[medik8]

Depression

Do you suffer from depression?
We want to hear your story.
Your symptoms, and your treatment. What worked for you. What didn't work. Please feel free to share your experiences.

[mysticheart37]

Handling depression is hard especially when there is children involved....My mother, 2 of my 4 kids and I all have depression. The 2 kids have ADHD w/depression & ODD.....so it makes it even harder....we all take medicine for it.....and my mother & my youngest daughter also have suicidal tendencies with that....and I finally had to get my daughter into counseling.....so it is really hard....but the medicine that they have is us taking right now...seems to working especially with me and my oldest son......So if you know anything else that might could help us....or would like to discuss these issues...just let me know.....[/blue]

Lori Welch

[wildcatfan15]

I have had depression since my teenage years and I am now 38. Alot has happened in my life that has caused the depression to stay. I've lost a best friend, grandparents, aunts and uncles, a brother who was 42 at the time. Two years after his death his two oldest kids were killed at the ages of 18 and 20. I've been through counseling, both secular and christian. I found the christian counseling more helpful. I was taking Paxil and Wellbutrin together and just recently my docter changed me to Efflexor; I take two in the morning and one in the evening. I also take ativan and nortriptline to help me sleep. I dislike taking medication and I try everything I can to be able to go off of it. My docter says that I will probably be on it indefinitly. I take care of two elderly parents and my dad has alzehimer's. It is hard to deal with all that has happened. If anyone can tell me something better to try, I am willing to listen.

[Nikita]

I take a B-50 complex nearly every day and it really helps to pull me out when I start that sinking feeling.

____________________
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but many of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened."

[gram3]

Being a 60 year old, active grandma, I would like to know what side effects anyone has had from Prozac. I have been on it for many years but the last year my sexual drive has left and I've put on weight! I exercise & pretty much watch what I eat. Help anyone? Would a different anti-depressent such as Lexipro work better?

[shadoefire]

Hi, I have been suffering from depression for many years. I was on paxil for 3 years, when I had a serious, but thankfully failed suicide attempt. I was in the hospital in a coma for 6 weeks. Since then, I have been taking a variety of different medications, and am currently taking Wellbutrin and Klonopin. These seem to be working for me so far.. and unlike many of the other medications I have tried, these have not affected my sex drive.
{Some of the meds I have tried in the past include: Celexa, Lexapro, Zoloft, and Prozac}

Live, Love, and Never Forget To Laugh

[Beeblebrox]

I've never heard of taking Wellbutrin for anxiety... Still being relatively new to the medication world I'm sure there are may diffrent reasons to take many diffrent meds. Still, I thought wellbutrin was to help stop smoking/loose weight? If it's working for you, then good times for you man. And I'm glad to hear life is getting better for you. I've never been a believer in taking meds to make one feel better... Course, I dont like taking meds at all for anything so it probably stems from there. But again, if it works for someone, then med on.


Cheers! [^]

~Z~

[shadoefire]

Hi Beeblebrox,
I actually take the Wellbutrin for depression although it can be, and is prescribed for weight loss and to help stop smoking too, and the Klonopin is for anxiety...and after my little mistake I made last year, life IS finally getting better


Live, Love and Never Forget to Laugh!!

Live, Love, and Never Forget To Laugh

[sweetpeabonnie]

Just yesterday I went to a therapist and was diagnosed with having depression and panic disorder. Anything to do with travel I panic and I mean it is really severe. I have to go get blood work done at my Dr. and my therepist said he'll probably put me on wellbutrin. I have been reading up on the drug and I'm not sure I want to take it I have read good things about it but overall most of the things I have read are negitive. If anyone could tell me there stories and the sucess or failures they have had with it and also side effect I would really appreciate it.
Thank You,
Bonnie

[Speed]

quote:Originally posted by gram3

Being a 60 year old, active grandma, I would like to know what side effects anyone has had from Prozac. I have been on it for many years but the last year my sexual drive has left and I've put on weight! I exercise & pretty much watch what I eat. Help anyone? Would a different anti-depressent such as Lexipro work better?

Sorry Gram3, all the SSRI's have had the sexual side effects on me, as they do in most people and Lexipro is an SSRI like Prozac, Paxil, Celexa, Zoloft.

