Posted by AMenz on June 1, 2001, at 10:02:58
Cam I hear you're a pharmacist. Please can you help with this side effect - tracking down what or what combination may be causing it. Several doctors have kind of ignored it.
My reading comprehension, general ability to solve logical problems, do simple arithmetics have deteriorated on a cocktail of lithium, lorezapam, zoloft and carbomepazine. My cognitive skills deteriorate the higher I go on lithium, eg from 563, to 600 to 675. That's obviously a culprit
But to stop this symtom I went down to 563 lithium and the symptom has not disappeared, only ameliorated.
Unfortunately I'm a rapid cycler and Zoloft (at 100 mg) had to be cut down to 50 to stopped terrible 4-5 days of mixed states which occurred every 2 weeks. The zoloft virtually eliminated social anxiety and made the good periods livable. Now I have to give that up. I am miserable,"stupid", and isolated, and of course unable to work.
I'am too unstable and too stupid to work (I used to be a lawyer in private practice)
I suspect that the lorezapam also has to go. At which point I expect to add to this general dysphoria more anxiety and sleepless ness.
I would be desperate, if I weren't taking this very philosophically after two years of continuous medication changes, sometimes 5 meds in 5 months and 4 psychiatrists.
I'm a bipolar II with disphoric symtpoms being severe irritability when not medicated and serious social anxiety.
I graduated in the top 4% of the class in law school, would have been valedictorian of my high school class, but went to college after my junior year. I had 780 on the verbal in the GRe. Now my IQ (albeit computer tests) tests out between 110 and 120). This I know is a serious decrease and really is too good compared to how I am performing.
This is humiliating for a person like me who after a very early onset of BPII relied on her brains to get through a very stormy adolescence and adulthood.
poster:AMenz
thread:65011
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010530/msgs/65011.html