Major depression- help

Symptoms Neurological
#1

It’s been about six months since i left the drug. I haven’t seen improvements. Now i have to start my semester at University, knowing that it will be impossible for me to get good marks. It scares me returning to classes with that depression. Every morning, a panic attack is what makes me wake up. I don’t really have problems to fall asleep, my problems are at wake up time. If i eat really healthy for a week my panic attacks become less severe but they’re still there, and since all this shit started i anxiously eat and eat sugary things, it’s really difficult for me to stop it, specially since is one of the few things that nowadays gives me some kind of pleasure. During the day i can’t stop thinking about all this.

I’m seriously thinking of starting an antidepressant, because i can’t imagine living like this for many time. I’ve been prescribed paxil, but i won’t take it. I would like to ask if you know about any antidepressant without sexual side effects, apart from wellbutrin (which is not prescribed in my country), or something that can help with extreme depression. Has anyone tried any kind of antidepressant?

Also any kind of advise about what has helped your mood would really be appreciated. Thank you

#2

Some suggestions to help alleviate the depression…

  1. Clean up your diet – cut out the sweets, cut out the saturated fats, eat healthy… fruits, veggies, lean meats and complex carbohydrates (try and stay away from refined/simple carbs). Avoid stimulants. If you want to eat sweets, eat fresh fruit.

  2. Do cardiovascular excercise, lots of walking or running. Increases bloodflow to the brain and other body parts, “feel-good” endorphins can also get released.

  3. Try taking Omega 3 fish oils consistently. Review this document:

Neurobehavioral aspects of omega-3 fatty acids: possible mechanisms and therapeutic value in major depression.
thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/8/4/410.pdf

  1. If that fails, you might consider St. John’s Wort. Do some research on it to understand how it works and any potential adverse reactions.
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John%27s_wort

I am not a doctor but would not advise taking an anti-depressant, they have their own sets of issues and side effects. Also, once you take SSRIs etc it will be difficult for any legal or medical professional to pinpoint your issues as a result of Finasteride since you’ve introduced another variable (a new drug) into your history.

#3

Mews advice is key. Changing your diet and mild exercise will help you a lot. I would also suggest you cut caffeine. But for some people doing all that is not enough when you crash after propecia. I tried all natural resources after i crashed including st s johns worth and i only got improvement when i was prescribed a benzodiazepine, If all the natural alternatives dont work, i think the best option for you would be an anxiolytic, Xanax. Many here have taken it and it solves the panic attacks and sleep disorder. I would not take an anti depressant. Wellbutrin will worsen your anxiety problems and the other ones will worsen your sexual health.

#4

Why is caffeine bad for depression?

#5

Thank you for your advice. I’ll try to eat as healthy as possible and see if that helps. About omega 3 fish oils… i’ve tried it after finasteride and it caused me anxiety. I don’t really know why, but since i stopped finasteride, many things that didn’t cause me anxiety before, are now causing it. Another example is minoxidil. So for now i’ll try to eat healthy, do exercise (as i’ve been doing until now) and maybe give “st john’s wort” a try.

#6

Someone else and me on this site have tried St Johns wort and got major brainfog. My thinking was very foggy and I had trouble grasping the simplest of topics @ school.

I fully agree on the other suggestions though

#7

Caffeine will worsen his anxiety symptoms (he says he still has panic attacks), and anxiety can trigger depression. In fact up to 70% of people with depression have an axiety disorder as well.

#8

you really have to exercise and have a clean diet to help fight depression. i’m all too familiar with this, and it was indeed one of the more scary moments after taking this drug when i felt what real depression felt like.

vit d3 drops helps a lot as well. exercise will help you reactivate the dopamine, serotonin, and other neurotransmitters in your brain to start feeling good again.

#9

hardly.

#10

now posts like THIS is what is going to make people discredit this forum.

are you kidding me? you think exercise will hardly reactivate the neurotransmitters? did you know that humans have evolved for millions of years as hunters living in caves and only recently in the last few centuries have we been able to sit around all day and not hunt our own food? you really don’t think that won’t have any effect on you? we used to have to exercise on a daily basis just to survive, your body naturally benefits from it.

dude, you seriously need to go and read a basic health text book or type in benefits of exercise for depression or health in general on google if you’re going to make a statement like that.

and when i say exercise, i mean actual exercise, like go do cardio for 1 hour a day and change your diet. that will without a doubt help put a dent in depression.

#11

I wonder how serious your sufferering is bryce, if you are suffering and you are not a merck rep, going off your posts.

#12

Tim & Bryce:

You both have valid points. Bryce is right, normal people usually benefit from exercise. Tim is also right, most men damaged from finasteride do not respond like normal people and many cannot exercise or do not derive benefits from it. Many here display symptoms of hypogonadism but supplementing testosterone, while sometimes helping initially, hasn’t proven to be a long-term tool for anyone sans a few anecdotal reports. Most have no benefits from testosterone replacement.

There is no need for argument.

#13

Exercise still helps depression for me but that’s about it