Posted by Donna Louise on July 25, 2006, at 20:34:12
In reply to Re: Everyone PLEASE share your ENSAM updates?, posted by jkshrews on May 16, 2006, at 23:56:13
> > I have been posting nearly everyday, they are just coming out all over the board, I guess. I am not real savy on thread starting, ect. I just write after someone wrote something I want to respond to. so there is some stuff there, basically I have been talking about problems with the thing not sticking. And somewhere on here I talked about how I have not had a great two days past. and rambled a bunch of speculation. It is on here somewhere. I have had some rage, and alot of sobbing, basically how I am untreated. I think my happy effexor withdrawal rebound is over and the EMSAM has not kicked in enough to to overcome these particular symptoms, probably i am not getting enough medicine. But I have no trouble sleeping, I am sleeping less hours per night and that is a good thing because I get hypersomnulant. I feel rested and wanting to do more and get out more. But I still feel worn out from the effexor withdrawal so not doing as much as I would if I felt better. I am worried about all this irritability but I am not blaming it on the patch, this is normal unmedicated hell for me. It has only been a week and I do have alot of moments of feeling depression free. Oh, I do take klonopin, I know that helps with the anxiety. I dont know how anxious I would be if I didn't take it. I can say this, I don't feel any more anxious than usual, maybe less, except for the irritablity which I know is anxiety in another one of its entertaining forms.
> > I will post more later. I am having a hard time typing now. I also have alot of real life stuff going on so I can't say this is all endogenous.
> >
> > Donna
>
>
> Donna,
>
> If by your "happy effexor withdrawl rebound" you mean that you had an episode of euphoria (or irritation) after suddenly stopping the Effexor without tapering it down slowly, I think that is usually considered a strong indication that you may have bipolar disorder. It is called a "hypomania," and will often happen after suddenly stopping an antidepressant, if you have bipolar disorder.
>
> Being hypersomnolent is an indication of "atypical depression," and the EMSAM patch should help with that. But many authorities consider atypical depression to be a kind of bipolar disorder, and your mention of irritability might be taken to confirm that somewhat. The EMSAM addresses the depression aspects of the disorder, but not the euphoria/dysphoria (irritabilility) aspect. You might think about trying to get some Lithium to go along with your EMSAM. That may help with the irritability problems. The only way to know is to try it.
>
> jkshrewsHey jkshres,
I don't know how I missed your post to me before but I just now read it. Weird. But not really so weird for me. I aggee with you 100% abou the bipolar symptoms and have talked to the pdoc about it more than once. She seems to think that since I haven't had a period where I couldn't sleep or sleep that much that it rules it out. She doesn't say that exactly, it is an inference since I don't know that she ever says anything that definitive. Its like she leaves all the doors open but I think she didn't think too much about it.She doesn't get hung up finding the right lable like I do. She probably knows better that to get into that kind of discourse with me. She would be participating in my rumination problems. I told her I must take some lamictal for this irritablity thing and she agreed and it has helped so much. But now, alot is differeny in the way I feel so it is way past time for an udate. I have been on 12mg for at least a month, longer probably. And I know longer have all that energy and less need for sleep. I am back to getting 8 hours and a nap midday if I want. I have no more of that irritability or OCD like behavior I was having. I am also having no depression and very little anxiety. I take 1mg klonopin, ..25 in moring and afternoon and .50 at bedtime. I am back up to 400mg provigil. I had dropped it to 100mg during all the speedy irritablity. I have been taking provigil for at least 4 years and I notice a big differenc with a lower dose. It really as an antidepressant and antianxiety effect for me. And the 50mg of lamictal. That seems to be plenty. I had gone to 100mg but only for a few days because my memory got worse and I started dropping things and had a meltdown. So all is good just at 50mg. So for now, I have the best combo I have had since I started pdoc prescribed meds in 1990. I am not numbed out like I was on all the other types of AD's I have taken over the years. I have had to relearn coping skills that I haven't had to use in 16 years.
ok, long post but it has been a long time since I posted. I hope this gives others hope.donna
poster:Donna Louise
thread:640308
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060724/msgs/670495.html