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Post by alivenkicking on Aug 8, 2011 10:46:54 GMT -5
i'm wondering what anyone else knows or has heard about how antidepressants affect our hormones.
the compounding pharmacy i work with (o'brien's pharmacy - AWESOME) has helped me begin weaning off the psychotropics i've been taking for a million years, saying they play a big part in hormones being out of whack.
i've done a little poking around to get more info, and thinking about when my endo symptoms versus depression started... it got me a little riled up, thinking about how similar some antidepressant side effects are to what we experience with hormonal imbalances: fatigue, weight gain, breast tenderness, decreased libido, headaches, etc -- HELLO> HORMONES! and yet nothing is mentioned in the literature specifically stating that these drugs will alter your hormone balance/menstrual cycle, whatev.
it pisses me off to think that what i started taking, thinking i needed it to save my life, may have exacerbated my endo issues; and then i get MORE pissed off when i think how many of us have had antidepressants pushed on us to help us cope with the pain, while they may actually be making it harder for us to actually achieve healing and balance.
any thoughts/experiences to share?
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Post by JC on Aug 8, 2011 11:04:02 GMT -5
WOW interesting topic! I'll dig up some research and get back to you. I think you have a pretty damn good point though.
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Post by hellsbells on Aug 8, 2011 14:50:09 GMT -5
Hmm. It would make sense.
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Post by JC on Aug 8, 2011 18:02:19 GMT -5
I have been digging through my University research database and I can't find anything about this. The only thing I found close to this are studies done on insects I guess if they're studying this on insects that means someone is catching wind to this being a problem in humans? The antidepressants are acting as endocrine disruptors in insects. I'll keep digging...
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Post by Karen on Aug 8, 2011 18:42:39 GMT -5
I've read a lot about hormone imbalances triggering or contributing to depression, and doctors often prescribing antidepressants as a result instead of fixing the hormonal problem. I've also read that things like BC can cause further problems, but I haven't come across something that say it works the other way around.
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Post by JC on Aug 9, 2011 8:48:28 GMT -5
I have seen some articles in the database about using hormones to treat depression so I guess that's promising. I also saw some research done on antidepressants and the effects on men (of course) but nothing on women! They are starting to use antidepressants to treat premature ejaculation but in some men it's causing erectile dysfunction. Of course men get all the research.... grrrrr.
I'll keep looking.
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Post by alivenkicking on Aug 9, 2011 8:54:33 GMT -5
Thank you, Jenaya!!!! My resources are limited in a small town and only the Internet so thank you thank you!
Karen I've heard the same about hormone imbalances (post-partum depression is all about drop in progesterone, right?) but this something I've just learned in the past couple of years. I almost can't even think about it too long, because my road with depression ended in multiple diagnoses, multiple hospitalizations, a gajillion drugs and their side effects, and when none of that worked, I was zapped (electro-convulsive therapy). At age 28. And no hormone test!! Grrr, I can't even think about it right now, too upsetting.
Keep us posted, I'm gonna keep digging...
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Post by alivenkicking on Aug 9, 2011 8:57:43 GMT -5
We posted at the same time, new stuff already, Jenaya, you're awesome! Dudes like to study each other. And yet so many are big homophobes. Whatever, dudes.
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Post by JC on Aug 9, 2011 9:02:02 GMT -5
We posted at the same time, new stuff already, Jenaya, you're awesome! Dudes like to study each other. And yet so many are big homophobes. Whatever, dudes. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA that was funny!!!
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Post by alivenkicking on Aug 27, 2011 22:08:13 GMT -5
ah HA!! i was researching wellbutrin withdrawal side effects, because they're kicking my butt right now, and i found this, amidst a more detailed explanation, on a site dedicated to helping people taper off of psychotropic meds: "When the HPA [hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis] is out of balance, you will have a problem with insulin, stress, anxiety, weight gain, thyroid problems, fatigue, unbalanced sexual hormones and countless other body difficulties...Psychoactive medication directly alters specific areas within the HPA. Examine any patient using psychoactive medication for more than three months and you will probably find a problem with hormones, thyroid, adrenals, cortisol and immune system or other areas within the HPA." www.theroadback.org/science.aspx , bottom of the page so sounds like to me, at the very least, any endo gal on antidepressants will find it next to impossible to balance her hormones. and yet so many of us have antidepressants prescribed to deal with the pain. WHY DON'T DOCTORS KNOW THIS?? GRRR, it just reinforces to me how asinine it is to focus on suppressing symptoms as opposed to addressing the root of the problem! jenaya, i'm interested in hearing your informed opinion - no pressure.
