, stay the hell away from wellbutrin. You’re better off with Paxil, Lexapro or Effexor.
Wellbutrin is popular because it does not have the sexual side effects of SSRI’s, but the side effects it does have are often much worse.

I caution strongly against it. People have reported complete personality changes on it… It’s just to dangerous, IMHO.

103

[quote]eremesu wrote:
i heard of people using paxil to last longer, but why would i push something so mundane? ive lasted a half hour sometimes and it wasnt anything special. paxil makes sex a frantic race to cum before the pressure increases past your pain threshold, alcohol just makes you numb. ive tried both. im not a sexual health guru here. i am a guy recommending something that gives orgasms that people cant have normaly. a rather admirable goal i should say. i am thinking about trying the goat weed too. what about combining them? how decadent.
initialy i was just mentioned this because i was talking about side effects. but then i remembered about how crazy it made sex.

but about testosterone. i’m just saying, what are the chances he is low?statisticaly? and i thought it was funny because this is T-Nation.
i think bigger guys have more T. like cops. often stout and bald, good bench pressers. could be wrong.

some people just have low serotonin[/quote]

You should NOT use SSRI’s to make you a sex-god. The best thing for sex is to learn how to be better at it. Really, I’d rather you do coke for it’s sexual enhancement than SSRI’s.

If you have real clinical reasons for taking them, then fine. But you don’t want to screw with your squash in a profound way, just to last a little longer.

If your “quick” then, the best thing to do is eat pussy well. If you eat good pussy, it doesn’t matter how ‘quick’ you are.

105

[quote]Chushin wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:
So getting right to the point:

I feel like shit, I have no ‘vitality’ and I go to sleep of a night hoping I don’t wake up the next morning. I know have plenty to live for, I’m in good health, smart, relatively good looking I guess, but I just can’t shake this feeling of emptiness I’ve had for the last 6 months or so.

Does anyone have any advice for getting over this sort of thing? I feel that it would be a bit of a dramatic step to go see a psychiatrist.

P.S. I still go to the gym, 12 times a week lately, mostly because I can shut my brain off and not think about anything.
[/quote]

There is that saying a “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” I like to shorten it, at times “a mind is a terrible thing.”

I feel for you, and hope you get on the right track, unless you have been through it, no one could explain the despair an individual can go through with mental and emotional illness. Always misunderstood, often marginalized and always stigmatized.

I have dealt with depression and OCD for almost 20 years and have at times felt like an absolute lab rat with the amount of meds I have taken. I will concede that what got me out of my abyss was the combo of psycho therapy and meds.

Medication is a very, very difficult issue for me because while they helped I have been on them for so long I am terrified to go off of them for the fear of losing myself and family once again.

See a professional therapist and psychiatrist, do not go to a GP, as I did a long time ago and was prescribed Welbutrin and it led me into a pysch ward for a little while. As you can read that Welbutrin may effect someone better than others, I am living proof of that, it led me into a mania that could of ended horribly wrong.

You need to listen to other peoples journey but not follow it, while many of us have had similar issues no one has your issues specifically. Get help, understand your warning signs and triggers. Understand and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, don’t lose hope. Good luck brother[/quote]

Hmmm… that’s why doctors asked 4 or 5 times in different ways if I’ve ever had symptoms of mania before prescribing me wellbutrin.
[/quote]

My GP never asked me, I never experienced Mania before I took Welbutrin. [/quote]

Wellbutrin is one of the more typically well tolerated ones. But I have heard of it inducing mania, but typically with people who have experienced it before. Sounds like you were really unlucky. [/quote]

I have to caution strongly against wellbutrin. While it has been found to have some clinical effect for depression, it’s also strongly correlated with anxiety. For those who do not tolerate it well, the side effects can be a nightmare and it takes a long time to get over them. I personally think this drug is going to get pulled eventually. It’s too harsh.
You got to be careful with your squash. If your depression is tinged with anxiety, stay the hell away from wellbutrin. You’re better off with Paxil, Lexapro or Effexor.
Wellbutrin is popular because it does not have the sexual side effects of SSRI’s, but the side effects it does have are often much worse.

I caution strongly against it. People have reported complete personality changes on it… It’s just to dangerous, IMHO.[/quote]

Zoloft doesn’t get a mention?[/quote]

It’s not as good for treating anxiety, but it’s a fine SSRI. Nobody seems to know why some are better at treating anxiety than others when basically they all have the same mechanism of action.

