Do You Have an Autoimmune Disease and Depression? The Question of the Week

By Merely Me Tuesday, October 25, 2011

- A
- A
- A

Hi everyone

It is Tuesday right? I am losing track of time.

My question for you today is: Do any of you have an autoimmune disorder or disease in addition to depression?

I have two:

1. Multiple Sclerosis

2. Asthma

How about you guys?

Some other autoimmune diseases include fibromyalgia, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and Type 1 diabetes.

In addition there are new studies which indicate that Diabetes Type-2 may also be re-classified as an autoimmune disorder.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. I do not know much about diabetes but am in the process of learning more as my mother has type 2 diabetes and my doctor has mentioned that I am the pre-diabetic range. (If anyone can explain what this term means it would be much appreciated.)

Personal tangent:

Went to the doctor today and they did a prick test on me and my blood-glucose level was 115. This was after fasting. I have been feeling weak, trembly, and like I may pass out these past few days but the doctor attributed these symptoms along with chest pressure to my gallbladder. For those who know my gallbladder saga (I have had about 3-4 episodes in the past couple of years and no I stll didn't get surgery yet) I will have attacks but they resolve with a change in diet. They won't do a scan until my episode is "resolved." So they sent me home. The doctor was late (almost two hours) so they rushed me out. I will have to call with my questions...like is a fasting blood glucose level of 115 normal?

But back to my original question...does anyone here have depression and an autoimmune disease? Which came first for you? Do you think depression may be classified as an autoimmune disease someday?

Thank you for your participation! Hope your week is going well.

Depression and chronic pain

Comments (17) | Add comment

jpw2008

10/25/11 6:23pm

hi MM

I am very upset with myself

I worry about have certain diseases

Which certainly not put me at ease

I eat too much because im angry

which makes me worry about getting it

Jon

Merely Me

10/29/11 10:18am

Hi Jon

What diseases are you most afraid of getting? Have you had a good physical? I worry about my health too. It is very hard to cope with depresssion and other illnesses.

Thanks for sharing. I hope you are having a good weekend.

jpw2008

10/29/11 10:33am

hi MM

I sometimes think I would get cancer

my friend died of that plus heart disease

I worry about getting an hiv disease

I worry that I would die alone

I told my friend that and she did die alone

Jon

Merely Me

10/29/11 10:47am

That must have been extremely traumatic for you Jon. You are a good friend to tell her that you were there for her.

I worry about cancer too...and other illnesses. But then I try to focus on what I can do to feel more healthy and then I feel more in control.

Thanks so much for sharing Jon.

patsyg

10/26/11 10:48am

Merely Me, I have depression and fibromyalgia. However, at this time fibromyalgia is not considered by the medical community to be an autoimmune disease. See Karen Lee Richard's posts "What Causes Fibromyalgia" (http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/fibromyalgia-38174-5.html) and "What Is Fibromyalgia" (http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/fibromyalgia-38158-5.html?ic=4030), as well as a page from the A.D.A.M. Encyclopedia of the National Library of Medicine regarding fibromyalgia (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001463/).

I had depression before I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. I had psycholgical trauma both in childhood and as an adult. I started doing very stressful social work for my state during the same time my older daughter and I were getting treatment for depression and the results of child sexual abuse and family dysfunction. I continued to do social work for the state for about 15 years. I was divorced and raising my two daughters alone. I do think the continued stress and depression brought on my fibro. I was very fortunate in that my primary doctor noticed symptoms which led him to give me a sheet about Fibrositis, or fibromyalgia, and asked me to look it over and let him know how many of the symptoms I had. I told him I had all of them. At that time the drug Vioxx was still on the market, and it helped immeasurably with the pain. It's the only Cox-2 inhibitor that was helpful for me. Now I take ibuprofen when the aches and pains are bad. I take Cymbalta which helps with both my depression and fibromyalgia. Side effects cause me not to take any of the anti-convulsant/anti-seizure drugs used to help with fibro or migraine prevention. I am pretty sure that fibro has helped make my depression treatment-resistant and increased my tendency to have migraines.

Re: SAMe

I did talk to my psychiatrist yesterday, and he wanted me to go up to 15 mg of Deplin (prescription folic acid) daily from 7.5 mg first for a couple of weeks or so to see if that makes a difference for me. Then, if I want to go ahead and start the SAMe, he wants me to call him so that we can discuss it and he can note when I've started taking it. My depression is not as severe as it once was, but has dipped in the past few months. I could really use the motivation and energy you mentioned that SAMe may help with. Certain supplements have definitely helped me have fewer and less severe migraines, when no meds I've tried for migraine prevention have helped--plus the side effects of most of the meds made my depression worse.

