Diabetes and Depression

I think the psychological aspects of diabetes is what causes depression but there is something about adrenaline getting released too when low which can cause extra mood swings in diabetics that non diabetics don't get. Gigi I sympathise with you 100% - and everyone else who is going through this hell!!! I do realise after looking at this site though that there are others in need of help not just me and I feel a bit selfish in my "My diabetes sucks" post now although I do appreciate any advice I can get as I don't get it from my local clinic. I ask some other diabetics if they are ok with their glucose levels at home and they always say "yes I'm fine" but then they are off work ill sometimes or nearly collapsing so I think the majority of us like to bury our heads in the sand, but then you realise when you bury your head in the sand that it could be fatal, so you're forced to deal with the reality and then the reality sucks. I say depression and diabetes go hand in hand when a diabetic is unable to control their glucose levels yes and to an extent when the glucose levels are low or high it produces extra adrenalin making a diabetic moody and others don't understand it so the frustration and anger builds even more. Luckily I have a very caring boyfriend but I have always said to him if I get worse you must leave me. I wouldn't want such a lovely bloke to have to feel he has to stay put with me. He's already called an ambulance for me and been in floods of tears. I am losing feeling in my hypos so I guess I am getting worse I'm not sure. Nor am I sure if the insulin I'm on is correct. I'm not sure of anything and yes I am depressed because of it all.

I am presently reading "How I gave up my low-fat diet and lost 40 pounds" by Dana Carpender (yes, I know it is a corny title, but it makes good reading!) - and was interested to read that there is some evidence that low-carbohydrate diets (by stabilising blood sugar) can help depression.

It can't help to try?

What makes me depressed
well having to take insulin three times a day having to test my blood 4 times a day having to watch what I eat watch what I drink. When going to the hospital or doctors being told your overweight,that your control is not in control that you are eating the wrong foods that you are drinking too much

god bless

rog
:mrgreen:

Re: Diabetes and Depression- and puffy ankles!!

does anyone suffer from water retention?
i've been diabetic for 4 years and i've only got this since then!!
teh doctor dont seem to think its a link
any advice??
Rubyruby :shock:

I also have very puffy ankles which go down by the time I get up. I've asked the doctor whether it's the diabetes, depression or what. He's not too sure. I've only been diagnosed since December 2006 but think it was longer than that. Had the puffy ankles a lot longer than thathough. there were a few veiled hints that it was due to being overweight but they blame that for everything!! :evil:

christine025 said:

Hello everyone.

I am new to this, but not new to diabetes, i seem to have it for years!. Its just there all the time,
i try really hard with it, but finding a way to reduce my blood sugars is really hard going. They are rampant.

Recently i have had an on going cold which has lasted for weeks and weeks, making me miserable not to mention depressed.
I feel weak with it. If anyone out there has a remedy or advise i would be most grateful on how to deal with it.
I think diabetes and depression goes together, its enough to make anyone depressed having to deal with it.
I hate my diabetes. :cry:

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Hugs Christine :!: To be honest regarding colds and flu (I've got one now which is lasting nearly 3 weeks). I can only advise get plenty of rest and Vitamin C in you. I've done this and I'm nearly on the mend. To be honest the cold at the moment has affected non-diabetics around me for around the same time so don't think it's the diabetes. As for the not healing right and colds in general I've read somewhere it can be due to the type of insulin... however I'm doing further research into this as am unsure. As I am with all the insulin I've been on and other insulins which I haven't been given the choice of. Maybe another insulin could help you :?:

Depression has become a big part of my life lately. The least thing will send me into a 'black mood'. Some days are worse than others though. Today it's due to my laptop at home. It's as though these things are sent to 'test' us. The problems not as 'major' as my depression makes it out to be. Just something that can actually be disabled and not cause me problems. Life sucks!! :cry:

gillyh said:

Depression has become a big part of my life lately. The least thing will send me into a 'black mood'. Some days are worse than others though. Today it's due to my laptop at home. It's as though these things are sent to 'test' us. The problems not as 'major' as my depression makes it out to be. Just something that can actually be disabled and not cause me problems. Life sucks!! :cry:

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Hugs Gillyh!! For some reason I've been really bad this week - I had two hypos last night which don't usually occur and I was supposed to be concentrating on my maths study - however because of my sugars shooting up and down I felt absolutely terrible - lethargic and unable to concentrate. My sugars are high this morning and I'm especially grumpy and yes depressed. Not sure if my two hypos yesterday and hyper sugars today are the cause :?: :? I've actually given up on my Maths now...I can't concentrate which before diabetes I was super fast at working everything out and my best friend at school said how I would work out complex answers faster than the calculator. After diabetes set in (although not recognised until I actually left school) I went downhill - however there could be other contributing factors but I couldn't concentrate the same because my BG was so high (37.6mmol at time of diagnosis to be precise). Now when I am having hypos then BG raises I can't concentrate either... one of the reasons why I'm down at the moment and also bunking my maths exams in a weeks time. I was crying this morning I was so bad but am blaming the dark weather too. I'm considering getting one of those lamps that fake sunlight in the morning - Luma light or something to see what difference that makes :!: Anyway -it's like you said in the slogan under your signature. You just gotta deal with the downs when they happen. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off. I'm starting with umpteen coffees, food and some chocolate biscuits

