Posted by Lou Pilder on September 16, 2013, at 16:35:11
In reply to Lou's response- » Sheilac, posted by Lou Pilder on September 16, 2013, at 16:21:30
> > I have a serious problem with irritability. I don't know if its considered more of a mixed state or just part of the hypomania of BPII. Then, I have the cycles of depression & anxiety.
> >
> > 25 years ago I started with ADs & over years of ups and downs on antidepressants I developed a painful bladder issue so that now I can't even take Prozac, Zoloft or Effexor, without it burning my bladder.
> >
> > Plus, all the ups and downs and crappy side effects with antidepressants, weight gain, sexual side effects, etc.
> >
> > Finally, a pdoc recognized the instability antidepressants were causing in my life and tried other meds. All the mood stabilizers made me depressed (which I was told is their job!), but used in combination with other meds for depression, they helped. I had to stop low dose lithium after I grew thyroid nodules. Trileptal is good, but I have to wear glasses, it ruins my vision.
> >
> > Now, I'm back to trying Geodon, an atypical antipsychotic, even though I'm not (and my doc says I do not exhibit signs of) psychosis. At the low end of 20mg, it can help me sleep, but makes me hypomanic the next day. If I try and take it twice a day I sleep or have to take serious stimulants (Adderall & coffee) to stay awake.
> >
> > I can take a higher dose at night and it seems to keep me normal (no irritability, nice to my husband, no rages, and no daytime hangover). No great bliss that I used to get from ADs, but oh well. Last night was my trial of 80mg and today I feel good. No hypomania. Tonight I'll see if I can drop it to 60mg. I know the lowest effective dose is best. I report back to my shrink in a few weeks.
> >
> > Here's the thing: I'm worried. People are real freaky about the use of atypical antipsychotics if you're not really schizophrenic.
> >
> > Should I be worried about the effects this drug can have on me? Someone suggested trying a super low dose of Abilify instead. Is one AAP REALLY better than another? I took 50mg of Seroquel for years for sleep.
> >
> > I'm sure my shrink would prefer a plain old antidepressant and low dose mood stabilized. But I can't seem to find anything that helps.
> >
> > I question my "label". My old doc that retired said I was "mixed state". Maybe that's where the severe irritability and anger come in, followed by depression & anxiety.
> >
> > So, what are your thoughts on using an AAP for maintenance? Bad plan long term?
> >
> > I wonder about maybe visiting with my husbands neurologist and getting his opinion. I'm sure he'd yank me off AAPs too.
>
> S,
> You wrote,[...should I be worried about the effects this drug can have on me?...].
> I think that if you knew what the drug was, that you could make your own determination as to take this drug or not.(Geodon).
> The drug is composed of chemicals brought together chemically. One of the chemicals is Benzene. Another is a chemical used in insecticides and to kill fungus and to make chemical dyes. Another is a chemical found in organisms that emit light, like the firefly or squid and other animals such as snails and shrimp. I do not know of any studies to see if people taking this drug for years have light being emitted from them, but I always wondered if Debbie Boone was referring to this drug in her song, "You Light up My Life"
> When these drugs get approval, the long-term effects on people are not known until later, after
> many years of thousands of people using and reporting adverse responses that could be caused by the drug, including death.
>
So looking at the long-term effects from Geodon, we find death being reported. The numbers disturb me because of the statistical aspect . Here it is:
Lou
http://www.eheathme.com/ds/geodon/death
poster:Lou Pilder
thread:1050768
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130828/msgs/1050792.html