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Re: Chronic pain and depression

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Yes i suffer with chronic pain in feet,legs and back from a work injury. Also

pains in joints etc which they suspect could be RA but my blood test doesn't

show the things they need to find in my blood to confirm it. I have suffered

with the pain last 4 yrs, and yes I have developed major depression for the

first 12 months.

I am on antidepressants, but they don't help a lot. Yes I have had suicidal

thoughts many times over the last 12 months. I spoke to a counselor. He came

to the conclusion that he can`t help me, as the pain is mostly causing the

depression. And the fact i was stuck home for 2yrs only going out if daughter

home with car.

Finally I got a hired mobility scooter from accident insurance, while they

decide if they will buy one. Once I got the hired scooter, and was able to go

shopping etc with wife, a lot of depression did lift.

I still have days when the depression hits bad mainly when pain very bad. But

one way I found was to chat via the internet and play games to keep mind off the

pain as much as i can. The depression is not so bad, so I found to keep as busy

as possible. Okay it is on a computer near most of day, but it helps sometimes.

My pain in feet and legs will only get worse with time as unfixable, but am

coping as best I can. Yes I agree that if you can get through the depression

then the pain would be more manageable. But I know I get depressed still as I

have gone from a fit active person to a person that can hardly walk 30 meters.

I am learning to find ones to deal with my life changes, and so far coped.

As for the suicidal thoughts I still get them. The only thing that stopped me

was I am married with 2 daughters and I don`t want to hurt them by doing

something silly. It has worked for me, and those thoughts are a lot less now

thanks kevin

> Jennette wrote:

> I'm so happy that you have found purpose in your life and agree completely

about the depression/pain connection.

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I have often heard the doctors say, " I am so sorry there is nothing more we can

do for you, its a permanent and degenerative condition. "   More than I have

wanted, I have heard this many times.  My main doctor keeps trying though. 

Depression is part of the pain.  I am on Prozac, it helps. However, I knew I

needed a support group, that is why I am here.

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My doctor added Cymballta as a pain and antidepressant med. I am also on

Welbutrin. Lyrics has done wonders to alleviate my pain.

And guess what my doc told me?

Cholesterol meds ADD to one's pain. She won't put me on one. Told me to lose

weight and eat right and behave. I was shocked that cholesterol meds add to

pain.

I am also on Deplin for those of us who have been on anti-depressants for long

periods of time.

I rarely get truly depressed. It doesn't last long if I do.

Ellen-Hangin in

> Desert Fire wrote:

> I have often heard the doctors say, " I am so sorry there is nothing more we

can do for you, its a permanent and degenerative condition. "   More than I have

wanted, I have heard this many times.  My main doctor keeps trying though. 

Depression is part of the pain.  I am on Prozac, it helps. However, I knew I

needed a support group, that is why I am here.

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For me blood pressure meds increased pain !!

--- Ellen said:

> And guess what my doc told me?

>

> Cholesterol meds ADD to one's pain. She won't put me on one. Told me to lose

weight and eat right and behave. I was shocked that cholesterol meds add to

pain.

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I understand what you're saying. Treating the depression can help, but finding

things to keep your mind busy, especially if your body can't be, might help you

too.

What do you think a support group can do for you?

That has always been something I have been interested in. I love being on this

group, keeping busy, even if it's just reading the emails, as well as learning

about new treatments and other things is something that helps me deal with the

pain. I've never really looked at the group as a " support group " , but rather

just a group of friends I can talk to, and listen to.

Marta

> Desert Fire wrote:

> However, I knew I needed a support group, that is why I am here.

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> Ellen wrote:

> My doctor added Cymballta as a pain and antidepressant med. I am also on

Welbutrin. Lyrics has done wonders to alleviate my pain.

>> Desert Fire wrote:

>> I have often heard the doctors say, " I am so sorry there is nothing more we

can do for you, its a permanent and degenerative condition. " More than I have

wanted, I have heard this many times. My main doctor keeps trying though.

Depression is part of the pain. I am on Prozac, it helps. However, I knew I

needed a support group, that is why I am here.

Ellen.

Ironic, isn't it. One of the side effects of Cymbalta is muscle cramps and I got

them big time along with the side effects of Lyric which included weight gain so

you are going to be trying to fight the weight gain from Lyrica to get your

cholesterol down.

