If you're having anxiety attacks, headaches and shortness of breath it may not be due to depression at all. Anxiety disorders often present alongside or similarly to depression. My own anxiety disorder was misdiagnosed as depression and bipolar for a number of years before a doctor caught it and started treating me properly. I do have depression as well, but it was ineffective to treat only it and not the anxiety disorder at the same time.

Ultimately, you need to see a doctor to find out what it is and how severe it is. Someone who only knows the symptoms would not be able to tell you. A whole medical background, as well as more details, such as how often the physical symptoms occur, for how long they last, how severe they are, how severe any pain associated with the physical symptoms is, etc would be needed.

I agree with prettyevil , you cant diagnose it yourself, you need a partner or friend to monitor
your behaviour as you may not be mindful of all you do , especally if you go on meds.
If the meds dont work right after 3-4 weeks , reevaluate them , it can take several
attempts to find the correct one .
Dont let me scare you , meds are great , dosed properly , if needed at all.

good luck

I am already on Fluoxetine. Have been on and off for two years. It is the generic for Prozac. I had my dose upped about 18 months ago to 40 mgs a day because they were not as effective. I stopped taking them whilst I was carrying the baby, I won't take paracetamol when I am pregnant if I can help it.

I have them on repeat so put myself back on them when I felt myself sinking again. But I some times get these chest pains, panicky feeling and headaches. Also back aches and arm ache. It is physical but feels different. More tension than if I had hurt myself say physically digging. I was diagnosed by a Gp. But nothing further than having medication thrown at me was ever offered.

I would say those symptoms you have listed means your depression has progressed to a point where you may need some outside help, not just an increase in the medication. The medicine will only serve as a temporary relief to your problem. Then the more you take, the more you need. If you stop taking the medication, you'll be in a whole new kind of hell.

Most of the time depression is dealt with by medicating the person. I find some of the most depressed people are on some of the most effective depression medication (so they claim). After meeting so many medically treated depressed people, I've made it my mission to try to stay away from all SSRI's.

I tried using Xanax ona short term basis to deal with some of my depression and anxiety. I found the medicine to work well for awhile. Then eventually, I became more worried and had more anxiety and depression about being dependent on the medicine.

Today, Im trying to incorporate exercise and meditation to pull through the hard days. Yes, I do have days where I have a severe random anxiety attack (to the point, I am gasping for breath and trying to calm my heart from beating out my chest). And I do have all over body aches from my depression and I have gained at least 70 lbs over being depressed. But just like with medication, natural remedies take time. I know I'm not going to feel normal again right away.

I would also recommend seeing a psychologist. It helps to have someone to talk with and hold you accountable for the changes you need to make. Baby steps.

Bad.

Depression needs to be treated if it is interfering with your life in a negative way. Obviously, these physical symptoms are hurting your quality of life. There are some wonderful antidepressant meds out there. (There are also some not-so-wonderful ones, like Effexor). Before you start a prescription, find out about the side effects. You might need to fiddle around with dosages and such before settling in on something. But with the medicinal technologies of today, there is no reason to suffer deep depression without getting some help.

Many of the physicians I know won't even prescribe psychiatric medications, let alone diagnose the conditions that require them. Some will prescribe antidepressants but only after a psychiatrist has diagnosed and treated you, and you are considered stable.

Just because you are experiencing panic-like attacks and other physical maladies, doesn't necessarily mean your depression is worse. It's just another symptom.

I think it's time for you to see a psychiatrist and a therapist or psychologist. The psychiatrist can prescribe medication to you and the therapist can help you with psychotherapy. I think a combination of the two gives you the best chance to recover.

I suffered with depression for many years, since childhood actually. I took a variety of different medications and 'combination cocktails' until I found one that worked well for me. I also went to therapy. It took a long time and alot of work but I finally got over the depression. I haven't needed any treatment for years.

If you have already been diagnosed with depression and you are on and off your generic Prozac, then the problem may be that you are self-medicating. Anti-depressants take awhile to build up in your system, sometimes weeks, and it's the same way when you stop taking them. When you take the drug on a regular basis, it maintains the serotonin levels. When you mess with the prescription schedule, you are changing those levels and your symptoms may be a result of that fluctuation.

Time to talk with your doctor again. You may have additional issues beyond depression like panic or anxiety attacks, separate from the depression or it all may be related. Tell your doctor you have been inconsistent with your dosages.

It depends on what the symptoms are. Depression can cause a variety of physical problems but they are not out of the ordinary.

Symptoms can include:

- Fatigue - I know that when I am not feeling up to par I am usually fatigued. It can be a reaction to feeling depressed. When you are feeling that way, you don't want to go anywhere or do anything. It can be pretty tough to get your self to do something.

- Body Aches - Being depressed can certainly cause body aches. If you are having anxiety attacks or panic attacks, it can be really bad. Also, I have had attacks that made me feel like I was having a heart attack. It was so real that I had pain in my arms and was sweating.

- Hives and Rashes - The crazy thing is that you will probably get hives more than anything else. Although some people may never get them, I have found that depression brings stress and stress brings hives. It could be the other way around to. Either way, that is another symptom.

I hope that everything turns out okay.

Aches and pains when dealing with depression are very common. The shortnes of breath and chest pains could be thr start of a panic attack (I get those often) or worst case a heart attack. My doc put me on Cymbalta and it has worked wonders, I feel real good everywhere, nothing hurts like it used to. While the aches and pains are associated with depression, especially "Major Depression" the increasing pains are not a sign of the depression getting worse. You also could be suffering from what doc call 'fibromyaliga'. Ask your doctor next time u see them.

There are several different symptoms for depression. For an answer to a question like this one, it is best to see your health care provider.
I can give you a list of symptoms. However, remember that none of this is intended to diagnose something.
Fatigue
Irritability
Sleepiness in excessive amounts
Sleeplessness
Difficulty remembering things
Difficulty concentration
Increase in drinking alcohol, and/or caffeine
Backaches
Headaches
These listed are only some of the symptoms. Keep in mind that if you have one symptom, it doesn’t mean you are depressed. If you have several or all of the symptoms, it doesn’t mean you are depressed either. Your Dr. is the only person that is qualified of answering your question properly. If you are asking the question, get it checked out by a professional to confirm or dismiss it.