Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 94 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada
What Should I Do? Posted: 12-30-05 23:36pm
I've just been diagnosed clinical
depression, and i'm taking remeron rd
15mg/day, a tetracyclic antidepressant (no
idea what that means?)... It is supposed
to help me sleep at night since I haven't
been sleeping very well... But when I
take it, I get super drowsy, sleeping for
hours. I feel drugged to sleep every time
after I take it. In the morning, even
after sufficient amount of sleep, I feel
really tired, I can barely drag my bottom
out of my bed. This is winter break, but
ends pretty soon.. If this happens when
school starts again in january, I would be
in trouble.. Showing up to class at 10 or
later... What should I do? My parents
don't know that I suffer from depression,
and no i'm not about to tell any of my
family members... They are of no support
of me. I have no one to talk to.. My
friends try to snap me out of my sadness,
they don't understand. I can only talk to
my doctor. Even he has realized that I
was not as lively as he met me the first
time... And i've seen this doctor only
twice.
Should I have a talk with my teachers to
let them understand my condition before
they start phone calls home to my parents
asking them why i'm doing so horribly in
school? Should I keep this to myself? I
really don't know. I don't mind ppls
knowing i'm being treated for it. But
it's just so hard to initiate the
conversation. Any suggestions?
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sad_eyes
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 19 Aug 2005 Posts: 96
Posted: 12-31-05 06:35am
Hi,
i've never taken this medication before
but have taken other types of
anti-depressants and yes they have made me
really sleepy too. But when i'm depressed
I either sleep to much or suffer from
insomnia anyway, even when i'm not on
anti-depressants.
If you feel that it would help you to talk
to others about your problems then do so.
Could you speak to a school counsellor at
all? They might be able to offer you some
good advice.
Do you know if there is a specific cause
of your depression?
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 12-31-05 08:51am
My suggestion would be to call or see the
doctor who prescribed the meds and see if
the amount can be reduced or another drug
taken it its place.
Are you in college or high school? If
h.S. You might have a harder time with
this situation. If you are late to
school, someone will need to know,
probably a parent. If it's college, it
does sound like a good idea to tell your
teachers that you are on a new med and
there's no need to tell them why unless
you want to. You might have to, though,
if you don't want them calling and a
parent answers.
There is nothing wrong with having
depression. Remember, it is just a
chemical imbalance. Sure, therapy does
help people with depression so it sounds
like a medical problem, but therapy would
help just about anyone even if they didn't
have a chemical imbalance.
Hang in there and talk to the doc about
the sleepiness. There are so many
anti-d's out there that can help and won't
make you sleepy. Often it take time to
find the right treatment. Sometimes it
also takes time for your body to adjust to
certain aspects of a new drug.
Hint - do you take the anti-d a couple of
hours before going to bed? That might
help, no guarantees.
I hope everything works out (it will).
Carol
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happy_sunshine_yan
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 30 Mar 2005 Posts: 94 Location: Burnaby, BC, Canada
Posted: 12-31-05 12:27pm
Yes, I do take the meds before bedtime..
But still feel really dazed and drowsy in
the daytime. I'm a highschool student.
My meds. Can't be adjusted to a lower
dose, i'm taking 15mg, half of the 30mg
pills already... So I don't th ink it's
possible to reduce the amount...
I don't want my parents to know, and the
doctor knows about this, and he is of
great support to me, and said that this
issue will just be between him and i...
So i'm grateful. But now, since hs
teachers call home when they see something
abnormal.. I guess I should be talking to
them and include them in my recovery
process? Cuz I have to take these meds
for one year, and i've only just started.
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catswold
Supporter
Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 404 Location: Flint, Michigan
Posted: 12-31-05 14:10pm
I do understand very well. I never
wanted my parents to know anything because
they never seemed to understand and would
make me feel worse. They were the
biggest reason I was depressed when
younger, but I didn't have the blessing of
an understanding doctor as you do. Good
for you.
Now that I know you are a high school
student, you should talk to your teachers,
but I still don't think it's necessary to
tell them why (you are taking the anti-d)
unless you want to.
Give the new drug a month or so to see if
your body adjusts to it. I take prozac
and had to go through an adjustment phase.
We ended up having to reduce the dosage
but after that I was fine. Don't just
accept the effects of the drugs after
giving your body time enough to adjust.
Like I said in my previous posting, there
are many, many different kinds of
anti-d's. You just have to be persistent
and you'll get there.
Good for you to take initiative to get
help. Hang in there and I hope we all
have a great new 2006 year!!!
