Curious--depression meds or Vit D???
marie_ndcal
10 years ago
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Comments (36)
morz8 - Washington Coast
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Drugs
Comments (25)Chisue, if you've never been on antidepressants, you may not know that they don't keep you from feeling sadness, nor do they give you any sort of a high. They just take away the "gee, I hope that car hits me" feeling. I also think it's really important to differentiate between sadness, over whatever, and depression. When my mother died, I was *so* sad. I cried a lot, I couldn't imagine life without her. I was *not* depressed. I was not hopeless, I was not wishing I were dead, I was able to work. When the sadness faded, I was left with wonderful memories of my mother, a deeper understanding of our mortality, and great empathy for those who were grieving. It was exactly what one would hope for, to go through a difficult time and learn valuable life lessons. When I *was* depressed, all those things were different. I spent most of my time in bed, I missed so much work that my income went way down. I couldn't pay my bills and my mortgage company began foreclosure proceedings. I stayed away from people, and, though I didn't think of killing myself, I prayed constantly for death. I couldn't imagine that anything would get better. Ever. I don't think there was any point to *feeling* this range of emotions. There was nothing good or redemptive in there. It was totally debilitating. Everyone knew something was wrong, but no one thought of depression because I'm a strong, confident woman, generally able to face whatever life brings. But it wasn't a matter of will and perseverance that time; I was ill. Would I have pulled out of it without drugs? Probably. Depression is a cyclical illness, and generally goes away within a year or so, though it often returns. Had I waited for it to go away naturally, I may well have lost my home, my job, and some of my friends. I thank God for the one friend who suggested that I might be depressed and sent me to a doctor. (A GP, by the way, not a psychiatrist.) Chisue, you really seem to be protesting drugs given for sadness, rather than for depression, and I'd agree with you there. Do you think there's no possibility that your friend is depressed?...See MoreVitamin D prescription
Comments (16)A couple of years ago I was having severe pain all over my body. I ended up with catscans, MRI's, xrays, a colonoscopy, all sorts of tests trying to figure out what was wrong and I finally self-diagnosed myself with severe Vitamin D deficiency, which a blood test confirmed. It was so low that it was elevating the ALT levels in my blood and made my doctor worry about my liver before we figured out what it was. My blood levels returned to normal once I started supplementing. $10 prescription and a week later and I felt 100% better. To me it's a miracle vitamin. If I stop taking it for a few weeks, my bones start aching and I know I need to start up again. It's the only vitamin I take where I can literally feel the difference in my body. I wish I had realized earlier how important it is....See MoreHave you had a Vitamin D lab test?
Comments (19)I just checked & LabCorp charged $232 for the test, insurance discounted it by $212 and paid $20 and I owed nothing. (Thank God & dh for good health insurance!) Thanks for the links, I'll be reading additional info, in order to keep up to date on the latest. I will look into the drops. When I was buying a new supply, I did ask a pharmacist the other day about the difference in Vit.D vs D3..... he was "vague" in his answer.... I surmised that he did not know. But I have been using the D3 as I had heard it was supposed to be better. From what I read it would seem impossible to get enough D in food to bring a low level up to "normal". I like fish (Sardines?~~~~shudder~~~~), but couldn't eat THAT much & it is the only food listed that has an appreciable amount of D. Then there is the concern for mercury in fish!...See MoreQuick Follow Up Regarding Trip to MD
Comments (2)Everyone should have their Vitamin D levels checked. Most Americans are low in it and higher levels are associated with less cancer risk. (see link) I'm on the 50,000 units per week too, but haven't noticed a big difference. Of course, I've got thyroid problems too and many symptoms of that are the same as vitamin D Deficiency. Here is a link that might be useful: Vit D and Cancer...See Moreravencajun Zone 8b TX
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