5 ms·

This actually sounds quite a bit like depression. Some inexpensive meds can make a huge difference. I know from experience.

by DougN7 5y ago

xivzgrev 5y ago
Agree, but in my experience medicine simply kept me from going too low. Some kind of therapy may also be needed, and a focus / prioritization on things that make you happy.
- pmiller2 5y ago
  There's still significant value in not going too low. I have a sense of existential dread that makes me forever unable to end my own life, but that doesn't mean I haven't thought of it. I've been at points where I definitely did not want to continue living the way I was, but I didn't want to die. For those who don't have that sense of existential dread keeping them on this planet, not going too low can literally be a lifesaver.
- contradistinct 5y ago
  Yes, meds don't solve the underlying issue. There is no happy pill. They just give you the boost you need to fix your life. This is shown by studies that show depression comes back after discontinuing meds, but not after discontinuing therapy.
peanutz454 5y ago
When my partner took anti depressants they increased the need to sleep.
- girvo 5y ago
  Mirtazapine will do that to a bit of an extreme. Escitalopram didn't, at least for me, in some ways it made it slightly more difficult to sleep. This is in my body, so everyone's mileage may vary. I found the massive drowsiness of mirtazapine so difficult to deal with that I ended up preferring the frustrating sexual side-effects that escitalopram has (and found it more effective for my depression anyway). Lately, the buprenorphine injection I get once a month is all the antidepressant I need. Still has side-effects, but these are ones I'm very used to at least.
rubicon33 5y ago
I have tried prozac. Unfortunately, it made my tiredness even worse almost immediately. Doctor said this would go away after I increased dosage, but I couldn't stick with it long enough to see this benefit. I've considered trying again but, it's a hard pill to swallow when the solution takes weeks to work, and in the meantime, you're suffering even more. If I had to be honest, I question whether I am scientifically "depressed". The "tests" they give you are totally subjective. While, yes, I exhibit many of the symptoms of depression I also wonder if I'm just ill suited for modern life. My interests are strong, and fleeting. Life seems to reward people who can hold focus on boring tasks, for long periods of time, even decades. I was probably a better hunter than I am a programmer. Yet, here I am, coding for a living and browsing the internet in my spare time. Oof. So get out there! I hear you say. Yea, if only it were so easy to uproot my entire life, leave my wife, and go live wild in the sticks where I'd be more centered and at peace with my core being. That's just not feasible. The point isn't that I would be happier living in the woods, off the grid, in the rawness of nature ... The point is just that something in this modern life is missing, and more likely than a chemical imbalance, it is that missing element which drains my soul and leaves me exhausted and unmotivated. That, or it's some terrible undiagnosed medical condition.
- BirdieNZ 5y ago
  > My interests are strong, and fleeting. Life seems to reward people who can hold focus on boring tasks, for long periods of time, even decades. I was probably a better hunter than I am a programmer. Sounds like ADHD.
  - astrange 5y ago
    Programming can be good for ADHD though, since it has strong short feedback loops.
- valec 5y ago
  i'm not sure if you are still interested in pursuing a pharmacological route but SSRI's are some of the least effective anti-depressants available today. many meta-reviews have pegged them as not better in a statistically significant way than the placebo. if you're willing to still give it a shot, see if your doctor is willing to prescribe tricyclic antidepressants or MAO-I's. mao-i's in particular are very effective but come with some dietary restrictions (certain cheese and fermented foods are off the table).
mellavora 5y ago
It is very clearly depression. I'm leery of the meds, however. They have a tendency to be highly addictive. Also, the underlying cause might be something else; the depression might be a symptom instead of the root cause. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a real thing. Inflammation, or perhaps aftereffects of some viral infection. Or loneliness. We are social animals, the animal is supposed to be part of a group. Yet we've created this society which worships the idea of the individual.

This actually sounds quite a bit like depression. Some inexpensive meds can make a huge difference. I know from experience.

by DougN7 5y ago

This actually sounds quite a bit like depression. Some inexpensive meds can make a huge difference. I know from experience.

xivzgrev 5y ago

Agree, but in my experience medicine simply kept me from going too low. Some kind of therapy may also be needed, and a focus / prioritization on things that make you happy.

pmiller2 5y ago
There's still significant value in not going too low. I have a sense of existential dread that makes me forever unable to end my own life, but that doesn't mean I haven't thought of it. I've been at points where I definitely did not want to continue living the way I was, but I didn't want to die. For those who don't have that sense of existential dread keeping them on this planet, not going too low can literally be a lifesaver.
contradistinct 5y ago
Yes, meds don't solve the underlying issue. There is no happy pill. They just give you the boost you need to fix your life. This is shown by studies that show depression comes back after discontinuing meds, but not after discontinuing therapy.

peanutz454 5y ago

When my partner took anti depressants they increased the need to sleep.

girvo 5y ago
Mirtazapine will do that to a bit of an extreme. Escitalopram didn't, at least for me, in some ways it made it slightly more difficult to sleep. This is in my body, so everyone's mileage may vary. I found the massive drowsiness of mirtazapine so difficult to deal with that I ended up preferring the frustrating sexual side-effects that escitalopram has (and found it more effective for my depression anyway). Lately, the buprenorphine injection I get once a month is all the antidepressant I need. Still has side-effects, but these are ones I'm very used to at least.

rubicon33 5y ago

I have tried prozac. Unfortunately, it made my tiredness even worse almost immediately. Doctor said this would go away after I increased dosage, but I couldn't stick with it long enough to see this benefit. I've considered trying again but, it's a hard pill to swallow when the solution takes weeks to work, and in the meantime, you're suffering even more. If I had to be honest, I question whether I am scientifically "depressed". The "tests" they give you are totally subjective. While, yes, I exhibit many of the symptoms of depression I also wonder if I'm just ill suited for modern life. My interests are strong, and fleeting. Life seems to reward people who can hold focus on boring tasks, for long periods of time, even decades. I was probably a better hunter than I am a programmer. Yet, here I am, coding for a living and browsing the internet in my spare time. Oof. So get out there! I hear you say. Yea, if only it were so easy to uproot my entire life, leave my wife, and go live wild in the sticks where I'd be more centered and at peace with my core being. That's just not feasible. The point isn't that I would be happier living in the woods, off the grid, in the rawness of nature ... The point is just that something in this modern life is missing, and more likely than a chemical imbalance, it is that missing element which drains my soul and leaves me exhausted and unmotivated. That, or it's some terrible undiagnosed medical condition.

BirdieNZ 5y ago
> My interests are strong, and fleeting. Life seems to reward people who can hold focus on boring tasks, for long periods of time, even decades. I was probably a better hunter than I am a programmer. Sounds like ADHD.
- astrange 5y ago
  Programming can be good for ADHD though, since it has strong short feedback loops.
valec 5y ago
i'm not sure if you are still interested in pursuing a pharmacological route but SSRI's are some of the least effective anti-depressants available today. many meta-reviews have pegged them as not better in a statistically significant way than the placebo. if you're willing to still give it a shot, see if your doctor is willing to prescribe tricyclic antidepressants or MAO-I's. mao-i's in particular are very effective but come with some dietary restrictions (certain cheese and fermented foods are off the table).

mellavora 5y ago

It is very clearly depression. I'm leery of the meds, however. They have a tendency to be highly addictive. Also, the underlying cause might be something else; the depression might be a symptom instead of the root cause. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a real thing. Inflammation, or perhaps aftereffects of some viral infection. Or loneliness. We are social animals, the animal is supposed to be part of a group. Yet we've created this society which worships the idea of the individual.