Depression You and Your Meds

     Depression on it's own is hard enough, but when you add medications it can be even worse if they are not taken properly or on time. Like anything worth achieving, learning to live with and handle depression along with the treatment protocol takes work and commitment for both the patient and the Doctors involved.

What is Depression?

     I am going to do my best to explain what depression is in plain English.  Note I am not a professional so if you are looking for a more official and clinical description of what depression is please visit  Psychweb.com or feel free to look through our Depression Resources section.

     To understand what's going on it's often a good idea to get to know what and how depression works and how it affects the body and the mind. To begin with it's not JUST a state of mind as the old school teaches but rather a chemical imbalance for the majority of cases. This is why medication and learning to use them correctly is so important. For one reason or another it's the body's inability to produce the correct balance of chemicals to allow
messages to travel to and from the brain. Here's how it works in plain simple English

      In order for messages to travel to and from the brain from cell to cell and from neuron to neuron there needs to be the proper balance of chemicals as mentioned before. Between each neuron is a bridge or a sheathing that messages travel through.

     When the chemical balance is compromised the sheathing is worn away and often leaves no bridging between the neurons.  This sheathing is called Myelin

Why Medication?

      The ingredient most important to keeping that myelin healthy is Serotonin. In the majority of cases of depression, lack of serotonin is the most common cause of depression. Without it messages often get stuck on one side of the bridge and then the brain is left with no
instruction. That's when a person gets to feeling pretty down and blah about the world.

     Serotonin can be missing for several reasons. Poor diet, high stress, Trauma, lack of sleep and genetic make up of our bodies. For some people depression is short lived simply by taking care of themselves. For others it's a struggle to try and keep the balance of chemical often due to hereditary factors or due to illness that compromises the brains ability to produce
enough serotonin to meet the body's needs. That's where medications come into play. They are designed to give the body a hand in producing the right amount of serotonin to help the body function as it was intended to. This is why taking the medication on time every day is so important.  That can affect how much serotonin is in your system and when you change that you change the amount of chemicals in your body and that can leave you feeling pretty wishy woshy and blah again. And it takes a long time to build that balance to begin with.

Important Notes About Medications

     Depending on the Class of antidepressant assigned to you will determine how it works in the body. It's a good idea to sit down with your doctor and ask about how your particular class works. Understanding how your meds work can go a long way in helping you feel better about what's going on and even help you realize that this really isn't all in your head. Getting
past the old school stigma is half the battle but to do that you have to take an active role in your own treatment. It can also take an incredible amount of patience.

     Medications can take a long time to take affect in getting the right amount of chemicals into the body. They are NOT addictive but the body can rely on them for a while until it can do the chemical production on it's own. It can take anywhere from 5 days to 3 weeks before you even feel anything when first starting out on the meds. And there are often side affects to over come in the beginning. It may feel like you aren't getting anywhere but believe me, you are. It just takes time. So stick with the plan the doctor gives you and do what is needed to take care of yourself until you can feel it working.

     Be very careful, the most common mistake anyone can make is when they start to feel better they stop taking meds all of a sudden. That is the worst thing you can do. You are taking the medications because the body is unable to produce the chemicals needed by itself and when you stop all of a sudden you leave the body helpless to do what it needs to have the right amount of chemical in it. Stopping a med cold turkey can lead to what's known as *Rebound Depression* and trust me, that can feel a heck of a lot worse then the original depression before you started taking the meds. it only takes 72 hours for that to happen or less depending on where you are in your treatment plan. That can land a person in hospital so this is very serious and not something to play around with.

    Stay on the meds, it can take up to 6 months before you get the FULL benefit of the drug. That sounds like a long time but when you think about it the body needs time to heal and to recover from the affects of depression.  You can help it by taking care of you. Get plenty of rest, eat properly, get some exercise even if it's just a walk around the block and make sure to take care of your mind too.  IF you are under a lot of stress and pressure, take the time to talk to someone or see a therapist. If you can't afford Therapy there are plenty of ministers, clergy, pastors, priests that understand and are trained to listen.  That in itself  can go along way too. Don't walk this journey alone.There are people out there who do understand what's happening and there is help out there. Just have to do some digging to get it :)..