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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by maxflash5 on July 1, 2003, at 20:33:18
Started medication in February for depression with hypomania. Started with Lexapro and couldn't handle much...side effect of diarrhea and joint aches and poor sleeping with severe neck and jaw muscle tension and wringing twisting fingers. Added Neurontin and then impossible reflux...stopped the neurontin while away in Italy at the start of the war because I couldn't take the GERD. Returned stateside and my psychiatrist dropped me for quitting the neurontin!
Went to a new practitioner and tried to change to small dose of Risperdal and had to quit this quickly for severe dizziness.
Started Fluoxetine with little side effect ...still with muscle tenssion of neck and jaw but not severe...still twisting fingers but not as bad.Still with poor sleeping but more focused. Added Depakote...a little less muscle tension but still it continues. Sleeping remains poor. Through all this impulse eating,buying and spending has increased significantly....(but didn't seem to notice until now as I am taking myself off Depakote! and looking back.)Back to the schedule... we increased Depakote to try for optimum effect....now vivid dreams all night...will not break away from dreams...only to hit snooze and keep going back....thoughts are scattered...sit at green light and ask myself is green a go or stop color?
I have been living for 45 years without meds...now in 5 months I have lost more of my sanity and control by using the very meds prescribed to treat me. Is it worth pursuing??? I have lived with misery and paranoia and all the rest of it...at least I felt more in control...because it was all I ever new.
Posted by Caleb462 on July 1, 2003, at 23:18:16
In reply to Help I am a slave to my meds!, posted by maxflash5 on July 1, 2003, at 20:33:18
> Started medication in February for depression with hypomania. Started with Lexapro and couldn't handle much...side effect of diarrhea and joint aches and poor sleeping with severe neck and jaw muscle tension and wringing twisting fingers. Added Neurontin and then impossible reflux...stopped the neurontin while away in Italy at the start of the war because I couldn't take the GERD. Returned stateside and my psychiatrist dropped me for quitting the neurontin!
> Went to a new practitioner and tried to change to small dose of Risperdal and had to quit this quickly for severe dizziness.
> Started Fluoxetine with little side effect ...still with muscle tenssion of neck and jaw but not severe...still twisting fingers but not as bad.Still with poor sleeping but more focused. Added Depakote...a little less muscle tension but still it continues. Sleeping remains poor. Through all this impulse eating,buying and spending has increased significantly....(but didn't seem to notice until now as I am taking myself off Depakote! and looking back.)Back to the schedule... we increased Depakote to try for optimum effect....now vivid dreams all night...will not break away from dreams...only to hit snooze and keep going back....thoughts are scattered...sit at green light and ask myself is green a go or stop color?
> I have been living for 45 years without meds...now in 5 months I have lost more of my sanity and control by using the very meds prescribed to treat me. Is it worth pursuing??? I have lived with misery and paranoia and all the rest of it...at least I felt more in control...because it was all I ever new.Hmm.. well ask yourself this question. Would you rather continue searching for the right meds and eventually end up with that something that works... or give up and be a slave, not to your meds, but to your condition?
It is tough, many many folks here can attest to that... but atleast when you're on the hunt for meds that work you can have hope.. when you give up, that's it - you give up. It has been close to 2 years since I started on meds, have I found the right combo yet? Nope.. but I'm getting there. Luckily, I haven't had to deal with horrible side effects really. The SSRIs were all very easy on me, cept for perhaps Paxil... The only med I'm having a problem with now is Anafranil (SEVERE sweating, TERRIBLE SEVERE constipation), but it has only been a few weeks since I started it - so I'm keepin faith.
You said you increased the Depakote... recently I assume? If it hasn't been long, give it time... and the vivid dreams will hopefully go away or atleast decrease.
And don't forget there are many other meds you can try to help with hypomania... Lithium of course, and Lamictal, Trileptal, Topamax, etc. Lamictal seems to be a popular choice for many... and Lithium has years and years of use behind it.
Don't give up. Giving up SUCKS. I have wanted to give up many many times in the last couple years, but I refused to and I still do. Why? Because the earth is a beautiful wonderous place, and life is a terrifying, but magical thing.
I'll put it this way... sometimes you have to go through hell, before you get to heaven.
