| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| mseymour88 |
Posted - 03/31/2009 : 08:03:59
Hi Peoples
Has anyone taken antidepressents while trying to get over TMS?
I am really struggling with this. vicous cycle-Pain=anxiety&depression Anxiety&depression=Pain
I have tried all holistic approaches, prayer&meditation,years of phycotherapy,eating well and exercising and on and on.
Antidepressents have been suggested. Do you guy think that goes counter to what we are trying to accomplish in telling our brain there is nothing wrong with us.
I am just looking for some feedback.
I am going to talk to Dr Sarno about it.
Thanks
Mike |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Northerner |
Posted - 04/06/2009 : 08:25:16
In Dr. Sopher's book, he mentions that when he treats his TMS patients with anti-depressants, the TMS also goes away, but generally returns if they stop taking them.
Antidepressants work wonderfully for some people, and don't work for others. I tried them and couldn't tolerate any of them for anxiety.
However, my sister had such extreme depression that she became delusional, and medication has brought her back to where she can live basically a normal life. She did gain a lot of weight. Antidepressants have extreme side effects for some and minor ones for others, and can improve moods (and make TMS go away, according to Dr. Sopher). They take a quite a while to kick in 2 to 6 weeks before they start working if they do work, but for most people, they don't conk out in effectiveness, as one poster noted they did for him. Everyone reacts differently to these things.
You'd be amazed at the number of people you know leading normal lives who are taking some type of antidepressant.
I look at treatment as use whatever works.
I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.
- Mark Twain |
| mseymour88 |
Posted - 04/06/2009 : 06:40:25
cfhunter
I started it 2 or 3 times over the last 20 yrs.
Most recently was 2 summers ago.
I got up to maybe day 30.
Mike |
| cfhunter |
Posted - 04/05/2009 : 12:49:52
mseymour
When did you study ACIM?
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| johnaccardi |
Posted - 04/05/2009 : 07:44:21
I like Kalo's post. Check out my topic on "reprogramming the brain," It's what you haven't tried yet and it's what is going to make all the difference for you. |
| iyusaf |
Posted - 04/04/2009 : 20:50:43
quote:
Originally posted by mseymour88
Has anyone taken antidepressents while trying to get over TMS?
We know TMS is equivalent to anxiety and depression. We also know antidepressants are useful for managing anxiety and depression. It is reasonable to conclude that these same drugs would be helpful for TMS too. Some of the newer SNRI drugs are even approved for neuropathic pain.
With this in mind, I asked my doctor for a SNRI recently and had excellent results. I do not have anxiety or depression; only TMS. This was an experiment to help with an acute TMS flare up.
My experience is that the drug dramatically increased the gap between thinking and feeling. My theory is that since the feelings were pushed down further into the unconscious, there was no longer a need for a physical pain distraction. The TMS pain went away.
This is not a long term solution. The feeling energy has to go somewhere. Pushing it further down only means it will show up somewhere else eventually. It is also not a long term solution for me because living without accessing my feelings is not living at all. There are also many potential side effects to taking AD. I am planning to discontinue (taper off) the drug ASAP.
The Harvard Psychiatrist Glenmullen has written a great deal about AD. I highly recommend you read his books before starting on any AD. |
| Dor |
Posted - 04/03/2009 : 11:27:17
Oh Cee, that is a lot of grief to carry around and of course April would bring many reminders for you. Grief is a hard thing to deal with no matter how long it has been - there is no timetable for grief. And yes, missing your dad in your life is heavy grief too.
I really found a lot of what Kalo had to say very sensible. Very good thoughts gained through lots of experience. Thank you Kalo - good post.
I would like to tell you Cee that I don't fight, but I do. I believe it should be a process and not a fight, but sometimes the fight takes over and we just have to go with that for awhile. Maybe just all different steps long the way. I do feel though that the less fight the better. Battling away just keeps things alive, growing, and brewing. So, don't be afraid of your grief - just let it happen. As BelleRuth says - It will anyway, so just go with it.
I am thinking of you and hoping that you feel better soon. But, if you don't, and we must tell ourselves this over and over, it is OK, it is really OK and so are you. Your answers will come - in time.
Dor
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| Cee |
Posted - 04/02/2009 : 19:57:44
I love your line.....this isn't a fight ....just a process in feeling better." I think I have made it a fight!! Maybe that is why I am so tired all the time??
I just started taking a Centrum complete with my dinner. Hoping I will feel improvement with this in time and I try hard to walk 2 miles every day no matter how tired.
