New Here/Prednisone & Depression

Sorry, also posted this under another topic but felt i should create a new one instead.

Hi everyone. this is my first time talking on here but i've been popping in occasionally and reading since i was diagnosed about 5 years ago.

i will save you the entire story and history of my ITP but i am 23 years old and just completely came off prednisone about a month ago.

i was on it for about 9 months all together and started at 60 mg/day.
i thought once i was completely tapered off i would feel better, but now i feel HORRIBLE. i've never been depressed before but i can't shake these feelings of depression and feeling hopeless. this didn't even start until a couple of weeks ago. i have had a lot of recent changes in my life. just graduated college and now living with my parents again. i think the prednisone is just magnifying all the emotions i'm going through right now.

thankfully, my moon face is gone and i have lost most of the weight thanks to the depression/anxiety and loss of my appetite.

do you think that after a month of being completely off the pred i could STILL be feeling emotional side effects or am i really depressed?

Thanks so much for reading,
Alison

Alison:

Some of the side effects, such as depression, can get worse when you are on low doses of the taper or off of the drug completely. I went through the same thing. I ended up getting an antidepressant at that time because it was affecting my ability to function at work and at home. I just couldn't keep up the pace and felt like I was failing at everything. The drug made a huge difference.

I don't know if this is something that will subside on it's own. You might need a therapist or medicinal help. I think you'll know when you get to the point that it's gone on for too long and it is affecting you too much. Believe me, you're not the only one!

Alison,
Depression no matter what the cause should not be ignored, and I think you will find that most people that have gone through this, first with dx and then the treatments will probably say they where a little depressed.
I think that at any time your bad days are more often then the good days you need to look for help. You have had some major changes in your life and maybe you just need to find someone to help you adjust.
Please don't let yourself get into a bad place where you can't see the way out, we are all here to help but you may need to seek help from your doctor.

Alison,
Regardless of the cause, Please,DO NOT ignore the Depression. I also completely understand what you are going through. I was on Prednisone for the first few years after ITP diagnosis, have been off Prednisone for a few years now. I had two bouts of Depression. My first experience with Depression was pretty serious. Cried everyday for no reason (I was not a real crier before dx)did not enjoy the things I used to, felt completely Hopeless. After several months of these Horrible feelings I went to see a Dr. for Depression. I was so amazed with how this little pill made me feel so much better "Mentally". After a few months of feeling like myself again I decided to taper off of the Depression Med. Not a good idea. The Depression returned, not as bad but I was feeling the same feelings again. It also took a bit longer for the Med to kick in again. I thought the Depression would go away on it's own. It just kept getting worse. I felt ashamed to go in for Depression. The Dr. told me I would be suprised at how many people are on some form of Depression Medication. I am still on 20mg a day.
As already mentioned, Please, Please Do Not let yourself get to that bad place.
I went through a couple of very stressful situations prior to ITP dx and feel that these situations may have contributed to my ITP/Depression. When I think back of my initial bout of Depression it Scares me. Please talk to A Dr.

HI everyone, sorry for not returning sooner. I have been busy and just trying to keep occupied and get better. I have been a lot better besides a setback a couple days ago when my cat went missing ... He's an indoor cat and had never been outside before and he escaped for about 15 hours, i was in a panic! Thankfully he has been found. I am feeling better each day & trying to focus on good things and not stress too much about every little thing. I've been able to eat again which is great. Thanks so much for your responses and concern.

Alison

Glad to hear things are going better and your cat was found. Keep focusing on good things and less stress.