Posted by cybercafe on March 24, 2003, at 20:42:48
In reply to Caution: political rant, posted by missliz on March 24, 2003, at 0:22:11
this is probably an atypical case BUT my father took a medium potency typical antipsychotic (perphenazine/trilafon) for 40 years without any noticeable long term damage (i.e. having to raise dose due to tardive dyskinesia) ...
then a doc threw him on lithium and he got kidney damage which has been a *big* problem for himi have bipolar type II (never been psychotic/manic just hypomanic) and
1) zyprexa seems much better for the body than drugs like valporate or lithium ..
i mean they're toxic... need blood tests... can cause hair loss etc2) i also don't feel sedated (once i get my butt out of bed, ug) - valporate made me feel sedated ... lithium i havn't tried but hear it causes sedation??
3) zyprexa controls my bipolar better than valporate did
hey if i started to get numbness i would be off them in a flash but otherwise they seem quite benign compared to other mood stabilizers
of course i welcome debate -- if there is a better option, let me know and i'll take it
i considered switching to lithium but i don't think it would prevent psychosis as well as zyprexa (i take ritalin and my doc tells me i would get psychosis if i went off 2.5 mg zyprexa)
i also worry about the sedation, polyuria/thirst and tremors people talk about ...
.. but i am desperate for any serotonin i can get my hands on so i would love to take lithium rather than zyprexa if i could (i hear lithium has an antidepressant property due to a blockade of serotonin reuptake transport proteins)i am eternally grateful to anyone who can clarify any misconceptions i have
> I've taken both, and I'd avoid them like the plague. Zyprexa has so many unhealthy to right dangerous side effects "it should never have been approved by the FDA" sez my pdoc.
> Seroquel seems really pleasent at first, but over the course of months it blanks out the deeper more interesting parts of your mind.
> These are drugs for schizophrenia. Shrinks like to throw them at every symptom 'cause it's a quick easy fix for them, and they don't have actually live in the iced down warehoused brain they create. Drug companies make a lot of money off you on these too. Unless you're actively psychotic, I'd question why I was on these drugs.
> Well, I already did that. I'm much better off without APs and with a doc who do the work and medicate me properly. I urge you to question why you need this stuff and make a truly informed desicion.
>
> missliz
poster:cybercafe
thread:211850
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030319/msgs/212323.html