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What came first, the diabetes or depression....?

StuB

Member
Messages
11
Location
U.K., Midlands
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
I’ve been suffering with depression for a few years, now I am diagnosed with diabetes I am wondering if it was depression, or depression caused by my undiagnosed diabetes.

Now I am on medication, and it is incepreasing weekly, I find that I am getting down quite a lot, including getting very annoyed very easily. I’m not sure if I am making a statement or asking a question to be fear, but I’m starting to really struggle. In addition I have a stressful job and two of my three children have complex needs - so I am exhausted, down, and have less emotional resilience than normal.
 
do you take medication for your depression? I ask because the meds i took (paroxetine, then venlafaxine, among others i tried) raised my blood sugar levels. Its a know side effect.
 
may I ask about your diet? I find my carb intake affects my moods quite a bit.
 
I've been treated for depression prior to my diabetes diagnosis. After diagnosis, and getting my blood sugars in relative order, I was off anti depressants real fast, and no sign of depression since, except for my normal gloomy episodes. I'm pretty much sure that my high bg caused depression.
 
I haven't been on anti-depressants, but I would say I have had low level depression for a long time - and now my mood is far more stable and I am coping with stress much better since I changed to the low carb high fat diet. I have only done this for a week and a half properly and was eating moderate carbs/fat and protein for a couple of weeks before, which made some difference too. Cutting the carbs even moderately had a really big effect on raising my mood and levelling it out. My blood sugar has gone from 7's, 8's and 9's a week and a half ago to a couple of 5.8's, and the rest low 7's and 6's.

I had periods where I was really low and very tearful before, and nothing like that since I changed the diet, even though I have had a couple of extremely stressful things to deal with lately that would have completely floored me before.
 
Thanks, that’s reassuring - my husband and I are trying to find ways to prioritise us as a couple too, not easy as the in laws live 200 miles away and we have no other people that can take the children on for a weekend.
 

Depression is not the cause but, may well be a cause amongs the some others for T2D.

Diabetes may have started as early as like 15 years prior the diagnosis.

During this period it is not the cause of depression.

Diabetes cause depression after the diagnosis as one knows that he/she has diabetes and it causes depression due to the psychological impact of diabetes on the individual and a significant percentage of the people with the condition of diabetes one way or other experience depression from time to time at varying degrees and it is to be treated.

If BG Levels are not controlled, it causes mood changes.

Getting angry in day to day life for something does not significantly increase or lower BG Levels as the public at large talks about.

Diabetes Management and Conrolled BG Levels are upmost important and major part of it is the Dietary issues.

I hope this all makes sense
 

You make some very definite statements there that don't reflect my life before, or with diabetes.

Since diagnosis, I haven't had depression. Of course, I've had the odd tough period in my life, but they haven't particularly been diabetes related, and nor have they caused me to become depressed.

Secondly, I think individuals should look at their own blood glucose levels if they are angry. For many, excitement or anger, with the associated adrenalin and cortisol rushes can raise their blood glucose levels. Certainly if I enter a state of high emotion - whether it be excitement, fear or anger, my bloods can go on a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Fortunately for me, my peaks are very modest these days.

We're all different.
 
@DCUKMod

I really appreciate all the hard work you're doing to help us and am grateful for the positive learning environment you are providing me with.

Your guidance and support has been amazing!

Thank you for helping me improve
 
@StuB I have been diagnosed as having cyclothymia, like bipolar disorder though not so severe, where I go from episodes of depression to stable periods to 'highs' (which I quite like!).
I have had it since I was 14 apparently, though I didn't know that until I got online access to my medical records. I thought my first episode was when I was 30.

I think it did contribute to my T2 diabetes as I would comfort eat carby and sugary food when I was in a depressive episode, and self medicate with too much beer, which also increased my weight. But I don't think depression was the only factor in becoming diabetic. I also had a genetic and hereditary likelihood of becoming T2, and I wasn't walking the 10-20k steps I used to when I was working, after I retired and I put on weght. Taking statins might also have contributed.

I haven't had a serious depressive episode since changing my approach to eating and exercising more again. But that might be also because I have decided to stay on anti-depressant medication (fluoxetine/Prozac) permanently. Previously I stopped once I started feeling better. But my depressive episodes were getting closer and closer together, and I couldn't face the 6-8 weeks of mental pain before the medication kicked in when I had to start on them again.
 
