Posted by med_empowered on April 16, 2007, at 1:07:27
In reply to Input: Geodon, Seroquel, Prozac, Xanax XR, Lunesta, posted by CA 2 NJ on April 16, 2007, at 0:20:23
Because..ummm...you have a lot of diagnoses. "Co-morbidity" is popular with shrinks, but your situation strikes me as a little ridiculous. I'm **NOT** saying you don't have issues that need to be attended to, but I am saying that when you have multiple mental illness labels PLUS multiple "Axis II" disorders (the personality disorders), then I think you may need a more skilled clinician--someone who isn't keen on layering labels like crazy. I can't help but think that sort of heavy-handed diagnosing will adversely affect your treatment.
As for you meds, I just don't get why you're on Geodon AND seroquel, if you're also taking Lunesta. Low-dose seroquel like you're taking can help insomnia, but its kind of odd that you're taking it WITH a sleeping pill. If you still can't sleep, it would seem wise to either bump up the Lunesta or trade to another sleeping pill. The other option, I guess, would be to throw out the Lunesta and bump up the seroquel until you're able to sleep, but then the question becomes: why two antipsychotics? At low doses, seroquel is pretty much an antihistamine, so your doc could save $$$ and side effects by just RXing Vistaril or something similar (or, again, bumping up the lunesta or using ambien, sonata, whatever).
Geodon is good for some people. Watch out for akathisia, and be sure to ASK for an "AIMS test" every couple months. Your doc should have told you that Geodon and seroquel can both cause tardive dyskinesia, a movement disorder that can be permanent and is sometimes crippling. If you don't know about this disorder, you should google it to learn more. The "AIMS test" helps uncover any early signs of tardive dyskinesia ("TD"); if you find the signs early, you may be able to reverse the problem by stopping any med(s) that could be causing it. If you don't catch it early, the disorder could be permanent, or could take years to resolve.
The Xanax seems like a good idea if you have a lot of anxiety...does it work well for you? The Prozac...sometimes helps. Antidepressants aren't so great for bipolar disorder or some anxiety disorders, but sometimes they help OCD.
Good luck.
poster:med_empowered
thread:750181
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070413/msgs/750188.html