Posted by Seeking Peace on June 23, 2007, at 8:45:24
In reply to Re: Emsam » Seeking Peace, posted by Honore on June 22, 2007, at 9:32:03
Spoke with pdoc yesterday and decided to stay off zyprexa unless absolutely necessary. I feel (she agrees) that zyprexa has in past kept me from feeling some emotions, like anger, which is needed for me to deal with certain things at work and to speak up. Maybe it's the anxiety factor leading to anger...I feel different from past not being on zyprexa/welbutrin and I like the "take charge/get angry/speak up" that I feel at moment.
Sleeping pills.. Over the counter doesn't work well for me, very unpredictable, untimely etc. She prescribed Ambien before which i took once (plus ate some bad food so I think had food poisoning too), it reacted very very quickly, I threw up 2x (food poisoning), i was 'out of it' sort of, next 2 days was very 'on air'. So I decided not to take it again. Plus due to my S thoughts maybe it's best I stay away from sleeping pills...esp prescription ones.
Sleep...When I started Emsam, sleep got worse (was sleepless even before due to depression/stress), waking up again and again and again, plus anxiety, heart racy. So I started cutting patch and slowly upped it. helped some with anxiety to do it that way. The sleeping got better, suddenly, in 3rd week. Woke up couple of times only, was able to go back to sleep, would wake up 1-2 hrs before my scheduled time to wake up. not best, but much better and I was ok with it for now. Was still tired etc but i figured it was getting better. Now I'm back to square one.
Why does Emsam seem like a hassle? Even a little change in schedule, forgetting a dose, has left me back to square one it seems with increased anxiety/sleepnessness etc. I'm traveling in a few for 2 1/2 months where my schedule will be totally thrown off. When traveling, due to jet lag, doing things, it's very very hard to have a schedule and I don't know how i"m going to deal with that. In past, welbutrin/zyprexa, I could always adjust, skip, etc as needed to change schedule. Now I can't..i can't understand why if not change of schedule, why i'm back with anxiety/awful sleep, yet again. So it seems like a hassle. I have anxiety even if I eat a little of my favorite swiss cheese (aged I think). have not touched soy stuff...i guess yeast stuff needs to be avoided too??? I'm never sure totally with certain things and that creates anxiety. Was shopping for meds to take when traveling with me (motion sickness, cold/allergies, pain, etc) and it's difficult as there's restrictions on MAOIs and other meds. I always read, but am always having anxiety 'just in case'. I've never had to worry so much on my other medications.
mood changes...not sure how I feel, if I see difference...maybe a little as at least I do certain things, a little more social with my family. Having read here that for most people it suddenly kicks in 6th week, I was hoping for same...just like suddenly sleep got a little better in 3rd week. It's hard to tell at moment how I feel. I have a lot of stress, work stuff, feelings of not being able to control my life, etc, which is life stuff..so is it depression or just life sucks? meds can't do it all.???I don't know..part of me wants to stop the patch, go back to old meds. They didn't always work as I used to still get S and all, but they were best combo for me for several years. I knew what I was like on it, how to adjust it, what side effects i'd have etc (though coming off was difficult). But because I'm traveling, leaving tomorrrow, away from pdoc for 2 1/2 months, i don't want to change things and be on my own etc. sometimes i wish i'd never started this patch :(
Today I decided to cut the patch just a little to lower the dose. This is what i did initially to help with anxiety and since that seems to have creeped back in (plus i had awful sleep last night), maybe that will help?
Questions...
Are there any withdrawal effects coming off of the patch if i decide that?
Anyone else felt zyprexa kept them from feeling certain emotions etc?
Anyone else have experience for what happens on the patch if you go off/change your schedule? If you forget to put it on and remember in a couple of hrs, do you just wait till next day? If you put it on when you remember, do you go back to original schedule next day?I don't know...i'm not very happy at moment due to anxiety..i can't tolerate anxiety
poster:Seeking Peace
thread:764919
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070622/msgs/765182.html