Posted by hgi698 on July 4, 2007, at 21:30:48
In reply to Re: Confused about Mirapex and Campral, posted by hgi698 on July 4, 2007, at 20:38:14
I don't know your husbands full case, but here's how it could have happened.
Your husband goes in to see a psychiatrist because he's depressed. The psychiatrist gives him a prescription for effexor. Okay so your husband feels better. But suddenly he begins to have insomnia (side effect of ssri's) So the psychiatrist gives him a prescription for ambien. Then afterwards your husband begins to feel tired during the day (side effect of ambien or ssri) so the psychiatrist gives him a prescription for provigil to stay awake. Then your husband says he thinks he has "restless legs" (side effect of ssri or maybe ambien). So your doctor gives him a prescription for mirapex. Then after a med change your husband starts to drink (side effect of mirapex, ambien, effexor or who the hell knows?). Your psychiatrist then gives him campral to combat the drinking. Okay I don't know if this is your husbands exact story, but I hope I have made my point. See how ludicrous this can be.
Maybe your husband didn't even need the effexor in the first place (or whatever his first drug was). Maybe he could have gotten more exercise, eaten omega 3 fatty acids, taken a B vitamin etc. (these things have been proven to help) Psychiatrists can sometimes get carried away. Drugs can be helpful, but there are also lifestyle changes which can also have a beneficial effect.
Alcholism will just make any mental condition much worse. You MUST get your husband off the alcohol as it will definitely worsen any mental issues he has.
Throwing more drugs at a problem does not always work. It can make things worse. If your psychiatrist doesn't understand this then FIND A NEW ONE THAT DOES. Your husband is just trapped in a vicious cycle. Psychiatric drugs that make him drink alcohol, then alcohol exacerbates his problems which make him need more psychiatric drugs.
Remember, doctors are not gods. They don't know everything and they make mistakes.
I think your husband should lower the effexor dose, drop the mirapex and try as hard as he can to quit drinking alcohol. Then get some exercise (preferably jogging). Eat more fish (or omega 3 fatty acids). Take a B-vitamin, drop the effexor altogether if possible. Get cognitive behavioral therapy if he has psychological issues (a regular talk therapist is useless). If he has negative thinking patterns he needs them to be changed. He doesn't need to talk about his problems incessantly. If he still needs an antidepressant then I would ask about wellbutrin. Wellbutrin could replace the provigil. It might also help your husband to stop smoking. Ideally your husband would need no drugs. But try aiming for only one or two.
Increasing serotonin can be good for decreasing depressive feelings like (crying, sadness, hopelessness) but it can also increase addictive behaviors (by decreasing dopamine).
Wellbutrin would take care of the dopamine/norepinephrine. Not many supplements are very effective at raising dopamine naturally.
If your husband was still sad he could take 5-htp (precursor for serotonin sold over the counter), a B vitamin, or omega 3. Omega 3 can effect both dopamine and serotonin, but I found it more serotonergic. Serotonin is much easier to raise by natural methods than dopamine. Just be careful because too much serotonin can lead to addictive behaviors while too little will lead to depression.
Exercise in general can be very good at improving depressive symptoms. Just a warning though, I happen to be a case where exercise makes my mental condition worse, so ANYTHING can happen.
I would have your husband write a journal to document any behavioral changes that occur when he undergoes a med change. Like a detailed one (how many drinks he had, how many times he ate, thoughts, feelings etc.) This could help him determine what is doing what.
poster:hgi698
thread:767011
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070630/msgs/767711.html