Posted by TooDeadForDreamin on November 5, 2003, at 14:17:13
In reply to Re: Maintenance ECT Anyone? , posted by DanielJ on November 5, 2003, at 13:59:18
I have already tried 20+ ADs, several mood stabilizers, various augmentation and combination strategies: all without benefit. I'm no fan of ECT, but at this point the odds of finding the right combination to provide any benefits is a real longshot. So is the ECT + AD option, but at least it holds the promise that for a few days it did work.
> I don't want to talk you out of ECT in case it would work but as far as meds like Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro etc. as with any semi permanent medication, I believe the secret is finding the most effective dosage and adding enough daily to maintain the proper level for yourself. Chopping up the pills is a good idea and experimentation by varying dosage can help you find that level. This may take some time though. Remember ADs like Paxil etc. often cause drowsiness for the first few days or even a couple of weeks before they kick in. When you restarted the Paxil, perhaps the level of it in your system was near zero. Starting it again may have caused drowsiness till it kicked in again. Sometimes drowsiness is a sign of over-medication too. Till it kicks in you may be drowsy/sleepy, when it reaches the point that there is too much in your system you may start to be sleepy again. Taking small amounts (chopped up pills) as you did back then helped to lower the medication level to the most effective point. It sounds like you were almost there, but that is just my opinion. Good Luck!
poster:TooDeadForDreamin
thread:276855
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031105/msgs/276878.html