Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jenny on July 21, 2007 at 9:51am

Manny,

There's a REALLY ugly truth hidden here that the drug companies keep obscure.

The drugs used to treat depression can increase insulin resistance, and some of the stronger psychiatric drugs will CAUSE permanent diabetes in a perfectly normal person.

Powerful medications for depression that were supposed to be used for people with severe clinical presentations are now being prescribed much too widely by family doctors who are not trained in psychiatry and don't understand the appropriate use for these drugs. I have seen most of my daughter's friends put on these pills when they broke up with their first serious boyfriend, an event that normally causes sadness, but is not Clinical Depresssion.

It can be extremely tough to get off these drugs as they share most of the qualities of other addictive drugs but the drug companies have also misrepresented this and continue to claim they aren't addictive though you can't just stop them without very difficult symptoms.

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Permalink Reply by Dov on May 4, 2009 at 7:01pm

I actually remember speaking to a psychiatrist who said that there was a particular antidepressant (don't recall which) that would cause diabetes, but that that was only for use when all else failed. This guy specialized in the really, really bad depression cases, and seemed to know what he was talking about.

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Permalink Reply by Next Dimensions on July 21, 2007 at 12:57pm

Highly recommended for anyone dealing with disease and thought of their disease, which leads to depression on many occasions.

John Sarno's The Divided Mind

As one reviewer on Amazon puts it:
"Modern medicine is wasting billions of dollars and prolonging the suffering of innocent people in blind, ignorant materialism. Medicine fails tragically in so much of its diagnosis and treatment by being enthralled with the laboratory and treating the patient as an organism or thing, ignoring the person, and the source of the pain."

Remember, today we aren't treating the person, only the symptoms. Anyone taking any prescription drugs is doing heavy damage to their liver, further enhancing the creation of complications and rooting disease deeper into the body. This goes for any manufactured chemical you are putting into your body. If you are not cleaning the metabolic waste from your body and taking extra steps to rid yourself of built up toxins from the drugs, you can forget about being free of disease.

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Permalink Reply by JustRuth on July 22, 2007 at 12:46pm

WOW ... I am really struggling with depression right now! I have on and off in my life but after my diagnosis (Type 2) in '05 I have had TWO bouts of it. I am trying Zoloft now. I am a Dr. Bernstein supporter and doing the WOE but it's hard. I have no appetite and am losing too much weight. I KNOW that I will feel more "in control" when I have tighter control over my blood sugars (A1c 6.2 right now) but I am just whipped from dealing with this. I have mild neuropathy and wild anxiety attacks about not being able to care for myself. Anyone else go through this? How did you "recover" and go on to live your life?

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Permalink Reply by Doris D on July 22, 2007 at 6:00am

I have had Type 1 for 34 of my 44 years ans reacently lost my support system and have felt that depression is really hard on us. I think its because of all the other problems that can rise out of the diabetes, like nerve damage or kidney failier. I know one girl is already gone and the other graduates this year and has plans on leaving yes I still have my husband but it just doesn't seem like enough. Empty nest syndrome maybe! But that's my own opionion. I just have to keep myself thinking about my granddaughter and how she will need me to help her grow! Always keep a positive attitude it will help alot with depression.

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Permalink Reply by Chuck Lin on July 22, 2007 at 1:37pm

One of my doctors ( cardiologist ) said something that I keep in mind. "Half the population are walking time bombs, the difference is that you know you're carrying one". I am working on changing my life, eating right, exercising, managing stress. Look around this group! Its composed of some of the healthiest people I've ever met. There are mountain climbers, bikers, and all types of people who are embracing life.

We are all dying from the moment we come out of the womb. Can you find none-diabetics who care about their health as much as diabetics? I think we're ahead of the game.

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Permalink Reply by Kathy on July 24, 2007 at 8:39pm

Some really good points here, Rainbow.
Depressions runs on my father's side of the family. Back when I was growing up they called it "nervous breakdown" and seems like somebody was always having one.
I believe that if I were not diabetic, I would still have a problem with depression.
Yet what you said about poor control contributing to depression and then the snowballing starts.
I have tried nearly every SSRI drug available - prozac, celexa, lexapro, zoloft
and only got minimal results. They do, however, take the edge off.
My shrink says that new ones are coming out all the time and that there will always be something, or some combination to try. For this, I am thankful.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa on July 26, 2007 at 10:49pm

I never thought of myself as depressed for most of my life as a D, and I suppose I wasn't until the last 2 years. I ran into 'complications' (god how I hate that word!) with my eyes, nearly lost my license, have gone through numerous laser treatments, injections and 2 cataract surgeries and now....I think that I'm depressed. I just went for my check-up last week after having the second cataract removed and got bad news. My eyes still haven't settled down (diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration), I'm starting laser surgery AGAIN, then more injections then surgery. I don't know what to do or what to think. My mom and sister think that I don't care - mostly because I show a strong front - but inside, I'm just ready to lose it.

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Permalink Reply by Catherine McArthur on August 1, 2007 at 11:38am

I always used to get really worked up about my diabetes. I felt like my blood sugar levels were a test and it was almost embarassing if I were high. I never wanted people to look at them or my weight, blood pressure etc. Sadly they were all in normal range but I felt like everyone was judging me saying things like well if you just ate really healthy all the time... You cant listen to people that don't have diabetes, they dont fully understand. My doctor said that many people go on anti depressants and people who have diabetes have much more of a reason to feel upset. You could always try talking to your doctor and seeing what they think about meds. I try to take the negatives in my like and turn them around, I am a big sister and I volunteer at clinics to talk with younger diabetics who are heading to highschool and university.

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Permalink Reply by Leigh K Mauer on August 1, 2007 at 4:10pm

I've been treated for depression since I was 20 (I'm about to turn 37), which was brought on by the death of my father, but got worse instead of better over the years. I seem to feel much more "level" nowadays, but still don't feel as good as I'd like to. I just went for a sleep study because I don't get REM sleep, therefore I'm tired alot (also long term) and it's hard to do the exercise my doctor recommends when I just want to nap.
I keep being told I need to take care of myself, take medications, exercise, be healthy so I can live a better, happier, healthier life. But it's really only in the last few years I've even started to consider the fact that it's very likely I'll go beyond 40. I'm trying to look at diabetes as a kick in the butt that says "no really, you have to start thinking about the consequences of your actions. What are you gonna do?"

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Permalink Reply by Manny Hernandez on February 29, 2008 at 7:08pm

Thought this post linking to my most recent column on dLife, on the topic of diabetes and depression (focused on Latinos) could be of interest:
http://tudiabetes.com/profiles/blog/show?id=583967%3ABlogPost%3A108494

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Permalink Reply by Rebekah Humphrey on March 12, 2008 at 2:29pm

I am type one, and I am often overly harsh on myself. This makes me prone to get upset when I don't meet my expected numbers.

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