[Horsegoer]

My dad has been saying that his biggest problem is his depression. He has tried 3 different anti depressants with bad side effects. I feel terrible for him. Can anyone suggest anything to help his depression/mood? Thanks very much

[lurkingforacure]

Originally Posted by Horsegoer

My dad has been saying that his biggest problem is his depression. He has tried 3 different anti depressants with bad side effects. I feel terrible for him. Can anyone suggest anything to help his depression/mood? Thanks very much

Horsegoer,

Search here and online and you'll see that vitamin B12 is increasingly used for depression, it has worked wonders for many with depression even those who previously had no relief from many drugs. There is a type that is better (methycobalamin) and if taken on an empty stomach, works the best if I remember correctly. This forum has a lot about B12 so search here and then see what you think. Hope this can help your dad.

[RLSmi]

Originally Posted by Horsegoer

My dad has been saying that his biggest problem is his depression. He has tried 3 different anti depressants with bad side effects. I feel terrible for him. Can anyone suggest anything to help his depression/mood? Thanks very much

I suffered with serious depression for decades before Parkinson's diagnosis. When I began taking the "gold standard" medication carbidopa/levodopa I experienced greater relief from depression than with any previous combination of antidepressant meds and/or talk therapy.

I currently take Buproprion (generic Welbutrin) and Cymbalta to help keep my mood positive, along with a total 1100mg of combination controlled release and fast-acting carbi/levo, along with amantadine.

I am in my 11th year of PD diagnosis. My PD is of the primarily bradykinetic, balance challenged type, with essentially no tremor. I do experience "on-off" effects if my meds timing is not spot on, but mostly maintain good mobility and fairly good strength and energy, and only minor dyskinesia and dystonia.

[mark f]

I developed a parkinsons induced depression that got increasingly bad in the first three months after diagnosis. Azilect seemed to make it worst. My neuro had me stop taking Azilect and put me on Sinemet, and my depression disappeared soon after. I also take Liposomaal Gaba or Lorazepam (only half a mlg.) to improve my mood and help me sleep.

[Horsegoer]

Originally Posted by lurkingforacure

Horsegoer,

Search here and online and you'll see that vitamin B12 is increasingly used for depression, it has worked wonders for many with depression even those who previously had no relief from many drugs. There is a type that is better (methycobalamin) and if taken on an empty stomach, works the best if I remember correctly. This forum has a lot about B12 so search here and then see what you think. Hope this can help your dad.

Thank you for you help

[Horsegoer]

Originally Posted by RLSmi

I suffered with serious depression for decades before Parkinson's diagnosis. When I began taking the "gold standard" medication carbidopa/levodopa I experienced greater relief from depression than with any previous combination of antidepressant meds and/or talk therapy.

I currently take Buproprion (generic Welbutrin) and Cymbalta to help keep my mood positive, along with a total 1100mg of combination controlled release and fast-acting carbi/levo, along with amantadine.

I am in my 11th year of PD diagnosis. My PD is of the primarily bradykinetic, balance challenged type, with essentially no tremor. I do experience "on-off" effects if my meds timing is not spot on, but mostly maintain good mobility and fairly good strength and energy, and only minor dyskinesia and dystonia.

My dad is taking carbi/leva....the ONLY PD symtoms he has that bothers him is tremors and depression. THe doc says he has some rigidity( i noticed it too) but all in all they say he is in GREAT shape for someone 70 yrs old with PD. THe meds have not made hime worse or better of the last two years. I guess him running over 50 marathons and triathalons and juicing etc. made him in better shape with the PD than he would have been. Been then he gets very upset because he says he took care of himself to the extent most don't and look what happened... PD

[stevem53]

I was in a depression for two years..I ignored it untill I woke up one morning and didnt care if I lived or died

The more depressed I got, the worse my symptoms got

I finally swallowed my pride and went to an out patient program for depression at a hospital that specializes in mental health problems..They Rx-ed Wellbutrin 100 mg twice per day, Neurontin 100 mg 3 times per day, and Valium 10 mg once per day

This was in last October..The depression was gone the next day..My off periods got less and less brutal as time has gone by..I wasnt driving at night for a while, because my symptoms when I was off were getting unbearable..I felt like I was losing my independence, and that made me enen more depressed..After my meds wore off for the day, I was having extreme difficulty walking, shuffling, bouncing off the walls, falling down occasionally and had to avoid crowds cuz I would freeze up solid in fear that I would bump into everyone in my path..I had an anxious knot under my rib cage, and my whole body felt uncomfortable..It made me feel like jumping out of my skin

I was getting really scared, cuz I was wondering why my pd felt like it was progressing like wild fire?..I started wondering if I had MSA

Depression and pd are like poison

As time has passed since last October, I have been gradually feeling better..Im driving at night again..the depression is gone..I can navigate around the house with a minimal of shuffling..I can be in a crowd without any fear of freezing up..No more bouncing off the walls, hanging on to things, or falling down..No more sitting in front of the TV every night like a zombie

I saw my neuro today, and he was blown away by my progress..He told me it was a learning experience for him, because the usual remedy for worsening symptoms was Rx-ing more pd meds, more Sinemet, DBS etc

I am very fortunate that my psych meds were the perfect combination on the first attenpt..I still have a bit of anxiety, and have very vivid dreams, but other than that, I am doing and feeling so much better..I wake every morning now looking foward to the day, instead of wallowing in self pity, wondering how I was going to do this and that, and wondering how I was going to get from here to there and back..I felt like I was surrounded by quicksand, like I was down to my the last piece on a chess board trying to avoid checkmate

A couple of months ago, there was no way I could type a post this size at this time of the night, when I was off..I was good for one or two liners, and that was about it

All the best to you Horsegoer

[lindylanka]

This is very interesting, because here there are people saying that depression in PD can be alleviated by taking sinemet, and that dealing with depression can help PD.

Is this indicative of possible neurotransmitter balancing issues that extend beyond just replacing dopamine.

Horsegoer, hope your father gets help with this, and Steve thanks for widening out the topic. PD is a complex disorder.......

[stevem53]

Originally Posted by lindylanka

This is very interesting, because here there are people saying that depression in PD can be alleviated by taking sinemet, and that dealing with depression can help PD.

Is this indicative of possible neurotransmitter balancing issues that extend beyond just replacing dopamine.

Horsegoer, hope your father gets help with this, and Steve thanks for widening out the topic. PD is a complex disorder.......

Thanks Lindy!..And to think I was entertaining the thought of DBS, and all I needed to do is take a few inexpensive pills

You are corrrect..Evidently when we are depressed, or upset, the brain does not produce as much dopamine

There have been times when I was so upset that my meds wore off

[Bob Dawson]

Five years ago I considered Mirapex to be the recreational drug of choice - it made me feel good - but that lasted a couple of years and then mysteriously disappeared. Sinemet is the only thing that permits me to walk, but it does not stop depression for me at all.
But the depressons i have go on and off like with sinemet - except it is not 4 hours on and 2 hours off; it is 4 months off and three months on, with infinite variations. The PD makes the depression much worse and the depression makes the PD much worse.
Which can freak you out, because it all looks very black and your mind and your body and your disease and your depression all conspire to make you a quivering heap on the floor. Which is depressing. Your emotions have gone over to the pro-PD faction. You are making it worse just by thinking about it. And then it gets worse, which makes you think about.
But I am so lucky, it always goes away. maybe 2 months maybe 4 months but it always goes away. and that feels really good and when it is there i tell myself it will go away again when something happens but i don't know in advance what it will be
or it just gets tired of toying with me and wanders off for no reason