[Rosemary]

You might want to check into cognitive behavioral therapy. If you type that into google.com, lots of resources will come up. One lists therapists by state..www.aabt.org/CLINICAL/CLINICAL.HTM

quote:Originally posted by wildcatfan15

I have had depression since my teenage years and I am now 38. Alot has happened in my life that has caused the depression to stay. I've lost a best friend, grandparents, aunts and uncles, a brother who was 42 at the time. Two years after his death his two oldest kids were killed at the ages of 18 and 20. I've been through counseling, both secular and christian. I found the christian counseling more helpful. I was taking Paxil and Wellbutrin together and just recently my docter changed me to Efflexor; I take two in the morning and one in the evening. I also take ativan and nortriptline to help me sleep. I dislike taking medication and I try everything I can to be able to go off of it. My docter says that I will probably be on it indefinitly. I take care of two elderly parents and my dad has alzehimer's. It is hard to deal with all that has happened. If anyone can tell me something better to try, I am willing to listen.

[kns1257]

[quote]Originally posted by Nikita

I take a B-50 complex nearly every day and it really helps to pull me out when I start that sinking feeling.

____________________
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but many of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened."

I was told to take B-12 and magnesium once a day. I hope I will feel a difference soon, too

kns

[NEWLIFER]

I was just diagnosed with depression two weeks ago. I'm feeling very scared right now. I thought I was having a breakdown. I couldn't concentrate on anything,and was crying every day,without knowing why. I felt like I was in a "fog". I started therapy,but have not started any medication yet. After hearing about side effects about various meds,i'm nervous about having to take them.

Reading about other people going through the same or similar things does help. I don't feel like I'm the only person.

[Beeblebrox]

Good for you. While I can never say I have not been depressed about something in my life. I dont recall ever being to the point to where I have seriously contemplated my own demise or hurting myself at all for that matter. But diffrent people are able to handle things diffrent ways. I'm a cup is half full kind of person. I see good in every bad situation. Sure, I've had my downs... Who hasn't? No one leads that perfect life. Even the ones we think do. As for medication... I can't stand taking it. I dont like the idea of taking pills. If I have to take something and the pill is bigger than a pea, I insist on it being liquid. And it better taste good at that. Good luck to you man... Hope everything continues to work out for you.

~Z~

[bastet]

has anyone with ongoing partially tx. resistant depression tried the non-amphetamine stimulant fda appvd. for narcolepsy called provigil(modafinil)? unlike the ssri's like prozac, etc., i knew within 2 days of commencing it that it was helping more so than anything else i had taken, and i think i have tried everything approved for depressions tx. except maybe zoloft

it has only been available since 1998, and is relatively obscure. this is the first stimulant medication i have used so i was initially concerned when my heart rate significantly increased on it. i have been taking it for ~ 4 yrs. now, and in fact have decreased the daily dose from initially 500 mg./day divided in a morning and noontime dose to no more than 300 mg./day. the reduction in dose unfortunately doesn't seem to have had any affect on heart rate or accompanying shortness of breath. introduction of other medications, for example, wellbutrin, seems to worsen the tachycardia.

this side effect is very distressing as there is absolutely no doubt in my mind this medication has helped immensely with my major clinical depression which has at times necessitated hospitalization. 4 or 5 times i have attempted to taper off the provigil. i can only describe feeling like i was at the bottom of a very deep well, with no footholds in sight, and worse yet, figuratively speaking if there were i wouldn't have cared. needless to say every time i tried to taper off it, i didn't last but 4-5 days before i started taking it again, and each time back on it my mood improved within 1-2 days.

the patient population suffering from narcolepsy is very limited in size. cephalon, the company which developed provigil, just recently started clinical trials towards broadening fda approval for tx. of depression, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. at this point medical reports as well as anecdotal reports are scant.

if anyone has any experience with this medication i would really appreciate sharing of the information.

[Bobbyc47]

quote:Originally posted by NEWLIFER

I was just diagnosed with depression two weeks ago. I'm feeling very scared right now. I thought I was having a breakdown. I couldn't concentrate on anything,and was crying every day,without knowing why. I felt like I was in a "fog". I started therapy,but have not started any medication yet. After hearing about side effects about various meds,i'm nervous about having to take them.

Reading about other people going through the same or similar things does help. I don't feel like I'm the only person.

