IMO anti-depressants are crude and unrefined drugs, and we only partially understand how they work. They should be utilized only in extreme cases, like with severe bipolar disorder where the person will otherwise end up hurting themselves or others. Otherwise you'll just be saddled with another drug you can't get off of, a drug that changes you and has likely side-effects, like loss of libido or whatnot.

If you look online, you will find confirmation of any statement you're looking for, from UFOs to conspiracy theories about The Beatles actually being the devil. The people who heal faster don't go complain about it online, so you'll always find far more negative than positive.

You need to start altering your life, cut yourself slack while you heal, acknowledge what's happening and follow a rational healing regimen.

Eventually you will develop a relationship with your stomach, where it will react predictably, instead of giving you surprises. So you will not wake up in fear, and know that you're in exactly the state you expected, and your day will become more plannable.

Consider taking Gastromend HP to speed up your progress. You have to pay attention to yourself, but not fearful attention, but caring attention.

I've come from a bad place in which several people on this forum are now or have been in recently, into a pretty nice place. I'm not special. I just figured out the foods which are safe to eat, found PepZin GI, Ulcetrol, Gastromend HP, digestive enzymes, probiotics, and allowed the stomach to heal with this help provided. Like any other part of your body, like a pricked finger, it wants to heal - if you let it, and help it.

Try meeting your new emotional needs. Try stuff like playing 3-hour Youtube videos on your TV with soothing landscapes and oceans, while you sit around and play with your cat.

Like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zqpDVyCB2Y

Hi Chrissy
Im sorry you are feeling so down. Trust me it took 8 weeks at the beginning of this year for my stomach to return to a state where I wasn't in pain. During that period I had withdrawn from all my friends and avoided family dos as I just couldn't muster the fake happiness as i was i so much pain. Then I began to feel better the happy go lucky person I was returned and I was involved with living life as a busy mum, wife, worker again. I promise you in my case the pain went away. The bad side of it is that it has returned, I'm slipping back to avoiding parties or social outings with friends as I don't have the energy or happiness I once had. But! I'm just watching my diet and just praying my stomach returns to normal and I'm happy and pain free again. Honey! it will take time I can't tell you how long but you stomach will slowly repair itself and you will begin to live again.

Chrissy, there is no magic pill for any disease in life. AntiD will likely worsen your stomach issues if it's so raw and inflamed now.

Acceptance of the illness brings you to the next stage of beginning to deal with it. I was diagnosed at the end of July right after my dad died, followed by my mom. I didn't know how much crying I could do without adding more inflammation to my body. My anxiety was sky high and I was lost after my parents' passing.

I am still figuring out my diet, my meds and pressing on to get better. Hanging on to hope. I lost a lot of weight - 20 lbs. Being gluten-intolerant, dairy-intolerant (this generates more acid) and having to watch sugar spikes, made me even more anxious about what I can and cannot eat.

But I keep working at destressing. That is really the major cause of gastritis.

Chrissy, as the others have advised, find something you enjoy doing -- and do it everyday. Laugh a bit everyday, and more. Watch silly TV shows or movies. Listen to music, dance at home. Take a nice hot bath at the end of the day.

Accept it. Cease striving and meet this illness headon. It takes time and cannot be rushed. Sending you wellness wishes.

P.S. Chrissy, I'm not stopping you from seeing a psychiatrist (or therapist) who might help you with something gentler to tide you over if you need to deal with the stressors in your life.

I have a whole team of healthcare professionals I'm working with to help me deal with this: GI doc, RD/nutritionist, naturopath. For stress, I see a therapist/counselor & psych, when I was in a really bad shape initially, he helped to calm me down.

Wishing you well.

The only thing that helps me get through those really anxious times are benzos like Valium, Xanax, and Restoril. Studies have been done showing that they're more effective than antidepressants, mostly due to all the terrible side effects of antidepressants (the worst being nausea, which is exactly what we're trying to avoid!). Just be careful with benzos as they're addictive and habit forming. Use only when absolutely necessary and they will calm you, plus they help to calm the GI system too. Of course medications are just a band-aid, you have to try to get to a better place on your own if you can, but in the short-term, medications can help.

Hi Chrissy and welcome,
Sadly there is no quick fix with gastritis and no one size fits all either on how to heal. It will get better and preparing yourself for the long haul may help your mental and emotional state.
I describe gastritis as life altering and soul destroying. Unfortunately the medical profession underestimate the impact it has on the sufferes.
Counselling can help to deal with this as anxiety is a huge trigger too.

There is noone on this site who can say with certainty what will work to take the symptoms of gastritis away. As best I can tell not one person is a medical dr. You can offer what you have tried and what has helped you but please don't say with certainty that this or that is what someone must do. Or- that what they ARE trying is wrong. Every single person is different. What helps one may not help another.

Hi,

I am also falling into a depression because of gastritis (or whatever it is that I have).

Have you tried working out? even walking a few miles? I am cycling twice a week with a friend and that is helping me A LOT.

Good luck and stay strong!

i don't think anyone here is trying to be prescriptive or to put anyone down. We are just sharing our own experiences. It is in that spirit of sharing folk wisdom that we are here. I'm always careful to add a disclaimer. E.g. http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Gastritis/forum/19507681-probiotics

I believe everyone here is trying to be helpful and nice. In their compassion and generosity, sometimes they get a bit zealous in their writing. But it is all to be taken in good spirit. This forum does not allow us to edit our posts, so it is difficult at times to write what you intend at first. And you have to end up adding a PS.

In my case, just sharing my experience here, this is not meant to be the right solution or wrong one -- my psych refused to prescribe an antiD because he knew my digestive system could not tolerate it with the inflammation. It would not have helped me. But someone whose stomach is less raw than me might tolerate an antiD that is gentler and tolerable.

Wishing us all well! Hope springs eternal.

I was diagnosed three weeks ago and it is very easy to get discouraged , I think the worst parkt is not knowing what to expect with this illness. I am trying to just feed my body and hope for the best.