Thank you!

Patsy

Merely Me

10/29/11 10:24am

Hey Patsy!

Good to hear from you. I am very interested in what you are saying about fibromyalgia. Karen Richards is wonderful indeed and I consulted with her about this topic. I am hopeful that she will visit our site to give us more information about this condition. Perhaps sometime (if you are up to it) write a post about how this condition makes you feel...the early warning signs...and how it impacts upon your depression. I am sure many of our members would be very grateful.

I am hoping that the Deplin helps and that if you do decide to take SAM-e that it also is of benefit. Stomach upset was the major side effect I noted but when I take it before bed...it is okay for me. I am glad your doctor is involved in what you take...supplement wise. Some doctors have little knowledge of supplements.

Let us know how you are doing in the days and weeks to come. Thanks so much for sharing with us.

Shayluna

10/26/11 2:51pm

This question came at a great time for me. On Monday, I got diagnosed with chronic pain and my doctor is leaning toward fibromayalgia. I started cymbalta yesterday, so it's yet to see if that will help. I wasn't upset when the doctor told me what I was dealing with. I was actually relieved because it explained some things. I've always felt pain instead of pressure in some of the tender points of fibro. I get stiff and sore, but thought it was strictly because of my weight. Sleeping is difficult at times because of the pressure of laying on the mattress, it actually starts to hurt. Sitting or standing in one place for a while also gets painful. It's strangely comforting to know that I actually do have a problem instead of wondering if some of these things were "just me".

Merely Me

10/29/11 10:28am

Hey there

I can imagine that this would be a relief to know that there is a name for what you are experiencing. That is how I felt about my multiple sclerosis. I just thought I was going crazy. :>) But when you know what it is...you can get support...you can find other patients who also have this...and you can receive treatment.

Have you visited our chronic pain site yet? Karen Lee Richards is the community leader for this site and she is fantastic! So don't hesitate to reach out there.

If you are ever up for it...perhaps you can write a post on your symptoms...how you were diagnosed...and what your condition feels like. I think many members would be very interested.

Thanks so much for your comment.

NY Guy

10/27/11 11:48am

Hi everyone, i've had type 1 diabetes since age 4 & i'm 52 now. The diabetes is

doing great overall , but I have had trouble with depression alot of years.

My Dr & I know that the 2 are connected & having diabetes for 48 yrs.

I do get help with the depression & the diabetes too. The diabetes I believe

was there first & then the depression part came later in my life.

Merely Me

10/29/11 10:32am

Hey there

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. I often wonder which comes first...these other illnesses or the depression....is one causing the other? For me...I have had depression most of my life and then later I was diagnosed with MS but I do wonder how each condition influences the other.

If you ever have the time or feel up to it...I am sure our community would be eager to know more about how you have coped with diabetes all these years...what helps the most and...how it impacts upon your depression. A sharepost would be great.

We all have so much to share with one another with regard to our individual experiences and it helps so much to hear these stories of how one survives these life challenges.

Thanks again for writing.

NY Guy

10/29/11 12:06pm

Hi M M , thank you for writing back to me. I'm Jim

I've had type 1 diabetes since age 4, 48 yrs now, but i'm doing

well overall with the diabetes. The depression part is hard at times.

I get sad & lonely & i'm really looking for a nice woman in my life.

I hope thats ok to say on here. I know its not everything but I

think & hope that will help some. Maybe another time I will

talk more about the diabetes & depression. I hope you & everyone

on here are having a great weekend !

Jim

Lene Andersen, Health Guide

10/28/11 1:01pm

I am not currently depressed, but have experienced it in the past when my RA was really bad. I used to see a psychiatrist for counseling - he specialized in cognitive behavioral therapy and it was a terrific help. After I stopped the regular visits, I'd still go back every now and again when I felt stuck. It took a while, but I finally realized that I went back to see him every time my pain was out of control. So I booked an appointment with my rheumatologist instead, spoke to her about medications to suppress my RA and also got some stronger painkillers. And then I didn't need to go see my psychiatrist again.

For others it's not quite that simple, but when I meet people who experience depression with their RA, I still recommend doing a check about how well the disease is managed and how well their pain is managed. If the answer to either of those questions is "not very well," then part of the solution is definitely getting on top of those situations. If the depression persists, cognitive behavioral therapy is a terrific help and antidepressants may help you to develop better coping skills. We have a couple of posts on RA and depression - one where I interviewed you and one where you interviewed me. Together, they give a really good and balanced perspective on the issue.

Merely Me

10/29/11 10:44am

Thanks so much for this Lene.

