Posted by ksvt on August 2, 2000, at 8:22:09
In reply to Nix on the Nortrip, going cold turkey, posted by Kerry on August 2, 2000, at 0:53:54
> I finally got to my pdoc last week--it's been months (impossible to get an appointment). I told him the 450 mgs of Wellbutrin failed and that I tapered off of it a few weeks ago...he's tried every SSRI on me (except Celexa) and didn't want to go the Remeron route because of weight gain. MAOs are out of the question because of my asthma medication...and he just looked at me funny when I brought out my research about Amisulpride and Adrafinil. He prescribed Nortriptyline. I've been on it for a little less than a week and can't stand the side effects. I feel like a zombie right after lunch. Major GI problems...you don't want to know. And I swear I've gained weight as a result of the Nortrip because I'm exercising every day and eating pretty well.
>
> I've decided to quit altogether. I'm tired of bad side effects and I'm tired of medicines not working. I'm not sure what's next. Maybe the cognitive therapy study I posted about before.Kerry - every time I've quit meds or thought about quitting meds has been when things were going poorly not when they were going well. For me the inclination arises from frustration - that they're not working or that I can't deal with the side effects or that I'm suddenly overwelmed by the whole process of trying to come up with the right combination. On a few occasions i've felt great for awhile after taking myself off, but inevitably, the feelings that drove me to them in the first place return, and there is this sobering and unwelcome reminder that I really do need medicinal support. Then I'm back to ground zero and I have to start all over again. In more recent years, I've certainly felt what you seem to be feeling and I've toyed with the idea of quitting meds several times. What has stopped me is the memory of how truly awful I feel when I am at my depressed worst. Sometimes I think I'm there even with the meds but that's really not true. What has been equally as compelling is the recollection of how truly awful it is to find the right med combination particularly when you're working off a clean slate. I've always had to introduce new drugs very slowly and have suffered some with each incremental increase. Plus when you're dealing with multiple meds you're adding more variables and it becomes tons more difficult to figure out what to adjust and in what amounts and how long you should stick with a drug before you give up on it. (I'm going through some of this right now) Second guessing becomes the norm. I also think I responded to one of your other posts and suggested that cognitive therapy is not necessarily a substitute for drugs. Whenever I start verbalizing my desire to take myself off meds my therapist reminds me that it is far more difficult to make constructive progress in therapy when you're unstable emotionally. It's tougher for the therapist to deal with you, because so much therapy time is eaten up just trying to get yourself to a less instantly volatile place. This has been my very personal experience. I know nothing about the state of your mental health or your drug history - I just think you should give some consideration that quitting out of anger or frustration is not always a great idea. Let us know how it's going. ksvt
poster:ksvt
thread:41985
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