Question:
I'm currently tapering off of the new antidepressant Remeron because of undesirable side effects (oversleeping, weight gain). My pdoc wants me to contact her at the first sign of crashing, so I can switch to something else if need be. She said one of the first warning signs is irritability, but now that the semester is over, I'm probably not going to be around that many people on a regular basis. So what are the other *initial* warning signs of impending depression that you have noticed?
Answer:
I stop doing everyday tasks like laundry or grocery shopping. Another good indicator for me is whether I am taking the time to balance my checkbook. I did it yesterday. I guess that's a sign that I am doing better. Unfortunately, the balance I came up with may send me into another crash. With me the first sign was always just a change in sleep patterns for no reason. I would just start having a hard time getting to sleep and then I would only sleep for four or five hours at a time. Everything else seemed to follow pretty closely on the heels of that. My first sign (at least that I've noticed) is driving home without the radio on and realizing I'm not thinking of anything in particular. "spacing out" so to speak. Since I *have* to have the radio on the other 99% of the time this is more significant than it sounds. I didn't recognize it as that the first time I crashed to the extent of suicidal thoughts. Only recognized it in retrospect and now watch for it to try to turn the depression around before it goes to deadly extreme. Early signs for me include going to the grocery store or library and not being able to commit to taking anything off the shelf. Feeling irritable toward people and negative toward any new idea. Sitting around being hungry, but not interested enough to get up and fix a meal. Also, not being able to decide what to wear in the morning - equally indifferent to everything.