106

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:
So getting right to the point:

I feel like shit, I have no ‘vitality’ and I go to sleep of a night hoping I don’t wake up the next morning. I know have plenty to live for, I’m in good health, smart, relatively good looking I guess, but I just can’t shake this feeling of emptiness I’ve had for the last 6 months or so.

Does anyone have any advice for getting over this sort of thing? I feel that it would be a bit of a dramatic step to go see a psychiatrist.

P.S. I still go to the gym, 12 times a week lately, mostly because I can shut my brain off and not think about anything.
[/quote]

There is that saying a “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” I like to shorten it, at times “a mind is a terrible thing.”

I feel for you, and hope you get on the right track, unless you have been through it, no one could explain the despair an individual can go through with mental and emotional illness. Always misunderstood, often marginalized and always stigmatized.

I have dealt with depression and OCD for almost 20 years and have at times felt like an absolute lab rat with the amount of meds I have taken. I will concede that what got me out of my abyss was the combo of psycho therapy and meds.

Medication is a very, very difficult issue for me because while they helped I have been on them for so long I am terrified to go off of them for the fear of losing myself and family once again.

See a professional therapist and psychiatrist, do not go to a GP, as I did a long time ago and was prescribed Welbutrin and it led me into a pysch ward for a little while. As you can read that Welbutrin may effect someone better than others, I am living proof of that, it led me into a mania that could of ended horribly wrong.

You need to listen to other peoples journey but not follow it, while many of us have had similar issues no one has your issues specifically. Get help, understand your warning signs and triggers. Understand and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, don’t lose hope. Good luck brother[/quote]

Hmmm… that’s why doctors asked 4 or 5 times in different ways if I’ve ever had symptoms of mania before prescribing me wellbutrin.
[/quote]

My GP never asked me, I never experienced Mania before I took Welbutrin. [/quote]

Wellbutrin is one of the more typically well tolerated ones. But I have heard of it inducing mania, but typically with people who have experienced it before. Sounds like you were really unlucky. [/quote]

I have to caution strongly against wellbutrin. While it has been found to have some clinical effect for depression, it’s also strongly correlated with anxiety. For those who do not tolerate it well, the side effects can be a nightmare and it takes a long time to get over them. I personally think this drug is going to get pulled eventually. It’s too harsh.
You got to be careful with your squash. If your depression is tinged with anxiety, stay the hell away from wellbutrin. You’re better off with Paxil, Lexapro or Effexor.
Wellbutrin is popular because it does not have the sexual side effects of SSRI’s, but the side effects it does have are often much worse.

I caution strongly against it. People have reported complete personality changes on it… It’s just to dangerous, IMHO.[/quote]

Wellbutrin never really had negative side effects for me except I was just a little less social, a little fidgety, and by the end of the day I’d feel a tiny bit zombied out. It just made it easier to focus, gave me more energy, and boosted my mood a little bit. It was almost like milder adderall with fewer side effects for me.

107
108

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]pat wrote:

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

[quote]Fletch1986 wrote:

[quote]MattyXL wrote:

[quote]Goodfellow wrote:
So getting right to the point:

I feel like shit, I have no ‘vitality’ and I go to sleep of a night hoping I don’t wake up the next morning. I know have plenty to live for, I’m in good health, smart, relatively good looking I guess, but I just can’t shake this feeling of emptiness I’ve had for the last 6 months or so.

Does anyone have any advice for getting over this sort of thing? I feel that it would be a bit of a dramatic step to go see a psychiatrist.

P.S. I still go to the gym, 12 times a week lately, mostly because I can shut my brain off and not think about anything.
[/quote]

There is that saying a “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” I like to shorten it, at times “a mind is a terrible thing.”

I feel for you, and hope you get on the right track, unless you have been through it, no one could explain the despair an individual can go through with mental and emotional illness. Always misunderstood, often marginalized and always stigmatized.

I have dealt with depression and OCD for almost 20 years and have at times felt like an absolute lab rat with the amount of meds I have taken. I will concede that what got me out of my abyss was the combo of psycho therapy and meds.

Medication is a very, very difficult issue for me because while they helped I have been on them for so long I am terrified to go off of them for the fear of losing myself and family once again.

