Antidepressants & Lyme Disease

My perspective on Antidepressants and Lyme:

"A Lyme Disease sufferer already has enough brain imbalances caused by the infection; taking a drug to induce more unnatural brain changes is obviously not a smart idea. Feeding brain chemistry-altering drugs to someone whose brain is already completely thrown off due to an infection can cause a confusing, dangerous roller coaster ride of symptoms." from http://lymebook.com/blog/the-recovery-process/depression/#more-94 I am still researching the information on this website and have not found it to have the clinical evidence that I would like just yet. Sometimes, good information that I find is surrounded by iffy information. I'm not yet confident in this websites info as of this date.

My current doctor (whom I trust with my Lyme disease fight so far) responded as such to my admittance to feeling extremely low, "That's good that you recognize that your feeling like this and it appears that your taking the steps that you need to too notify those around you. Understanding and accepting that your depressed gives you the ability to work with it and work past it. This is very normal. You should continue to recognize it daily. Your going to make it through this just fine." His response is one of the reasons why I like him as much as I do. He isn't just throwing meds at me.

The neurologist was another story all together. In just two short visits and over just two weeks he attempted to prescribe Ritalin, Cymbulta, and Pamelor. (ummm somethings not right!!!) Needless to say, I am searching for another neurologist to address my mental challenges with concentration and memory. I hope the next one can focus more on the task at hand.

Any athlete or active person would respond in the same way to feeling low. Go for a run or bike ride. Given that my outlet has been removed from my options I have had to find other ways to inspire myself. I had a hard time finding something...

My Living Situation:
I am single, supporting myself with no family in my area. The closest available family that I have is an 9 hour drive away. I have only but myself and my dog around me. This is both a blessing (not having a family to manage) and a curse (family does still provide support/ a reason outside yourself to continue fighting) I have friends in the area who are all extremely busy moving on in their lives attempting to build their empire in life. They have their own things to manage and reaching out to them is not a comfortable thing for me to do.

What Worked For Me:
I tried to push through everything on my own. It's now been almost 8 months of this roller coaster emotional/physical life. My friends have drifted further away and for good reason as my absence only naturally has this effect. I needed two things to get my mind up and running again:

1) I needed someone who understood to talk to honestly about my situation in a way where I don't feel like I am just complaining and being negative.

2) I needed to find something that I could do actively to get me out of my house as well as out of myself.

The answer to number one was easy. I fond people online and I found a Lyme Disease association in my area who got me into contact with other younger people going through the exact thing that I am currently.

The answer to number two was more difficult. For this, I decided that with all my extra time that I have while I am not in school or training for Triathlons/Marathons that I would invest in the younger generation. Today I was accepted to be an assistant coach for Girls On The Run in the DC metropolitan area. (http://www.girlsontherunofnova.org/) I'll be working with younger girls who are training for a 5K. These 3rd - 8th graders will kick my butt in any race, but I am OK with this.

The goal for my twice a week adventure with the girls is to be outside for an hour, soak up the excitement from the girls, and for just those short hours give myself something outside of my life monopolizing Lyme Disease. Maybe here is where the saying, "Those who can't do, Teach." comes into light.

Inspiration can be found in the oddest places I am finding. I encourage everyone who used to be athletic or active before Lyme to accept what condition their body/mind is in while on treatment for Lyme Disease (fighting it and over doing it can only hurt you in the long run) and find other ways to fill that void. Start out small. Slow and steady will win this race/fight to getting better.