If you are gaining weight rapidly, this may be due to fluid retention and heart

failure, possible side effects of Lyrica. Let your healthcare provider know

right away if you notice rapid weight gain, as this can be a sign of congestive

heart failure (CHF).

Cholesterol lowering medication side effects may cause: Myositis, which is

inflammation of the muscles, can be a side effect of statins. The risk of muscle

injury increases when certain other medications are coupled with statin use.

So side effects in all medications and reactions to them happen to all of us and

being aware of them and having your Doctor know what effects you have. So,

Cymbalta's side effect of muscle pain being increased.

Deplin is needed by depressed patients with suboptimal folate to regulate the

synthesis of monoamines (serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine) and known as a

trimonoamine modulator (TMM). And it can be taken by newly diagnosed depressed

patients and is known as a medical food.

I want to apologize, I typed that serotonin, neonephrine, and epinephrine were

the three neurotransmitters which serotonin g, neonephrine and dopamine are the

neurotransmitters which we need and are sometimes deficient when depression

decreased them and Deplin is used to increase them as it is assumed that

suboptimal folate can increase the neurotransmitters.

I used to throw those medical inserts away but now I make sure that I read each

one with the side effects listed and interactions. It is amazing that

medications work at all with all the side effects listed. : )

I hope the Cymbalta works for you and the Lyrica continues to work and you lose

the weight you need and your lab values become normal. I wonder if the Deplin

would help Desert Fire with her depression : ) Bennie

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---kevin mcclean wrote:

>

> Yes i suffer with Yes I have had suicidal thoughts many times over the last

12 months. I spoke to a counselor. He came to the conclusion that he can`t

help me, as the pain is mostly causing the depression.

-

I am so sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience with therapy - what an

utterly ridiculous statement for him to make! Counseling absolutely CAN help

with depression caused by chronic pain, and I'm living proof of that. That

particular counselor just obviously didn't have the appropriate training and

wasn't willing to admit it! And it is shocking to me that he actually turned

you away when you had admitted to suicidal thoughts - well, I think he ought to

be brought up on malpractice charges for that!

The bottom line is that there are great counselors and psychologists, and there

are terrible ones. Just like there are great doctors and awful ones, good

teachers and bad ones, and just like in every other profession. It sounds like

you sadly just got a lemon on your first try.

If you still feel suicidal, please don't give up on counseling because of one

poorly trained therapist. Find a psychologist (not just a " counselor " or

" therapist " ) trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Instead of focusing on

what went wrong in your childhood, which is probably the only thing your

counselor was trained to do, CBT therapists focus on helping you deal with

what's right in front of you, helping you make the challenges you face more

bearable and coming up with strategies to change the way you think about and

solve problems. They work on depression by focusing on your thought processes

about your situation, instead of spending hours talking about how your parents

failed you (which might be helpful in many situations, but not for treating the

depression caused by chronic illness!) Some psychologists even have expertise in

chronic pain management, and all the better if you can find that expertise.

Counseling was a literal lifesaver for me, but I went through three different

pscyhologists before finding one that knew what she was doing. You have to

interview them and be willing to fire them and try again if they don't help.

But please please don't give up - if you try again with another therapist, go in

to the first appointment with a list of questions about their training and

expertise to deal with chronic pain. If you don't like their answers, say

" thank you very much, " and just call the next person on your list.

I hope you are able to find some worthwhile help. There is a light at the end

of the tunnel. Chronic pain changes our lives, without a doubt, but we can find

ways to live with it that make life worth living again.

Cheryl in AZ

Moderator

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yes as the Councillor is paid for by an insurance company to help treat my

depression, they allow only so many sessions, as my depression and chronic pain

was from a work accident, and yeah he tried the whole change my thinking about

the pain which did not work. as i told him i try to ignore the pain as much as

possible, but many times it is so severe you cant, and many Councillors etc

don`t really understand what you go through everyday of your life. so only

someone that has gone through or experiencing the same pain etc will really

know.

