Posted by Irma on January 20, 2008, at 11:55:55
I've only started medicating w/antidepressants in the past few yrs. but I still do it off and on (couple months at a time) because I hate the side effects (dry mouth & constipation). I'm not totally a basket case when not medicating, just stuck w/dwelling thoughts, unhappiness, some anger ... things that just make me an unpleasant person to me, and what I perceive to be to others as well. Some OCD - evening binge eating, overshopping, concentration probs, etc.
I started meds thru my regular dr, who is currently unavailable to me, and now thru another GP. With old doc, started on Zoloft - bad side effects, switched to a couple others with same results (Paxil, Lexapro). Also used Ativan to control anxiety when marriage breakup was occuring. Finally switched to Wellbutrin XL with better response - still dry mouth, which really bugs me - but no constipation. Also helped me lose weight which probably played a huge role in me "liking" the drug. Again, stopped meds after a few mos. and stopped/started when the "old" me got too hard to deal with. Told old doc this is what I was doing and he said it was ok. I stopped Wellb for several months, old doc became unavailable and recently, when got too weepy and dwelling, went to new doc who prescribed Cymbalta 20. WOW! The first 4 weeks on Cymb were wonderful. The most amazing response was that it TOTALLY stopped my binge eating at night. While I knew that binging was connected to depression, I never imagined that a drug would stop that dead. I hadn't felt that kind of relief EVER. Of course, it didn't last, so after 4-5 weeks, I called doc and asked to increase to 40mg which he ok'd. Side effects elevated, started getting angrier & more unsettled, and binge eating was back to being bad again. Met w/doc and he said go back to 20 for another 4 wks and we'll see what's what. Suggested after that time, maybe adding low-dose Effexor to Cymbalta to help w/OCD.
Now to the trust/figuring out part ... I have smoked pot pretty much daily for a long time, well over 25 yrs. There have been times I stopped for weeks/months, but it has been my solace at the end of the day. Never smoked any other time of day than relaxing b4 bed. Hmmm ... now as I write this I'm questioning ... pot ... evening binging ... have I just taught myself to binge?? But I do binge without the pot as well and certainly the overshopping is not related to pot. So - back to the pot issue. At one point with the old doc, I finally told him I was a pot smoker. For whatever reason, when I told him, I prefaced that it was "off the record". He made no comment about it at all, which in my mind, meant, well, it can't be horribly bad.
Wen I went to the new doc (only started w/him in Dec), I did not tell him about the pot. I actually was ready to, but as he went thru the routine checklist of problems (allergies, headaches, etc.) - when he got to "use drugs", he was looking at his paper, I said (very quietly) eeeeeh ... and he just continued, kind of answering for me, saying "no" and went on to next question. Now, wouldn't that be something a doc, who's going to prescribe meds that affects your brain, would pay more attention to?? I mean, not just him, but my old doc, who I had gone to for at least 15 yrs. ... ?? So, I'm at the same time, trusting the docs that the pot is no huge deal, and wondering why they don't look at street drug use more critically.
I guess I could go on and on about many aspects of my "problems", but I'll stop here ... I'm interested in any thoughts you have based on what I've already said so far ...
Thanks!(Can I also get this off my chest ... I've been reading these boards for a while now and it drives me nuts to have it keep opening up multiple windows!!! You too??
Also, good thing I copies & saved this post because I wrote it out, then registered (since it said I could post that way), but it never did post, so this is my 3rd attempt ... okay. Done complaining ... your help to my post is appreciated!)
poster:Irma
thread:807913
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20070227/msgs/807913.html