See a professional therapist and psychiatrist, do not go to a GP, as I did a long time ago and was prescribed Welbutrin and it led me into a pysch ward for a little while. As you can read that Welbutrin may effect someone better than others, I am living proof of that, it led me into a mania that could of ended horribly wrong.

You need to listen to other peoples journey but not follow it, while many of us have had similar issues no one has your issues specifically. Get help, understand your warning signs and triggers. Understand and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel, don’t lose hope. Good luck brother[/quote]

Hmmm… that’s why doctors asked 4 or 5 times in different ways if I’ve ever had symptoms of mania before prescribing me wellbutrin.
[/quote]

My GP never asked me, I never experienced Mania before I took Welbutrin. [/quote]

Wellbutrin is one of the more typically well tolerated ones. But I have heard of it inducing mania, but typically with people who have experienced it before. Sounds like you were really unlucky. [/quote]

I have to caution strongly against wellbutrin. While it has been found to have some clinical effect for depression, it’s also strongly correlated with anxiety. For those who do not tolerate it well, the side effects can be a nightmare and it takes a long time to get over them. I personally think this drug is going to get pulled eventually. It’s too harsh.
You got to be careful with your squash. If your depression is tinged with anxiety, stay the hell away from wellbutrin. You’re better off with Paxil, Lexapro or Effexor.
Wellbutrin is popular because it does not have the sexual side effects of SSRI’s, but the side effects it does have are often much worse.

I caution strongly against it. People have reported complete personality changes on it… It’s just to dangerous, IMHO.[/quote]

Wellbutrin never really had negative side effects for me except I was just a little less social, a little fidgety, and by the end of the day I’d feel a tiny bit zombied out. It just made it easier to focus, gave me more energy, and boosted my mood a little bit. It was almost like milder adderall with fewer side effects for me. [/quote]

Some people tolerate it well. But for those who don’t, it causes major problems. It can make you crazy. It is indicated strongly with regards to aggression, anger and anxiety. If you have any issues with those 3 things, stay the hell away from Welbutrin.

109

I know I’ll be in the minority here, and that some people will hate what I say, but regardless, I’m vehemently opposed to the practice of using psychiatric drugs to treat depression. In general, psychiatry is a pseudoscience, and its practitioners accept anything that comes from their authority figures in academia and government. The whole field is unduly influenced by the interests of drug companies.

Depression is NOT a ‘chemical imbalance’ as they claim in psychiatry. Your emotional pleasure-pain mechanism serves as a lightening rod that provides crucial feedback about the state of your life. Depression is a normal emotional state that results from a life situation that is, in your subconscious judgment, unsatisfactory. It’s your emotional mechanism telling you that something is wrong and needs to be corrected, and is analogous to how the sensation of physical pain serves to warn you of bodily threats.

Taking mood-altering drugs to treat depression only anesthetizes your emotions and enables you to continue down whatever misguided path in life you may be pursuing that is the root cause of your depression without facing the natural emotional consequences. In escaping your depression, you lose out on that critical impetus for change.

110

[quote]belligerent wrote:
I know I’ll be in the minority here, and that some people will regard my advice as dangerous, but regardless I am vehemently opposed to the practice of using psychiatric drugs to treat depression. Psychiatry is mostly a pseudoscience, and its practitioners generally lack intellectual independence and accept anything that comes from their corrupt structure of authority consisting of academia and government, both of which are unduly influence by the interests of drug companies.[/quote]

Honestly, at this stage, while I do know people do share this idea…I am willing to bet none of them have actually dealt with true clinical depression that does not get better due to a true chemical imbalance.

If someone is having panic attacks 10 times a day to the point that it even affects heart function, I am not going to hold your view in mind when judging that patient.

There are people who are in mental anguish that is not easily treated with a new fun activity to engage in. I am glad everyone does not share your view…unless you have the medical background to support it.

What I often find is people with the least information making the strongest and loudest judgments.

111

[quote]belligerent wrote:
I know I’ll be in the minority here, and that some people will regard my advice as dangerous, but regardless I am vehemently opposed to the practice of using psychiatric drugs to treat depression. Psychiatry is mostly a pseudoscience, and its practitioners generally lack intellectual independence and accept anything that comes from their corrupt structure of authority consisting of academia and government, both of which are unduly influence by the interests of drug companies.

