Hi Bluerain, Had an Ok weekend. Worked most of Saturday Took my motorcycle out on Sunday for the bonus fall day.
Yes, my depression is currently being treated with an AD (cymbalta). My self-care is try to stick to regular sleep, exercise, vit d (8000iu/day), fish oil (4000mg day), mulitvitamins, zen/relaxation/mindfulness. I track my moods & sleep hours online. I need to be better about not isolating myself when I don't feel well.
The D thing will slowly resolve but some of it (kids/coparenting with the She) will always be there. I've got some stuff going on with work/location I need to deal with. Financial issues will slowly get better over time (a few more years on the ch13, get a house, etc).
Internally I'm not sure. Depression is common down one side of my family line. I've had a few bumps of depression and anxiety throughout my life (first major episode at age 15 scared the sh*t outta' me). Lately (since 2000) I've been trying to treat it more intensively with talk therapy and meds. Initially I started with a family doc but recently I switched to a psy. I've tried a few different AD's - this one works a little better than others but I can still get pretty low sometimes. I've always been highly emotional on the inside and I'm sure that contributes to it.
Yes, we all have good days and bad days. There are times when I wonder what all the fuss was about. I couldn't have felt that bad. There was nothing wrong. Other times I wonder how it can be so bad.
This is a tough time and I don't expect to feel sunny and bright everyday. One of these days though I want live without being afraid of another mood crash happening next week, next month, or next year.
Last edited by orangedog; 10/20/0906:19 AM.
"My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand." Thich Nhat Hanh
Isn't vitamin D a fat soluble vitamin, and therefore one that you can get too much of? I think both A and D will give you headaches if you take too much.
1. O'dog lives at a far north latitude thus like most of the population here receives very little to no vitamin D in the form of sun exposure. 2. O'dog tested very low in vitamin D and was told to supplement. 3. Docs know and watch my levels.
The current recommendation of 400iu day is too low:
The Linus Pauling Institute recommends that generally healthy adults take 2,000 IU (50 mcg) of supplemental vitamin D daily. Most multivitamins contain 400 IU of vitamin D, and single ingredient vitamin D supplements are available for additional supplementation. Sun exposure, diet, skin color, and obesity have variable, substantial impact on body vitamin D levels..."
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Yes, Vitamin D is fat soluble and too much can accumulate and cause toxicity. However the limits set years ago are very low. There is little risk of toxicity under 10,000iu per day.
"...When the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine established the tolerable upper intake level (UL) for vitamin D, published studies that adequately documented the lowest intake levels of vitamin D that induced hypercalcemia were very limited. Because the consequences of hypercalcemia are severe, the Food and Nutrition Board established a very conservative UL of 2,000 IU/day (50 mcg/day) for children and adults (see table below) (30). Research published since 1997 suggests that the UL for adults is likely overly conservative and that vitamin D toxicity is very unlikely in healthy people at intake levels lower than 10,000 IU/day (39, 97, 98)."
"My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand." Thich Nhat Hanh
The kid's things just really get me; toys, books, games. Even seeing the dog play with her favorite toy got me down. Something about the happiness, cheerfulness, innocence.
"My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand." Thich Nhat Hanh
Hi Odog. I can see what your saying, those are the types of things that get to me too.
Have you ever thought about tanning? Even if you slather yourself with sunscreen, its really nice to be in a warm tanning bed for a few minutes... and the ladies in Hawaii might like it! Probably the ladies in Anch too, but they would be even more impressed than Hawaiians!
And yeah Lotus, we pale, pale Alaskans are notoriously vitamin D deficient.
I guess I gave the wrong finger to the wrong man...
"My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand." Thich Nhat Hanh
Depression can really get me down. I've found that working as a team with my psychologist, psychiatrist and being honest with them and myself has been one of the best things that's happened out of the divorce. My counselor while helping me also keeps a close eye on my mood, alerting me if I consistently seem off and tells me to share that with the psychiatrist. I share that information with him. I know he takes time to understand the chemical interactions with the brain and the medicine.
After years of resisting any change in medication, I made a conscious decision to trust him when he'd want to increase my medication, or switch things up. And I'm forthright about how it affects me, too. Just because I'm taking medication and/or that might need to be increased doesn't mean I'm a loser or weak.
Emotional triggers can set you off like those you described. Discuss that with your counselor and how to identify then handle the situation. Goodness knows, it still takes me a while but at least when I stop spinning, I have a clue and can address it.
Thank you for sharing. And for whatever it's worth.. the more you process what's going on, move forward in a healthy way, the better life slowly but surely gets.
O'dog I just thought of something else, I have heard people recommend putting plant light bulbs in your regular fixtures, especially the bathroom lights.
I guess I gave the wrong finger to the wrong man...
Thanks. I probably haven't been working close enough with my psy and pdoc. Summer was fine but fall has not. Meds do need a check. I have a visit sched with pdoc in a week or so but I need to see the psy. There are a lot of big questions bothering me. Really I'm trying to figure out why I tend to weigh things so heavily.
"My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground upon which I stand." Thich Nhat Hanh
Mine was based on anxiety and fear. Identifying the triggers and working through them helped me move forward. For me, it's easier to worry than do something. That is changing.
My counselor focused on me being in the best place possible to be able to make the best decisions. Doing healthy things helps immensely as does balancing what's lacking in your brain chemicals during this stressful time (which extremely drains them).
My psychiatrist found that at one point even though the medication does was effective, it was not therapeutic, i.e., I would be fine but if I missed a few doses I would plunge into depression and anxiety.
Once I accepted that my brain needed the chemicals it was lacking, even if it was more than I wanted things went much better.
Oh yes, consider getting a GoLite or something that provides the appropriate light that missing in the fall and winter. It's a real mood picker upper. I found that my moods followed the weather. If it was sunny, I felt sunnier and energetic. If it was cloudy, I felt gloomier and lethargic. Who'd a thunk?
It's amazing how many hints our bodies give us. Not enough sleep.. bang, depressive feelings. Drinking.. Shabaam, feeling something's off for 24 to 36 hours. Not enough light.. Oopsie, feeling a sense of darkness.
