Posted by GWA on June 19, 2008, at 17:04:38
In reply to My remission, posted by GWA on June 27, 2007, at 8:54:38
Hi everyone,
I actually had some ups and downs since posting that I'd reached remission. After some tweaks, I've now been truly and entirely well for eight months, and thought I ought to correct the listing I originally gave of my working combo.It's now:
90mg UK Nardil in two, not three doses per day; changing the dosing schedule made a huge difference. Taking it at the same times each day is also good, though I'm not obsessive about it.
200mg Lamotrigine/Lamictal
20mcg Liothyronine sodium (T3 thyroid hormone)
200mg 5-HTP
500mg Rhodiola rosea extract, at 3% rosavin
25mg zinc
Adding Bupropion/Wellbutrin actually made me worse after a good initial response. Some time earlier I'd had the same experience with SAMe. In fact I went through many, many supplements, and zinc and 5-HTP were the only ones that helped.
I began taking zinc, lamotrigine and T3 at various times before starting Nardil; each provided a small boost, though for all I know I could get away with giving them up now. Since fixing what works is never a good idea with psych meds, I'd never consider doing so.
I did try removing, separately, 5-HTP and Rhodiola, and the results were bad. 5-HTP seems a simple augmentation for Nardil, while Rhodiola rosea greatly reduces rejection sensitivity. I think RS is generally believed to be untreatable, though Attentional Training Therapy can limit one's rumination over rejection. I can strongly recommend Rhodiola for RS.
Before getting fully well, transcendental meditation, minus its original "spiritual" content, was dramatically effective: within ten seconds of beginning my mood would shoot up. Its benefits only come after about four weeks' effort, though, and I've foolishly let it slip since full recovery.
I hope for each of you that you're doing OK, and if you aren't then, for what it's worth, you have all my sympathy. I got a lot out of lurking here when I was ill.
George
poster:GWA
thread:766152
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080617/msgs/835508.html