greenfrog,

Have you started and maintained a good nutritional supplement regimen?

Anti-depressants are not the worst thing you can do for your PCS but they should be considered carefully, like you are suggesting. Personally, I don't believe any doctor but a doctor with extensive training and experience prescribing psychotropic medications should be prescribing such medications.

Too many GP, PCP, Family Med, and other such general doctors prescribe at the drop of a hat when there should be more evaluation of the patient's condition.

I have been on an SSRI at maximum dose (paroxetine 60mgs) for 12 years. I don't take it for the anti-depressant effects but know that it helps me with the ups and downs. I see more downs when I fall of the wagon of my supplement regimen.

In 1982, I was treated for severe depression without any meds at all. I was given B-12 shots weekly and started my vitamin and other supplement regimen. Over the years since then, I have become lazy about my regimen and paid the price every time. My wife would notice and comment that I need to get back on my regimen.

Vitamin and such regimens do not cause an immediate change. It can take weeks or a couple of months to start to see improvements.

There are also thought behaviors that need to be understood. Rather than getting frustrated and anxious at every sign of a return of symptoms, one needs to accept the symptoms and take the behavioral steps to help resolve them.

I just know that when I am having a bad day, I need to take it easy. I knwo the things I can do and the things I need to avoid. For those with a regular job, this will be a more problematic situation as some jobs can have periods of intense workload and stress.

In these situations, getting good support from family, friends and such will be important until the workload returns to an acceptable level. For others, there may be a need to find a different job that is less stressful.

Keep in mind that some of the roller coaster of PCS will likely be with you for years to come. Making life changes to accommodate this will be an important part of long term career planning.