You are so right about things reawakening the grief....April was my Mom's birthday and so I am thinking a lot about her again.....and how I am actually grieving my Dad as well as he has disappeared from our lives.
Thank you for all your advice.
Cee |
| Dor |
Posted - 04/02/2009 : 13:55:37
You are welcome Cee. Hope a few of my ideas work for you. I am sorry you have had so much to deal with and it is hard to work your way through a lot of that. And, grief doesn't just end, it can linger and things can reawaken it.
Always take vitamins with food. Taking them on an empty stomach or with only juice or water can upset your stomach. Try an adult chewable vitamin. Centrum makes one and that oftens settles in the stomach easier. Don't forget that you need the B vitamins - a complete grouping of all of them. You can find them in liquid form in most health food stores and are very easy to take that way.
Money can be an issue when trying to find ways to relax and feel better. You don't need to take a yoga class - try a CD like Linda Arkin's. And there are many relaxation CD's available at minimal cost. And walking, certainly doesn't require any money at all and is a great mood lifter.
Be gentle with yourself. This isn't a fight - just a process in feeling better.
Dor |
| Cee |
Posted - 04/01/2009 : 13:56:07
Dear Dor,
Thank you for your response....full of so much information. Due to my Mom's death from a gyn cancer and issues I was having, I had a complete hysterectomy about four months after she passed away which threw me into a surgically induced menopause in my early 40's plus grieving my Mom's passing and raising two children. That was five years ago.
Since then, I find I am a very poor sleeper and I am very tired all day....some days more than others and especially when I work.
I like the natural approach and I do try to walk every day no matter how tired I am. I use to do yoga but cannot afford the classes now so I try to do meditation at home. I have a few Louise Hay CDs.
I have trouble with vitamins with my stomach so I actually have been taking a children's vitamin with iron, but I am going to try an adult vitamin as I need more from the vitamin.
You have given me a lot of good information. Thank you again.
Cee |
| Dor |
Posted - 04/01/2009 : 12:03:41
Cee, Sounds like you are dealing with an awful lot and that certainly can cause the anxiety. I know that a lot of things caught up with me recently and it is hard then to release all of that.
Is it possible that you are dealing with peri-menopause? That can begin a long time before actual menopause and causes many anxiety/depression symptoms or makes them worse. Let me suggest a great book I just got - "The Triple Whammy Cure" by David Edelberg, M.D. It is written specifically for women at all stages in their lives and offers some great ideas and things to try. Some of those things, which I have read elsewhere, are: you need to be taking a good vitamin B complex and also a good Omega3 supplements. Both of those help with the serotonin levels. Also take a brisk walk every day for at least twenty minutes. Did you know that serotonin is lower in women and that we do not process it as well. The B vitamins, the Omega3, and exercise help a great deal with that.
Other good things are relaxation CD's. Check out belleruthnaparstek.com. She is excellent. There are ones for anxiety, relaxation, depression, pain, and a host of others. They are excellent for reducing symptoms. Also yoga is wonderful and can be done from home. I highly recommend Linda Arkin. You can find her on amazon and her yoga for "Relaxation and Rejuvination" is wonderful. This is not difficult nor involved yoga, easy to follow and makes you feel wonderful. I really believe that natural alternatives work wonderfully well if given time and the right atitude. Women need to exercise, eat, and relax better and we often need the tools to do that.
Hope this helps and please know that you are not alone.
Dor |
| Cee |
Posted - 04/01/2009 : 08:21:32
Hi Everyone,
I haven't posted in a few weeks but this caught my attention. I have had an anxiety disorder for most of my adult life....since college graduation.....so a good 20 plus years.
I have times when I am fine and go along with my life and then it hits. Last August my oldest left home without notice after her 18th birthday and it threw me into a tail spin. Then both my kids were in a serious car accident , then I ended up in the ER with diverticulotis infection. I had to leave work which now has us in a serious financial situation.
Thank goodness our daughter is back home and doing great, and our children are doing well since the accident. Those are truly blessings....No doubt. But I became so anxious that I only just recenlty returned to work part-time. I have been on an anti-anxiety medication for so many years I cannot even remember not taking it....it is a very low dose but it angers me that I take it.
I lost my Mom and best friend to ovarian cancer and I miss her every day and that was five years ago. My Dad has since fallen off the planet and I never hear from him nor do my children.....and he was a wonderful Dad and Grandfather.
