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Phil · 01-11-2007, 01:22 PM

depression is a medical illness. the brain doesnt produce enough of the chemical SEROTONIN which defines mood. I get S.A.D. (seasonal affected disorder) almost every winter and managed to stay off the Prozac for 3 seasons in a row, but this year I've needed them, so I'm back on them until March.
Anti Depressants are very useful for people who need them, but Doctors rarely tell patients how to use them properly. They are not a magic wand, issues still need to be addressed and they should be used time - limited. After 2 years or so they have the opposite effect and can make people feel more depressed than when they first went on them.
Weaning off them should be slow: allow 6 weeks to come off and expect a few dips in serotonin levels until the neurotransmitters stabilise again.
This episode was getting bad for me, and i know the signs - de-motivated, loss of appeteite, wanting to sleep all the time, irritable, pessimistic, staring into thin air, on the verge of tears for ne apparent reason and so on.
It's clinically proven that exercise helps to stimulate serotonin.

01-11-2007, 01:22 PM	#36
Phil Hoodoo Guru Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 304	depression is a medical illness. the brain doesnt produce enough of the chemical SEROTONIN which defines mood. I get S.A.D. (seasonal affected disorder) almost every winter and managed to stay off the Prozac for 3 seasons in a row, but this year I've needed them, so I'm back on them until March. Anti Depressants are very useful for people who need them, but Doctors rarely tell patients how to use them properly. They are not a magic wand, issues still need to be addressed and they should be used time - limited. After 2 years or so they have the opposite effect and can make people feel more depressed than when they first went on them. Weaning off them should be slow: allow 6 weeks to come off and expect a few dips in serotonin levels until the neurotransmitters stabilise again. This episode was getting bad for me, and i know the signs - de-motivated, loss of appeteite, wanting to sleep all the time, irritable, pessimistic, staring into thin air, on the verge of tears for ne apparent reason and so on. It's clinically proven that exercise helps to stimulate serotonin. __________________ Atheist n A person to be pitied in that he is unable to believe things for which there is no evidence, and who has thus deprived himself of a convenient means of feeling superior to others.