OT - Anxiety / Depression / Early onset Alzheimers or other

I've been open about my depression in the past. I am on meds, I see a therapist regularly, my diet is reasonable, etc etc etc.

Lately my memory is bad. As in really bad. I walk to the shop and get there and realize I forgot what I went there for. I carry a notebook, as it's the only thing that keeps me functional.

Anxiety is high, but it's manageable. Actually, I'm doing a great job of not feeling anxious, or dealing with it when I do feel it.

If you've ever been a pot smoker, that's my mental capacity pretty much 24/7. Great ideas, or at least seemingly great ideas, that I can't remember for more than a couple of seconds.

Reading is difficult, extended concentration is difficult. Analytical / Logical thinking is my strong suit, until lately...it kills me.

I get strange pains in my shoulders/chest region. None of it cardiac related.

I walked away from the job eight months ago...best thing I ever did. I've spent more time with family. I've forced myself to figure out how to make it on my own...balancing Ebay sales against monthly expenses. I can honestly say that we are almost there...and by "there", I mean, no longer struggling financially.

But...I'm still concerned about the mental fog. I've talked with my therapist about it...and the response is that it's common with anxiety/depression. Anxiety is likely rooted in Dad's declining health...he has terminal cancer. Lots of unknowns. But also in day to day life, the figuring out a new road part of it. Hell, even my cognitive disfuction causes anxiety.

So...I ask. Any of you had such an experience, where it was caused by anxiety, or by other semi-external forces?

I'm now considering tapering off all of my meds to flush that shit out of my system and starting over. Actually, already had my doc lower the dose on one of them. If I find I need them once I've been clean for a while, so be it, but the only reason I take them now is because if I don't, I get dizzy as hell by one in the afternoon.

Just a quick question are you taking lithium? How about Spironolactone?

Snowman, get yourself to a GP and have a full physical exam done, with emphasis on areas that could affect your depression. If you don't have insurance (I hope you do), look around for teaching hospitals that might offer services in exchange for allowing med students to either perform or observe the process.

Are you self medicating? You mention pot, how about alcohol?

And I admire your courage to speak up, so many men will (foolishly) try to "tough it out". It's one of the reasons we tend to die earlier.

just had my bloodwork drawn, got everything checked. I've had full workups within the last year. All of my meds are doctor prescribed. Don't drink, rarely smoke pot anymore, don't smoke, eat mostly healthy...a little too much sugar.

Should be exercising, but I don't.

No lithium or spiro...high dose cymbalta, concerta (ADHD) and flonase as needed.

I have bipolar disorder. Your symptoms sound a lot like mine. It's called Depression mixed with Aging. Also, the meds affect memory, though no doctor will admit it. Your regimen sounds good to me. The only thing I would add is exercise. Start slow and work your way up. Winter makes it difficult, but try.

Good luck

snowman said:

No lithium or spiro...high dose cymbalta, concerta (ADHD) and flonase as needed.

Click to expand...

I was hoping you were on both because your symptoms really sounded like lithium poisoning. Spironolactone prevents lithium from leaving the body and lithium buildup can kill you. Best wishes, I have been through something like you described and that was it for me.

If you are considering going off or altering your meds, please do it under a dr.s guidance, the withdrawls from the meds can be hell, I wouldnt do it again. I have delt with the "fog" my whole life, the more stress i have the worse it is, I have a.d.d. and asbergers, my mind races a million miles a minute but i still cant remember anything, i rely on rituals most of the time, so i dont forget anything. every once in a while my fog is so dense i cant understand simple instructions, I have a good support system around me it helps.
ralph

What ever the cause, I hope you recover soon :-)

Me: sat down just before 2pm this afternoon (friday) woke up at half-past three with a Tim Rice lyric ringing in my head ( "any dream will do" - I had to google it - I HATE musicals!) I'm hoping it's just the cold/man-flu that I've been nursing for the last few days - if not I'll be looking for a tall building ....


" I closed my eyes... drew back the curtains...." Arrrrgggggghhhhhh

Bill

snowman said:

just had my bloodwork drawn, got everything checked. I've had full workups within the last year. All of my meds are doctor prescribed. Don't drink, rarely smoke pot anymore, don't smoke, eat mostly healthy...a little too much sugar.

Should be exercising, but I don't.

No lithium or spiro...high dose cymbalta, concerta (ADHD) and flonase as needed.

Click to expand...

