| Depression/Antidepressants |
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Thursday, 20 December 2007 08:52
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A Depression story and Hepatitis C
My story
with depression dates back to the late 1979, I was in a violent relationship
and subject to abuse and physical violence over a 9 year period. I am often asked why I stayed in this
relationship and the answers are simple:
I managed to
get away but I was living with anxiety and depression, so I saw a Doctor who
put me on an antidepressant. I was on
these for 6 months, where I commenced on a journey to get my life in order and
start over again with my 2 sons aged 4yrs and 6 yrs. It wasn’t until 2007 that I was diagnosed
with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. My
sons also suffered from a nervous condition.
In 1993 I
found a job I loved, helping others find work, this lasted 2 years until two
women I worked with decided to get rid of the Manager, and because I didn’t
agree with them, they set upon me. I was
subject to workplace violence and harassment, I ended up on antidepressants
again, this time I had a nervous breakdown. I was put on Prothieden and Endep, high doses. I was out of this world, living in another
planet, I couldn’t function mentally, lost control of my life. My sons ended up confused but tried to help
me even though they didn’t understand what was happening to their mother. I was on this medication for 6 years; I
gained weight because of the antidepressants, which adds to the
depression. After 6 years I came off
this medication to start again.
The next
downfall came when I was diagnosed in 1999 with hepatitis C, I contracted this
disease from my ex-husband who was a drug injecting user, from the beatings
that he gave me and the exchange of blood I became infected with hep c. The strange thing about this is that in 1989
I went to the doctor complaining of nausea and being tired all the time. I just didn’t feel right, she did blood tests
but they didn’t show anything, she eventually said that ‘I am just like my
mother’ and sent me on my way. A
hypochondriac. It wasn’t until I was
diagnosed with hepatitis C and doing my own research that I found out the
symptoms for this is nausea and fatigue as well as depression.
I now find
myself trying to live with depression, but, I have played around with different
antidepressants to find the right one for me. I am on a very low dose, 5mg, which I take every 2nd or 3rd
day, just to take the anxiety away. I
have chosen not to be drugged up on antidepressants and to try and learn to
live with the depression. I have good
days and bad days. I take each day as it
comes and only do what I can on good days. Bad days I tend to stay home and wallow in my own despair, that way I am
not having a negative impact on family or friends and only see them when I am
chirpy.
From my own experience, antidepressants are a
nightmare, but they should be taken if you need them, depending on the degree
of the depression. When I had the
breakdown, I definitely had to be on a higher dose. For people with a liver disease, like
hepatitis C, half the recommended dose is applied, as antidepressants are toxic
to the liver. If any of you need to be
taking these, research all antidepressants and find out all you can about them,
some have more side effects than others.
I have suffered 3 different kinds of depression, they have not all been the same experience and are not related to each other in any way in my opinion. Another
thought on this subject is that at this time in my life, I have never
been happier, I have no stressors, I have a wonderful partner in my
life, I long ago accepted the fact I had hepatitis C, diagnosis was not
the onset of depression as many studies seem to suggest, I have no
financial problems to cause me stress or depression, so why do I still
suffer depression? My theory is that the hepatitis c causes depression
with relation to the neurotransmitters in the brain and tissue. Author wishes to remain anonymous - please direct any contact with this person through the administrators of this site. (AHCS).
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| Last Updated on Friday, 07 March 2008 07:50 |
