Posted by JohnL on October 1, 2000, at 7:04:06
In reply to Re: JohnL's med trials?, posted by dj on September 30, 2000, at 9:57:45
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> I've been looking at a few of your postings from the last while and found myself pondering a few things, as I struggle with possibly going back on ADs or...???
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> Are you still pursuing the Dr. Jensen approach? If so how long have you been at it, now and what success are you having? What combo of meds are you taking all together these days and how many others have you tried out? Quite a few from what I recall were there not?
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> How long has it been for you now, expermenting with diffrent meds and how do you keep yourself going, despite the anhedonia, etc? Still having those early morning awakenings by the look of times on this posting and a couple of others...How do you keep yourself together and a sense of faith in moving through the pharm-miasma?? Just thinking about it tires me out...
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> I trust this finds you well!
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> Sante!
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> djDJ,
You ask some good questions. I'll try to answer them.
1) I firmly believe in the Jensen approach, except I believe at least a 2 week trial is needed, not the 5 day trial he pursues. I do agree however that when the perfect med is found, it will work in 5 days usually. But something about Jensen that is understated is that he uses his own method AND conventional psychiatry. If one isn't working, he reverts to the other. Both he and I do not claim anyone will be cured in a short period, but rather superior meds can be identified in short periods and then given longer trials after they are identified. If a med is a superior one for the patient, there will be noticeable improvement in a short time. Other meds could work if given longer time, but they are the inferior ones...not the best match for the patient. The idea of shorter trials is to pinpoint superior matches and to gather clues about the patient's chemistry.
2) Right now my meds include 7.5mgRemeron evening, 25mg Amisulpride a.m., and 5mgProzac. I'm actually doing OK. Anytime Amisulpride is in the mix, I am in pretty good shape.
3) I've been experimenting most of year 2000. Before that it was the usual 8 week trial of this or that. Admittedly I have had some real tough times when me trials went lousy. How do I keep myself going? Well, I think all of us who suffer are stronger than normal. We learn how to endure. Probably the best crutch I have had is my job. I have just enough alone time, and just enough people time, to not be overwhelmed by either.
4) The reason I have early morning awakenings is because I go to bed real early. I usually go to bed between 7:00 or 8:00. So even if I'm awake at 3:00a.m., I've actually had a full night's sleep.I've felt what it's like to be 'normal'. It's wonderful. It's my goal. It's what keeps me going. It's not an elusive dream, but rather something real that I have experienced. It's there. Finding it is the tricky part. I'm not one to give up or settle for second best. I could end my search right now by staying with Amisulpride+Adrafinil. Then my primary concern would be dealing with the impotence I experience. There are a few other avenues I want to explore first.
poster:JohnL
thread:45509
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000926/msgs/45588.html