Posted by JohnX2 on March 19, 2002, at 21:50:10
In reply to Re: Status on my med cocktail- Lithium help!, posted by Jackd on March 19, 2002, at 14:41:26
Hi Jack,Here are a few thoughts...(take them with a mound of salt as always).
Have you gone through a full check up?
The works on your thyroid, etc?I think some doctors seeing this degree of cycling dismissing any other issue may wish to approach the problem with more mood stabilizers and no/little AD if possible. I'm not sure I recall what your primary DX was. If I can remember it was depression with ADD not hyperactive. But those sort of ups and downs in 1 day with one medicine are quite profound. What does your doctor think of this? Maybe the remeron is not the way to go??? What was life like without the Remeron?
Just a thought, maybe bail on the ADs and try something like Lamictal which is an anticonvulsant with antidepressant properties.
Good for bad cycling patterns. Depakote may be helpful add on too (more for mood stabilization/less of an AD).Just wondering, do you feel you have problems with anxiety / problems socializing? Or is your "overactive sympathetic nervous system" more of just a physical nuisance you have learned to deal with.
There are medicines that people use for ADD as add ons for hyperactivity such as Clonidine and potentially Tenex (guanfacine). These would help to calm down a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system. These are alpha-2 agonist medicines. They may have depressant effects. They would be counterproductive to take with something like Remeron which is an alpha-2 antagonist.
To get a wild AD response on a medicine like Wellbutrin or Remeron in 1 day is really "unique". The medicine takes many days to exert its antidepressant effect, so whatever it is doing in 1 day is thought provoking to say the least.
best wishes
John
> The lithium is SOMEWHAT smoothing out the ups and downs, but I am still cycling rapidly (3-5 times a day) since I started the Remeron. The side effects I mentioned aren't a result of the LIthium, it's just something I've noticed more prominently this time around. I have always had a very overactive sympathetic nervous system; i easily blush, my heart goes nuts for stupid reasons. I'm in excellent shape too... Oh, and did I mention I have an irregular heart beat? So here's a more specific line of questioning for you... what meds help regulate NE release? what meds are good for rapid cycling? Are there any that may do both? As for the downward trend, well, what I mean is i am cycling between feeling good and bad, but the overall direction seems worse; as the days pass the good parts seem slightly less good and shorter lived, and the lows seem worse and longer.
poster:JohnX2
thread:98644
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020318/msgs/98916.html