Question:
Even before herpes i have suffered from depression. Now that i know that i have it and im trying to deal with it in a world geared towards the perfectly healthy... im finding it really hard to not top myself. The only thing that has ever held me back has been my family & friends. I have been put through a suicide before and its so painful i could never inflict that on anyne else but i just cant stop thinking so little of myself and feeling so worthless. A big problem i have now is i dont feel comfortable telling my friends i have herpes, so im stuck in the deep end a little with it. Its all well and good being able to talk to people on here and i respect the dedicated service you all provide, but i hate not being able to talk to someone who knows me. I am going to go to therepy and give it a try but i do worry i am just going to be another name on a persons list & i refuse to take anti depressants.

Answer:
Hey Paul,

I have been on antidepressants before, and depression runs in my family. I was extremely depressed when I first contracted H, April 2007. I have not told a single soul in my life, no family, no friends, NOBODY. It was very difficult for me in the beginning. This site is what got me through the first 5 months of dealing, accepting and healing from this. I understand not having anybody who knows you, know about you having this virus; that is a decision you need to make as to whether there is somebody in your life who you can trust with this. Even if you take antidepressants, it does not mean you will need them for life, just for a short time to deal with a bump in the road of life. Hang in there.

Answer:
Paul2007,

I think that even the healthiest of people have periodic bouts with depression. In this way I don't believe it is something to hide or to be ashamed of but it is definitely something not to take lightly.

I've had one heck of a messed up life. I am not ashamed to admit that I've struggled with the thoughts in my head on many an occasion and spent many hours in the therapists chair.

The thing is that some of us respond to therapy and antidepressants and some of us don't. You can sit down and identify if situations are making you feel down and work on changing them but often times it is from within and you didn't put yourself somewhere or cause yourself grief. I even believe that sometimes we are predisposed to feelings of sadness due to genetic reasons.

Where I am going with this is that if you can't change your life and antidepressant meds aren't helping you maybe you need to look and see if there are organic health reasons that are causing you to be grapling with depression.

Are you deficient in b-vitamins? Are you getting enough exercise and time out of doors in the sunshine? Are you doing everything you can to make sure that you are getting the nutrition you need to be all you can be.

For me the antidepressants didn't work they made stuff worse. The therapists wanted me to throw everything out on the mental table and leave it there staring me in the face without a real answer to how to deal with it. I'd go home in a new found panic until I started looking at my basic nutrition and what could be missing.

I did research and was willing to do what my dr had never recommended and to start taking nutritional supplements geared towards eleviating my problems with depression. I did research for hours on end on natural cures for depression and when I started to change my diet and nutrition I found that I was getting better. This is not to say that I don't sometimes still feel down but things have improved enormously.

The things that helped the most for me where adding a co-enzyme b-complex that I take daily. I added omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. I added calcium and magnesium supplements. I started eating fresh fruits and veggies.

Hsv is just a virus and you can get past it. Depression is the harder obstacle but if you can take some of the edge off of those feelings I think that you can start to enjoy life maybe for the first time.

Its up to you to decide it's worth it to you but, in my opinion, you owe it to yourself to look at all of the options and to give yourself a chance at happiness.

If you want to pm me I'll tell you what I learned about natural cures for depression. I think you deserve something better.

Answer:
liquid vitamin D in high potency a few drops a day can really improve depression.....as well as taking a multitamin in addition........another thing (the only thing that has helped me) is homeopathy and taking a remedy for my depression and anxiety as a result of having this.........it works slowly, has no harmful side effects and does not make me feel like my brain is not connected to myself or that my feelings are just being masked.......i tried antidepressants briefly years ago and that is what they made me feel like (tried 3 different ones) and i hate the idea of taking harsh pharmaceuticals that just mask the problem at the core....i do not want them in my body either.......so perhaps you could find a good naturopath that specializes in homeopathy or just a homeopathic specialist in general....just an idea I thought Id throw out there.....i was at the point of no return and this has helped me get through the days now....not ecstatically happy but getting through the days, like i never thought was possible for my future even a few months back. Ive had this for just over 2 full years. Hope this helps or at least gets the ball of hope rolling with ideas for alternatives.