patentcad

So I'm talking to a friend of mine who is on Effexor, which is similar to Prozac and Wellbutrin. These drugs work to restore chemical balance in the brain to fight depression. Very effective medications for many patients. I took Wellbutrin for a while when I was on oxycontin for back pain for three years. Here was how it went:

Doctor: Are you depressed?

Pcad: Well, sort of.

Doctor: Why is that?

Pcad: Um, because I had major surgery and tons of failed treatments and now I'm on oxycontin which makes me feel like 10lbs of crap in a 2 lb bag every day so I can live with this back pain that nobody can figure out.

Doctor: I prescribing Wellbutrin for you, it will make you feel better

Pcad: Whatever.

And it was effective. Made a subtle change in my mood, and I was happier for the year I took it. I stopped after I called for life insurance quotes and they told me my rates would be signifcantly higher if I was on Wellbutrin because people on those drugs kill themselve so frequently. The irony is perfect. I stopped cold turkey from the Wellbutrin without a problem. The Oxycontin withdrawal was like being hit by a friggin train. But I got through that in a few weeks. I called my orthopedic guy to tell him I was giving up on painkillers and trying a more holistic approach. He says 'You really shouldn't withdraw from oxycontin without medical supervision'. I told him that 5 years of medical supervsion had just about killed me, I was going with God on this one. It worked out.

That's water under the bridge. For 30 months now I've been cycling 1000 miles per month. And I'm always happy. Nothing really bothers me too much. Not even my chronic back pain (it's still there). Not even DocRay.

My anti-depressants are in the garage. I ride them daily. No oxycontin, no wellbutrin. 20mg of lipitor daily (for cholesterol) and the occasional Advil for my cranky right knee.

55/Rad

When I was going through the break up of my marriage and dealing with the depression of a cheating spouse, I sunk to to new lows. I stopped riding altogether for 6 months.

2 things helped. First, allowing myself the time to bottom out as opposed to fighting it. Second, the anti-D Cymbalta. Took it for 3 months and a month after I got back on the bike, I was off it.

Never underestimate the power of the bike to heal ones emotional well being.

55/Rad

patentcad

Nothing wrong with Prozac et al. They are miracle drugs for many. Wellbutrin made me feel better. But cycling is more effective. Pricier perhaps, but no trips to the pharmacy required. So when Lance says 'it's not about the bike' he's not kidding. And if you don't get that (and many here will not) then maybe some day they will. Sometimes to learn about life it has to kick your ass. Hard. Oh well.

So why is Pcad so into cycling? Because it saved my sorry ass. More than you can ever know.

BillyD

I've been there. ADs are a lifesaver, literally! They'll bring you back to being "YOU".

Loss of interest in your favorite activities, especially your passions like, in our case biking, is one of the classic indicators of depression. ADs will help get you back in the saddle again.

patentcad

Yep. And cycling may get you to a place where you don't feel the need for AD drugs. It's all good. Of course being a Mets fan adds to the sanity challenge in my case, but it's always something. BF is pretty good therapy too.

BillyD

You are not alone. In fact I should have thrown some investment funds at the AD companies following the collapse of BOTH NY baseball teams. JEEZ!!! It's embarrasing.

Where's my ADs?

Ah, that's right, it's in the garage.

MIN 

Funny that you bring this topic up PCad. I'm going to see a Dr about some antidepressants today. Chronic S.A.D. must be preempted this year...

mwrobe1

I'm glad you were able to kick Oxycontin and Wellbutrin with no adverse effects. I've heard stories...some of them didn't end as well as yours.

Tis true though...my anti-D's are in the garage too.

KinjaBoy

Glad to hear what it does for people. Keeps my ass in the saddle.

Too bad it does not help with the third person-speak, though.

55/Rad

I wonder how long it will be before someone chimes in with a "you must be weak if you need Anti-d's" response.

To counter that...let's take a fun quiz. Guys only.

Studies show what percentage of men say they would end their marriage if they discovered their wife was cheating on them?

A. 85%
B. 62%
C. 31%
D. 15%

Second, when faced with the reality, what percentage of men actually do end their marriage?

A. 78%
B. 56%
C. 34%
D. 15%

Point is...what you say and how you feel about something you've never faced is often quite different than the reality of actually going through it.

The one constant is the bike...keep riding.