Hang in there newlifer. It's disconcerting at first but you will manage to get through. My only suggestion re: medications is to do your own homework in addition to checking with the doc and pharmacist about side effects. Especially for interactions with other medications you may be taking. Take care!

"Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at
tax collectors and miss." Lazarus Long

[gimpyjan]

I was recently diagnosed with depression. Mt symptons were, crying all the time, feelings of utter hopelessness, extreme low self-esteem, wanting to just fade away from life. (I did think of sucide but I couldn't that to my Mom, I have lost 2 siblings within 9 months of each other, both we accidental). There are other symptons, but these are the most prominent.
My doctor put me on Celexa, it helps a great deal. I would rather live the side effects of feeling a little foggy that live with those feelings. I am also in cognitive threapy, which I find is the best place for right now.
I would rather not have to take drugs though, I actually argued with my doc about, but she told me that it would be lessen the dark feelings and enable to talk about them. She was right about that.

[warm ashes]

I am certain I must have been struggling with depression for most of my adolescent and adult life. I am almost 60 now and thought a couple of years ago I could leave my Zoloft behind. I had been on it for over 5 yrs. Initally things seemed reasonable, almost "high", then gradually I began slipping. Things got to me easily, I was incredibly sensitive and emotional, I saw only the dark side of everything, lost myself confidence, anxiety became a real problem.
Since the change was incremental, I thought that therapy would help and that that, was the problem. Things kept getting worse, I was entertaining methods to suicide, crying about everything, feeling life was unbearable. My partner was bearly able to cope with the situation, it all but put our relationship on the rocks.
My therapist at no point suggested medication be reintroduced. I had all but forgotten about the option. I was in such terrible emotional pain and believed implicitly in the therapy, believing "better", was just around the corner.
Finally, my partner, in desperation, insisted that I resume medication or we were all but washed up. I felt so miserable, there seemed nothing left to lose, so back I went onto my Zoloft. Within 2 weeks things began to feel somewhat less "raw", by 3 weeks I feel almost human again. There are still a few cobwebs to clear away, but all in all, I feel 95% better. My partner is tremendously relieved, says I am back to my old self again.
My family doctor always believed it was a chemical thing for me. I guess she was right.
The reason for posting here......to warn others......
(1)The decline into depression can be slow and incremental over quite a long time, and you may not realize how you are changing.
(2)Don't ever trust all decision making and discretion to anyone else,(well meaning but mistaken thrapist). Strive to maintain an honest picture of yourself. Trust those you live with, keep a journal, be vigilant to negative changes that last more than a couple of weeks.
Stay in touch with your family doctor.
For others like myself, no amount of willpower, stress relief, spirituality, exercise or love from others can fix the problem. It's something I have finally had to accept... it's chemical.

[leigh]

To Gram3

I found I had zero libido when I was on prozac and paxil, but when I switched to celexa, my libido came back with a bang!

Also, have you considered the role of your hormones? Are you on any hormone replacement therapy?

[leigh]

Hi - I'm new to this, but here goes. I have been on SSRIs for depression since 1996. Prozac made me manic, Paxil worked for a few years, then stopped, Celexa worked for about four years, then I went on Lexipro and I actually worsened and felt suicidal.

Anyway, now I'm on Effexor, which I understand affects serotonin reuptake and also neurotonin reuptake. I'm finally not depressed! I feel great emotionally.

The problem is, my gut is killing me! I have pain and burning from my stomach through my intestines, embarrassing intestintal gas and diarrhea. I've only been on it a month.

Does this get better?

[smile200037]

I suffer from major depression, anxiety disorder, social phobia, and some obsessive compulsive tendendencies. I have taken almost every kind of medication there is to take including the older medication Nardil. Right now I take paxil (my miracle drug), wellbutrin, and buspar. Paxil is my miracle drug because of it's anti-anxiety effects and it's social phobia attributes. I could not get out of bed and function without paxil. As for wellbutrin, I have been on it for several years now. It is used as an anti-depressant. I started taking it for energy because it has stimulant properties. But I can only tolerate so much before my anxiety level goes up. But that is the only side effect that I have had from it. My depression has improved with these medications, but I wonder if I will ever be happy Do people with depression ever really become truly happy[?]

