I have RA and have had it since I was 5 yrs. old and I'm 47 yrs. old now. I have become severly depressed, and have been for six plus weeks. My pain doctor has put me on Remeron which also helps with sleep. I cry all the time, but why I don't know, I don't like myself and I don't know where to turn. I have started seeing a Psychologist and he says I'm not depressed. What do I do?
i Debbie S.!
Thank you for sharing with us. First, you've done the right thing going to see your doctor. But if the treatment isn't helping, go back and explain that you need additional help. Perhaps you will need a new treatment. Perhaps your doctor will be able to help you in some other way. There are many different drugs available to treat depression, but we can't give you a list to try. You need to work with your doctor to find the best treatment for you.
I know you are going through an extremely difficult time right now, but you do not have to go through your pain alone. Please find someone to talk to right away: a family member, a friend, a therapist, a member of your church or a doctor. Talking about your feelings will help you feel less overwhelmed. If your therapist is not helping, there's nothing wrong with finding another one.
The most important thing is to talk to someone right away and to get the help and treatment that's best for you.
Your depression might not be from the RA but from hormonal changes. My doctor, a woman, has said that depression is common in women in their 40's because of these changes. If your doctor can't help you, go to someone else. Also, research suggests fish oil can help depression (3-4 grams/day for depression) as well as Sam-E. Sam-E is used for arthritis but has a anti-depressive benefit. I have not tried it, but a friend of mine says it changed her life.
Debbie--age not withstanding--I cannot imagine that you would not be depressed. It is a crummy disease and it would be unusual to NOT be depressed [at least that is what my PCP physician tells me]. I am not familiar with remeron and am not a health care professional; I can only tell you what my doc does to help me. I have taken effexor xr [do not think there is a generic or I would be getting it] for years. For me it mellows out stress which helps with the pain. One rheumie I went to doubled the dosage when she found out I was taking it [I now take 150 mg/day]--at the time she said the FDA was considering authorizing it as a prescription to aid with pain reduction.
As the other member said it might your hormonal imbalance because of your age--it hardly matters what the cause is--depression is depression. Do you have a primary care doc or a gynecologist? They might be the person to help you through this more than a pain management doc [again, my opinion only!]. Speaking personally when I was first diagnosed the more I thought about it the more it hurt and the more it hurt the more I thought about it. I have only been diagnosed about 4 years and my symptoms are pretty much controlled by enbrel. Cannot imagine the number of drugs, etc you have had to deal with. I do hope you have found an RA drug that works.
Good luck, please let us know!
daisy
MY DARLIN ,JUST BE HAPPY DONT LET DEPRESSION GET YOU ,TRUST ME IVE BEEN THERE ,YOU ARE A ATTRACTIVE WOMAN ,SO FIRST YOU MUST LOVE YOURSELF ,PERSONALLY I DONT TAKE TO HEAVY DUTY DRUGS. FIRST OF ALL CONSIDER ALL THE BEAUTY OF LIFE ,SEA, FULLMOON, BIRDS FLOWRS TRY WALKING A LITTLE EVERYDAY NOT FAST,TAKE YOUR TIME ,AND IN THE MORNING LOOK INTO THE MIRROR SEE YOU ARE GORGEOUS, I HAD A BIG PROBLEM SLEEPING,I WAS PUT ON TAMAZAPAN LEFT ME FEELING CROOK THE NEXT DAY SO GAVE IT A MISS,NOW I TAKE THE ODD VALIUM TO GET BACK INTO THE HABIT OF SLEEPING,AND IM FINE ,I DONT GET TO MUCH PAIN ,WHEN I DO I TAKE TRAMADOLL AND IF YOU READ MY POSTS MIGHT HELP STAY SMILING x x
Debbie, I can say 'I know how you feel' and really mean it as I have suffered with depression on and off for the past 30+ years. No doctor should ever let a patient go untreated for depression - it's very treatible!!! Personally, my choice of drug is Prozac. I have taken it for many years...not constant, but for as long as a year at a time. My doctor told me that I may be one of those people who have to stay on antidepressants for the rest of my life. And I WILL if I need to. My mother suffered with depression and my 3 daughters are all on medications for depression. Even two of my grandaughters (17 and 20) are on something. When I get that empty feeling of my insides falling deep into itself....that's how I describe it....that feeling of dread and you can't put your finger on 'why'???? I start my prozac immediately and within a few days I'm back to being ok. But as my doctor told me for my last episode..'remain on your medicine for 4 to 6 months after the incident that caused the episode'. I had a relationship fail after 18 months and I knew I'd be in a tailspin, I started immediately and was able to handle what would have been a very bad time for me. I truly believe that some of us are born with chemical imbalances and we need medicine to be normal. I personally have been on Lexapro and Prozac and both work very well for me. In my opinion you need to change doctors. This is a treatable problem that you should not have to worry about with all the other problems associated with RA. I wish you the best and will pray for you.
