Hey,

(I'm a 25 years old male.)

My case is a little bit weird in my opinion. But maybe it's familiar to some of you, and then you might be able to help me!

I was in a very over-attached relationship with a girl, for 1 and a half years. In the last 6-7 months of the relationship, I started to feel physical symptoms of exhaustion.
It was a slow process, first it was just some stomache aches, and then slowly it developed a weird state of constant exhaustion.
To understand the whole deal, I try to make my point clear about this relationship in a really short paragraph.
Basically the problem was, that I couldn't keep up with her demands. Whatever I did was wrong, If I went out to drink with my friends it was a problem, If I stayed with her it was a problem too. Basically I never knew what's right, and what's wrong, cause everything I did, I couldn't please her. This caused anxiety, and the anxiety caused the exhaustion symptoms.
In October 2012 it came clear to me, that I have to end this relationship. before that, I visited different doctors, to help me find the cause of my physical condition, but nobody found anything, I was diagnosed perfectly healthy.
After I broke up with my girlfriend, I started to take xanax, but a very small dosage, just 0,25mg per day. split into two halfs. It reduced my anxiety, and in about a little more than a week, my physical symptoms were gone. Oh it felt great!
Then I stopped taking xanax, but then slowly my worrying and symptoms started to come back. I started to go to psychotherapy, we arranged a course of 12 meetings with a psychotherapist I used to go to earlier.
The psychotherapist helped me a lot, but unfortunately - as it always happens with relationship endings - I thought it would be a "good idea", to maybe try and continue the relationship. talk things over with each other etc. But it turned out very fast, that this habit of my GF wasn't something that's gonna change. So I got really anxious again, and in deed my physical (psychosomatic pain) got back again. This was a feeling of exhaustion, and chest pain, and sometimes pain in my upper arms.
When I thought I had too much of this whole ordeal, I thought I need to see a psychiatrist, to help me out.
First she advised Rivotril for anxiety, But I said, I've heard about that, and I don't want to take it, because I think that's really strong. And then he prescribed Lyrica, which I knew nothing about. 2x75mg per day. she also prescribed Paroxat, an anti-depressant, but it wasn't really clear that she wanted me to really take that. It was really fast how she prescribed it. Without any really deep diagnose. So I thought I might just give the lyrica a go, and not take the paroxat. I hoped I was gonna get better.

Lyrica helped, and in about a little more than a week, I was feeling a lot better. I could do work and school also.
But it turned out that it wasnt a consistent well-being. After about 1,5-2 months of taking lyrica, and going to psychotherapy, I felt really confident, that I'm over the problems of the breakup. And I thought now I feel well enough to continue my life, and Lyrica was causing side effects, such as exhaustion, low energy, sleepiness.

I quit lyrica with a really short taper, only 1 week, due to the fact, that I wasn't feeling well with the drug, so I couldn't do a faster taper (which is advised).

after I stopped, about 5 days were pretty bad with withdrawal symptoms, such as feeling like having a bad hangover, couldn't sleep etc.
But then I could sleep, and I felt great, and pretty much cured.

What I don't really understand is what happened afterwards.
after 2 weeks of feeling pretty much okay, I slowly gone into the same exact state I've been in fall/autumn. low energy, exhaustion, chest pain, have to drink about 1,5 gallons of water every day, I get exhausted after about 2 miles of walking to the point were I have to rest for hours... I'm not having the best sleeps, and just basically feeling like shi t.
I started to take a look at the Lyrica withdrawal forums here on Neurotalk.

Connection could be found in my symptoms and the lyrica withdrawal symptoms, just the really really weird thing is the way they came present.

- i took lyrica for 2 months (i quit on the 13th of January 2013)
- had wd symptoms for 5 days
- felt okay for about ten days
- started to feel slowly worn out after that
- still feel like shi t since then

I just handled my situation as it's stated in the Lyrica withdrawal forum, because I thought, that's what I'm dealing with.

I went to visit a psychiatrist on this weeks monday, so 4 days ago. He seemed to be a really good professional, whom I can trust.
He told me that my symptoms are depression symptoms, and he's thinking about an anti-depressant might be able to help deal with it.
But he promised me, He will check out the lyrica-withdrawal symptoms too.

My questions are:

Can I have depression with just physical symptoms of exhaustion?
I don't feel that I'm really anxious, I don't feel sad, I don't really feel the traditional depression symptoms. - now of course, being in this state for about 6 months on and off, I can say, yes I'm pretty much worn out, and of course I don't feel happy, and I do feel frustrated about what the hell is happening to me, but the main thing is the exhaustion. Not the worrying/anxiety/overall feeling of sadness

Is it possible that this condition is caused by Lyrica? Or in that case the withdrawal wouldn't have that 10days when I was feeling great?

Should I start an anti-depressant?