[Mamahyppo]

I have been given Wellbutrin XL 300 mg a day for over a year now and my husband can tell the difference. Thing is that people with depression are often treated as "just a little blue".
I can tell you, it's no fun when everything makes you cry and you have no more will to go on. You don't see why you should go on and there is one solution only....
I am not sure if Wellbutrin is the propper drug for the problem, and sometimes I think a 2x4 smacked over the back of my head would atleast shut my thoughts up.

Had to give my 5 cents - can't help it..
JJ

quote:Originally posted by Beeblebrox

I've never heard of taking Wellbutrin for anxiety... Still being relatively new to the medication world I'm sure there are may diffrent reasons to take many diffrent meds. Still, I thought wellbutrin was to help stop smoking/loose weight? If it's working for you, then good times for you man. And I'm glad to hear life is getting better for you. I've never been a believer in taking meds to make one feel better... Course, I dont like taking meds at all for anything so it probably stems from there. But again, if it works for someone, then med on.


Cheers! [^]

~Z~

Judith Jackson

[tawnybratt]

quote:Originally posted by Beeblebrox

I've never heard of taking Wellbutrin for anxiety... Still being relatively new to the medication world I'm sure there are may diffrent reasons to take many diffrent meds. Still, I thought wellbutrin was to help stop smoking/loose weight? If it's working for you, then good times for you man. And I'm glad to hear life is getting better for you. I've never been a believer in taking meds to make one feel better... Course, I dont like taking meds at all for anything so it probably stems from there. But again, if it works for someone, then med on.

Hi Beeblebrox,

Sometimes Dr's prescribe different meds just for the side effects it may produce. I once was taking methadone. It honestly did nothing for me for pain, but it helped my IBS! I sometimes get IBS so badly that I get dehydrated. I take a prescription form of Immodium now for it. But you are right... some meds work for some and not others. I get so irritated because I don't want to wait the 2-3 weeks to get into your system. I want to immediately! []
Cheers! [^]

~Z~

[no_self_control]

Sorry, I thought I'd posted under the depression category but I somehow made a whole new topic instead--I'm at this. [)] This is what that misplaced post said:

Hi,

I'm severely clinically depressed (and have anxiety problems too). The latest medications I've been on are Mirtazapine for the depression and a low dose of Seroquel for the other issues.

I've been on both drugs for almost three months now. The Seroquel isn't having any discernible effect at all, and the Mirtazapine seemed like it was starting to kick in after about two weeks but then STOPPED again--I had one week of feeling a little better and then I slid back to square one.

So I told all this to my psychiatrist and said I'd like to switch to something else. (It wouldn't be the first time something has inexplicably stopped working for me--it happened before with Prozac, as my psychiatrist knows.) He refused to prescribe me something different, saying that these kinds of drugs can take a while to kick in. He told me to keep taking the same meds/same dosage for another two months(!) and check in with him then.

I know antidepressants can take awhile to work, but I've only ever heard 6-8 weeks--NOT five months! Plus everything I've read about antidepressants says that their effects are typically gradual and cumulative--this peak-and-drop I experienced doesn't fit.

Interestingly, I just tried to Google some info to back me up (which is how I found this site). The entry for Mirtazapine on here says something about its long-term effectiveness not being known because they've never done any drug trials that lasted longer than SIX WEEKS. I get a very strong feeling that this psychiatrist isn't giving my problems proper consideration. Can anyone else confirm this?

[no_self_control]

[bold]warm_ashes:[/bold] thank you for that post! I'm the same way--my problems are CHEMICAL. Surprisingly, even medical professionals don't always seem to understand that.

I'm currently seeing a psychiatrist (just to prescribe medication for me--psychiatrists supposedly know more about mental disorders than regular doctors) who told me that since I've had anxiety issues all my life, my anxiety-related behaviours will be ingrained in me by now and I'll need psychotherapy AND drugs to be "normal." I don't think he understands the profound effect medication can have on me. When I was on Prozac, I was a whole different person: fun, outgoing, social. For the first time in my entire life I had the ability to make small talk without feeling horribly awkward--I didn't LEARN it, it just CAME. Whereas in my usual state (before and since) I can barely make eye contact with people. You would think that if I USED to be all chatty and witty, I should remember how to do it NOW and just, you know, stop being such a weirdo. But I can't.