Pain is a definite trigger for depression in many people. It just makes sense and especially if you cannot readily find something which eases the pain.

For anyone who has RA in addition to depression I would encourage you to visit our RA site which is led by none other than Lene Andersen.

We are all in this together. Whatever you are dealing with...there is help and there is support.

Thanks again Lene for stopping by and sharing your story with us.

Jacuzzi63

11/ 4/11 12:59pm

Interesting chicken and egg question, Merely Me... In my 20's I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, which has secondary effects of Metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, hirsuitism, in addition to the fertility issues. I also found out that many PCOS patients experience depression... but the research isn't clear if this is due to chemical/hormonal imbalance, or the other factors, like obesity, infertility, hirsuitism causing emotional distress. I remember having symptoms of depression in my early teens... interestingly my problems with my menstrual cycles happened at the same time.

Unfortunately, all the doctors I've seen are treating each "symptom" as a separate diagnoses, not inter-related to each other. Which begs the question - had I been treated earlier for the PCOS, would I be suffering from the severe depression now?

Hmmmm.....

kmf527

11/20/11 5:22am

Hi,

My name is K, I'm 21 and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's when I was 18. I was started on synthroid which made me feel worse rather than better so they changed my thyroid medication to levothyrine(I think that's how its spelled). Then I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue at 19 to which I went on a vitamin regiment for about 4 months and never improved so they changed my thyroid medication again, this time to Armour. I improved shortly, but they kept changing the dose because my numbers were too high. Once my levels were perfect what improvement there was quickly disappeared. My main problem is my fatigue, I'm just tired all the time and I keep going, I sleep all the time, and I try to not let it get to me, but I'm just so tired. I started going to a therapist when I was 19 for depression from illness and PTSD from a chilhood trauma. I feel like I'm making progress, but its hard when I'm so tired. And the hardest part is I feel like there is something else wrong with me. I'm not denying my depression and I know it has physical implications like fatigue. It's just hard when I feel lik that's not what this is. I feel like I have something else wrong with me, but I feel like I just get the shrug off from the doctors and one of them even blamed it on my depression and said there was nothing physically wrong with me without even testing me for anything. It's so frustrating because I feel like I keep getting worse rather than better and I'm suppose to graduate in May and I worry how am I suppose to keep a job when I can't wake up in the morning because I'm so exhausted. Sometimes I get even get tired from running up the stairs and I used to play sports, but I can't build up any endurance despite regular exercise. I feel like I keep trying everything and it just makes the depression worse which makes the fatigue worse and it's an endless cycle. I have the doctors in my head to telling me its nothing even though I don't feel right. I'm just so tired and I don't know what to do anymore. I'm sorry it's such a long comment, I hope someone writes back.

I've written on a few support boards over the past few years only to never hear back. I hope this is different.

Merely Me

11/20/11 8:40am

Hi K

I am not a doctor but it sure does sound like something medical may be underlying your great fatigue. I suffer from depression and anxiety so I know the tiredness associated with those conditions and I also know what feels different to my body.

How long have you been feeling depressed? Is the symptom of fatigue part of your depression?

And is this fatigue you feel...is it getting worse?

I have experienced the stigmatizing that may go on with medical professionals who see on your chart that you suffer from depression and/or anxiety and begin to make irrelevant assumptions. You can read about my experience where I write about how a psychiatric label can affect the quality of your medical care.

It sounds like you need a proper diagnosis and treatment. Do you feel that your thyroid issue is not under control? Have they checked other things which can cause fatigue?

I suffer from great fatigue also but I have Multiple Sclerosis in addition to my depression. I can tell the difference between the two types of fatigue. You always know when something isn't right. Listen to your body and get a second opinion.

In the meantime here is some information about fatigue.

You may also wish to investigate chronic fatigue syndrome. That is another medical condtion which can cause debilitating tiredness.

Let us know how you are doing. I would also suggest keeping a log of your energy levels and conditions. Do your eating habits help or hurt? Have any food allergies or intolerances such as to wheat or gluten? How about your sleep...how is that going? Have you been tested for diabetes, mono, etc?

Thanks so much for reaching out here. Please update us when you find a doctor with a second opinion. You need not suffer with this symptom. Get some good medical help.

kmf527

11/21/11 4:18am

Thanks so much for replying, it means a lot.