I know what you mean Rach. I feel so 'down' lately that I just don't want to be bothered with anything. Sometimes even life! I just want to stay in bed and let life pass me by. My interest in things has gone. I love my hobbies....photography, my animals, x-stitch, reading, planning next holiday but lately there's nothing there. As to the laptop problem I asked a friend I work with - computer support officer - and he said that it's nothing to worry about. I guessed that but as usual I'd blown things out of proportion. I'm one of lifes worriers but it's gone further than that.
I really don't want to go back onto anti depressants as they made me feel spaced out. I'm also feeling really grumpy, irritable with people, excessively tired, sensitive to light + noise (everything is amplified), headaches and aching all over but especially neck and shoulder area.
I'm glad that someone understands how I feel but not glad that you are in same sort of situation. Hope it improves for you soon.
I've started having hypos and my bg count is low. 3.6 + 3.8 which is very low for me.
Do you have problems with sleeping too? I go in bouts on insomnia when I hardly sleep. Then I'll sleep several hours but don't get the full benefit of good sleep. Does that sound wierd? :cry: :?

Hi there. I am feeling the same way today. I chucked my bf out because I had another night time hypo and I wanted him to sleep ok. I really don't know what caused it at all. I briefly go through spells of saying "Ok Rach - get your act together you can control this" - but when one day my insulin is 19.7 mmol (i.e. like last night about midnight) and then I take two units and it's shoots straight down to 2.5 mmol at 1am and I don't have a clue why - it is extremely hard :cry: :!: I'm actually having a word with my diabetic clinic - telling them this is not how I want to live my life. I've hardly slept and am grumpy and lethargic today and desperately trying to control my sugars and the extreme pain in my neck and shoulders whilst keeping on top of my busy job and trying not to lose it :!: I'm going to ask the clinic to put the permanent glucose meter on me to get some answers and I want them fast. I also want the doctor to hurry up with referring me to physio for my shoulder and neck. I am on cocodamel and anti-inflammatories for the pain at the mo but it only helps a little as it is so extreme. I really sympathise with you. I am not pleased you are suffering like me either but in a way it is a comfort to be able to speak about it and somebody knowing what it is like if you get me. Maybe we can stick at this together and see what improvement we can make - as they say two minds are better than one hey :!: :wink:

Here am I moaning about my problems and you've got so many at the moment. I'm just grateful I'm T2 and diet and exercise only. I'm also getting a lot of pain in neck and shoulders area lately. I thought it was stress from having to work here - at work at moment. Sleeping patterns haphazard but doctor doesn't like giving me sleeping tablets. Some nights I take some strong painkillers and just hope that I sleep. Can't blame diabetes for this as I've had it for many years.
I'm lucky that my bg count is between 5.0 and 7.5 before meals and below 10.0 at the worst ...except for the odd occassion. It's just the way I feel with depression and the hypos I'm getting the last 6 months.
Would love to keep in contact and cheer one another up. I really need it!! Hope they put the permanent meter on you and you get some reason why you feel like you do. Me - i think it's my diet and will try different things. Trying to cut down on carbs and up on protein see if that works. Sister is on a diet and the carbs diet seems to be doing her good. She's not diabetic so she's okay to do that. I'm not fussy on what I eat really, within reasons, so will have to get in more proteins. any ideas? :?:

Have you tried the Low GI diet?! I'm about to embark on it to see what good it does. The lower your GI (Glycemic Index) content in your food the slower the carbs are released into the body. There is loads of info on it available via the web and some darn good tasty recipes too which are supposedly really great for diabetics. You are what you eat as they say so I'm willing to try anything that appears extremely healthy for diabetics yet ludicrously tasty too I'm trying to look on the diabetic food section for any known recipes that work for this diet. Hopefully I'll be then on the road to improvement. My neck and shoulder are killing me right now although my mood has lifted slightly. Although I don't want to put a connection to diabetes -the doctor told me because I'm diabetic I'm prone to tendonitis so in a round about way it could be diabetes. I've bought alsorts of equipment for my desk as I've thought it could be that too but it doesn't appear to have worked. For guidelines on how to adjust your seating in your desk look at the link below:-

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/hcg/default.html

Maybe it will help and don't be afraid to ask your work to make a few adjustments if necessary.
Rach

Hi from a newbie everyone. I have been on this forum ever since I was diagnosed with type 1 and finally decided to join. Anyway I am starting to suffer from depression and anxiety myself but think it is mostly due to my diabetes because I did not feel this way before I was diagnosed...

Hi Lefty,
Welcome on board, I think most of us have been depressed at some time I know I was. Joining this forum helped me come to terms with my diabetes, thanks to the advice received I can cope much better with life as a diabetic which in turn helped lift me out depression.