[bold]To the person(s) worried about whether medication is worth it:[/bold] I'm still kind of struggling with that question myself. I will say that being on Prozac was INCREDIBLE, like I'd been seeing in black and white and suddenly got colour vision. A long-time depressive won't even be able to IMAGINE how total the turnaround in your brain can be. Of course, Prozac stopped working for me after about eight months and I've never found anything that good again, but I still look back at that time period as a single spot of perfect, bright clarity in a generally foggy life. I think the experience was good simply because I know how "normal" feels now, so I have an accurate barometer of my mental health.

[bold]To the person who wondered about alternatives to medication:[/bold]

-depressive symptoms can be caused or worsened by a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids. I put a tablespoon of flax oil in a protein shake every day to help with that.

-regular exercise helps considerably (tests have shown it to be as effective as taking St. John's Wort). You don't have to be insanely athletic, just try to at least go out for a walk every day.

-if your depression gets worse when the days get shorter, you'll probably benefit from getting a special sunlamp for winter depression (also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder). You have to sit so that it shines into your eyes for at least 30 minutes every morning. The lamps cost at least $200, but I have one and I don't know how I ever lived without it.

-eating too much sugar can increase mood swings. Healthy eating will definitely take the edge off depression. Craving sweets is a symptom of Seasonal Affective Disorder, by the way--on days when I use my lamp, I find it a lot easier to stay away from the muffins and cookies.

Honestly, even while doing all these things, I feel like I only get up to about 70% of where I was during the Prozac months. But at least I can generally keep myself from falling into the REALLY dark pit, and I don't have to contend with the cost and side-effects of drugs. And, hey, maybe other people will have more success with this stuff than me.

Hope this helps!

[Miles]

Reluctantly, I offer this advice to No Self Control: Flee the shrink! If he/she used the word "normal" in describing a desirable end state for you, then he/she should be lobotomized. In general, psychiatrists, as I have have implied elsewhere in this site, are "agents of the Therapeutic State" and, through their methods of "medical" practice are guilty of basic human rights violations. Keep up the drug-free, shrink-free good work! Keep your individuality. Resist coercive forces.

[no_self_control]

quote:Originally posted by Miles

...If he/she used the word "normal" in describing a desirable end state for you, then he/she should be lobotomized.

Honestly, the "normal" was just as likely to be my word as his. I can't remember what exactly the guy said, only the gist of it. I will say that I'm definitely starting to get a bad vibe from this whole medication thing. The stories on here are so sad...I don't think a single person has said "I've been on ___ for 20 years and it works perfectly and there are no side effects"--it's always this big oddyssey of trial and error. Also, whenever I go on something new I always look it up on the internet and end up finding a whole bunch of possible side effects the doctor never saw fit to mention. I never feel as though doctors are giving me a clear picture so I can make an educated choice!

Thanks for your encouragement, Miles; I am going to try to go med-free, at least for a while. It's just complicated because my symptoms can get pretty severe and my husband is having a hard time dealing with them--so much so that he's talked about us separating. He's a wonderful person who would never coerce or threaten me into taking drugs I don't want, but the breakup talk is freaking me out...

[Miles]

You are most welcome No Self Control. You are right on target about the sad stories on this site. It is illustrative of how "medicalized" our society has become. When it comes to drug therapy, physicians who genuinely want to help patients through deployment of psychotropic medications are closely watched by law enforcement authorities. In general, they fear negative sanctioning should they exceed the arbitrary limits set up by narcotics officers. Keep these words of wisdom in mind as you go through your dilemma: "Formerly, when religion was strong and science weak, men mistook magic for medicine; now, when science is strong and religion weak, men mistake medicine for magic." (Thomas Szasz)

[warm ashes]

Thank you for responding "no self control". I don't check here as often as I might. I certainly agree with all you mentioned about helping yourself "alternatively". I wish that I could report that 70% success rate with it. I come from a very pro-holistic background and I wish I could have stayed away from drug use. I have been back on Zoloft now for about 3 months and it was most effective, I think, during month 2. It seems to have waned a little, but it may be in my imagination. I'm glad your husband is so tolerant, I hope you won't push the envelope too far. Living with someone with these types of difficulties takes tremendous patience and committment.I know that my relationship would be on the rocks now, if I had kept on the way I was going.
I so understand your hope and dream here. I know in many ways that Miles is right, but sometimes those of us that have to rely on medication do it because we feel we have no viable option.
In another 20 years, I believe they will have very much more sophisticated antidepressants that target very specific neurotransmitters and/or other suceptible areas in the brain. It will be too late for some of us.
I wish you well, and know that your journey is what you make it.

