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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Maxime on August 28, 2010, at 19:56:38
I was thinking about all the meds I have been on and all the different cocktails. There have been A LOT. I have had a few that worked for a while, but even when they were working I was still depressed only to a lesser degree. I have never felt a 100 percent. It angers me people think I have been cured when I am on an anti-depressant. My family does that a lot to me "but you are on so many pills!!".
I wonder if I will ever achieve 100 percent remission. Does it even exist?
I think in my case, I will never achieve full remission until I spend about 2 years in psychotherapy. I think the meds can bring me to a certain point, but after that it is up to me.
Do you think full remission is possible and what does it feel like? Do you think ADs can make everything better?
I am in a bad place and I don't think I am expressing myself very well right now so this post may not make sense and I am sorry for that. It has been on my mind for a while now.
Posted by Deneb on August 28, 2010, at 20:35:51
In reply to Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by Maxime on August 28, 2010, at 19:56:38
I think it exists! :-)
But I think it can recur repeatedly once you have it once.
I'm prone to it, but I am also a very happy person when I'm not depressed. Just have to go with the flow, life is up and down.
One thing I've never fully recovered is my productivity in all things academic. It's probably more psychological than anything because I am hard working when it comes to other things.
AD's can't make everything better of course. Sometimes life is unhappy.
Posted by violette on August 28, 2010, at 20:46:13
In reply to Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by Maxime on August 28, 2010, at 19:56:38
"Do you think full remission is possible and what does it feel like? Do you think ADs can make everything better?"
I view ADs as temporary. I think psychoanalytic therapy can be a true cure for many, though perhaps not all conditions. I weaned off almost all meds since being in that type of therapy, as my depression was lifted, though need xanax for panic attacks. I'd expect to always need a bottle of xanax in the future just in case as i was always a fearful/anxious person and it can again flare up...but I think for some people, that type of therapy is the only real 'cure' out there. Other therapies only manage symptoms. So yes, I think full remission is possible for many.
Your post didn't seem confusing to me and i thought you expressed yourself clearly.
"I think the meds can bring me to a certain point, but after that it is up to me."
I do agree with that, and a skilled T can guide you along the way.
Your post was very positive.
Posted by Tomatheus on August 28, 2010, at 21:03:12
In reply to Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by Maxime on August 28, 2010, at 19:56:38
Maxime,
See below for my responses to some of your questions...
> Do you think full remission is possible and what does it feel like?
I definitely think that full remission is possible because I've experienced it, even though it was only temporary. For me, I was basically able to live my life as I wanted to with all of the challenges that normal people face without being dragged down by my anergic depressive symptoms. Instead of sleeping for at least 10 hours and struggling to get out of bed every day, my sleep was actually refreshing when I was in remission, and I only needed 6-8 hours of it every day. I also actually had an adequate amount of energy when I was in remission. It didn't take me forever to read things or to write a simple paragraph because the psychomotor retardation that I experience when my depression is at its worst was gone. I could actually enjoy the things that I really liked when I was in remission instead of simply "going through the motions" all the time.
Having said what I've said, I should say that I don't think that 100 percent of individuals with a depressive illness can achieve remission with the treatments we have today. There's still so much that's unknown about depression, and I think it would be arrogant to assume that solutions are available for every variation of depression that currently exists. I also think that some individuals (or perhaps only a few) might actually have a more difficult time achieving remission than they used to *because* of some of the medications that they've tried. I know that lithium left me feeling both more agitated and more depressed than I was before I took the medication, and it also changed the way I responded to some medications. The same goes for aminoguanidine, which I suspect had a very profound effect on my mental health (and not in a good way).
> Do you think ADs can make everything better?
I think that depends on what you mean by "everything." If by "everything" you mean depressive symptoms such as lack of energy, psychomotor retardation, hypersomnia, anhedonia, and difficulty concentrating (my primary depressive symptoms), then yes, I think the right antidepressant can eradicate all of these symptoms. What antidepressants can't do is undo all of the damage in life that's been done by depression. Antidepressants won't make new friends for you or get you a job. They won't repair your strained relationships. But with the right antidepressant, all of these things should become easier than they were when one was highly symptomatic. That's not to say that they'll be easy. Finding a job, for example, is a very difficult task for most people in places like the U.S., Canada, and Europe right now because economic conditions are so tough. And if you have large gaps of time when you were unemployed because of your depression, you're going to be at a major disadvantage compared with people who've spent most of the past few years working. So, my point is that life is full of challenges, and even though taking an antidepressant may make it easier to face these challenges, the medication isn't going to overcome your challenges all by itself.
Tomatheus
Posted by Phillipa on August 28, 2010, at 21:17:24
In reply to Re: Remission from depression .. myth? reality? » Maxime, posted by Tomatheus on August 28, 2010, at 21:03:12
I feel at least for me that many medical illnesses create depression/anxiety. Can be controlled but not irradicated. Like my hasimotos and the still positive lymes titer. And any autoimmune disorder whether active or in remission can keep the cycle going. And now that I think of it I wonder if there is autoimmune mental illness? Ha a new diagnosis. Phillipa
Posted by ed_uk2010 on August 29, 2010, at 13:29:28
In reply to Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by Maxime on August 28, 2010, at 19:56:38
>I wonder if I will ever achieve 100 percent remission. Does it even exist?
100% is not an easy score to achieve! Remission for many people means that their symptoms are mild, intermittent and manageable. Sometimes they will feel good, other times not so good, but never really bad.
>I think the meds can bring me to a certain point, but after that it is up to me.
I agree.
>Do you think ADs can make everything better?
For most people, no. They can only help up to a point.
