Great work girl, I knew if you kept at it, that you would get a break. How cool, you will get to meet your grandma and your family finally. That is so awesome. I am so happy for you.

Guys keep it up
each one of u are the best of the world
don't let a meaningless thing as depression overwhelm you
life goes on too fast to lose time with that.
keep going GUYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Thank you (((Lonely))) we are keeping our heads up. Well as much as possible

hey miguel.well i had another damn panic attack.i know my finacial situation of late has really been on my mind.sucks!!today went well though but i haven't been sleeping well lately..top that with having my period and yowsah!!

Karen and everyone on this thread,
Thank you so much for this forum. I just read through most of them. I fight depression too big time. Somedays are really hard. I often feel very alone. I have my kids but I feel like I have to be strong for them. My parents just live a block away but are often very critical of me and have always been. emotionally they will never be there for me. It's hard at times. I am okay tonight but times when I just feel pretty blue. Anyways I could say more but won't for now...

im supposed to b medicated for depression and panic attacks but i dont like the way the meds make me feel so i just deal with the ups and downsand lately i have been in a deep down since my car accident and having no trans besides my petal bike

i feel your pain((heart))

guys I don't know that much about this, but when i think i'm going to be overwhelm. I always think about those who are worse than me. And i tell myself if they can do it. I can do it much more.

Misery, there are lots of different newer meds out there, many of them have fewer side effects. Have you talked to your doctor about trying some different ones. It is hard to have to suffer through deep depression. Have you tried counseling or group therapy, both can be very helpful.

Heart, I know how it is with critical parents, try to not take what they say to seriously, let it roll off your back. You have your children to take care of and know how to raise them. Ignore their criticism and do what is best for them. There are groups for parents too, may want to check into them, you can find lots of support out there, positive support, not negative like from your parents. The same thing about the meds as I told Misery. There are many newer ones that don't leave people feeling all drugged out. You may want to check with your doctor and see if they have any ideas. But work hard on not listening to your parents criticism, it is hard, but you will be much happier in the long run. They are just unhappy in their lives and taking it out on you.

Good luck and keep up the good work with your families, both of you.

Miguel, thanks for posting in this thread and for your support.

your welcome

Hey everyone... I think this is a great topic and appreciate everyone posting about depression, anxiety etc.. I had a serious bout with anxiety and panic attacks for about 5 years, I got to the point where I didn't want to leave my house.. I found that the stem of the problem was stress of a relationship I was in. There was 12 years difference in age between him and I and he was very controlling.. Not abusive or mean just a control freak. I had to end the relationship and as I found that I was gaining my independence back the panic attacks became less and less. They were still there, just not as bad. Then I just decided one day that every time I had an attack I would start self talking in my head very negative things, which only made them worse. It was then that I decided to change it. I started meditating daily and did my best to self talk in a positive manner.. It worked, I have not had a full blown panic attack in about 3 years.
If I can be of any help to anyone, sharing experiences with this subject please feel free to start a dialoge. This type of disorder can be debilitating.. I know and my life is much better now..

Marie and Lonley walker thanks for the info. I too have taken antidepressants and they do help with letting things roll off the back. Like others on here I hate having to rely on meds to feel ok..I know they help. My thing too is they cost money and I have no insurance right now but do plan to get some more.

Hey there hearts, like Marie said, it is hard. Especially when you have kids. But they are your light at the end of your tunnel. I wish there was something I could tell you about paying for your meds.

Are you low income? If so, you might be able to get medical cards for you and your kids? Some pharmacutical companies will help or pay for your meds. Check out the sites?
Just hang in there and know that we are out here and real. If you want to let off some steam, or just talk, you can post and or email one of us. We care and sometimes we all need someone to talk to.

Same goes for you misery....I know what it feels like to be on the hoof. And as far as the meds go, most of the side effects tend to either subside or go away after a few weeks. This is the main reason most people don't stick with their meds.

I know cuz I have done it too. Sometimes the meds make me feel worse than the depression, but if I stick it out, they go away and I start feeling better. Counceling during this period of adjustment can really help and if you really can't function then you can ask the Dr to help you find something that might work better for you.

I have been taking meds for the better part of my life. Whenever the Dr puts me on a med, I google it and see what it is, try it if I still want to and give it a chance. I have rejected some meds too. I know how hard it is. It was double hard with kids demanding my attention.

Now I take a few to help with the symptoms I have and feel like they have me on a decent cocktail. A few months ago I had to get off one and get on another. It was rough. Real rough. But now I'm doing ok with that med.

If you really don't want to take meds, then talk to ruthie. She had success with other options, and counceling can help sometimes w/o meds. We are not Dr's, but we can listen and try to help point you in a direction where you can talk to a professional if you feel you want to. Hope we can help.

Marie is right. You can talk to your Dr. or anyone of us. We understand cuz we have been through it , are going through it or know someone who is/was/are............

Ruthies, thank you for your post. I'm very glad that you are out of that realtionship and that you found a way to make things work for you and stop your panic attacks. Thank you for your support and offers to help. I hope that people will feel free to speak up here, and email if they really need someone to talk to.

Lonely, thank you for being supportive. hugs!

