Just relapsed at Xmas ..crap!! Bit stressed took virus then wham..all the horrible symptoms and negativity..on venlafaxine for nearly 4 years 75 mg twice a day. All been great..anyway now up to 300 mg and zoplicone to try n get some decent sleep..so hoping this will kick in soon..what's your thoughts on counselling.?
I have had several sessions of counselling over the years, also had CBT. I must admit I do enjoy it, it certainly does help at the time. I will be honest I always dread it when the sessions are coming to an end and find it difficult for a few days after they have finished, but that is me.. Can be quite draining when first starting but the more sessions you have the less draining it becomes. I have had some good counsellors but you do have to engage with them and talk to them openly, it is always confidential and non judgemental.
Thanks for your reply...will think about it..will for now keep taking venlafaxine and hopefully get sleeping better coz if your not sleeping good defo doesn't help.
take eveything offered. surely giving anything a go has got to be better than how we are feeling now. i've been spiralling down since the end of november. i've stared a new drug and waiting to start counselling. i don't care what i do/take. i need to be me again!
Counselling can help some people. I think it depends on the counsellor and whether you feel comfortable with that person. I have seen some that I did not get on well with. I think anything is worth a try when we feel so down. I had a little set back at Christmas too.
Hope you find the medication is helping. Why not give counselling a go.
So hav you had counselling?..is it different from cbt?..sorry to hear about your setback too..it's awful coz even when it starts a little you no thers no stopping it..or is that just me?..I slept good last night but still tired! I,m 58 and still working putting face on which tires you out..but feel if wasn't at work would just lie or sit..so will keep plodding on..
which drug are you taking..I know what you mean by wanting to be back to me..I am even having acupuncture with Chinese massage..so am trying..we want to feel better quick that I think we pressure ourselves without realising.
I'm on mrtrazepine,escitoaloprim,propanol!
So how are you feeling today...the low moods bad enuff but it's all the physical symptoms as well. I've been menopausal for a few years as well so that doesn't help either. Sorry. Am mumping.
My daughter is training to be a counsellor. I asked her about CBT. She said some counsellors are trained in that, but not all.
I slept really badly last night and feel awful today. See good and bad days, ups and downs. I have had depression for over 20 years, and it never really goes away. I am older than you. Glad I am not working anymore. Mind you I was off so much with depression when I was working I had to go onto Invalidity Benefit. I think you are doing really well that you are still working. Not easy when you feel so depressed.
You are not alone in how you feel Cathy. Nice to talk to you.
I have never tried CBT. Some people here have found it useful.
Take care
Hi Cathy just seen your conversation with Anne, I am only a couple of years younger than you but I have also suffered of and on for over 21 years. I did not require medication for a number of years but I made several visits to the GP. I have a really big dip in 2008 and have been on medication ever since. I have received counselling through work which helped to keep me there. Eventually I took voluntary redundancy in 2012 thinking great I will finally get off medication, because I had a very stressful job.
For the first 12 months I was ok but the GP didn't want to rush taking me off meds he wanted me to have at least a 6 months period of stability before starting to reduce. Unfortunatly I did get off 1 lot of medication but then took a dip. I had a course of CBT which was very different to counselling, it is a lot more structured and you have to do homework between sessions.
I like Anne don't think it ever really goes and my GP has recently said to me I may be always need to be on AD.
good that you are still able to work, I felt I wouldn't have lasted much longer on my grade had I not had the offer of redundancy, I could have dropped my grade but it would have seriously affected my patient. Keep on working for as long as you can it can be hard to motivate yourself when you finish particularly if prone to depression.
Hello there. Nice to read your message to Cathy. My GP suggested I try stopping Effexor to see how I went. Like you been on numerous anti depressants over 20 plus years. Effexor was the last one I took and it worked well. It took me 10 months to wean off and I did not get any withdrawals doing it this slowly.
Been 17 months now since I stopped taking anti depressants. Up and down, good days and bad days. One thing is that my emotions returned when I stopped, but also a good thing was I lost all the weight I put on whilst taking Effexor.
Did you find the CBT helped you?
I wonder sometimes should I have stayed on anti depressants, but feel at the moment I am doing OK. I take lots of supplements. Never slept well and that is the one thing that drags me down, plus I have developed social anxiety, but know my limitations now. I tried a voluntary job, but the social anxiety about going to meetings prevented me continuing.
Shame that you had to continue with medication after you stopped work as you were hoping to come off it.
I think I will continue as I am, and am pleased that for someone in their 70s I am not on any prescribed medication at all. I hope that as I have not take anti depressants for 17 months, I will not need to go back on them - fingers crossed!!!
Thank you Anne, I am glad you felt my conversation to Cathy was ok. I do respond to quite a few discussions but at times I feel I am taken with a pinch of salt. I think a lot of people on this forum are so much younger and that a quick fix is what they want. Unfortunatly as you aware it can be a long hard slog. Everyone is different I know and their situation is very different to mine.
You asked about CBT it did help to a degree but I know I could have engaged more. Currently I have just gone under the mental health team, I have seen the psychiatrist once, I have been referred again to the I APTs team, not sure if it will be counselling or more CBT, it may take a few weeks to find out, as I have to activate referral next week, then get an appointment for telephone assessment then wait for further appointment for face to face contact. Last time it took 3 months till I saw someone.
I know what my main problem is but I cannot admit it to anyone,I have tried telling my GP in a round about way, but I am so ashamed of myself to feel like I do and to like what I do.I know people would think how can you enjoy that situation.
i do some voluntary work 1 day a week which I quite enjoy.
I have just no idea what the future holds for me.
it is nice to talk to someone who has got life experience as you can relate to both younger people and some of us who are more matured.
i hope you do not need to go back on AD. They cannot really doing our insides any good with them chemicals, but yet we also need them to function. God luck and keep them fingers crossed.
Hi Cathy,
I've had 3 lots of counselling now, the first two I was much younger and the latest was during December/January that I had to unfortunately stop due to the circumstances of which I'm now on Fluoxetine.
But counselling really helped me for the periods I had it, especially the last one which I paid for myself and I understand that might be hard for everyone
With me the key was having a counsellor who I felt comfortable with and who I felt understood me rather than just passed it off like some of the others did, I'd definitely recommend counselling though and if one doesn't suit you perhaps try for another of that's possible
Hope you're feeling better soon :-)
Hi Leah thanks for reply. What is the difference if any between counselling and cbt. Had cbt last time and was lots of excercises to write down. Is counselling the same.
Counselling varies depending on you! Usually it's just talking therapy and venting, but if you feel like you want to do things like writing or painting usually they'll do that too.
With counselling you get things off your chest bit by bit and in my experience I've come out with something to work on, such as maybe not going along with everyone's ideas just for the sake of ease, and giving my own opinion in situations. Then the next session we'd talk about that as well as something else and I came out feeling like I'd actually achieved something :-)
Hope this helps