>I am in a bad place and I don't think I am expressing myself very well right now
You make perfect sense Maxie, as always.
xx
Posted by emme on August 29, 2010, at 14:49:33
In reply to Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by Maxime on August 28, 2010, at 19:56:38
> I was thinking about all the meds I have been on and all the different cocktails. There have been A LOT. I have had a few that worked for a while, but even when they were working I was still depressed only to a lesser degree. I have never felt a 100 percent. It angers me people think I have been cured when I am on an anti-depressant. My family does that a lot to me "but you are on so many pills!!".
Hello. Sorry you've been feeling so horrid lately.
> I wonder if I will ever achieve 100 percent remission. Does it even exist?
I think it does. I've seen something close to 100% happen with some people. What I think is more common with those with TRD is improvement with occasional breakthrough. The mood disorder is not gone, but tamed. I also think the pursuit and maintenance of wellness is an ongoing endeavor even for people without psych diagnoses.
> I think in my case, I will never achieve full remission until I spend about 2 years in psychotherapy. I think the meds can bring me to a certain point, but after that it is up to me.
>
> Do you think full remission is possible and what does it feel like? Do you think ADs can make everything better?Let's see...remission feels like...normal energy and motivation (i.e. ordinary daily activities don't feel like herculean tasks), my brain can focus and retain information, I enjoy my interests, I can keep a reasonable perspective on things and not get totally freaked out by upsetting events, I'm not crying over minor things, I don't feel like my soul has been sucked out of my toenails.
Can meds make everything better? I can honestly say that the correct medication has produced improvement in all of the above areas for me. As one of the other posters noted, it can't undo the debris engendered by prolonged depression (career stuff, etc). But it at least gives you a chance to reclaim a life. And it may not prevent you from having temporary relapses. But my relapses are relatively short-lived now. I call myself about 75-80% in remission a lot of the time. The remaining 15-20% are lost to some fatigue from meds. Compared to the hell I was living, I'll take it. I can work and enjoy my friends.
> I am in a bad place and I don't think I am expressing myself very well right now so this post may not make sense and I am sorry for that. It has been on my mind for a while now.
Actually, you're making a lot of sense. Hang in there. So sorry you're in a bad place. I like to believe that relief from illness is possible for us all. I have to believe it because I've seen people undergo some pretty amazing recoveries.
emme
Posted by EastC on August 31, 2010, at 12:42:43
In reply to Re: Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by emme on August 29, 2010, at 14:49:33
As someone who has had major depression which was manageable without medication during childhood and then became severe enough to need antidepressants over the past decade I can say that from my experience I will never be able to live a normal life without them. I have tried going without antidepressants at least a dozen times or more - all at different time points and for different lengths of time. Each time, I relapsed into a deep depression that never lifted until I went back on them. I view depression as a progressive neurodegenerative disease that can be arrested but never cured (similar to parkinsons). I think each individual that suffers from clinical depression is at a different stage of this - hence why some can go without antidepressants for certain lengths of time, appearing to be in remission before relapsing back into it. Those on the severe end will never experience even a temporary remission when off their antidepressant(s). Just my two cents ..
Posted by Phillipa on August 31, 2010, at 20:28:15
In reply to Re: Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by EastC on August 31, 2010, at 12:42:43
My first thought is sounds like another autoimmune disease. Phillipa
Posted by auntie3 on September 1, 2010, at 14:39:18
In reply to Re: Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by emme on August 29, 2010, at 14:49:33
I have had depression off and on for over 20 years. I can not take meds anymore, they can not find one my body can tolerate. I think we can feel better and have periods of no depression, but I'm not sure about full remission. I have a hope that it is true. Hopefully it is a reality.
(I'm new to this site :)
Posted by EastC on September 1, 2010, at 17:21:11
In reply to Re: Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by auntie3 on September 1, 2010, at 14:39:18
I love all of the theories and hope that mine is the incorrect one. This website is one of the few that I feel people can truly relate to me and I can truly relate to them even if the individual situations and circumstances are different. I tend to see the most chronic cases on here and I think most doctors out there are used to treating easier ones.
Posted by Phillipa on September 1, 2010, at 21:48:57
In reply to Re: Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by auntie3 on September 1, 2010, at 14:39:18
Auntie welcome to babble. Glad to have you here wish under better circumstances. What happens now when you do take meds. In other words how does your body not tolerate them. Phillipa
Posted by auntie3 on September 2, 2010, at 13:57:16
In reply to Re: Remission from depression .. myth? reality? » auntie3, posted by Phillipa on September 1, 2010, at 21:48:57
> Auntie welcome to babble. Glad to have you here wish under better circumstances. What happens now when you do take meds. In other words how does your body not tolerate them. Phillipa
Hi Phillipa, when I try any meds at all, they basically put me into a panic attack. I do take Xanax for my anxiety disorder. It's so weird, I took Wellbutrin two years ago after being off of it for a while, and my face got red and my heart started racing. Scared the hell out of me. Basically all the anit-depressants just make me very, very anxious, I have tried a bunch, believe me. I have a great doc and a good therapist. Since I'm so prone to depression, I just have to use talk therapy since I can't take meds, I do take Xanax though. It sucks, because I get at least two episodes a year and I have to just ride it out with my therapist. Thank goodness for her, because no one understands. I found this site hoping for some support. Thanks for listening.
Posted by Phillipa on September 2, 2010, at 20:35:26
In reply to Re: Remission from depression .. myth? reality?, posted by auntie3 on September 2, 2010, at 13:57:16
Well you are not alone I have had the same problem and as you take valium and xanax and deal. Phillipa
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