Depressed and in need of advice and understanding.

I'm so sorry that you are going through this Hairspray but glad you are on medication.

It will take time to 'kick in' so be patient and don't expect to see any improvement over night. I have felt like this so I know how frightening it can be to feel as if you're losing control.

I don't agree that you are wasting the final years of your life. Depression is an illness, not something that you can choose not to experience, if you could it's not something any one would choose. It wont help you to feel guilty for having something over which you have no control.

You've taken steps by seeing your GP and arranging to see a counsellor. In the meantime now you've had the courage, and it does take courage to talk about it even anonymously, to open up here is somewhere for you to talk if and when you need too.

Take care of you and I'm sure that although it wont feel like it now, this will pass in time .

Thank you for the reply. So kind and very touching. I was nervous to post but glad that I did.
Feel so lost at the moment. Xxx

Thinking of you and wishing you well. You are clearly very distressed, please try not to Google the side effects of medication - only serves to make things worse!! Hope it's not long before you see counsellor . Be kind to yourself and keep posting - lots of lovely people here who will understand. 💐💐💐

Thank you.
I have never felt this low in all of my life. I am 71 now and don’t want this to be the way I am for ever.
I will take the medication, I was reluctant but have to give it a try. I have spent the last few weeks in a daze, calling Samaritans, always at GP , A and E etc.
I really have lost all sense of reason over this. I am just terrified of life at the moment.
I appreciate your replies and it is so nice to off load a little about these feelings.

So sorry that you are feeling this way. I know it won’t make you feel any better, but most of us on here, have had various issues with varying degrees of magnitude, but to each of us, our personal problems feel so much lighter, when we talk about them or write about them. You can post here whenever you feel you want to get something off your chest. Like you I am a googler. Please don’t google the side effects of medication. It will worry you. And bear in mind, the information leaflet is just there to cover the pharmaceutical companies. Take care of yourself xx

Thank you. These are lovely helpful replies and I appreciate them very much.
I don’t really have anyone to talk to in person as I really don’t want to share too much with family and friends. I feel a little bit weak that I can’t cope with my problems without losing the plot to be honest.
Everyone tells me to just get on with it. I wish that I could but I can’t at the minute!
This feeling is so awful and I can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel at the moment.
To all the replies, it feels so good to be having a chat. I am normally a very chatty person, I’ve lost my mojo.
Xxxx

Hi hairspray, depression will make you feel very hopeless.. please take the medication. It will take a couple of weeks to start to have any effect. but trust that it will make you feel better than you are feeling at the moment. Try to get sleep, eat well and get out for a walk every day.. you might find these things a struggle at the moment. as someone said earlier depression is an illness and you need to try to look after yourself as best you can.. and your family need to understand this as well and look after you.. I wish you well

Ignore the "just get on with it" brigade. Not helpful at all. What you need to do it prioritise yourself and be kind to yourself. I've suffered with depression in the past and you need to treat it as the illness it is. Would you feel the same if you had, say, diabetes or high blood pressure and feel the same sense of failure? Anyone can succumb to depression and it is NOT a weakness, whatever anyone says to you.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, believe me. As Smileless says, the effects of anti-depressants are not instant but please hang in there and take all the help you can get, short term and long term.

Sending you my very best wishes and a virtual hug.

Thank you. There has been some unpleasantness around this with family.
A little bit of ‘pull yourself together’ which is not possible. Also a little remark about making things all about me so I have clammed up I’m afraid.
I know I’ve gone on about things a lot lately but that’s just how I deal with things.
I watch my words a bit now to be honest.

I’m sorry you feel so low, Hairspray. People can be very unhelpful at times, it’s not as if you’ve chosen to feel like this.

It sounds to me as though you have a lot of anxiety mixed in, too, worrying about side effects and so on. It’s hard to see the wood for the trees when feeling so overwhelmed but hang on in there, the tablets should help you feel brighter in a two or three weeks.

You are all so very kind, I feel a bit tearful reading your lovely words.
I will go into more detail about things in due course. I just needed to reach out tonight and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
I will stick with the medication and give it a chance.

Is the medication for the 'ongoing health problem' or the depression?

Hairspray I invite you to join us on the Black Dog thread if you would like. All in the thread suffer from depression, anxiety, health issues etc. We cannot offer a cure but can offer a listening ear. Not condemnation, definitely not pull your socks up attitude. The thread is ongoing and has offered support to many over the years. Please join us if you choose to do so.

The medication is Sertraline for the depression. I’ve never taken it before but GP thinks I am becoming overwhelmed with anxiety and depression.

Thank you Doodle.

I think its understandable to have anxiety after health issues. Also I don't think anybody can understand the impact of poor health unless you go through it. It's stressful not being able to do the things you took for granted.

Hairspray100, thanks. I know somebody on antidepressants who was very reluctant to start them. Now, she says, she feels great, despite having the same worries and problems as before. You should feel much better after a few weeks.

That is so true. Also feel a bit useless as I did so much for my family and up to a few months ago, a lot of babysitting and childminding which had to stop due to my husbands new health problems as well.
Always took good health for granted, I thought my husband was strong as an ox and then in the blink of an eye everything can change.

Hairspray100 if I remember, Sertraline takes about six weeks to kick in and then it works well. It is possible to take it for some time and then discontinue by tapering off the dose when you are ready to do without. Hopefully you will feel much better soon.

Thank you Hetty58.
I think it’s the thought that you’ll be on them for ever more although GP did say minimum of 6 months.
I’ve made the step now and taken the first one which was very difficult.
Thank you

Thank you ronib and all of you for your replies.
I don’t feel so alone tonight after all of your kind words and help.

Hello Hairspray I can't add anything helpful to all the good advice others have given you, but didn't want to just pass on by, so I'm sending you a hug and . You're not alone.

Hairspray100, I started taking Sertraline in January. It did take a long time - at least 6 weeks - to kick in, but I am glad I stuck with it. Hopefully it’ll help you get through this rough patch. Wishing you all the best.

Thank you all.
Woollywoman, thanks for that reassurance. I imagined all sorts of problems, side effects, interactions etc etc.
Overthinking and reading too much negative information on Google.
I will stick with it and feel reassured by the lovely thoughtful comments. Thank you all.