Posted by McPac on July 1, 2003, at 23:42:37
In reply to Help I am a slave to my meds!, posted by maxflash5 on July 1, 2003, at 20:33:18
Max,
FIRST, you need to get yourself stabilized (many mood stabilizers out there, as Brother Caleb mentioned)......give the Depakote some time to work (Lithium is a great choice, by the way)...your sleep, focus, spending, eating should improve as your moods stabilize.......for your muscle tension you can try taking magnesium (I'd take magnesium glycinate OR magnesium malate) AND also calcium (NOT calcium carbonate...calcium citrate is ok, I like calcium hydroxyapatite)---Magnesium and Calcium are calming minerals....LEARN about supplements---fish oil, B-vitamins, vitamin-C, etc., many supp's can help along with your meds....get stabilized first, then LEARN...take care!
Posted by McPac on July 1, 2003, at 23:54:25
In reply to Help I am a slave to my meds!, posted by maxflash5 on July 1, 2003, at 20:33:18
Caleb,
You have helped me so much on this board...I just wanted to say Thank You! Also, I don't recall you saying much about how you've been doing---is OCD your chief problem? I sure do remember my Anafranil days!! It worked great for my ocd (it was THE first drug that did...now, other drugs work very well for that too)....Anafranil gave me s/e's to an extreme---EXTREME sweating (I should have joined a swim team, then it might not have been so noticeable!), TERRIBLE sex/dysfunction, extreme fatigue (that MAY have gotten better over time?).
The ssri's seem to do the trick for me as far as ocd/depression....so far so good w/ my Lexapro...take care!!!!
Posted by Caleb462 on July 2, 2003, at 2:14:01
In reply to Caleb, Re: Help I am a slave to my meds!, posted by McPac on July 1, 2003, at 23:54:25
> Caleb,
> You have helped me so much on this board...I just wanted to say Thank You!Thank you! It's great to hear I've helped. I enjoy your contributions to this board greatly as well. You're a good guy.
>Also, I don't recall you saying much about how you've been doing---is OCD your chief problem? I sure do remember my Anafranil days!! It worked great for my ocd (it was THE first drug that did...now, other drugs work very well for that too)....
Well, OCD is my longest-lasting problem, I suppose that and general anxiety/social anxiety. In the past couple months, depression was my primary problem. It was really killing me... but I was hospitalized (which is where I was prescribed the Anafranil, as well as Seroquel, and a temp. supply of Xanax), and it helped tremendously. I'm now out of the depression, to a large extent, thanks to the combo of hospitalization, new meds, support from family/girlfriend and cognitive therapy. The anxiety is still there though, perhaps not as much. The OCD, I think it may be fading somewhat... though I hesitate to make that assumption. My OCD tends to wax and wane a bit, so it is sometimes hard to tell whether the meds are working, or whether I'm just having a good day. My outlook on life is pretty positive right now though, and that's a good thing. Life is tough, too damn tough, but I'm determined to win this battle.
>Anafranil gave me s/e's to an extreme---EXTREME sweating (I should have joined a swim team, then it might not have been so noticeable!), TERRIBLE sex/dysfunction, extreme fatigue (that MAY have gotten better over time?).
The sweating is pretty bad for me, anorgasmia can also be pretty annoying - but I can still "get there", just takes some work. My main problem though, is constipation... really really bad constipation like I've never experienced before. Pain, blood, the whole works. Hopefully this will pass.
> The ssri's seem to do the trick for me as far as ocd/depression....so far so good w/ my Lexapro...take care!!!!
I found Paxil to be a wonderful drug when I took it a little over a year ago... it gave me AWESOME results as far as social anxiety is concerned. I felt like a new person. It really didn't do much for OCD though. I wasn't depressed at the time, so that wasn't an issue. I ended up upping the dose to 80 mg, to try an combat the OCD... and I just got tired of the side effects... sweating, constipation, and severe sexual problems. It was a mistake I think, getting off the drug. I really wonder whether or not my past year would have been a lot better if I stayed on. Who knows?
Glad to hear the Lexapro is going okay so far... how long has it been? Just a day or two right? I wish you luck.
Sorry if this post was a bit long-winded. I appreciate the kind words and concern. Later.
Posted by maxflash5 on July 2, 2003, at 18:20:19
In reply to Re: Caleb, Re: Help I am a slave to my meds!, posted by Caleb462 on July 2, 2003, at 2:14:01
I know you are right...saw my clinician today after going cold turkey on Depakote and very disorganized....she is starting me on Lamictal.Will hope for the best.
Posted by KimberlyDi on July 3, 2003, at 14:54:10
In reply to Help I am a slave to my meds!, posted by maxflash5 on July 1, 2003, at 20:33:18
Have you seen "As good as it gets"? Jack says to the love of his crazy life, his waitress, that she makes him want to take drugs. He then explains that she makes him want to be a better person (he had OCD). He didn't like taking the meds, but wanted to try again, for her.
