Posted by Johann on May 26, 2007, at 3:04:41
In reply to I've gone from Cloud 9 to hell in a week., posted by F00TBALL on May 26, 2007, at 1:25:22
Mike,
What a story! and what a rollercoaster ride for you. I'm glad you had the ability to tell that idiot of a psychiatrist that you weren't going to submit yourself to his ill-informed arogance.
People don't realize how dangerous and intense serotonin syndrome is, and now you unfortunately have first hand experience.
I know you're in the pit, but I hope there's some room for the reality that you can start Nardil again and get back to where you were.
I'm rooting for you,
Johann
> I was up to 75 MG Nardil and feeling great. It had completely wiped out my depression and helped significantly with my social anxiety. I had started CBT and feeling optimistic that that would further help my anxiety. I also had had my first appointment with a new p-doc and was left with a positive first impression of him.
> I actually thought I was on the verge of beating all of this... LOL!
>
> May 17th, I woke and took my Nardil and Klonopin like normal. I noticed I was out of my Provigil. "Not a big deal. I'll go refill my prescription later today," I thought to myself. I took a shower and started getting dressed. I reached into my sock drawer to take out a pair of socks and felt a large oval-shaped pill. I pulled it out. I didn't have my contacts in yet, so I couldn't see it that clearly but it looked like a Provigil, so without a second thought I popped it my mouth. Worst mistake of my life.
>
> An hour later I was at a job interview at my favorite music store. I really wanted the job and thanks to Nardil, my anxiety was minimal and I thought the interview was going really well!
>
> Then, completely out of the blue, mid-interview, my vision got very strange. Everything was kind of out of focus, as if I was squinting or something. Then I noticed my arms were trembling. I started to have trouble understanding the questions I was being asked as well as following my own trail of thought. "Where am I?" I thought to myself. I remember nothing else about the interview.
>
> Hours later I woke up. Feeling groggy I looked around and noticed I was in a hospital room. Several cords were attached to me and some machine sat next to me. I tried to sit up. "Mike, don't get up," said the nurse. I lay back down and rubbed my face. I noticed there was some tube going down my nostril. I fell back asleep.
>
> I woke up again in the morning. The tube in my nose was gone, but there were still several cords connected to me. My parents and a nurse were in the room. "He's awake," my Dad said.
>
> I learned that I had fallen out of my chair at the record store, and was completely unresponsive, so an ambulance was called. At the hospital I began seizuring so bad, that it took 5 nurses to lie on top of me to keep me still enough in the MRI machine. My blood pressure was sky high, so I was given some sort of medication. I was also having trouble breathing and was hooked up to a ventilator via my nose, because my mouth was clenched so tight, that that was the only option was to shove the tube down my nostril.
>
> I had just survived a horrible case of Serotonin syndrome. "How? I didn't eat anything I wasn't supposed to. I was really careful with the diet!" "We found Zoloft in your blood," the nurse said.
>
> Then it hit me. That oval-shaped pill I found in my sock drawer wasn't a provigil. It was an old Zoloft from several months ago that had accidentally never gotten tossed.
>
> -
>
> I left the hospital later that day. I had to quit Nardil cold turkey in case some Zoloft was still in my body.
> I immediately became extremely depressed and all my anxiety returned. And I had to deal with terrible withdrawal symptoms that caused me to feel nauseous and vomit several times a day, have terrible nightmares every night, and have those God-awful brain zaps, every second of every day.
>
> A week later, May 24th, I had my next p-doc appointment and was very anxious to get back on Nardil. I wondered to myself if I would be able to go right back to 75 MG, or If I would have to start at a low dose and slowly build up all over again, as I sat down on the couch in his office.
>
> "Mike, that was scary. I'm glad you're OK."
> "Thanks"
> "Terrible drugs those MAOIs are. Don't know why the FDA hasn't banned them."
> "Um... actually Nardil worked great for me. I just made a stupid mistake. But it's the type of mistake I absolutely won't make again."
> "Absolutely not. Paxil is a much better option for you. It's much newer and it's actually approved for social anxiety. It will work better then Nardil."
> "I've allready been on 3 SSRIs. They don't work for me."
> "Have you tried Paxil?"
> "No."
> "That's what you're going on next."
> "No. I want to go back on the only drug that's ever helped me."
> "Paxil is better. It's much safer. I've never prescribed an MAOI in my life. They're old and dangerous. They almost killed you."
> "Actually it was Zoloft that almost killed me."
> "I will not prescribe you an MAOI. Is that clear?"
> "You won't prescribe me anything then." I get up and leave, mid-appointment.
>
> Monday, with the help of my family, we're gonna try to find a p-doc who will prescribe Nardil.
>
> So that's where I am right now. No p-doc, no Nardil, major depression and major anxiety. And still the occasional brain zap.
> This may be the lowest point in my life.
> :(
>
>
>
poster:Johann
thread:759593
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070524/msgs/759600.html