Depression is NOT a ‘chemical imbalance’ as they claim in psychiatry. Your emotional pleasure-pain mechanism serves as a lightening rod that provides crucial feedback about the state of your life. Depression is a normal emotional state that results from a state of life that is, in your judgment, unsatisfactory. Itâ??s your emotional faculty telling you that something is wrong, and is analogous to how the sensation of physical pain serves to warn you of bodily threats.

The reason you’re depressed is that, for whatever reason, there is an absence of things in your life that give you a sense of purpose and make your happy. This may be because you are facing adverse circumstances beyond your control, or because you are pursuing either the wrong goals in life or the wrong courses of action to achieve your goals, or any combination of the foregoing. To resolve your depression, you need to figure out whatâ??s wrong and correct it. Unfortunately, I canâ??t tell you how to do that, and have little confidence in the ability of most therapists to help you, either.

I highly recommend the website of Dr. Michael Hurd, a psychologist whom I respect, as a resource on self-help. It is found at www.drhurd.com.
[/quote]
You’ve never been close to someone with serious clinical depression, obviously.

It’s not what you think it is. Hell, I wish it was.

112

Strong link between psychiatric drugs and violence.

http://m.psychologytoday.com/blog/mad-in-america/201101/psychiatric-drugs-and-violence-review-fda-data-finds-link

113

While there are genuine cases where these drugs are beneficial, it seems like doctors dole out these drugs quite liberally.

In my last year of uni I had quite a bit of anxiety and depression as I had no clue as to what direction I wanted to take my career/life. I went to see the doctor and within 5 minutes of talking to me, I was prescribed anti-depressants. I decided not to take them and a couple months later when I figured out what I wanted to do it went away completely.

The US is the most medicated country on the planet. Maybe it’s time to take a step back from this stuffing of pills down everyone’s throat.

114

[quote]belligerent wrote:
I know I’ll be in the minority here, and that some people will regard my advice as dangerous, but regardless I am vehemently opposed to the practice of using psychiatric drugs to treat depression. Psychiatry is mostly a pseudoscience, and its practitioners generally lack intellectual independence and accept anything that comes from their corrupt structure of authority consisting of academia and government, both of which are unduly influence by the interests of drug companies.

Depression is NOT a ‘chemical imbalance’ as they claim in psychiatry. Your emotional pleasure-pain mechanism serves as a lightening rod that provides crucial feedback about the state of your life. Depression is a normal emotional state that results from a state of life that is, in your judgment, unsatisfactory. Itâ??s your emotional faculty telling you that something is wrong, and is analogous to how the sensation of physical pain serves to warn you of bodily threats.

The reason you’re depressed is that, for whatever reason, there is an absence of things in your life that give you a sense of purpose and make your happy. This may be because you are facing adverse circumstances beyond your control, or because you are pursuing either the wrong goals in life or the wrong courses of action to achieve your goals, or any combination of the foregoing. To resolve your depression, you need to figure out whatâ??s wrong and correct it. Unfortunately, I canâ??t tell you how to do that, and have little confidence in the ability of most therapists to help you, either.

I highly recommend the website of Dr. Michael Hurd, a psychologist whom I respect, as a resource on self-help. It is found at www.drhurd.com.
[/quote]

As you can see i never post on this forum only read. But I read your post and felt I needed to reply. You seem to me to have no personal experience of this terrible DISEASE. Because that is what it is. It is no different than cancer , aids, whatever. I have no medical experience what so ever, but I have seen this terrible DISEASE rip apart lives and break up relationships of people close to me. Its a terrible thing, there are no simple answers and everyone’s experience will be different.

There is some good advice in this thread, i wish everyone affected the best of luck, and remember if you are caring for someone with depression remember to look after yourself as well.

115

[quote]Celtic_warrior wrote:
As you can see i never post on this forum only read. But I read your post and felt I needed to reply. You seem to me to have no personal experience of this terrible DISEASE. Because that is what it is. It is no different than cancer , aids, whatever.
[/quote]

Sheer bullshit and you assume wrong. I have 10+ years of personal experience watching the results of psychiatrists drugging my family members (whom at this point I’d almost rather just call “relatives”) into oblivion to treat emotional problems that were brought about by nothing more than their own raging stupidity. They’re attracted to the view of depression as a medical problem because it absolves them of responsibility for what they’ve done to themselves and validates (in their minds) their view of themselves as helpless victims of their brain chemistry.

