Can someone please give me answers? 10 pts?!


Question: Can someone please give me answers.? 10 pts.?
I was diagnosed with depression, I am in my teen years. I was prescribed Amitriptyline 10 MG.. lowest dose because of my age. Will this medicine even help me.? I am at the point where i feel my depression is very bad. How long does it take for the medicine to start working, ive only been on it less than a week.? And if this low dose doesn't work for me, will they try something else for me.? different medicine, or higher dose.?
If the medicine actually does work.. what is going to change, how i think or react to stuff.? I just don't get it.

- OR -

If you have suffered from depression, whats your story.? What helped you.?



Please, I really just need some good answers.
Ill give Best Answer to someone that can just give me some answers, or maybe share their experiences they have had.Health Question & Answer


Answers:
Antidepressants are different than some psychotrophic medications. They have to build up in the system in order to work the most effectively. If you don't feel better in a few weeks, your doctor may change the dose. Depression is most effectively treated with a combination of therapy and medication.Health Question & Answer

I was just 11 years old when they started me out on Zoloft.


They started with the lowest dose(If I remember right) and went up a few doses from there.


You have to start out on low because they want to upper it gradually.


Give it time,it may work for you,and if it doesn't..then tell them you either need a higher dosage,or a switch of medicines.



Good luck.




Health Question & Answer

You need to ask your doctor how long it should be before you can tell a change, but I think it is usually in 2 or 3 weeks that you should start to feel better (not positive, i have bipolar disorder, and that may be different).

It is a really hit or miss operation finding meds that work for depression. This one may or may not work, so then you try another, chemically unrelated, drug. Then another. You would also be wise to go to a therapist to learn to deal with depression. It can be really helpful. If persistent, my psychiatrist swears that most people do get relief thru meds (I have not, but she says this is rare).

I'm going to give you my self-help tips for depression and anxiety (often people with depression also have anxiety). I have learned these thru trial and error, therapy, and groups put on in the hospital.

If your depression seems to be more of a problem in the winter, try to get more sun. You could have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, or your depression could have a seasonal component, meaning you can get depressed other times of the year, but you tend to have more trouble in the winter. A light box is really good if you can afford one (about $300 online, don't get it at a local store, they will charge more for a light less than 1/2 as bright). Since I will always have a mood disorder, I have put in extra windows, keep the drapes mounted so they don't cover them, make sure I spend a lot of time in southern exposure rooms, painted the walls peach and yellow, mostly. I even have a skylight, although that was here when I moved in (and I LOVE it, it helps a lot!!!!!)

Try turning the heat up in the house or dressing much more warmly. It is hard to feel anxiety when you are too warm. I was able to cut out ativan use altogether by using this trick. Saved me big $$ too, because pills cost way more than heat. Hot baths work too, and in a pinch, like at work/school, you can try running hot water over your hands.

Avoid caffeine like the plague. also, some cold remedies can cause anxiety. Look for the "agitation in children" warning on the box. Adults can get problems too.

Try meditation tapes like progressive muscle relaxation or guided imagery. They may seem silly at first, but they work!! They help reduce stress, which makes depression worse.

Go out with friends, and if you don't have any, find a club to join and MAKE yourself go until you actually look forward to it. Isolation makes depression worse.

Exercise at least 1/2 hour a day, and anytime you feel really hyper or depressed. Exercise is a great mood stabilizer and cuts down on anxiety a lot.

If your depression makes it hard for you to sleep, here are some good "sleep hygeine" tips so you can sleep better. Like go to bed and get up about the same time each day, even weekends. Don't use your bedroom to watch TV and read and use the computer and all that-just use the room as a bedroom normally would be used. Don't do stuff that pumps you up right before bed, like exercising and using the computer. You want to use that last hour to wind down-Take a bath .? Make the bedroom really dark, cover up the clock radio, even so the light doesn't shine at you. If you live in the rackety city, use a noise generator (makes wave sounds and the like) to cover up the city sounds. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.

Put a lot of colorful things around the house, happy type things, and keep the blinds open and let the sun in. Get yourself some flowers. Put on some pretty clothes. Make a list of things that make you happy. Here's some things on my list: A basket full of fluffy kittens, bread fresh from the oven, Fireworks popping on a warm summer evening, The first fireflies of the season, the scent of Jergen's cherry almond lotion, The crisp sound of a saltine cracker breaking, fresh sheets on the bed, etc. Use all your senses and read that list when you are breaking down
Work on time management if being overwhelmed and late for things and too much to do is getting to you. Cut back on other responsibilities temporarily so you can spend more restorative time with friends and family.

You got a significant other.? Extra physical touch is very helpful. Most people in the US or UK are touch deprived, so hold hands more, hug more, give shoulder rubs, etc. A pet is good to cuddle with, too, if your home situation allows you to get one & take good care of it. (I'm an animal lover, don't get one if you can't commit to it for 15 years)


I give these suggestions to lots of folks, and hardly anyone ever tries them.. I have really really severe psychiatric symptoms from bipolar disorder and post traumatic stress disorder, I mean, I have one of the most severe cases you can get. And I am able to control my behavior almost 100% even when I am suffering, and able to feel quite a bit better using some of these tricks, because the meds have only been minimally effective for me. If I didn't do stuff like the above, I would be Health Question & Answer

My exp is this: Dealt with depression since the 2nd grade. Started counselors in the 3rd and have had them ever sense. After an attempted suicide attempt went wrong, i ended up in the e.r. and psych ward diagnosed as Major Depressive DIsorder with psychotic features and anxiety.

I am resistant to ssri medications and am way to reluctant to try the older medications so im doing stuff to help myself.

With those mg, believe its just as affective as a placebo. You might not know wht tht is, but thats a good thing. keep it that way.

That medicine will help you. but you have to help yourself. medication works different for everyone. i got the same effect i had when iwas taking 120mg of one compared to 10mg of one. it depneds ont he medicine.Health Question & Answer



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