Posted by dove on November 17, 2000, at 11:56:50
My p-doc added Klonopin to my med cocktail yesterday. He believes it will help smooth out my continued ultra-rapid cycling, smother my panic attacks, soothe my anxieties, and keep my depression above the death-awaiting line.
Current med cocktail:
Adderall (20mgs am, 10mgs noonish, 10mgs early evening)
Amitriptyline (Elavil, 200mgs before bed)
Serzone (Nefazodone, 100mgs am, noon, pm, bedtime)
Neurontin (Gabapentin, 2,400 mgs spread throughout my waking hours)
Klonopin (Clonazepam, 0.5mgs x3 per day (1.5 mg total), dosage to be increased in three weeks)Now, in addition to bringing my meds to a very expensive monthly price, and some significant difficulty remembering when to take what (a very complex med schedule to say the least), I am lacking the knowledge of how the combination of all these meds is really going to interact. Aren't the majority of these meds anticholinergic also? I always thought that everyone was trying to *avoid* anticholinergic meds?
Also, I'm looking for thoughts on panic and anxiety therapies. I've been in cognitive behavioral therapy with absolutely no positive results. Actually, my favorite therapist (the only female p-doc I see) has terminated our relationship and has transferred me to a psychologist who only works with panic and anxiety disorders. I was shocked when she told me, couldn't even speak or respond, which she understood and acknowledged. She explained to me that I was always welcome to return but she didn't feel she had the help that I required, and she didn't want to waste more of my time and money with approaches that just aren't working. Never-the-less, I did dissolve into silent tears at the thought of losing her expertise and rappaport.
So... I've just started panic and anxiety therapy with a new psychologist. It seems pretty intense and I'm pretty scared. I have to meet with the doc once per week, while we work through a handbook called "Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic". I told him my goal is to "live without fear" with regard to going out in public, going to the dentist, riding in cars, ect....
The doc said he doesn't like to work with people on meds because they have a higher rate of relapse due to their reliance on the meds to ultimately save them. He's willing to try and help me, but has given me some uneasy vibes in terms of whether or not this therapy is going to work for me.
The doc mentioned that he has a 90% free of panic attacks rate, and the majority (80-90%) of those were med free. He also responded with surprise when I told him about actually physically fainting during a panic attack.
He is a strong proponent of patient/client education (which is awesome!) and tried to explain to me the "strangeness" of actually fainting during a panic attack; something to do with the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and parasympathetic nervous system which subdues the nervous system??? And how they rarely coincide in a panic attack. Anyone have know what this actually means?
Thanks for everyone's precious time!!!
dove
poster:dove
thread:48972
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/48972.html