55/Rad

patentcad

Pcad can't help you with this.

pino pomo

Mine are crushed up and mixed with whiskey.

cat0020

Just being out of the house makes me feel less depressed..
Being in the garage among my bikes/cars/motorcycles make me less depressed..
Riding/driving on open country roads without traffic makes me less depressed.. traffic sucks..

sleazy

its odd this topic springs up.

after last sunday, the last race of the year... i looked back and thought i'd take a week off. one week.

after close to ywo years of training, racing, bike trips, etc.

i thought i'd start to feel antsy... energized... feeling "good" after a day or two-

and it was the exact opposite.

the more days off.. the more i slept and the longer i slept. i ate more. joints that dont usually hurt, ached. essentially, i felt like crap.

i know and have read about endorphin addiction and the use of cycling for depression- but this was quite tangible.

rode this morning and everything is right as rain.

rollin

Couple of months ago I was back home in the UK and to my astonishment I found that both my sisters and their husbands are on prozac. On the surface they have everything going for them, great marriages, great kids great jobs...

I don't get it. I'm really not trying to be an asshat but they treat the meds as part of their normal lifestyle.

I'm glad they help.

I do get down on life from time to time, riding sure helps.

patentcad

Correct, and Duh.

Quijibo187

A good friend of mine grew up with a guy who was always causing trouble, had bad grades in school and just full of energy, most people said to put him on prozac or some other drug because he was chemically imbalanced or had ADD or something.

rather than do that, his dad started waking him up at 6:00 every morning and going for an hour long jog.
What happened? grades imroved, he slept better at night, and stopped causing trouble all the time. He went on the be on the national team (canadian) for cycling and cross-country skiing.

Drugs might have helped... but exercise did alot more than any drug could have.

Drugs have their place, but (in my opinion) should be a last resort.

With that said, it's beautiful outside, and i'm stuck inside.... getting depressed.....

Bostic

A relationship of a four + years recently ended for me. She had bi-polar disorder and was on a couple of meds to help with the chemical imbalance. Over the course of time too many disagreements and differences in viewpoints led to the breakup. I learned a lot about many things during that time and also realized I have my own priorities and will not make myself miserable the days the other is in a down mood.

My drums and music never betray me. They are there ready to sing when I open the door to my rehearsal studio.

My bicycle never betrays me. It's there always ready to be taken out for a ride.

Hocam

Shill!

blonduathlongrl

I just got back from the doc, I had really bad pain in my hip, turns out I have bursitus in my hip.
doc is a cyclist too, looks like I got a new riding partner as he asked me if i wanted to ride with him.
anyway, we talked about bikes more then my problem!
he knew quitting cycling wouldnt be something Id want to do, but the nice part is I didnt have to explain this since he is a cyclist too.

I would of been looking for depressant too if he told me Id have to quit..

OK, Im drowsy and a little high from the cortisone shot and pain killers..
well, Im happy girl for not having to quit cycling and I LOVE road forum and you guys are great!

blonduathlongrl

I got to go to sleep..

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

gr@sshopper

I moved to California. It has turned me around 180 degrees.

Velo Vol 

What are the answers? I'm curious.

55/Rad

85% of men say they would end their marriage immediately if they discovered their wife in an affair. 15% actually do....on the first offense. Percentage goes up dramatically on subsequent affairs. I know because it happened to me.

But so many factors come into play when faced with the reality...including the ability to reason and rationalize...that most couples actually try to work things out.

But in all cases...depression for the men was a common side effect. And in my case, riding the bike was huge in getting through it.

55/Rad

ryanspeer

The pharmeceutical companies make their millions by duping the public into believing they need their pills. Pharmeceutical companies don't exist to CURE anything. They exist to temporarily suppress your symptoms. If they wanted to actually CURE you, then they'd all be out of jobs.

I think it's terribly laughable, unfortunately at other people's expense, that they're duped into taking a blue pill for (A) symptom, a yellow pill for (B) symptom, a green pill for the resulting side-effects of combining the blue and yellow pills, and then a red pill to try to cover the symptoms of the green and yellow pills getting combined…

No wonder they’re making their millions.

My wife and I literally laughed out loud last week when there was a brief teaser for the 10 PM news saying “new proof that diet and exercise can cure depression!”

Ya’ think?!?