Posted by Noa on February 12, 2002, at 16:11:54
In reply to Re: How does a person handle AD use??, posted by Eloy on February 12, 2002, at 13:34:04
First of all, it is scary when a med poops out after working for a long while. There has got to be fear of the unknown (how far will this go? will a new med or increase in meds actually help? Am I entering a new phase of uncontrollable depression? What kinds of side effects will I have to contend with with new meds or increase in meds? What's next?) as well as fear of the known-all-too-well (previous experience with depression, etc.).
For me, that fear can be a very big deal, maybe even rivaling the depression itself! After being stable for a while, if I have a setback, I tend to feel, "DAMN! Now what? Is this going to be a downward spiral?"
But poop-out does happen. I don't know if you have watched the PBS series "Secret Life of the Brain". In the episode on feeling and thinking int he adult brain, psychologist/patient Lauren Slater talks about how, on the one hand, she is very lucky to have gotten a dozen good years of remission out of Prozac (and we hear her doctor saying that it is unusual for such a serious depression to respond to one med and for so long), but on the other hand, the dose has had to be raised a lot--starting at 10 mg and now up to 80 mg. And she feels sooner or later it will stop working altogether--which she fears, especially now that she has a young child.
The fact that you had a long period of remission is, I think, a good sign that you will be able to get back into remission again. Just need to tweak the med cocktail a bit, maybe.
hang in there.
poster:Noa
thread:93780
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020208/msgs/93891.html