Keep trying, for you. You'll find something that works.
Good Luck! Kim
Posted by McPac on July 3, 2003, at 16:14:39
In reply to Re: Caleb, Re: Help I am a slave to my meds!, posted by Caleb462 on July 2, 2003, at 2:14:01
My OCD tends to wax and wane a bit......
....Life is tough, too damn tough, but I'm determined to win this battle.>>>>>>>>>>>>>Yes, the waxing and waning of ocd is the typical nature of that beast...and stress can definitely greatly exacerbate ocd......nowadays (since better meds are out here) my ocd is rarely a problem (when I'm on the right med AND taking enough of the med, that is)......but in the 'old' days, geeeeeeeeeez, bad stressors were like throwing gas on a fire.....
The sweating is pretty bad for me
>>>>>>>>>>>>I never took anything for that (I read there were some possible things to try but I didn't try anything)....what was neat was that I could stay outside when it was 0 degrees (Fahrenheit) for as long as I wanted with NO coat on whatsoever.....everybody else would be literally shaking and the extreme cold didn't phase me in the LEAST....(NOW I'm back to shivering like everybody else, lol)
anorgasmia can also be pretty annoying - but I can still "get there", just takes some work.
>>>>>>>>>>>I've read that gingko biloba, 120-240 mg/day, works for some....other 'possible' things to try, yet, again, I never really tried much for that problem...of course it's often a dose-related issue as well but if you NEED the dosage that also causes the problem, then you're screwed (no pun intended, lol)
My main problem though, is constipation... really really bad constipation like I've never experienced before. Pain, blood, the whole works.
>>>>>>>>>>> Pain, particularly BLOOD....THAT doesn't sound good at all....this 'may' help you---I often get terrible diarrhea from various meds..someone recommended "FiberCon" to me...when reading the label, it talks about it being FOR constipation (even the store pharmacist thought it was only for that)...but this dude told me it works for BOTH diarrhea/const. (actually BOTH dia. AND const. ARE considered forms of constipation).....anyway, I talked to that dude AGAIN and he said, yes, it will work for BOTH....and it DID...better than anything I'd ever taken before....I can't say if it would help you or not but thought I'd mention that (I HAVE talked to others that agree and love it)...I only took it sparingly....DRINK a FULL glass of water w/ EACH dose though! Also, have you tried any dietary changes? Don't know if that might at least help some or not?
I found Paxil to be a wonderful drug when I took it a little over a year ago... it gave me AWESOME results as far as social anxiety is concerned. I felt like a new person. It really didn't do much for OCD though. I wasn't depressed at the time, so that wasn't an issue.
>>>>>>>>>>>One doc I used to have thought that ocd would only come WHILE one was depressed....but you too have felt the ocd even when not depressed, huh?
I ended up upping the dose to 80 mg, to try an combat the OCD... and I just got tired of the side effects... sweating, constipation, and severe sexual problems. It was a mistake I think, getting off the drug.
I really wonder whether or not my past year would have been a lot better if I stayed on. Who knows?
>>>>>>>>>Probably...from my experience, when I'm on the RIGHT meds at the RIGHT dosages, there is NO comparison to when I'm on too low of a dose or not the right med....even if stressors arise, the right med/right dose will AT LEAST 'buffer' or cushion the effect for most ocd'ers....with me, it's like this: right meds/right dose---I'm cool (MUCH better), wrong meds(inneffective)/too low a dose---NOT good.....no meds---I'd be dead (barring a miracle it seems)
Glad to hear the Lexapro is going okay so far... how long has it been? Just a day or two right? I wish you luck.
>>>>>>>Thanks bro! It's been 4 days today....here's one thing...MANY say Lex gives them initial panicky anxious feelings(common) (I felt it day 1 more, a little today, but not really worried, hope it's short term)....but, when I took ONE of my mom's Celexa pills (just ONE) a couple of weeks ago, I just felt a bit tired, more mellow....I know they say Lex is just Celexa MINUS that R-isomer thingy, but I seem to be finding posters here saying that Lex is more activating for them????.....I know it's an 'individual' thing...I just know that I like the mellowing-effect meds over the anxious-effect meds....will have to read more on Lex dosages though and see how I feel to determine titrating up...10 mg/day would be cool but I may need more
Sorry if this post was a bit long-winded. I appreciate the kind words and concern. Later.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>Take Care Caleb! Always nice chatting with you dude!
This is the end of the thread.
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