I am angry that I am anxious and have pain in different parts of my body and that our finances got so bad and that the WHOLE family is blaming me. I am grinding my teeth so badly I am in pain and finally saw a Dentist yesterday that said I am literally ruining my teeth and need a night mouth guard that medical insurance (of course) does not cover. My husband says we will loose our house and it is my fault.....then he apologizes for having said it but to me it is too late because the damage is done....it has been said. I am drowning in bills and anxiety and my little amount of medication gives me a little relief even though I hate it.
Thanks for listening as you are the ONLY people who get what I am saying.
Cee |
| mseymour88 |
Posted - 04/01/2009 : 08:03:45
Scott
I am always pissed off lately.
I am so frustated.
I see you are into the whole buddist enlightenment thing.
I have been at it for a couple years.
Can't seem to get my meditation practice continuous.
I have red Tolles books a few times.
I am currently sitting with a zen meditation group once a week.
I have been down this loss of the ego, end of suffering thing path.
Sarno's stuff ties in also.I have studied A coarse in miracles, went to Science of mind churches, read books by people like Chopra to sri ramma la ding dong.
I have stopped trying and just be and on and on. screaming, writing, loving, whatever else.
My mind is screaming. Maybe it is the death of the ego that is doing what it can to hang on.
And as this goes on,the back and mental pain gets worse.
I start to think i'm not sane. I get thoughts about leaving this plane, if you know what I mean.
I feel like there is this hugh energy block or something.
You seem pretty awakened.
Any feedback? |
| Hilary |
Posted - 04/01/2009 : 05:29:46
There are times in life when a person just needs a break.
You don't need to make this into a huge, either/or, life-altering, TMS-black/white personality decision (although I understand that taking anti-d's can feel like that). You could try the pills for a few months and see how they go. If you don't react well, you can come off them and/or try something else. You can continue to do the TMS work while on the pills, and you might get even further if you're not constantly being plagued by the black dog. Take it a day at a time and see what happens.
I know from experience that there are times when depression and anxiety get such a hold of you that it's very, very difficult to do any more internal work. These are times when additional support is needed - something to break the cycle and allow you to "breathe" again.
These pills are not evil - they are there to help people. It is not a matter of being strong or weak. With proper medical supervision (i.e. a doctor who insists you seem him or her regularly, particularly when you first start) you are unlikely to suffer side effects.
That's my opinion anyway.
 |
| scottjmurray |
Posted - 04/01/2009 : 03:28:46
Hey Mike.
When was the last time you got pissed off?
~*~
author of tms-recovery . com |
| kalo |
Posted - 03/31/2009 : 10:20:39
Hi Mike,
I haven't been posting much because I think as great as the forum is it sometimes makes me focus on my pain!!!
However, your post caught my eye because I was taking anti depressants and I will tell first hand that they are the "pandora's box"
I took anti depressants for the pain I had in my neck 6 years ago. Along with pain I had anxiety and depression! I took paxil better know as paxhell!!!!
Anti depressants are a crap shoot sometimes they work but most of the time after the six month period they conk out!!! Your anxiety and depression will only increase worst!!! You'll gain weight as well and there are other side effects!!
What anti depressants did for me was STOP my obession for a cure or searching the internet for answer! In other words I could careless whether I was my house burnt down!
I think you're a lot stronger then anti depressant! They really do more harm then good!!! Of course the choice is up to you!!! PLUS they are EXTREMELY hard to get off them! It took me almost two years to get off them because the side effects where horrible!!!
You've already been diagnosed by Dr. Sarno correct? Give it sometime and I see alot of people on this forum who talk about repressed emotions and so forth!!! Stuff that has happened in childhood!!!
Well in reality it's not the things we don't know that keeps us in pain!!! In my opinion it's the NOW are thoughts negative, worrying, complaining, perectionist trait, do gooder attitude that keep us in pain!!!! It is our concious mind that sends message and block the positve engergy!!!
Look at how your though patterns are and see if you can see the negative!!! Are you trying to be a do gooder?? Maybe you a a perfectionist!!! When i started looking at myself I found it wasn't what happened to me 20 years ago it was my chronic worrying, people pleasing, perfectionist traits that are making my body TENSE!!!!!
All they pshyco therapy in the world isn't going to solve your problems unless you work on your concious thoughts!!!! Remember this whatever we think concious drives are sub conscious mind. Postive in Positive out make the body feel way better!
I've stopped posting and as much as I support this site stopped visiting it because it only increased my pain and made me worry more!
Good Luck! Kalo
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