Well boy am I glad that I visited this site again after a long hiatus. I am suffering from panic attacks and manic depression. I was diagnoised 6 years ago. It is difficult and I am trying my best to control it now or get better without the meds. My story is long so bear with me...
I initially was on many medications and nothing was working for 4.5 years. I gained 100 pounds and was unable to walk and was taken off of Lithium. All I did for 4.5 years was sleep and occasionaly take my daughter to school. I lived in a fog! Finally after my daughter told me that she hated the fact that I was not like the other mothers, basically because she didn't understand, I got fed up. Finally, I got sick of believing the doctors and trying everything under the sun to get well. At that point, I started researching the disorder myself. I read many books and searched the internet endlessly. I discovered that food can affect our mood. I discovered that exercise affects are mood. I discovered that depression mixed with PMS can make you lose your mind and someone else's. Thankfully, I discovered the low carb way of eating and initially that helped, but after a while depression comes back with a vengeance. Although I did initially lose about 50 pounds over a two year period.
Beginning in 2005 I had to switch doctors and therapist because I had new insurance. Immediately when my new therapist saw me and saw all the drugs that I was taking, she told me that I needed to stop taking them. She said that they were not good for me and that many of the physicians had other motives for prescribing the meds, off the record she said. After changing my diet I began to consciously wean myself off of the drugs because I had had two seizures and I truely believed that it was because of the drugs although NO doctor would confirm that. Instead they treated me as if I were making up things. In January I had another seizure and in June another and was hospitalized. After some research, I discovered that the seizures were due to what is called Serotonin Syndrome which can kill you. It is a result of too much of the serotonin inducing drugs in your body, particularly in your brain! Doctors will not verify this, but you can research it on the web. They will not tell us how dangerous the drugs are. There are many times that I have felt absolutely like a test case. Many times I heard, "Take this drug it is the cadillac of antidepressants, etc." Trust me, all of us need to find other ways to manage our illnesses, if possible. I also discovered that some of the symptoms that I was having such as mind altering dreams, hallucinations, psychotic breaks were all traced back, according to my therapist, the drugs that I was taking. NOONE NOT ONE DOCTOR, and I saw many (about 7 psychiastrists) EVER told me that some of the drugs could be causing the symptoms. They simply kept telling me that I had manic depression! This has totally ruined my life and taken a career that I enjoyed away!
Since I have taken my health into my own hands and refused to take large doses of the medications because they really do nothing for my moods except sedate me kinda like what carbs do when I eat them. Lately, I have felt that I need to eat more complex carbs so that my serotonin levels will increase and more foods with tryptophan because it creates serotonin in your body. I changed to Schwartzbein's Program this week and have gained about 6 pounds in 3 days. I have not added a lot of carbs but complex carbs in the form of potatos and oatmeal which obviously my body cannot handle. For the past two days I have tried to eat 1/2 cup. oatmeal with 2 boiled eggs and feel so full that I can't breath. So today I tried 1/4 cup of oatmeal with 2 boiled eggs and feel the same way, uncomfortable.
I guess I am trying to find a balance because my body is not producing the hormones that I need. I agree with you all that lower carb plans can cause people who are prone to depression to become more depressed, we who have these emotional illnesses have to have more carbs. It is finding the balance that is the key. Well thanks for letting me vent and hopefully I can be a regular part of this forum. I am frustrated with gaining back 10 pounds and tired of losing and regaining. Tired of low carb because as soon as we eat something off plan we gain about 6 pounds... I need more variety in my diet and I guess I will have to get that by trying new recipes.
I also tried Body for Life and actually liked the program but felt it was too strick for me to realistically stick to. I liked the carb end of it but not the no fat end of it. My skin and everything was always so dry.
Any suggestions would be appreciated... TJ
Last edited by skeeweeaka : Tue, Feb-14-06 at 08:29.
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