Posted by kid47 on January 15, 2002, at 11:59:43
In reply to Anyone reached the feeling good stage ?, posted by sid on January 15, 2002, at 10:14:53
Howdy. Good question. Over the past several years I have had limited success with meds. On the few occassions I have had a positive result it was an astounding "moment of clarity"! I felt a sense of well being & peace of mind. The darkness was peeled away & things that previously had been so troubling to me suddenly became non-issues. I was motivated & social. I wasn't always exhausted. The ever constant obsession with how I was feeling disappeared. I felt truly connected with myself & the people around me. I could express myself. I could easily make simple decisions that I used to agonize over. I understood the phrase "It's good to be alive." I was interested in stuff. I went out. All this was in a relaxed state of mind. Other than being a bit giddy (but not manic) from finally climbing out of the pit of despair, I was reacting, I believe, as "normal" folks do, to day to day living. But alas. After several days or weeks it all comes CRASHING down again. That is the cruelest part. You get a glimpse of a real life & then you're sucked back into the murky depths. Sorry. Didn't mean to be so dramatic & long-winded. It's just so devastating to realize what I am missing. But I do have hope that someday there will be proper treatment to destroy this demon. Take Care
kid
> Hi all,
> I saw my doc this morning, continuing at 75 mg of Effexor XR for a while longer.
>
> She mentioned that once I "feel good," I will stay on the med(s) at least one more year to avoid relapses once I come off it(them). Problem is, I don't know what it's like to "feel good." I've had dysthymia since I was 13 years old (I think) and anxiety for as long as I can remember, so any improvement over a pretty low baseline is "feeling good" to me.
>
> As a result, I can't imagine how we'll decide that I'm at the right dosage and I need to tough it out one more year. Sometimes I think I complain too much and should live more and ask myself less how it is I am doing today. I also think that if I felt really good, perhaps I would not ask myself how I am doing. I am confused with it all. Any insights? What is it like to "feel good"?
>
> - Sid
poster:kid47
thread:90273
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020110/msgs/90284.html