Posted by SLS on August 11, 2012, at 16:16:39
In reply to Re: ketoconazole, ECT and I just need a support » SLS, posted by Slabicki on August 11, 2012, at 14:59:37
> I appreciate your support, but meds are not the option for me anymore. They stopped working over 10 years ago. I've tried different combinations when they were still partially working.
Ouch. Sorry.
> But with time I've developed the total tolerance to them, it's like a brain desensitization or something.
Yes. That's a good way of looking at what must be some sort of set of persistent compensatory mechanisms that affect drug response. Perhaps this involves changes in the disposition of gene expression. I have also experienced an increased resistence to treatment over the years that are certainly the result of multiple drug exposures. There is also a phenomenon known as "cross-tolerance". Some people respond amazingly well to the SSRI, Paxil, when it is used as a first-line treatment. However, it often poops-out after a few years as tolerance develops. Unfortunately, many people find that they have become tolerant and unresponsive to all SSRIs as the result of this single exposure to Paxil.
> It's also my fault, because when I was on Zoloft,
> I stopped and restarted it a few times.Yes. This is a common story. 20-20 hindsight is difficult to reconcile.
> I didn't know you can't really do that at that time.
No one did. You are not to blame.
> Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you are feeling better and meds are still working for you.
Thanks.
> You even said that you feel better than 10 years ago. And that's good you have benefitted from Prazosin.
I was very surprised that I responded so well to prazosin. It was my doctor's choice that I gave no chance of working. I took it just to humor him.
> So you are able to function o'right right now?
I have not reached a 50% improvement at this point. I'm not convinced that I have plateaued yet. This is a good thing. Despite this, I am still looking to accelerate my rate of recovery. I would like to return to work by next year. I can't do that now. I still have deficits of energy, reading, learning, and remembering. I tried working for a major retail store. I failed to perform on my very first day when I was unable to read and learn during an online training course. I failed the test. I had to leave.
> How is your daily life if you don't mind sharing?
I am able to live independently. I can now leave the house and perform more than one or two tasks per day. Shopping for groceries is no longer a daunting task, and I am able to keep up with paying my bills. I am going out and socializing. I even managed to get myself to sing at a karaoke bar. Reading is easier, and I can get through a few paragraphs before having to stop. My Scientific American subscription is not a total waste of money anymore. I am hoping that I can discipline myself to resume physical exercise soon.
If I do eventually attain remission after having become so tolerant and non-responsive to most drug treatments, how can one be so certain that they cannot match this feat? Obviously, I have no knowledge of your treatment history. I would just hope that there are treatments that you have not yet tried. Perhaps this is not the time for you to pursue them. I encourage you to keep an open mind to all treatment options.
What non-pharmacological treatments are you considering?
ECT
rTMS
tDCS
MST
VNS
DBS
MRI
CBT
DBT
IPTI can't think of any more acronyms right now.
:-)
- ScottSome see things as they are and ask why.
I dream of things that never were and ask why not.- George Bernard Shaw
poster:SLS
thread:1022678
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20120803/msgs/1023047.html