Posted by Cybele on October 29, 2003, at 9:36:08
I've been posting her a bit for the last couple weeks, but now I really need advice. My primary care doc thinks I may have BP-II rather than previous dx of dysthymia. Reading up on BP-II, it makes a lot more sense, and I am sure my dad had BP-II (always in debt, lots of get-rich quick schemes, never knew a stranger, then many nights sitting home watching TV and complaining of feeling 'blue'). I have never been mildly depressed for 2+ years, which is what dysthymia is defined as. I more likely fit the dx for BP-II or mixed states:
I have a major (atypical) depression about 3 years, except for when I was pregnant or breastfeeding, interestingly enough. I have autoimmune thyroiditis, and my TSH is currently within normal (3.0) on 175 mcg Synthroid. My depressions started at age 13. In between I am fine, and occasionally a bit more than fine. I do know what hypomania is as I had it when I went off Paxil, which I took for 6 weeks 9 years ago and which made me feel much worse (no REM sleep?). I think I may have also experienced hypomania a few times in my life after staying up all night.
After my Paxil trial, I went on Wellbutrin SR and it seemed to help. I had more energy right away and few side-effects. I took it for a year, then went off and was pretty much OK. Then I got married, had kids, and did pretty well for 8 years.
I tried Wellbutrin SR again (150mgx2 off the bat) a year ago, but the irritability was so bad I went off it and started exercising 5x a week, which helped me out of what was really only a minor depression.
Now I am in a major depression (very much like bad ADD, no energy, hyperphagia, panic attacks, agoraphobia), and started on Wellbutrin 3 weeks ago. I did 100mgx2 for two weeks then 150mgx2 this last week. Fortunately, I have had very little irritability (as I told NemoKitty in another post) and am doing great at staying on Weight Watchers. (Need to lose 50 lbs.) However, my depression is, if anything, a little worse. I have less energy than I had before I started. I am more forgetful. I space all kind of stuff out, lose track of time, forget where I put things, can't stay at task (even reading or TV watching) more than a few minutes, flit from room to room getting a little done here, a little done there.
My next doctor's appointment is in a week. She told me 3 weeks ago that if I wasn't feeling better in 4 weeks she wanted me to go on a mood stabilizer "like Depakote." I do not want to take a med that would make me gain more weight, especially as there are alternatives that don't have the weight gain. I am thinking of asking her to try me on Trileptal or Lactimal, plus perhaps 25 mcg of Cytomel (is this really useful or is it pseudoscience?) to get my TSH closer to 1.0 (or increase Synthroid?). Should I continue on the WB since I have not given it a full 6-8 weeks? Why am I MORE tired on WB? It does not make sense.
Any thoughts or input GREATLY appreciated. I've been reading a lot of archived posts over the past week, and I've seen people with similar issues. Does anyone experience mixed state depressions that are like bad ADD? Is there anything that will help with the mild, but uncomfortable, panic attacks I get when depressed? I pretty much avoiding leaving the house unless I have to.
poster:Cybele
thread:274604
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031025/msgs/274604.html