My younger sister told me to drink a cup of hot water with tablespoons of brown sugar to taste. she said she discovered it when her emotions were going haywire while she was pregnant.

i use progresterone creme when anxiety hits me hard for no reason?

i'm pre menapausal still cycling...but i think that is 2 possibilities that work sometimes for me, just not all the time.

i think erratic emotions can be caused by blood sugar swings & hormones. its not as good an AD, but my neuro won't prescribe an AD and i don't want to go to my PCP. she just wants to do those routine test a person is suppose to do in their 40-50 and i'm avoiding them .

Makes it hard for me to get an AD which is why i use progesterone creme, hot water with brown sugar & at times ice tea with a lot of vodka in it. worse comes to worse a benadryl or a tylenol-pm to make me a little sleepy which prevents strong emotions sometimes even puts me to sleep, so i sleep out the strong emotions.

sometimes just a deep sleep is needed...not a light sleep where your are kind of concious while you sleep--became aware of noises, skips in breath, stuffy nose, sore legs ect.

a deep relaxing asleep is needed to reset emotions.

I'm so sorry youre feeling the sadness! I can totally relate! I am on Cymbalta which has helped me tremendously! I dont like having to take it, however am willing so that I can have a better quality of life. Anti depressants dont have to be forever. I also take walks & take pictures while on my walks; flowers, trees, birds, clouds, etc. It helps me to focus on the good things. Reading a good book, talking with a friend or family member, hobbies, & most definately writing & music!! Also when I focus on others who are so much worse off than myself (and there are millions) I think of them & how grateful I am for the good things in my life. I write gratitude lists often. Its funny how once you start all of a sudden you find you have written a whole page! :)
I do not recommend drinking Vodka or eating sugar because booze is a huge depressant & sugar just causes you to crash & burn.
Remember: This to shall pass!
All my very best to you!
Gina :)

I tried Cymbalta for a MS treatment for aches and pains, and while my mood did improve I got diarriah. So I can't take that! I am 53 and done with my menopause. I also can not walk so I can't go on a short walk to check out the Spring Season. I can not drink alcohol as I already live in the bathroom.

I live with my husband and his two brothers. Oh brother!!

Marilyn, I'm very sorry you are having a rough time right now. Bringing your concerns to your support group is a good thing. Talking to us about them actually gives you more of a sense of control over them.

Pay attention to the things that seem to trigger your mood swings. Remove yourself from the situation and practice some deep breathing or meditation, or speak up about what's bothering you! Also, exercising can be very beneficial.

There is another thought to consider, and that is involuntarary emotional expression disorder? This is where you have uncontrolled crying (or laughing). Just be aware that this condition exists and check yourself.

Finally, you might have to rely upon medication to help you. You decide what is best for you in that regard. I hope that tomorrow brings you in a better mood.

Marilyn, your post #4 and mine came in at the same time, so I didn't read your post before I posted mine. I think your problem probably lies somewhere with your living situation from what you said.

Cymbalta is not the only anti-depressant out there. Maybe you would find one more gentlier on your stomach if you decided to try again?

But, from your message #4, something is going on there with the brothers. I can imagine it being bad enough living with 1, but living with 2? Oh nooooooooo! I can only imagine.

ldn is suppose to help a lot with mood--that studies have shown consistently that it does.. have you ever tried that?

i did try ldn for about 6 months after i was diagnosed and still refusing MS meds and it did help with mood and continence...i don't think it helped with ms, but it helped ALOT helped with mood and continence for sure. your proflle show that you are use rebif which can be causing depression all by itself.

i used ldn, before i started betaseron because i read it couldn't be used with an interferon, but i have read post from others whose doc's said that it doesn't affect interferon efficiency, much if at all. so they use an interferon with ldn. any thoughts of switching to copaxone or Tysabri to get away from rebif induced depression, if that is what is causing it? or adding ldn?

maybe check out the ldn grouo to see what they have to advice they can offer.

ichoppel reply #6 sound very likely to be true.. the pet dogs we get are female. never lived in an environment primarily males, we keep the guys outnumbered. buy female dogs. sound like some kind of Armageddon situation with the females being in the minority like that. LOL

Thank you everyone who has posted info.

I have an appt. With my neurologist May 4th and I will ask about LDN. My old neurologist would not even discuss LDN. I will ask my new doctor.

My husband and I bought a house with my mother and brother in law. We enlarged the house (way too big) and last May my mother in law died and her youngest son (my brother in law) had a stroke and a heart attack. The brother in law moved in and now I am the only female in the house.

I HATE IT HERE!!! My husband told me when my mother in law died we would move out. I am just tired of us being the only ones that cook, clean and buy groceries. we pay the bills, one brother in law kicks in when his company lands a job, and the other pays $500.00 a month.