Just realize that this thread is for sharing, caring and such, but none of us are Dr.'s. We are fellow friends who understand and want to offer help, or just vent or have a place where we can unload a bit. I know that sometimes just posting here can make me feel a bit better, and marie has a heart of gold. Thanks marie!

hugs and love to all of you!

Karen

HEARTS i have been on zoloft for two years and with an adhd son i need it !!my panic attacks come and go but i am always anxious,waiting for the next shoe to fall especially when things are going good...zoloft helps with that but sometimes your mind can buck the meds .Anyway does anyone else have money management problems??I can't save money to save my life and i'm always negative in my checking.is this part of anxiety/depression or am i just bad with money?lol
Nice to see you karen and marie.welcome heart and ruthie.
I am fairly mew to the world of meds as i have suffered with anxiety/panic/dpression since I was 5 years old....I wasn't diagnosed correctly until 3 years ago.I tried the mind over matter method to no avail and even on meds i still have the occasional panic cluster but i have learned to pop the klonopin and pray till it kicks in.at least i know what it feels like to be dying

Cute, we seem to have a lot in common. I've been this way all my life too and only just got diagnosed recently in the last few years. I also take klonopin (that was the one that I switched over to from adivan) and take meds for my bi polar. I am forever having money problems, but I think it is due to having bp.

BWT people, please ignor my pics. We are having a pic contest and they are all wierd, funny, cute etc......feel free to join in. It's pretty fun and can take your mind of things for a bit.

I have a class today Blah....been waking up to anxiety again. Too many money and family problems. Everyone is having problems and I feel so helpless. I used up all my money and still can't pay my power bill. And no food money either. Food isn't a problem though. Found some food banks and my moms church is there too.

I have been in adark place for a few eeks but school and my friends here kepp my feeling better. My sense of humor sometimes helps too, even if it can get a bit wierd, or wacky. Seems like I don't feel bad, but I'm just hiding behind it.

PS.....sorry my posts are so long

well this week i had to borrow 40 dollars from my folks for groceries cause i was 295 in the hole of my bank account and it has spilled over to this week.luckily i got the check for my car repairs which covered the negative balance.i have to stop spending!!my parents are very loving but my mom wants me to get a handle on my spending.luckily i have a wacked sense of humor cause i would be dead by now.i did attempt suicide in my twenties but i f@#$ked that up too and only ended up with a big hangover after a bottle of sleeping pills and a fifth of the jack.it was a very low period in my life but now i look back and laugh.people think thats weird but to me there is humor in everything...

Have had money management problems. I had to get rid of the checking account and the credit cards. When they started to computerize the banking the date and time of the check written was the time the money actually came out here. It was like a ripple effect with the checks bouncing each other. Even with a $400 over account protection I just stayed in the hole. $17.43 per bounce per check and if it went over the over account protection it was a $25 per check; $3 still going to the bank and the actual check written. Was using the debit card and checking together. Real bad idea. Used the credit/debit card online. Thought cancelling at the site would do it. Found out like my brother that I had to call the credit card phone number that corresponded to the bill to actually cancel the card from being charged. Listen to the nice lady on the phone say, "Oh, we thought you wanted to stay on the site." Huh? I cancelled but you thought it was ok to keep milking my card. "Oh, we are sorry we will stop charging your card." I said, "Thanks, I cancelled on your site over a year ago." I just use cash transactions now. Thanks to my mother for helping to bail me out. My mom doesn't even trust her lawyers. She is a real hard ass and harder to deal with than my ex when you cross her the wrong way but she means well. She really has helped me to deal with reality on reality's own terms.

thanks roy.my parents have bailed me out over years God bless em.

As far as paying for your meds, the drug companies have needy med programs where they offer the meds for free or reduced rates, it depends on your income if you qualify, you need to apply through your doctor's office, but I know there are lots of people locally who are getting their meds for free or something like $15 for 3 months worth and they come straight from the drug company. I live in a small town and the hospital gets rural health funding from the federal government so they can offer a sliding fee scale for the health care too so sometimes people who are low income, but don't qualify for welfare, can be seen for free or very low cost and they set up reasonable payment plans. Some people can be seen for $10 for a doctor visit, etc., but you have to apply for the sliding scale, etc., even the mental health agency offers the sliding fee, so guess I am lucky there that this is a small town and we have that option. Bigger cities don't get that kind of funding. But check into it and see if your hospital or doctors offer it, but the doctors offices should all know about the drug companies "needy med programs." I didn't know my brother wasn't getting help before he died and he was paying $800 a month for his meds, makes me angry that he was working so hard with all his medical problems, but no one told me and his doctors office didn't tell him, he could have had it easier financially and not worked two jobs with all his medical issues, maybe he would still be alive if he would have had this free medicine service and not had to work two jobs just to survive.

Check with your community action programs or whatever they call them for power bill help too. Most communities have them, you may be able to get some help paying for the electric bill Karen. I hope things get better.

As far as the panic attacks, I have had them but only during really stressful times in my jobs, and would have them during my sleep and they would wake me up scaring me to death. Remember having 5 in one night, thought I was having a heart attack my heart was beating so fast. Finally quit that job, the boss was driving me crazy, and then they stopped.

I hope things get better for all of you. Take care.