MEDICS OFFER ANTI-DEPRESSANTS

I WOULD REALLY BE INTERESTED JUST HOW MANY PEOPLE -WITH LICHEN SCLEROSUS ARE ENCOURAGED TO TAKE ANTI-DEPRESSANTS.

ALSO HOW MANY SUFFERERS THINK THAT IT IS ADVISABLE TO TAKE ANTI-DEPRESSANTS.

I myself am too frightened to take anti-depressants as I fear the side effects. It would be very encouraging to hear the opinion of others on this. My health is deteriorating due to the stress of this disease and perhaps it is a mistake not to take antidepressant. PLEASE POST SOME ADVIICE ON THIS.

hi there, I think a.d's like antriptlyn are prescribed because they apparently reduce pain perception. Have been on this in the past and side effects for me were dry mouth, some night mares or weird dreams and weight gain. I would ask yourself which is the lesser of the 2 evils - to be honest i would try anything when flare ups of l.s. strikes.

sad

Halo

Thank you for your response. My fear of A.Ds is the fear of the withdrawl symptoms or worse being unable to survive without them. It says on the pack that symptoms can in fact worsen. Did you find that mentally and/or physically they helped you cope with the symptoms of LS. What were your anxiety/depr symptoms. I discovered that I suffer from abnormal heart beats and abnormal heart rhythm which I believe were a result of the anxiety related to LS. Hope to hear from you again. Any help or advice is badly needed.Would be interested in learning how you cope with everyday life as I am barely coping.

Hi there... I have taken amitryptiline for nearly 3 years 2-3 per night. I have not had LS that long and my LS is kept down by steroids and barrier cream so I cant say the tablets have made it worse but it is certainly not extremely severe as yet!I have no idea how I will go in the future as do non of us...Maintaining daily is the key to this problem certainly not worry and stress...Side effects of the tabelets are not always the case . I get a dry mouth and a feeling of numbness sometimes in my toes but the stress levels are down and the pain threshold has lessen meaning that overall I cope a great deal better....You dont have to have large doses...Two at night would give you a good sleep and a more relaxed time...I have severe osteo-arthritis so i take the tablets as much for joint pain as anything..They are good.......Try anything that takes the fear and trials of LS down a cog or two... Take care.

Hi - I was advised to try amtriptyline - apparantly it supresses the nervous system and therefore helps with symptoms of itching.... I decided against taking the A.D's as I felt they could be addictive, and I didnt want yet another problem. I am sure they work well for some - and we are all unique - some have a more addictive nature than others - some people pain threshold is higher etc etc.....

It is great to recieve advise from others, including myself, but truly - you have to look at how you feel about it and whether you think it would help you. Apparantly Emu Oil is meant to be really good for helping with the pain and itching - and is meant to heal the skin. It's a natural remedy.... Maybe give it a go before commiting to a prescription.

De-stressing as much as you possible can helps too. And changing what you eat/drink. There are lots of tips on here, browse through. Maybe a councellor - to relieve your feelings - it's very emotional having LS !

I hope you figure a way that works for you. Thank goodness for these forums - everyone on here are great. True Treasures. x