depression trouble, please HELP please

**SilverTest** · 11-12-2011, 08:19 AM

hey guys,

I have been diagnosed with severe depression from a few weeks, which i actually had since a child trauma from a very long time, which led to chronically high cortisol levels.

I thought i was normal when i was a kid and a teenager, but i wasn't, i was always tired, very weak, and never orgasmed properly, i was also in a depressed mood all the time, and i couldn't learn anything in school. this all started after i got beated up by a teacher, she beated me and my hands where bleeding and got me to stand in the corner of the class all day, before that i was strong, very intelligent my grades where excellent i was actually the first in my class all the time.

anybody have this kind of problem? the doctor prescribed me efexor, which i read has HELLISH withdrawal symptoms. and now i have to go to army bootcamp where they actually dont allow you to take medicines with you, so i cant take my efexor, i stopped it today after taking it for a week.

i just dont know what to do, i feel so weak in my body, and no i dont have anything physically wrong with me i did every test you can imagine, everything is MORE than fine as far as hormones too, especially my test and thyroid which are excellent.

it is now known that depressed people have high cortisol because of a disrubtion in the HPA system, which causes more cortisol and more damage to the part of the brain that controls stress hormones( the hippocampus in the limbic system).

now, antidepressants have been found to grow the hippocampus and halt this catch 22 thing which is

cortisol = smaller hippocampus = more cortisol = even smaller hippocampus = more and more cort etc.......

i did a cortisol test and it is higher than normal, and i do not have cushing's.

what should i do ? i cant take this wrong feeling in my whole body 24/7 anymore, my muscles feel very weak and my mind and concentration too.

i cant even enjoy a cup of coffee because it will activate my HPA system so bad, my cortisol will stay elevated for like 2 days after just one simple cup.

experiences are most welcome.

**DSM4Life** · 11-12-2011, 08:29 AM

Edit....

No need to go into details.

**SilverTest** · 11-12-2011, 08:44 AM

i mean i do not feel pleasure when i orgasm.

**awms** · 11-12-2011, 11:27 AM

My gf deal with bouts of depression and the doc wanted to throw her on meds but instead she went the natural way and it seems to have worked better then we thought! amazing actualy when I look back on then to now!

Omega 3 fish oil 8g a day (8 tabs split up)
Vitamin D 5000iu a day
Vitamin B complex
Multi vitamin
Cut out all do dairy! no milk, to cheese no dairy!
Cut out gluten (It tough but you can get gluten free breads, rice pasta, eat lots of yams ect ect)
Cut out caffeine and stims.

Should help you out alot! meds suck! make you feel like shit and gain weight so I would say no to meds.

**awms** · 11-12-2011, 11:27 AM

Oh and dont ever stop working out! this is one of the best things you can do!

**evander87** · 11-12-2011, 11:40 AM

Originally Posted by awms

Oh and dont ever stop working out! this is one of the best things you can do!

Quoted for the truth!!1

BAck when I was married my wife thought I was depressed. I went to s shrink and he put me on effexor too as well as a few other pills. That stuff stopped me from feeling the lows for sure but they also killed me from feeling the highs. Long story short. I ended up getting a divorce, moved across country, and changed jobs and during that time I lost my health insurance so I was forced to stop taking the antidepression pills cocktail. What was I to do? Well I hit the gym. Lost some weight and believe it or not discovered running. For me whenever I feel down I do an intense aerobic workout and you know what? I wear myself out so much I cant feel down. It's fantastic.

Also worked for my insomnia.

It sucks when I'm doing the run but shortly after I feel on top of the world. Might give it a shot. Lord knows you going into the military they are gonna make you run so it's not a bad thing to start now.

Also if you're looking for something natural "Ashwagandha" is an herb that is supposed to inhibit cortisol production. You could give it a shot.

**SilverTest** · 11-12-2011, 11:55 AM

thanks guys that was very helpfull.

**SexySweetheart** · 11-12-2011, 01:41 PM

Also have depression issues...
There are 3 diff forms of depression (chem receptor function/chem production or a mix of both receptor & production) and everyone has it on diff levels, plus it depends if its situational depression or PTSD related or pure brain formation.

Exercise def. helps (releases feel good chems in the brain)
Diet can help as well, including steering clear of artificial food coloring
Anti-depressants have been shown to help (when you find the rite 1 for ur issue) and they have been discovered to actually stimulate the brain to selfheal the damages areas over the long term.
For severe depression that pills don’t help, electro shock therapy is proven successful.

I hated Effexor, and have tried about every pill...my issue is the decreased ex drive as well....no matter how "on" I feel with a med, if I have no sex drive I get bummed out and shut down so the pills are kind of useless. Wellbutrin is 1 of the very very few that don’t promote weight gain or sex drive decrease, but again they work diff for diff people. I found Lamotrigine it actually INCREASE your sex drive and is used for bi polar and depression but it’s classified as a strong anti-seizure med so a PCP wont normally prescribe it you have to see a shrink. I haven’t tried it yet but it is in the back of my mind as a possibility.