Regards Graham

thanks for that Rach. I've got a special chair due to back problem, wrist rests for when I type and i always have the light near emoff due to light/noise sensitivity. Team leader wouldn't let me solve the noise problem the way wanted to ...... killing them off!! joke!
Slowly bringing in more vegetables....eat a lot already.... and more protein. Have to cater for a non-diabetic dieting sister who is doing really well on higher carbs diet. Can I throttle her? :lol:
Bought a carb index book and will have to go through it again. Have ibs which affects what I can eat soemtimes. Life sucks. :mrgreen:

Hi everyone..hope you don't mind me joining late

Haven't been on for ages as I have been so down, had my annual review yesterday. HBA1C 7.6..all else seems ok. Told the doc I feel like i am existing not living as i am so tired all the time. I finish work and half 3 and that is my day over, I get in my pj's and just want to sleep. Zero energy. I asked if there were any pills or supplements I could take to make me feel a bit better or at least more awake and she said yes - antidepressants. I said no thanks, I just want to have the energy to do a bit of exercise to make myself feel better that way and plus I should be able to lose a few pounds and tone up (on a downer about this really)

This time a couple of months ago I was feeling far more in control, low carbing, more energy -it makes perfect sense that this is the only way forward so why the hell am I not following my own advice and cracking on again? I think I need my head looking at! :roll:

Hi kareeta. I have very little energy too. Also when I mentioned it to doctor and nurse they bought up going back on to anti depressants. Is that a 'stock' answer to feeling tired? I have to travel quite a way to work but have jsut asked for a transfer to an office a couple of miles from home. Have to wait and see though. :?
I get more tired during the autumn/winter months but still really tired all year round. Had depression before diagnosed but it has gotten worse since diabetes. :shock:

Hello well I'm depressed again today because I have been diagnosed with frozen shoulder now (linked to people 40+ - 70+ or young diabetics). I'm afraid of losing my new job I've got - as I'm off work. Yesterday I couldn't drive, walk up the stairs and eventually the crippling pain took over my whole body apart from my left arm and I was lying on the living room floor unable to move. I don't have physio for a few weeks yet - 4 to be precise. On the internet somewhere it said I should have been diagnosed a while back and had physio already :cry: I'm in absolute agony today and feel 100 years old yet I am 29. I am tired and lethargic too because of my diabetes and I've just recovered from a cold but I'm starting to feel my glands swell up again so probably got something else now. I'm fed up to the high heavens today :evil: It's pure hell :!:

gillyh said:

Hi kareeta. I have very little energy too. Also when I mentioned it to doctor and nurse they bought up going back on to anti depressants. Is that a 'stock' answer to feeling tired? I have to travel quite a way to work but have jsut asked for a transfer to an office a couple of miles from home. Have to wait and see though. :?
I get more tired during the autumn/winter months but still really tired all year round. Had depression before diagnosed but it has gotten worse since diabetes. :shock:

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Gilly I wouldn't recommend anti-depressants - only because I used to take them and they made me feel empty, spaced out and numb :!: I somehow had this phsycological analysis that as soon as I took them I'd start to feel happy :? I am blonde though :wink: but somehow I was convinced this would happen, that I'd be happy. I would suggest - and I know it sounds daft as heck but go for a brief after work walk or early morning walk. Force yourself to get up and then just go. I am buying the lumalight (think I mentioned) and as soon as I do I'll be up at around 6:30 to get breakfast and get walking before work. Without the lumalight though, it would take around 5 coffees and a bucket of cold water to get me up at that time :lol: Mind you I haven't tried it yet so the coffee and cold water might just be the only option I refuse to get down about this, despite the fact I was a cripple last night and the docs just keep trying to fob me off with drugs. I'm on anti-inflammatories, Cocodamel, Valium and Insulin now. I don't think I've ever taken so many drugs in my life :!:

I know what you mean Rach. i was on anti depressants before and they made me feel so ******. I tried 2-3 different sorts and last one was the best but still made me feel 'out of it' at the ebst of times. I felt like a zombie. I need something that will help me sleep better, cheer me up a bit/lot really and get rid of all the pain.
If you want to talk to me anytime just go ahead. Rant and rave...whatever it takes to help. :?

I'm actually too weak to rant and rave. I just want to sleep but I'm fighting the urge to sleep until later. I'm beginning to get swollen glands and a sore chest with all the stress and pain also my fasting BG is over 17mmol. I've just taken cold and flu remedy but obviously not Cocodamel also otherwise it's too dangerous. I'm actually quite freaked out about the valium - but it is only a small dose and the doctor said it was a muscle relaxant so I'm willing to give it a try tonight. She said I am to take it at night and not the day otherwise I will be like a zombie :!: I read the story about this girl Emma getting bullied and stopping her injections because she was so depressed. I am disgusted the school didn't step in to help :!: I posted this in another thread 'I'm saddened and angered'. In one way though it has made me get a grip and decide to definitely be strong and positive because she went through so much pain and lost her life. I want to be positive in the hope that I can get my condition under control and then help others control theirs both physcologically and physically also. I am doing this in memory of Emma as it has upset me a lot Whenever I get down I'm going to think of her situation which was much worse - no way am I going to get down because of a high or low BG again!! I still have everything working bar insulin so it's just a matter of getting it under control again.