Posted by Margi (161.184.81.207) on March 28, 2001 at 13:52:09:
In Reply to: NEWBEE QUESTION posted by KATRINA on March 28, 2001 at 06:03:21:
First of all.....HUGS.....I'm a clusterhead supporter too, so I do understand what you're going through. I've read through all the responses and you've gotten some very good advice here. Your hubby does need to address his alcohol problem, but I can see that he is definitely self-medicating himself out of fear/anxiety and very obviously a depression. Clusters cause all these emotions.
First of all, do try to get him to visit this message board. It WILL really help him to know he is not alone and that his fear is totally normal. Let him read all these responses. Next, please check out St. Johnswort. It's an herbal treatment for depression and it really does help. Try him on one a day, in the morning and see if his mood lightens at all. I think you might be surprised by the result and do try to encourage him to drink juice or water instead of the booze. Booze definitely contributes to depression. If he experiences "normal" headaches from the St. Johnswort, it might not be a good idea to continue with it because any herbs can cause headache as a side effect. But it doesn't happen for everyone, so it might be worth a shot.
Next, get him to try Dramamine before bed. It's a motion sickness med that causes sleep as a side effect. Not a great idea to take it for more than 7 days in a row, but it will probably give him 6 or 7 hours uninterrupted sleep.
And, finally, please know that we are here for you both. YOU need to talk about this too - it's damn hard for a supporter sometimes and you're among friends here. We're pretty much shockproof, we've heard it all.
Take care, Katrina, and please feel free to email me anytime at moxie_miss@hotmail.com if you need to vent or just compare notes.
Hang in there.
Margi