And as the feet and legs and back damage cant be fixed then it is a life time

thing i have to live with, i have asked my doctor many times to remove my feet

as pain so bad, but NO they wont unless for a medical reason and pain i am told

is not a medical reason. I even was admitted to hospital for chest pains and

given 4 shots of morphine. i thought great a pain free time, but no it did

nothing and the feet etc. still pained, and most times the oxynorm pills do

nothing,

But yes time from time i get down and then think about suicide etc, but i don't

want to hurt my wife and daughters that way, but i know if i did not have them i

would have gone through with it. but yes depression comes on from the pain, plus

the financial problems.

as gone from a $60k paying job to living on about $24k, and so went bankrupt as

a result, plus i am unable to do lawns etc and it gets

at me when i have to let my wife do the lawns etc, things i used to do.

as like all suffers of chronic pain would know the pain is one thing but there

is a lot of other things that fall apart in your life due to it. But yeah i keep

pushing on and try anything to try and keep life on track as best i can. But

yeah Councillors can help some situations but chronic pain is hard for them

especially when their

is no fix or light at end of the tunnel.

thank you for your reply and yeah some people have gotten great help from

Councillors and other helpers, but i have never had a lot of faith in Councillor

types, and losing faith in doctors very fast

thanks

>Cheryl in AZ wrote:

-

>Counseling was a literal lifesaver for me, but I went through three different

psychologists before finding one that knew what she was doing. You have to

interview them and be willing to fire them and try again if they don't help.

But please please don't give up - if you try again with another therapist, go in

to the first appointment with a list of questions about their training and

expertise to deal with chronic pain. If you don't like their answers, say

" thank you very much, " and just call the next person on your list.

>I hope you are able to find some worthwhile help. There is a light at the end

of the tunnel. Chronic pain changes our lives, without a doubt, but we can find

ways to live with it that make life worth living again.

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The best therapist/psychologist I ever had was trained to work with chronic pain

patients who also suffered depression. It doesn't matter which came first, they

both need to be addressed.

Don't give up the search, if you can find the right person it's well worth the

effort.

I saw both a therapist and a psychiatrist, in a team care plan that was worked

up for me.

Jennette

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Jennette wrote:

> The best therapist/psychologist I ever had was trained to work with chronic

pain

> patients who also suffered depression. It doesn't matter which came first,

they

> both need to be addressed.

>

> Don't give up the search, if you can find the right person it's well worth the

> effort.

>

> I saw both a therapist and a psychiatrist, in a team care plan that was worked

> up for me.

Jennette,

I agree completely and I take antidepressants when needed and my Doctors treat

me for situational depression (there are many types as you probably know) and

chronic pain is a situation. When my pain is under control, I do not need the

anti-depressant but when the pain is under treated is when I needed the anti

depressants and I took them. I was lucky to find a good Doctor who would titer

my pain meds to treat my pain. You are so right, they are entwined and I

would/will see both when needed also and referred to.

The pain plan I am under requires I see the counselor initially a they access

where you are at. The counselor stated that I have been trained in biofeedback

to deal with my pain ( I was required to come in for many visits), I went to

Reality Therapy with a counselor, and the current counsel stated seeing him

every six months would be okay and contact sooner if needed or my Doctor thinks

different. The pain management plan at the clinic I go to has a team who

assesses every patients condition to include a counselor, Pain Doctor, then

PA(Physicians Assistant), Physical Therapist,and or alternate therapies if

requested (acupuncture,chiropractor-if appropriate etc)

I appreciate the team and hope that my pain continues to be addressed

appropriately.

Bennie

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I've had no muscle cramps from Cymbalta and have been on it close to 2 years

now.

I have been steadily gaining 50 pounds before Lyrica. It's because my

disability carrier showed me films of their private investigators following me

to WalMart and Lowes.

I got so paranoid that I stayed in my house/bed with hardly any exercise. My doc

is keeping me off the cholesterol meds because it can cause more pain.

I am so glad you told me about congestive heart failure. I've seen 2 family

members with it, so I know what to look for.

Ellen-Hangin in

> Bennie wrote:

> One of the side effects of Cymbalta is muscle cramps and I got them big time

along with the side effects of Lyric which included weight gain so you are going

to be trying to fight the weight gain from Lyrica to get your cholesterol down.

> If you are gaining weight rapidly, this may be due to fluid retention and

heart failure, possible side effects of Lyrica. Let your healthcare provider

know right away if you notice rapid weight gain, as this can be a sign of

congestive heart failure (CHF).

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