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Post by 1234 on Aug 28, 2011 14:48:24 GMT -5
It's actually interesting, because a close friend of mine who has struggled with depression her whole live is on wellbutrin. She finally went to a regular doctor adn got bloodwork done and her thyroid is ALL out of whack. Not endo related, but still.
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Post by Karen on Aug 28, 2011 15:17:02 GMT -5
"When the HPA [hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis] is out of balance, you will have a problem with insulin, stress, anxiety, weight gain, thyroid problems, fatigue, unbalanced sexual hormones and countless other body difficulties...Psychoactive medication directly alters specific areas within the HPA. Examine any patient using psychoactive medication for more than three months and you will probably find a problem with hormones, thyroid, adrenals, cortisol and immune system or other areas within the HPA." I've done a ton of reading on the HPA and if any ONE of those things is off, it can severely impact your mood. A friend of mine keeps asking me to go on anti-depressants, but I keep refusing, telling her that getting to the root of my problems will do me much more good in the long run, and anti-depressants will just mask my symptoms so I don't know what's helping/what's not. In all honesty, I think the pharmaceutical industry is to blame, telling docs that they can make their patient's problems go away just by taking a little pill. In reality, they're doing us all a disservice by not investigating the real cause. Don't get me wrong - I think there are probably some instances in which antidepressants are necessary, but in a lot of the cases, I'd suspect there's a lot more going on.
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Post by alivenkicking on Aug 28, 2011 21:31:43 GMT -5
i've been taking these things for YEARS after multiple episodes of severe depression and some mania thrown in. i was at the max dose of wellbutrin for 8ish years. and naturally, my endo has been treated as something completely unrelated until this past year when compounding pharm lady told me of hormone connection. i was led to believe that if i came off the meds i would fall apart, when it is likely that the meds themselves were compounding problems and causing more of their own. looking back, it makes sense that what i was going through at the time of my breakdowns was enough to make someone sensitive like me lose their sh*t. i admire your choice, karen, to steer clear in spite of all the pressure around us: big pharma, docs, commercials, friends... i agree, the pharmaceutical companies have gained so much power and abused it egregiously. truly sickens me. i'm so sorry for your friend, myrtle. i read your post how its been great to have her "back", but so frustrating to trade one serious health issue in for another...
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Post by Karen on Aug 28, 2011 21:45:53 GMT -5
Doesn't it want to make you question EVERYTHING now? I'm sorry that you're having difficulty getting off it, but perhaps now might be a good time to investigate the status of your thyroid and adrenals (assuming you haven't already) in addition to the work you're doing on your hormones. That damn thyroid gland can really raise hell with your mind if all isn't right with it! There's a book called "The Thyroid Solution" that goes into a LOT of detail about thyroid and depression issues...
As for me, ignoring the suggestions for anti-depressants was something I just had to do. If there's a side effect of a med, I'll have it and won't be able to tolerate it. My surgeon prescribed gabapentin after my lap to help with nerve pain and it almost made me go off the deep end (literally - I thought that taking a walk on a thawing lake might be a good idea) after only a week or two, so I'm absolutely terrified of any drug that has the 'increasing thoughts of suicide' side effect. For me, I felt like I have no choice other than to deal with the underlying problems.
I'm sorry you're just finding this all out late in the game, but I'm wishing you nothing but knowledge and progress from here on out!
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Post by KSA on Aug 29, 2011 21:43:55 GMT -5
Thanks girls for posting all this info. Docs again will write a anti depressant script in a second verses thinking of the hormonal imbalances. I'm glad I have all of you to fall back on for information. Oh and not shocked we did not get research but the men did. So typical!
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