I'm not sure really how long I've felt depressed. I started seeing a therapist awhile back and it'll be two years come March. I go every two weeks, but sometimes every week and others every three. I started therapy more so because I started having flashbacks of the accident that happened when I was younger. That with my medical condition not making any improvements and my fatigue getting worse I felt that talking to someone could help and it has as far as understanding why I feel the way I do and working on changing that. Overtime, my therapist has told me that my medical problems triggered the PTSD and that the feeling of loss of control over my life I feel now resonates to how I felt then. I'm not sure if fatigue is really a main symptom or a symptom of my depression at all. I feel like if anything the depression is a side effect of the fatigue. For ex. I am sad that I slept for 12 hours last night rather then sleeping for 12 hours because I was sad. I'm not sure if that makes sense though. I do feel like the fatigue is getting worse, but it could feel that way because it continues to last.

I feel like it is a medical problem and not from my depression, but it's hard when I am trying to find a good specialist (endocrinologist) and everyone I've seen hasn't been helpful. My primary care doctor is great, but she can only do so much since it's not her specialty. She has been great at running blood work and doing testing for almost anything we ask about if it's plausible. she's very open minded. It's just hard whenever I try another endocrinologist like I did last week and he told me that I was tired because of my depression and that was it.

I read your article on psychiatric labeling too and feel like thats exactly how I was being treated by this most recent doctor and I've had a doctor in the past imply my symptoms were side effects of street drugs like cocaine. I do not do drugs and to imply such a thing to a 19 year-old in front of my mom is just humiliating.

As far as diagnosis, according to all my labs my thyroid levels T3s T4s are always not just in the normal range, but they're perfect. That's what they always tell me they're perfect and since I'm giving symptoms of both hyper and hypo thyroidism they don't want to adjust them. My primary care has checked for many things I did turn up positive for systemic sclerosis on a lupus panel from what I can tell it's usually referred to as SLE, however after seeing a rhumetalogist he says I have the marker for it, but it's dormant and I could develop it, but right now I don't have it and he doesn't think it's likely to develop since I don't have any of the symptoms. He did suggest plaquenil as a treatment because if it was SLE and fatigue was the first smptom to develop it would help improve my feeling of being tired. I went on the medicine over a month ago and I had one of the bad side effects, but it wasn't until earlier this past week that the reaction was worse and I had to stop taking the medicine.

After doing more research I think and my mom says it sounds like me, we think I might have a sleep disorder. Despite having good sleep hygeine I still have trouble falling asleep unless its after 2am, but ideally I sleep best around 4am and I don't wake up until after 2pm usually. Of course being in college sometimes I fall asleep at 4am wake up for class at 830 get out of class around 1 and nap around 3 or 4. On weekends it's usually 4am-2pm. So my conclusion from researching it is that I might have delayed sleep phase syndrome or possibly the more severe version non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome.

Thank you for your personal advice sometimes it's hard because I really feel like something isn't right, but whenever I get another doctor telling me it's just my depression or some other thing I feel like am I just crazy?! Is it my depression and I'm just being a hypochondriac or something, but I know there's somehting wrong and sometimes I just need to hear someone else say they believe me too. So thank you very much for that. And I am currently looking for another endocrinolgist now.

Oh and earlier on shortly after my diagnosis of hashimoto's at 18 and shorthereafter I did have an endocrinologist who thought my tiredness was Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, but after trying his vitamins and supplments to treat it I didn't have any improvement. Although, that is a really great suggestion.

I have kept energy, mood, and other things logged in the past and I think I'm going to start again. My eating habits probably hurt more than the help, but I have been trying to get better at that and have begun to eat more fruit on a regular basis. I have had a blood test for celaics and I've tried a gluten free diet before, but not luck thus far. All my blood tests have been clear so far my blood sugar levels are normal, as is everything else. Ive never asked about mono, but I can check next time I'm in. However, I know my blood pressure is always really good/on the low side, they ask me at the doctors office sometimes if I need to lay down. Also, I exercise regularly, not as much or at as high of a pace as I'd like, but I feel exhausted even if it's a short distance and I'm unable to build stamina or endurance even after regularly doing the same exercise for 10+ weeks 2x or more a week. It's really weird, but I guess it's just the fatigue usually. Also I get weird headaches sometimes right in my temple usually the right side ocassionally the left, but they're really sharp and last only a minute or two. I don't know it might not even be rellevant, but thought I'd share. Also it's probably just random, but I get the hiccups an abnormally large number of times like for an hour at least once or twice a month.

Also I'm not sure if I said it, but I am on an antidepressant. It's a really low dose, because I'd really prefer not to have to take it, but helps keep me more even. My doctor described it as a way to keep the seratonin available at all times I think she said it's a MAO-A inhibitor (I'm not sure it's called lexapro), but I just thought you should know.

Thanks So Much for replying!

And I will be working on getting some new medical help soon!

Do You Have an Autoimmune Disease and Depression? The Question of the Week

Ask a Question