116

http://myscienceacademy.org/2013/01/09/study-placebo-performs-as-well-as-antidepressant-drugs-in-treating-depression/

Regardless of peoples views on the drugs everyone can agree that the symptoms of depression are very, very real… Although I disagree that it is a chemical imbalance it is something that needs to be altered through alot of cognitive behavioral re training… anything to break the downward vicious cycle…

117

[quote]cstratton2 wrote:
http://myscienceacademy.org/2013/01/09/study-placebo-performs-as-well-as-antidepressant-drugs-in-treating-depression/

Regardless of peoples views on the drugs everyone can agree that the symptoms of depression are very, very real… Although I disagree that it is a chemical imbalance it is something that needs to be altered through alot of cognitive behavioral re training… anything to break the downward vicious cycle… [/quote]

No.

I was involved with a woman for 10 years, who was institutionalized for depression 4 times while I was with her… and, no amount of “cognitive behavioral re training” was going to make her right again.

Her personality, the way she spoke, expressions, and even the look in eyes was like I was with a different human being. It was a mind-fuck.

What she thought was VERY real to her. It was her reality and no matter how much I tried to reason with her, I was wrong.

It took a cocktail of of different meds and fine tuning it, to get her back to “normal”.

How much experience do YOU have with someone who’s clinically depressed? Someone you loved?

118

[quote]imhungry wrote:

[quote]cstratton2 wrote:
http://myscienceacademy.org/2013/01/09/study-placebo-performs-as-well-as-antidepressant-drugs-in-treating-depression/

Regardless of peoples views on the drugs everyone can agree that the symptoms of depression are very, very real… Although I disagree that it is a chemical imbalance it is something that needs to be altered through alot of cognitive behavioral re training… anything to break the downward vicious cycle… [/quote]

No.

I was involved with a woman for 10 years, who was institutionalized for depression 4 times while I was with her… and, no amount of “cognitive behavioral re training” was going to make her right again.

Her personality, the way she spoke, expressions, and even the look in eyes was like I was with a different human being. It was a mind-fuck.

What she thought was VERY real to her. It was her reality and no matter how much I tried to reason with her, I was wrong.

It took a cocktail of of different meds and fine tuning it, to get her back to “normal”.

How much experience do YOU have with someone who’s clinically depressed? Someone you loved?[/quote]

Well yes, As I stated before the effects depression has on the brain causes very, very real effects… Serious symptoms as I said before its no joke the type of physical symptoms people go through… I had a lot of very severe effects myself going through anxiety and de personalization… most said I had the eyes of a dead person… anyways not going into that because I already spoke about it but the effects I had were also VERY REAL… Though recovery did happen after I got off copious amounts of psychiatric drugs… Though recovery took longer to deal with side effects and withdrawals coming off all the medications… However I know a friend who went through it quite seriously… He is on adderal and 150mg of an SNRI I think right now… The person I know went through a couple suicidal episodes ending up in an institution for a bit of time… Then at one point at the worst of symptoms went completely catatonic… Still even saying all that… Those are all symptoms of the deprresive state that takes over the mind which is very, very REAL… However it is not necciserally a reasoning of chemical imbalance that it appears in the first place… Usually it gets worse before it gets better always too, this is because usually a large percent of it all is largely based on pure habit… it takes ALOT of work to recover but it is very very possible to fully recover from depression even without the added help of drugs… They do help to take the edge of symptoms that is true… but covering symptoms up does not lead to healing the psychic wounds that need to be seen and healed in the first place… Its just a band aid… while useful in some cases needs to not be seen in a complete means to an end… No matter how bad someones depression is they can fully recover, all of them without the need of meds… It will take an immense amount of effort and wanting to get better on their part but it is extremely possible.

The women you’re talking about might feel significant relief from her depression symptoms for whatever reason however that doesn’t mean the feelings are gone, take off the mask of symptoms from pills and she is right back in it… There is only a certain level of tolerance until the effects of most medications wear off anyways… if she wanted to get off the meds and apply it herself it would take alot more effort and honest work on her part and a serious need for change but she could do it…

120

[quote]Chushin wrote:
I gotta wonder how “belligerent” would explain the very clear evidence for a genetic basis for some depressions…[/quote]

I’d start by pointing out that there isn’t any.