Posted by Elizabeth on August 7, 2001, at 8:31:56
In reply to Re: Update Lorainne, Elizabeth, et. al., posted by shelliR on August 6, 2001, at 20:35:14
> Tomorrow will be my first day on Parnate. I think I'll take 5mg in the morning and hope for the best.
I hope that works out for you. The sleep problems -- difficulty maintaining sleep at night and drowsiness in the afternoon -- seem to be pretty much universal with MAOIs, unfortunately.
> In the meantime, my pdoc gave me the okay to up my oxycontin (10mg bid to 10mg bid + 10mg prn).
Good! So you don't have to worry about what happens with your therapist.
> And he changed my klonopin to valium.
So Valium works for you for panic attacks? That's weird. How much do you take?
> I really haven't seen any brillance, just more openness to options.
That's better than brilliance, IMO.
> My therapist said on the phone over the weekend that I was exhibiting addictive behavior; I replied that
> I was exhibiting the behavior of someone horribly depressed who is trying to stay alive and *really* doesn't
> want to go into the hospital *again*.I really don't think your therapist is in a position to make value judgments like that.
> I asked my pdoc about a switch to buprenorphine instead of oxycontin because of the less addictive possibility, but
> he didn't think it was worth it. (See I was trying to show my non-addictive behavior. :-) )Jeez. I think he's probably right, although you might try switching to buprenorphine if the OxyContin loses its effect: I think you're less likely to become tolerant to buprenorphine. (I could be wrong about that, of course. I've never even taken oxycodone.)
> So I am still with my therapist (she didn't really believe he'd add more oxy as a prn), and we've agreed not to talk
> about medication.That's probably for the best. Your therapist isn't an MD, is she? (For a while I was in the odd position of seeing an MD therapist and another MD for meds.)
> ... I really wanted to work out attachment issues with her--not
> just switch therapists again and move the attachment to someone else like I always do. Then after attachment, work
> on intimate relationship issues.This stuff is very foreign to me. How does one "work on attachment issues?" (And what are attachment issues, anyway?)
What's your therapist's approach/school of thought, if you know?
> But I do feel a lack of respect for me eminating
> because of the codone/contin and have felt it before regarding several things I've done that she strongly disagrees with.Therapists aren't superhuman. They make judgments and have subjective opinions just like everybody else does.
> And I wondering, Elizabeth if you've gotten any information that is helpful to you re serum levels.
Uh. No, not really. I talked to the doctor who's covering for my pdoc; he said that he would expect a dose of 300 mg/day to result in a serum level of about 200-250 in a normal metaboliser.
> Have you felt anything different yet, since halving your dose? (i.e., not as well?)
Yes; it doesn't seem to be helping as much. I hope that I can find a level that isn't toxic but still works.
> Thanks for letting me write a book here; btw, haven't you guys ever heard of a library.
Your stories are more interesting than most books. :-)
Looking at later posts:
> What's the difference between cylert and concerta?
Cylert is pemoline -- a different drug altogether, not amphetamine-like. Concerta is just a new slow-release formulation of methylphenidate (i.e., Ritalin).
> > I've never tried getting medication from outside the U.S.
Is that because you'd have to pay out of pocket?
That, and the hassle. A lot of things. If it were something truly distinctive then I might consider it, but just for a different (and possibly less effective) formulation of a drug I can get here? Nah. I have thought about asking my pdoc if he'll show me how to give it to myself IM so that I don't have to do the whole lying down thing in the middle of the day.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:67742
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010804/msgs/73911.html