I just want to escape! My older sister says I can move in with her but she has a one bedroom, a sick cat and 24 hour TV that she records.

No one can take advantage of you unless you allow it. My suggestion is to call a family meeting. Be honest with how you are feeling. I would ask for each of them to pick nights to cook and chores they will do. Have a list ready on what needs to be done to keep the household. Sometimes people just don't see what needs to be done and it doesn't seem to matter if they are male or female. You might find they are more than willing to help once they know what you want.

I have a sister that has a heart of gold. She loves to cook and her meals are the best....but....she doesn't clean up behind herself leaving things on the counters and a whirlwind of mess behind her. She recently came to help me. My husband has been very ill (kidney cancer) and with my MS I am rather limited on how much help I could be to him...in case of a fall, etc. I finally was honest with her about how I couldn't stand the mess. She now cleans up behind herself but teases me....Point is..had I kept it to myself it would never been solved.

Try it. You may be surprised.....

It's common when facing a life crisis such as MS and the many changes that it brings to feel overwhelmed and sad.

If you notice periods that don't start lifting after more than a month, you should think about medications. Many people with chronic illnesses develop dysthymia and sometimes medication is the best way to treat it. Some anti-depressants are great for helping with fatigue as well.

Some that I hear more good than bad about are lexapro, pristiq and wellbutrin.

Hope you and your doctor are able to get you of this funk and remember that coming to DS and just using it as a release is a very important thing for when you're feeling sad. You may also want to see if he can recommend a therapist or social worker that might be able to help out, and help with your living situation.

Best wishes.

Been there done that! When my mother in law was alive we had family meetings when things were crazy. The "boys" can't cook and the one that tries NEVER cleans up as he goes or afterward.

The other brother has had a stroke and it takes him twice as long to even fix his dinner plate as it does for the rest of us to eat our dinner. So we fix his plate and the boys eat upstairs in the "game room".

One brother wants to pay someone to clean the house or what ever chores he doesn't want to do. We could do that if he had the money to help pay the bill every time it comes, but he doesn't.

My husband works from home for IBM and would rather do the cooking because he says at least he will get food he can eat.
My husband and I cook and clean up because the boys never come back down stairs. If asked they make a mess! Not intentionally, they are just idiots!

Believe me if it can be suggested, I have tried it!

Can you afford to go for counseling, maybe am LISW?

many times they are very helpful in assisting a person to establish "boundaries" and enforce them..going as far as requiring the healthy brother to do household chores or move out and helping you to handle your husband when you lay down the law with his brother.

& knowing the community resources available for the brother who had the stroke...

i'm thinking counseling would really help you deal with the situation, i hope you can afford to go, it might be only for a few sessions. AD & LDN which just help you to live in a suboptimal situation. counseling might help you change it.

my mom went to the church a long time ago when my dad was drinking. Roman Catholic, back then 20 years ago they just blamed her for his drinking. so i know the church is a less expensive way to get counseling, but i trust it less than counseling with a licensed professional.

check out what is available in your community.....i'm thinking this is a very good situation to use the new 2-1-1 phone number to identify resources in your area, & counselors MSW or LISW in your area accepting new patients.

http://www.211.org/

http://211us.org/

btw--i was a female chemical engineer back in the 80's when females in engineering was a minority--multiple employers sent me for assertiveness training, until it came to the point i just blew them off & decided they would have to accept me as i am, then started working with computers that the most amount of assertiveness needed was to unplug the cord.....

SO IN ORDER OF AFFORDABILITY...see a licensed counselor, see the church but don't trust them if they tell you its your fault, get some books on assertiveness, that is what the counselor would work with you

is your husband the youngest or oldest brother?


bTW x2--after i got ms i looked to places i could volunteer to keep me busy, not used to not working...one of my first volunteer "jobs" was to help set up the 211 system in our county---if you do use it in your community, let me know how it works,




is the

i

Lynn- as usual your advice is great! So wonderfully sound.
We have asked the working brother to help, he agrees but it goes in one ear and out the other.

My husband is the oldest of the three. The eldest died some years ago. The house belonged to my mother in law and my husband and the working brother built on to it. So we can not ask him to move out.

I really do not believe my husband gets as upset as I do over this.they smoke in the house in the younger ones bedroom (both smokes and MMJ) and that is all he gets upset about. We are not smokers and their mother died because of smoking!

I can't drive anymore. So I can't go to therapy on my own or I would. My husband who works at home the majority of the time doesn't have the time or inclination to take me. My two daughters who live in state are so consumed with working, church and their families.

I have to make a doctor's appt. 2 months in advance so they can work out who can take me. My parents live 30 miles away and are in their 80's. So I just feel SCREWED,!!

I am new to all of the nuances of MS (still not diagnosed) but I know how it feels to be depressed. I am just sending out a big hug and prayer for you today Marilyn.