I got into a depression about 6-7 months after my accident. I guess it had to do with me not getting any better. I expected to be fine after 6 months.
I couldnt stop researching about PCS to help me understand what was going on. That made me more stressed and exhausted.

My GP sent me away with no help. I later got refered to a neurologist that put me on SSRI as soon as I felt ok with it, after some thinking.

This was a major turningpoint for me. I noticed the different in the way that my thoughts didnt get me back in the regular loops of thinking and processing it all the time. This kind of set me free a little bit and also made me accept my situation better.

What my doctor was REALLY careful with was that I would not get a dosage unnececary high.

I started on 5!!!!! mg of citalopram and raised it to 20 over two weeks time.
Stayed on 20 a longer time (thats what my doctor had calculated for me) and I noticed a big difference. So I didnt raise the dosage any more.

My dad has had a stressrelated depression and has tried serious amounts of SSRIs. First off...not a good idea to switch like that...But anyway he tells me that if I feel that this works, then stay with it and dont try to "get a little better"...

I have seen lists of some people taking MUCH larger doses than me...This is individual ofc but sometimes I think people have a too high of a dose.

My thoughts on the topic.

Emil

rydellen,

You brought up some very interesting and important points. You assumed that your depression was from your fretting about not getting better. You also commented about getting stuck in the looping thoughts.

These are two very big causes of depression. The brain, especially after a brain trauma, can be easily overloaded. This constant thinking or fretting about "when will I get better" or "why haven't I gotten better" points to a common problem in the concussion community.

Doctors, especially GP's, PCP's, Family care, etc. often over state how fast and complete our recovery should be. They also dismiss us as psychological problems without any basis for their diagnosis. This can lead to the premature prescribing of anti-depressants.

It would be much better if there was more support within the medical community for the concept that a concussion or other brain injury needs two things to help recovery.

Time and patience. Those who recover quickly are fortunate and not to be compared to those of us who don't recover quickly, if at all.

There are no quick fixes for our brains. They will recover only when given the opportunity to be free of stresses, both emotional and physical.

The frustration of these doctors when they do not see us recovering as they expect with their limited understanding should not be dropped on us. A simple, "I don't know how long it will take for you to recover. Everyone is different." would be a big help.

Instead of dumping it back on us, they could direct us to help that can teach us how to live with our current condition while we patiently wait for time to take its course.

Instead they say, "You should have recovered by now. There must be something else happening." This leads to the anti-depressants.

Do they make a difference? The research tends to be inconclusive. They may help us be less anxious. But do they hamper true physiological recovery?

A number of researchers believe that SSRI's SNRI's, Tri-cyclics, and MAOI's cause or put us at risk of long term damage.

We need to stop being so compliant and taking the anti-depressants without challenging the doctors. Many of us have challenged them, but more need to. Big Pharma needs to know that we will not roll over and play dead to their push to medicate us.

I am taking the maximum dose of Paxil, 60 mg. Have been for 9 years. I need it because my brain condition leaves me with a brain that gets stuck looping on mundane meaningless things, like the spelling of a word, a license plate number, a stanza from a song, and other stupid and annoying thoughts. I have never had the frets and worries common to OCD even though that is my diagnosis.

I am waiting for an alternative. I have tried a lower dose but the looping come right back. The looping can last for hours, even days. It is exhausting.

The side effects of the Paxil and the long term risks are also scary but that is a problem for the future. At least I can live day to day.

Rydellin,

There are therapies you can do which have been shown to dramatically reduce symptoms (and in some cases even completely eliminate symptoms) of head injuries. And the good news is, they come with very little to no side effects, especially when compared to antidepressants. I would encourage you to look into these:

neurofeedback
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy
Cerbrolysin
Vision therapy
Oxiracetam

Good luck!

please note Melatonin can make you have lucid dreaming/night mares and is banned in the uk zopiclone helps me with sleep but I only take it if no sleep pattern is begging to form I find it has less residual effect your doctors can prescribe,this Melatonin is off the shelf in the USA

I must say that since I have been on nortriptyline (2 weeks) my headaches have gotten much better. I still have trouble with lights and noise and doing things that make my brain go back and forth, but as far as being able to cope at work, it has gotten much better. If someone would have just listened to me 10 months ago, it would have been great. But, I am feeling better and that is all that counts. I am only on 10 mgs. and am supposed to go to 20 mgs., but think I will wait. If I can control the headaches with the least amount of drugs, that would be even better.