I'm not a doctor (Dammit, Jim!), but I would think bloodwork and "everything" is just a start. How did you present your symptoms to the doctor, and were they taken in by him/her as intended? Sometimes the proverbial 2 x 4 is needed to draw them in to the real problems, you have to be persistent!

tapering off antidepressants can also leave you foggy,
and there are lots of different ones out there not every one reacts the same
to a given drug.
consult with a good neurologist and a really good psychiatrist might help.
as in maybe go to the medical school people not a local gp.

and just because you feel unhappy doesn't mean you are clinically depressed,
unhappy in a sucky situation is well kinda normal.

and antianxiety meds like Valium and alike will make you foggy as well

and some of the meds will make you paranoid as hell

Kudos to all who are man enough to admit they have a problem. I dont know why mental illness still has a stigma attached to it.
Im beginning to think Im in need of some help.

Exercise really helps me cope with stress and anxiety.
I go to the gym 4-5 days a week and walk around the neighborhood on the days I don't go to the gym.
Exercise.

How were your testosterone levels? If they are on the low end of normal, you may want to explore hormone replacement.

My father wore glasses his adult life, but refused to wear a hearing aid.

Go figure...

Snowman,

You are carrying a big load with sick dad and lots of unknowns. Having too much on your mind makes you forgetful.

I have had depression and anxiety off and on for many years.

I was self employed all my life except for 4 years working for other people and 3 years in the Army. Self employment is good for anxiety and depression. I'm retired and have a small steady income which helps.

I take a multiple B vitamin EVERY day and exercise every day. I heat with wood so there is work with that all winter.

Moving around is good to keep down depression.

I was told by one of my shrinks that in mental hospitals where folks are so depressed they can't get out of bed, aides get them up, dressed, and one on each side walk them up and down the corridors or outside for a half to an hour twice a day. The moving around, along with drugs and therapy got them better. Without the moving, the drugs and therapy was not very effective.

Parking away from any building you are going to, taking stairs instead of elevator, walk around the block or around the yard at home. A little at a time every day will help.

There is a lot of sugar in soft drinks, artificial sweeteners are thought to be worse than the sugar. I get anxious if I have too much sugar. I don't keep any deserts, soft drinks, or candy in the house. No sugar in coffee and only 2 cups at breakfast.

If you live alone, a live critter is nice to have around. I have lived alone with a series of cats for 36 years. A dog is just too much for me.

This guy has some good suggestions: Dealing with Stress

He has gotten more commercial lately, you don't have to buy his vitamins. His books make sense.

I hope the above will be some help. Hang in there.

Paul

I'm not inactive, I just don't go to the gym. I hit the scrap yards/antique malls/thrift stores every day of the week...probably a good two miles of walking daily. I also hate it when people 'wait' for parking spots...I'd rather walk.

But testosterone has been low in the past...I'll have to call and make sure Doc had that on the testing. I was mostly getting routine bloodwork/heavy metals. I had EKG/Echo/multiple CT's...all that jazz over the last couple of years.

This is ongoing. The situation of life changes, and it takes me a while to get used to it.

I see multiple doctors, and I don't wait around to see a specialist. Need to wait on the bloodwork results, and based upon those I'll decide where to go next.

Snowman, I have one suggestion: ProOmega CoQ10.

It really works for me. You have to take it a while for it to provide the max benefit, but you will notice a difference in a short time. I actually started taking it because I had a statin prescribed to lower my cholesterol about a year ago, and statins can affect your mental accuity. However, I found that it also helps counter aging related short term memory loss and seems to keep my subconscious more engaged when I am working on projects. i.e. I will wake up at night with a solution to a problem, which is not something I had been doing for a couple years.

Dave

Thanks guys for sharing your stories, got me motivated to get back to the dr.

On a side note, any of you take lithium and have very corrosive sweat? Every thing I touch rusts.

Read the symptoms for low testosterone. "Fog" is common for me when I've been low in the past. Look into clomid orally instead of injections. Depending on if you have primary or secondary hypogonadism, clomid can help your levels. Be prepared to be confrontational with a doctor, because they want you on injections rather than clomid as it isn't approved for use in males. Hydration, B vitamin complex, calcium, magnesium, zinc, coq10, and a multi-vitamin are daily priorities for me now to stay on an even keel. I have "rust hands" too without lithium.

Hmm, that's tough, you have my sympathies. Talking is the first step so good for you that you're out there looking for solutions.

Depression is like digging yourself out of a deep sand hole, it often seems impossible. Sometimes it is, until the cause goes away. Sometimes it's the love of this around you that helps, sometimes exercise intense enough that you can't think about anything else, sometimes it just works its way through. Sounds like you're on the ball though, so fingers crossed you work out