Is anyone taking antidepressants?

Hey @Abby's - managing type 1 certainly has it's ups and downs.. mentally and physically. It is normal to feel down about it, have you tried to talking to friends/family about how you feel ? I found meditation helped me, as did walking, exercising, doing charity work, basically anything that took my mind off thinking about it all the time. If you feel like anti depressants would help then have a chat with your doctor about it, if your thinking about it then it's worth looking into it, however they do tend to mask what's going on so finding other ways to manage as well as or instead of, will help you cope better in the long term.

@Abby's have a chat with your gp. He/she can assess you and give you the right medical support. My diabetic unit has mental health covered too. Mention to diabetic nurse who helped you start your insulin.
They can all help.
My diabetes has me up and down.
Tell them asap.

Hi Abby like everyone else is suggesting it is a good idea to go and see your Dr if you are feeling like this. I have had diabetes since I was 16 but about 3 years ago I began to feel really down and depressed and I felt I had no control as to how I was feeling on a daily basis. I was getting ever changing moods and eventually this led to a break down. If I was you I would go and get help now in case things get worse. After a while I am now on anti depressants and I feel they r really helping. Good luck wish u well.

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Hi Abby's
if you are feeling like this then definitely give your diabetic nurse a ring .
and go see your GP too.
they get paid to help you and will be used to hearing these symptoms.

I think it is safe to say ALL of us have had those kind of feelings at some point

Hello Abby's,
Initially I’d talk to your Diabetes Specialist Nurse. You are far from being alone with your feelings and my experience is that diabetes and depression are linked.
I recently attended a T1 patient conference in Hampshire. One of the speakers, (Clare Shaban Consultant Clinical Psychologist Royal Bournemouth Hospital) delivered a very interesting and engaging presentation on “The psychology of diabetes” which mirrored our feelings and supported the theory linking diabetes and depression. Clare is a specialist diabetes psychologist and part of the diabetes specialist team.
I have been taking a low dose of Citalopram which has helped me no end.
Make an appointment to see your GP soon but if you are assigned a specialist diabetes team talk to them first – they will have a better understanding of your issues.
No one should feel alone with diabetes. I became a founder member of Sugarbuddies.org.uk Facebook/ Twitter: #sugarbuddies. An award winning peer to peer self-help group. As Juicyj suggests, voluntary work has helped me personally to grow and to help others. Is there a peer to peer group in your area? If not, we could start one.
Best wishes

Hi Abby I take sertraline and mirtazapine and feel they really help.

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Hi Abby. I saw a diabetes psychariatrist today at the hospital today. Since developing diabetes I have been on a rollercoaster of mood swings, anxiety, depression, fatigue to mention a few effects. It was a very useful meeting and I have a plan of action that doesn't involve medication yet, but not ruled out. It really helped me to see how managing diabetes and the swings in blood glucose effect mood and vice-versa . Remember we all tend to blame out ills on diabetes, where in reality, an illness, whether mental or physical, may have no basis in diabetes, but the diabetes makes the managment of it harder. Best wishes Abby and as other say, do speak to your diabetes team, they are set up to deal with this aspect of managing diabetes. xx

Hi Abby,
Depression is often associated with diabetes in the long term. I was diagnosed at the age of 18 months in 1950. I married in 1983. I developed depression in 1989 after the death of our daughter at 17 days of age. Since then we have had two healthy sons who are real treasures! Nonetheless, my depression has not lifted without use of Venlafaxine which is presecribed by my psychiatrist and has been so for the last 30 odd years. I cannot now live without it - I have tried on several occasions to reduce my dose but any attempt usually results in loss of control of my temper and I have returned to a dose of 450mg per day. Since I retired in 2013 I had hoped that I could reduce my dose. But my family does say that my attitude and mood has greatly improved since I retired. I guess that at the age of 67 my brain has become dependent upon venlafaxin for release of dopamine. But life is good at present and gives me a degree of optimism. So medication is not something to be feared but you may, perhaps, wish to consider other therapies such as psychocounselling or use of exercise before considering medication. Exercise results in release of endorphins which always make one feel better.
So consider medication very carefully but their use does not stop one enjoying life. But I found working in the hothouse of an university department sometimes difficult to bear.

Best wishes,
William L Maxwell Ph.D., D.Sc.

I have been taking antidepressants for 9years I have tried all types of counciling psycho therapy I find the only thing really works is knowing someone else is going through what I'm going through hope this helps

Unfortunately, mental illness is still stigmatized by so many who think it is a character flaw or something you can just will yourself out of. I still feel uncomfortable admitting that I have bipolar and am selective on who knows. It makes me uncomfortable to even write the word bipolar, but I think it is safe here and people won't judge me as crazy. It took many years of chaos in my mind before medication. My life is not perfect and I still have ups and downs, but it is infinitely better. As others have said exercise is a big help and try to make yourself do something you enjoy when you are in a depression funk. Do not feel like you are alone in your struggles and don't be afraid to seek medical help. People do care and there is "Better living through chemistry" if you need it.


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Karenchq said:

Unfortunately, mental illness is still stigmatized by so many who think it is a character flaw or something you can just will yourself out of. I still feel uncomfortable admitting that I have bipolar and am selective on who knows. It makes me uncomfortable to even write the word bipolar, but I think it is safe here and people won't judge me as crazy. It took many years of chaos in my mind before medication. My life is not perfect and I still have ups and downs, but it is infinitely better. As others have said exercise is a big help and try to make yourself do something you enjoy when you are in a depression funk. Do not feel like you are alone in your struggles and don't be afraid to seek medical help. People do care and there is "Better living through chemistry" if you need it.


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I totally agree.

I had a total and catastrophic breakdown in 2000, largely as a result of overwork (100hrs per week) and it was only through the support of my angel Yvonne that I fully recovered.

The strange thing that hangs around as a kind of residue is that certain people still, 16 years later, are carefully watching me with the expectation that it has to happen again which is a shame.


DIAGNOSED: 13/4/16: T2, no meds, HbA1c 53, FBG 12.6, Trigs 3.6, HDL .75, LDL 4.0, BP 169/95, BPM 85, 13st 8lbs, waist 34" (2012 - 17st 7lbs, w 42").

UPDATE: 16/6/16: FBG AV 4.6, Trigs 1.5, HDL 2.0, LDL 3.0, BP 112/68, BPM 6O, 11st 5lbs, waist 30", PWV 7.0. Lifelong migraines and hay fever gone.

Regime: 25g LCHF, run 1 mile daily, weekly fasting, occasionally longer fasts.

I was on Mirtazapine 3 months before my diagnosis (Jan '15) and stayed on it for 6 months after. It did help me level-out, but even now i'm off them i still have bouts of depression. I was also doing counselling/CBT at the time, which helps too. I never had to deal with depression before. A family friend teaches mindfulness so i'm going to give that a whirl.

@ Abby and everyone else, hope you are having a good day