[smile200037]

I have some mixed feelings about some of the replies to this message. I think that if the doctor is not listening to you then you should definitely look for a new doctor. However, I am a very big supporter of medication. I have been taking Paxil for over 8 years (since my son was born) and have tried to go off of it without success. I cannot function without it. I would not be able to get out of bed and take care of my son if not for Paxil. Going without medication can be dangerous, especially if you have or could be suicidal. I know of one medication that is not used very often due to serious side effects that could cause problems but I know someone that takes it and hasn't had any problems. She had to get her blood drawn once a week for a long time, and now every two weeks. But side effects are possible with any medication, and that doesn't mean that you will get them. And sometimes side effects go away, too. But if you had diabetes or cancer or something else besides mental health problems and had to take medications with horrible side effects to live, would you do it? Why do people with mental health illnesses fight the fact that they have to take medication? My son is 8 years old, bipolar and taking several medications, and already fighting the fact that he has to take medication for the rest of his life. I don't care how many medications I have to take, if it keeps me from killing myself so that I can see my son grow up then that is what I will do. I may never be happy but at least I'm not considering ways of killing myself. I have taken a medication before that I couldn't eat cheese (one of my absoulte favorite foods) or it could possibly kill me. But I was willing to do whatever it took to feel better. Normal? Who knows what normal is? I'm just happy to make it through one more day.

quote:Originally posted by no_self_control

[bold]warm_ashes:[/bold] thank you for that post! I'm the same way--my problems are CHEMICAL. Surprisingly, even medical professionals don't always seem to understand that.

I'm currently seeing a psychiatrist (just to prescribe medication for me--psychiatrists supposedly know more about mental disorders than regular doctors) who told me that since I've had anxiety issues all my life, my anxiety-related behaviours will be ingrained in me by now and I'll need psychotherapy AND drugs to be "normal." I don't think he understands the profound effect medication can have on me. When I was on Prozac, I was a whole different person: fun, outgoing, social. For the first time in my entire life I had the ability to make small talk without feeling horribly awkward--I didn't LEARN it, it just CAME. Whereas in my usual state (before and since) I can barely make eye contact with people. You would think that if I USED to be all chatty and witty, I should remember how to do it NOW and just, you know, stop being such a weirdo. But I can't.

[bold]To the person(s) worried about whether medication is worth it:[/bold] I'm still kind of struggling with that question myself. I will say that being on Prozac was INCREDIBLE, like I'd been seeing in black and white and suddenly got colour vision. A long-time depressive won't even be able to IMAGINE how total the turnaround in your brain can be. Of course, Prozac stopped working for me after about eight months and I've never found anything that good again, but I still look back at that time period as a single spot of perfect, bright clarity in a generally foggy life. I think the experience was good simply because I know how "normal" feels now, so I have an accurate barometer of my mental health.

[bold]To the person who wondered about alternatives to medication:[/bold]

-depressive symptoms can be caused or worsened by a deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids. I put a tablespoon of flax oil in a protein shake every day to help with that.

-regular exercise helps considerably (tests have shown it to be as effective as taking St. John's Wort). You don't have to be insanely athletic, just try to at least go out for a walk every day.

-if your depression gets worse when the days get shorter, you'll probably benefit from getting a special sunlamp for winter depression (also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder). You have to sit so that it shines into your eyes for at least 30 minutes every morning. The lamps cost at least $200, but I have one and I don't know how I ever lived without it.

-eating too much sugar can increase mood swings. Healthy eating will definitely take the edge off depression. Craving sweets is a symptom of Seasonal Affective Disorder, by the way--on days when I use my lamp, I find it a lot easier to stay away from the muffins and cookies.

Honestly, even while doing all these things, I feel like I only get up to about 70% of where I was during the Prozac months. But at least I can generally keep myself from falling into the REALLY dark pit, and I don't have to contend with the cost and side-effects of drugs. And, hey, maybe other people will have more success with this stuff than me.

Hope this helps!