Posted by Elizabeth on August 10, 2001, at 12:39:47
In reply to Re: Update » Elizabeth, posted by Lorraine on August 10, 2001, at 0:21:33
> > That still leaves room for a lot of diversity. "Depression" is a big umbrella.
>
> Too broad an umbrella for drug selection efficacy, but not for CBT--which is how this group is oriented.So it's a self-help CBT group as well as a support group? That's cool. There's a similar group (SMART Recovery) aimed specifically at addictions.
(I remain unconvinced that CBT has any specific effect in depression.)
> > That might be helpful, although once you are at steady state, it shouldn't make much difference at what times you take it.
>
> That should have been the case with Effexor also, but wasn't.Immediate release or XR? The immediate-release formulation can cause quite a roller coaster. Before Effexor XR was available, I remember a lot of people complaining about that.
> >Some people are just sensitive to side effects without having any sort of metabolic quirk.
>
> Wouldn't you then expect that they would not reach a therapeutic dose before having side effects?There's a good chance of that. It's just been my experience that there is wide variability in people's ability to tolerate side effects. And of course, some people are more bothered by particular side effects than others; some are more willing to wait if they believe the side effects will subside with time; etc.
> You're right; it could just be sensitivity to side effects although low doses of some drugs, Effexor and Adderal, did work.
Can you tell me more about what Effexor and Adderall did, and what doses you were on? The effective ranges for both these drugs are quite variable.
> I'll have to see what the break down is of drugs I've quit b/c of side effects and drugs I've abandoned b/c I could only achieve a partial response.
I'd be interested to see the results. :-)
> The CBT people I have seen act more like teachers than therapists.
Yes, exactly. They want to take the human element out of therapy because they're concerned with being "objective" and "scientific." But my experience has been that the human element is the most important (perhaps the *only* important) aspect of talk therapy.
> > > elizabeth, did you get SA as a result of having early onset depression?
> >
> > No, I wouldn't say so.
>
> That's a stroke of luck, I'd say. The other kids didn't know about your depression and your depression didn't make you an odd duck socially?I was an odd duck for other reasons -- I was labelled "highly gifted" when I was very young, I was reading long before most people my age, etc. I did have some social troubles when I was 10 or 11 (that was the time that I think I was depressed but didn't see a doctor or anything for it). I wasn't very interested in hanging out with other kids, so I became very isolated. Mostly I tried to immerse myself in school work as a form of distraction or sublimation.
About pdocs taking vacations: for unknown reasons, a large percentage of pdocs take a big vacation in August. I think they must all be holing up in a hotel in Paris or some kind of psychiatrists-only resort or something. :-)
Klonopin is usually effective for treating antidepressant-induced bruxism, I think. It also might help you sleep.
-elizabeth
poster:Elizabeth
thread:67742
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010809/msgs/74488.html