Posted by Lao Tzu on September 8, 2008, at 6:15:25
Well put on your comments on 9/7/08. The only thing I can say is that the major symptoms can be effectively treated with the RIGHT meds, which means working with an open-minded psychiatrist to stabilize your major symptoms. This means trial and error, which you sound opposed to. First, stabilization with medications, then once that is accomplished, addressing any nutritional deficiencies with certain key supplements. I could be wrong, but I don't think nutritional supplements alone are going to fully address all of your symptoms. The main question is this: Are you willing to put up with the side effects of medications? Are your symptoms so bad that your life is fraught with confusion, anti-social behavior, mood swings, severe anxiety that disrupts your daily life? In other words, it is the degree of your symptoms that is important. Do you think that you can function fairly well WITH your symptoms, that you can "make it" in this life without relying on drugs to help you? Do you strain your mind too much, in other words, do you feel so overstimulated and anxious that you feel that you are just "going through the motions" and not getting any real satisfaction from life? If you can use non-medication therapies to help you adapt, that is definitely recommended. Medication should be a last resort, only for intolerable symptoms that are too out of control. Some non-medication therapies are counseling (talk therapy), music therapy, meditation, exercise, delving into Eastern philosophies (books on Taoism helped me a lot). It is about changing your attitude toward life and about other people, and taking on a more positive, realistic view of yourself and your responsibilities in this life. Many times, a creative outlet is extremely important. Are you highly creative? Do you write, paint, draw, build things, play a musical instrument, etc. Do you like animals? Sometimes caring for a pet is very healing, maybe some tropical fish or a hamster. It is about altering your belief system a bit, and sometimes counseling is very helpful for this as well as delving into philosophy. I especially love books on Taoism, as I mentioned before, because Taoism helps you see the bigger picture of life and it helps you feel less anxious about your own life. But like I said, these are just tools. You might need a little medication to help your worst symptoms. Medications that might help are Provigil, which is very good for energy and motivation. I've been taking it for years. It doesn't seem to have too many side effects, either. Pretty clean medication. Sometimes, mood stabilizers are necessary. One good one is Lamictal, but there are many others out there. Also, a low dose antipsychotic like risperdal might be in order too. It seems to help with anxiety. After I was stabilized on my medications, I then turned to the supplements to address any nutritional deficiences, mostly vitamins and minerals, but also low dose fish oil and borage oil. So the questions to consider are these: Can you function okay with your symptoms and just use non-medication therapies to help you, or do you think you need the meds because you have so many symptoms that really make life a constant struggle? It's all about what would be acceptable to you and what isn't acceptable and needs change. Good luck.
poster:Lao Tzu
thread:850920
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20080612/msgs/850920.html