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My experience with depression was basically that I had it for so long that I didn't have a clue it was depression.
It was just normal life as far as I was concerned.
Yes I had various health issues going on, and long term pre-diabetes that escalated to type 2 level blood glucose readings, but the grey mood was just normal. Absolutely nothing changed when I got some new health issue to add to the list.

So what made the difference and lifted that grey cloud?

I shelled out privately for a blood test to check fro Vit D deficiency.
I was deficient, and started to take large doses of D3 (with K2 to help it work), and like magic, the cloud lifted.

Apparently depression (to varying degrees) is a very common symptom of Vit D deficiency, and it goes largely unrecognised by health care professionals.

Looking back, I am pretty sure that I had been generally Vit D deficient for about 30 years - which started at university, when I spent more time indoors, and first experienced sustained low moods, that never lifted when I left university and moved into indoor office work.

Apparently, despite recent massive publicity on the subject, most UK citizens have less than optimal Vit D levels - so there is a heck of a lot of it about.

I would encourage everyone to get tested and supplement as appropriate.
Looking back, I am so glad I didn't get entered into the NHS hamster wheel of diagnosed depression => medication => dose adjustment and escalation => medication reviews and side effects.

Now I just take a few drops of Vit D3 oil every day, with a capsule of Vit K2, and am more emotionally resilient than at any other time in my adult life.
 
Thanks all for the replies. I can understand that such a change of lifestyle may make some people feel down, but I am also of the mindset that such internal imbalances must also have the potential to affect people’s moods. In a way I am hoping if my blood sugars become stable, then perhaps my moods will stabilise too - but that’s me looking for a silver lining I suppose.

The vitamin D hypothesis sounds very interesting, and I will see if that has any impact on me - I take it the potassium helps it absorb?

I get annoyed, not angry, my default position is quite passive, so annoyed for me is quite a shift. I don’t know enough about what the results of my bs mean to know how to make sense if the data, I.e. is it my lunch or mood spiking my bs? I have my first diabetic nurse appointment in June, so I will raise these issues.

Thanks again, plenty of things for me to ponder.
 
StuB said:
The vitamin D hypothesis sounds very interesting, and I will see if that has any impact on me - I take it the potassium helps it absorb?
Click to expand...
I don't think Vitamin K is potassium. I take Vitamin D and Vitamin K capsules. The Vitamin K does help the Vitamin D ro be absorbed. I also try to get as much sunshine as I can which helps the body to produce Vitamin D.
 
Yes, potassium is the mineral,

Vit K comes in 3 forms.
K1 affects blood clotting
K2 works as a team with D3 and helps prevent calcium deposits in the arteries. No known toxicity, even in large doses
K3 is synthetic and definitely best avoided

So if you go with Vit D supplements, go with D3 (more bioavailable than D2) and add K2 to it since they work together.
 
Maybe.
Undiagnosed diabetes doesnt help anyone. However since I was diagnosed my weight has ballooned. Depression has caused some of it. Some weight gaining meds and encouraged full grain carbs. Activity has kept me at my lowest weight.
At mo my mobility is compromised by back/pelvis and leg pains. (Now every muscle aches... not sure why). Fatigue can do this I'm told.
I'm currently questioning my vit and mins absorption on lansoprozol and some other deficiency other than iron. My thyroid health too. I'm aching all over.
I think I've resolved most of my anxiety and am now relaxing. Maybe aching is from relaxed muscles which have been tense for so long?
Stress, anxiety and tension isn't pretty and never helpful towards fighting diseases like diabetes and many others.
Can you find a way to relax? I like getting into a swimming pool. It helps me enormously. I'm looking to do 2 days in pool next week. Instead of the one I can fit in on and off.
 
Thanks @Brunneria. I didn't know the K2 was potassium. I do take one 1000iu D3 capsule and one 200ug K2 tablet daily.
 
Hi @Brunneria
I decided that perhaps I should investigate Vit K2, but it is more complicated than I thought. The main choice seems to be between MK-4 and Mk-7. What type do you take, if you don't mind saying, please?
 
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