I’m currently going through enough depressive symptoms to consider myself depressed. Thusly I was looking for some stories of how others have overcome their depression. What is your story? What worked and what didn’t?
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A SAD lamp helps somewhat.
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I see depressive episodes as like the flu. They suck, they are absolutely miserable, and you just have to remind yourself that they don’t last and they’ll be over eventually.
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@Anna thanks. That perspective is really helping already 
that comparison really lessens the inward humiliation that I experience with depression.
@FatMama hmmm a SAD lamp may help. I was pretty depressed around this time last year. The seasons could be having an effect on me. How helpful has the lamp been for you?
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It took me a lot of trying different meds till I got it right. Then I stupidly got off the one that worked and came back to it later. Now I need boatloads of it to be effective!
I don’t do well on ssri’s in general. I do better on effexor. It is ssri and another transmitter and it works just right but as I say I take a heck of a lot of it!
I haven’t been low since I got on 300mgs of effexor. It does the job and I’m reluctant to even try to come down!+
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Fairly helpful. Ì use it about 3 times a day for 15 min. That’s what my pdoc said
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@rogueone was effexor effective at ending your depression? I was going to talk to my pdoc about wellbutrin because I wanted something activating.
@FatMama I’ll talk to my pdoc about it too. Sounds like it could be a good investment though. Thanks!
@anon5927173 . It is the only drug I’ve found that works well. I am paranoid sz but I do have bad major depression as well. It evens me out. I would have liked to try wellbutrin but it is expensive here because they used it as a give up smoking drug and not a pharma antidepressant. Dumb red tape but I think I would have done well on it!
Anyways. No problems and I’ve been on it over 10 years for sure!
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I’ve suffered Major Depression on and off for years. I tried quite a few different antidepressants before i finally found one that worked. I take Venlafaxine or Effexor, and it works very well. I also attend a support group on a weekly basis. This has also been a bit contributor to my recovery.
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@rogueone I don’t think there are the same problems in the U.S with wellbutrin but I’ll find out when I talk to my pdoc. Thanks for the input. One last question is do you find effexor activating or sedating?
@Sezbot241 I was definitely going to try an antidepressant. As I just told rogue I was going to try first with wellbutrin. I was also going to start therapy in the coming few months. I’m glad therapy has helped you well. Makes me optimistic for my own sessions
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I take Wellbutrin XL 300 mg, and it works well for me. I’ve been taking Wellbutrin for the past 18 years. I always need a second AD to go with it, right now that’s Cymbalta, but my depression has always been med-resistant.
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My depression was med resistant last time I tried antidepressants years ago. I’ll see how it goes this time. Do you find wellbutrin to be activating? I know that is what is commonly said about it. I wanted something that could also potentially help the fatigue I feel from my currently untreated sleep disorder. And how were you without the antidepressants?
I take it in the morning because it’s not sedating. Zyprexa I take at night certainly is!
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Exercise. It’s tough to do when feeling down but it certainly combats low mood.
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I was depressed and anxious most of this year. Changing medication (psychiatrist) and doing some meditative grounding exercises every day ( psychologist) pulled me out of the depression over a few months. I still do the exercises if I feel anxious or low.
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time is the best healer - i came out of it without doing anything different to usual. but relaxing helps, doing something positive for yourself or others
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Not sure what helped me get out of my major depressions, looking back they seemed to lift without reason.
Unfortunately, they come back without reason too.
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Tried antidepressants, but didnt have good experiences with those. I do use haldol prn to not slip from depression into psychotic depression. Time and talking were better healers than meds though. I now try to avoid getting myself into situations that cause depression and my goal is to use exercise and healthy diet as a prevention tool. Seeking motivation still…
A yogic breathing exercise for 10 minutes has been clinically proven to alleviate depression. I posted awhile back about it. It is called Sudarshan Kriya. (Put sudarshan kriya in the search engine of this site and you will find my post with links to the clinical studies and how to do it.)
I meditate straight after for 20 minutes and it is great.
I also do some holotropic breathing when i meditate later in the day and that brings me up too. A daily meditative practice has really done wonders for my mental health.
I exercise 20km, 5 days a week on the exercise bike even when I really don’t feel like doing it and after I always feel better.
Hope this helps.
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