Diabetes type 2 with depression

[DavidOH]

i was diagnosed with type 2 in March which I found overwhelming to comprehend. Shortly after try GP diagnosed I had depression in tandem with my diabetes and I’m still suffering the symptoms after 10 weeks. I have been signed off as unfit for work now for the last 10 weeks.
Just wondering if this has happened to anyone else?

 

[mikeyB]

Hi David, welcome to the forum.

Nope, but it’s very common for the onset of what appears to be a lifelong hindrance at the start to trigger a depressive illness. Actually, what you will discover it’s a healthy eating and lifestyle you are destined for, so in fact you will be fitter than most. Diabetes is a condition, not an illness.

It takes at least three months to brighten up a reactive depression, depending on the treatment. Are you on medication, or CBT?

 

[DavidOH]

Hi Mike,
Thanks for your reply. My GP has put me on Sertroline for the depression and Metformin for the diabetes.He also thought talking therapy would be helpful. However, the talking therapy unit have told me they have a 3 month waiting list, so it’s just the sertroline for now.

 

[mikeyB]

I’m not surprised at the wait, but the Sertraline should give you a lift. The CBT will help to keep going in the future. Like diabetes, that’s a long game.

 

[rebrascora]

Hi David and welcome from me too.

I have suffered from stress, depression and anxiety for many years. In the early days I was on medication but have preferred to manage it myself for the past 15+ years. Unfortunately that involved developing a sugar addiction which I am now paying for with a recent Diabetes diagnosis. For me, I am treating the Diabetes as a turning point to become more healthy and it has helped me to kick my sugar habit. Eating more healthily and losing weight and being mostly free of the cravings is a positive that I almost certainly would not have achieved without the D diagnosis so there are a lot of positives to it. I am still getting anxiety attacks but not as frequently as I was and I have not had a migraine since diagnosis, which was a regular problem for me before I changed my diet and lifestyle.
I hope that the medication helps you for both conditions and that you soon come to terms with managing the diabetes and seeing the positive side of it. In the mean time, we are here to offer support and guidance wherever we can.