About ten years ago following a consultation with a doctor, I got diagnosed as having “treatment resistant depression.” I gather this is maybe not the most broadly accepted terminology out there, but having tried out a few SSRIs and an SNRI (and multiple therapists) to absolutely no results or worse, I’ve come to respect it as the only diagnosis that makes any sense to me, and accurately describes the situation.
Anyway, I’m still here and still not on any kind of meds. I get a lot of exercise and have a physically active job that keeps me off the computer/phone for long stretches of time, get lots of sleep (always been great at sleeping), try to eat decently, cut back on drinking, do wholesome activities with others, see friends when I can, etc. I’m sure I would be doing a lot worse if I wasn’t doing all those things, but I’m always looking for ways to make life more bearable.
So I guess I’m wondering: chronic depression havers of hexbear whomst are not on meds for whatever reason, what are your strategies for gettin’ by? (Or if you are on meds but don’t find them sufficient as a sole strategy I guess.) Much love to you all and here’s to getting through a lot more years.
mushrooms for me.
i had a bad psychotic break about 5 years ago because of my old meds interacting badly with my new meds, so my therapist recommended cutting back on them to zero while simultaneously ramping up on the cardio & sleep like you’re doing.
i recognized the signs of my own own anxiety and depression reasserting themselves so i tried amanita muscaria in my desperate attempts to find relief and have been amazed at how effective they are.
i learned amanita is not regulated so you’re going to have to try a multitude of brand names and; even then; will have to keep experimenting since each brand keeps changing their own recipes. also it’s expensive and insurances will not cover them; i would have called up my old weed dealer if i were in a worse financial situation.
i also learned that they produce the same feelings of lethargy/slowness/fogginess that my meds used to have on me; but they feel much more targeted during episodes that i’ve learned are triggers for me. (it sort of feels like selective intoxication where it only happens when it’s needed the most).
it was strange for me since i’ve tried mushrooms before in the past and it never seemed to have an impact on me; but now they somehow are. maybe it has something to do with the fact my bloodstream is no longer suffused with all the ssri’s and snri’s?
out of curiosity what kind of dose are we talking about? I’m never quite sure what I’m doing or what to expect when it comes to mushrooms
it’s not regulated like prescriptions are so going by the dosage alone made me almost abandon this near the beginning; also their recipes/formulas are perpetually changing.
instead: i keep track of my behavior over the last month to identify my episodes and switch brands & dosage if there are any. when i realize that i have to switch it up, i intentionally “over do” it at the beginning each time and reduce gradually, if it has effectively mitigated any episodes.
it’s a pain in the ass for me since it requires me to journal at least once a day since my neuro-divergence has a clear impact on my memory and i have to perpetually be on the hunt for new brands & sources; but it’s been unquestionably worth the effort.
my therapists cautions me about self medicating; but he’s onboard with my actions since he too has seen the improvement to my well being without the meds.