God bless you,
AudreyBee
Debbie,
You do have symptoms of depression, but you need a good workup to rule out other reasons for your symptoms. For example, depression is a side effect of many medications. Anxiety, abnormal thyroid function and low B12 levels are also among the many causes. I would advise you to see a psychiatrist who uses talk therapy, but is also a medical doctor who, unlike psychologists, can prescribe medications and order diagnostic lab work. Your pain doctor may be on the right track in prescribing the Remeron, but a psychiatrist is better suited for diagnosing and treating depression, and can work with you to find an effective antidepressant. Psychologists can be good, but first get a proper diagnosis.
I hope this helps.
Jan
HI DEBBIE,
I, TOO, HAVE HAD RA FOR ALMOST 40 YEARS AND HAVE SUFFERED FROM DEPRESSION FOR MANY OF THOSE YEARS. I HAVE HAD MANY JOINT REPLACEMENTS WITH MANY OF THEM FAILING. IT'S HARD ENOUGH TO DEAL WITH LOSING YOUR ORIGINAL JOINT BUT TO HAVE THE REPLACEMENT FAIL DOESN'T MAKE IT ANY EASIER.
PROZAC WORKED WELL FOR ME FOR MANY YEARS. I AM CURRENTLY ON EFFEXOR XR, WHICH IS WORKING WELL. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY MY PRIMARY CARE DOCTOR THAT CYMBALTA IS ALSO AN EFFECTIVE DRUG. I ALSO TAKE FISH OIL.
AS FOR THE PERSON WHO TOLD JUST TO BE HAPPY, OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE NEVER BEEN CLINICALLY DEPRESSED. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO "JUST BE HAPPY" IF YOU ARE TRULY CLINICALLY DEPRESSED WITHOUT SOME FORM OF DRUG OR NATURAL THERAPY.
WOULD BE "HAPPY" TO HELP YOU ANY WAY I CAN VIA THIS CHAT ROOM.
CAROLYN
Hi,
This is for Debbie S.
I have a cousin who has rheumatoid arthritis, I first met her in 2001 and that's when I first heard about it.
I would really like to help, so I will do so by first praying to God on your behalf, because he is the great physician and when all else fails, he doesn't.
Secondly, I work with a research company based in the United States and I believe that what we have in our hands can really help you, that is if you want us to help you. The company, people and products are phenomenal and they are helping people worldwide.
I have put my friends on to this and their asthma children are now doing well, I've helped my husband's friends who were challenged with weight problems, chess pains, and sleep disorders, pneumonia.
I can understand why you may feel depressed, but you know what, you are a strong and remarkable person because to have RA from 5 years old to now takes a lot of perseverance, this tells me that you are a survivor. God has not given up on you. Keep praising him, for who knows, he may have had a hand in my finding your story on the internet. So by hearing this I hope that this puts a smile in your heart. Keep your spirit up and keep thinking positive. Love yourself and love others, this will help a lot.
I am excited about hearing you do and feel better, and seeing your progress.
Email me right away so I can put you on to the company and products.
Olga
Don't liston to this doctor who says your not depressed, after all he hasn't got RA and dosen't know how it feels. most people with RA are on medication for depression. I am, when i was pregnant with my second child, my RA dissappeared untill my baby was about 5months, i became worried and upset, i was frightened i'd end up in a wheelchair and wouldn't be able to be a proper mum to my kids, i saw a lovely health visitor whose mother also had RA and she advised me to go on medication, i went on to 20mg of citalopram, that was 6 years ago and i'm still taking it today. As well as helping my state of mind i think it helps my RA, as i am on no other medication, though a specialist tried to foce me on to it, i olny take neorfen at the minute
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