As I was writing my story, I felt like, a story like this, would wear out anybody. maybe I just need time for my wounds to heal?

Has anybody experienced anything like this?

I wasn't ever depressed before in my life. But I had issues 3 and a half years ago, when before that I smoked weed pretty regularly for about 2 years, and then i had some panic attacks, but stopped after that, and haven't taken ANY drugs since then (just alcohol).

I try to exercise, walk every day, but I don't feel it helps. I just have that energy limit, that I "consume" every day, with the walks, and pushups, but nothing more. Can't do work, can't to university, can't do social activities, due to the fact that I'm exhausted.
Even if I try to take walks etc, what I end up is being more exhausted if I push myself over a certain limit.
I take OMEGA-3 fish oil (VegEPA). I take a large dose of that. I also take multi-vitamin, and eat lots of fruit and veggies. and of course the water i drink is a really huge amount every day.

I'm gonna se the doc on monday, hopefully we will find a way to sort this thing out, because this condition is ruining my life.
Sorry for this story being so long, I hope maybe some of you managed to read it! thank you so much!! I just wanted to make sure, that I include every detail of my story, because it's easier to help, if you know everything.

and good luck to you guys also if you're suffering with similar symptoms.

hopefully there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm sorry you haven't had a response until now. to be perfectly honest I didn't see this!

I hope you'll come back to see this. Ok, you ask if you can be depressed with just feeling "tired out." The answer is yes. For one thing, you COULD have been depressed so long, that you don't even KNOW you're depressed. You might think that the way you're feeling right now is normal. Other people would definitely say they're depressed! You're just used to it. Get what I'm saying? So an antidepressant will get you back to "normal" and I'll bet that you won't BELIEVE how good you're going to feel, and you will have NO idea how rotten you were really feeling! So definitely try the antidepressant, okay?

Sometimes they take awhile to work. Some doctors rely on the "older" antidepressants, and those take up to 6 weeks to work! Ask for the later ones, that only take a few days to work. I'm sure you're already on something, since this post is so old.

Let us know what you're on will you ? And let us know how you're feeling.

Again, I'm SO SORRY this wasn't responded to. There's no excuse. Please forgive us, as it's not the norm. We don't let posts get by like this.

I hope you'll come back and read. Anyway God bless and please take care. Hugs, Lee

Oh my god, Lee, I don't know what to say, just how much it means to me that you have actually read my story, and replied to it! Thank you so much! This helps me, to keep going!

Yes, 12 days ago I eventually started Paretin (paroxetine), 10mg per day (SSRI). in the morning. so far it has been a bit uphill, but then I caught somekind of a cold, or flu, whatever, and that was pretty bad, and since then, with the cold now almost gone, the exhaustion is still present.

I know that 12 days is nothing, and I really hope for that feeling, of what you are talking about.
I had 3-4 days of very bad insomnia, but that stopped, and now i sleep well, but i'm still exhausted.
I took xanax when i couldn't sleep, but just a very little dose, and only twice, when I really couldn't sleep for 3 days and felt like, I cant hold on anymore without sleep.

Anyway, I really hope this medicine is gonna help, because so far, it hasn't liven up to my expectations. I understand that I need to be more patient. My doctor said it's 2 weeks when the med starts working. on tuesday will be the 2 week over. We'll see.

thank you so much, for your help again!

Gosh, I haven't heard of Paretin. That must be something new? I kinda wish he had gone for something more "standard" like Cymbalta. That only took less than a week to work for me. And I'm still on it! I'm VERY hard to medicate too, i.e. I wake up during surgery! They can't keep me "out" -- so I was surprised that Cymbalta worked so well, but they DID have to put me on the maximum dosage! LOL

If this Paretin doesn't work do you think your doctor would get mad if you suggested Cymbalta? Some doctors don't like it if you suggest a medication. They actually get MAD! Do you think your doctor would get mad?

I sure hope this Paretin works for you. I'll say some prayers! Let me know, will you? I'd appreciate it. And if you want a more lively forum, the sister forum of THIS place is PsychCentral -- it's connected with this place. You might visit the Depression forum there. It's much busier than this one. You'll get more replies and meet more people! Talk soon I hope. Hugs, Lee

hey!

Thank you so much again.
Cymbalta is a different type of anti-depressant, it's a SNRI.
Paretin is SSRI.
as far as I'm concerned, for the first try on anti-depressants, they nearly always try SSRI's. but whatever, they work differently, for different types of conditions.
so far for me, it's still nothing. not working. But I'm going to wait, because everywhere I look on the internet they say SSRI's can take up to 4-6 weeks or sometimes even more, to work fully. so I'm gonna stay patient. And hope for the best.
I really wanna feel that great, what you were talking about earlier if I get that first push, that will get me out of my apartment, then I will be able to do the things I need to do in my life, to make me feel better.