Posted by Sarah T. on March 3, 2005, at 20:56:24
In reply to Re: Sometimes there's no choice » Sarah T., posted by SLS on March 1, 2005, at 7:58:33
Hi SLS. I certainly know what you mean when you describe experiences with MAOIS and TCA's as a tease. I have had that feeling about several antidepressants along the way. There were a few times when that tease or brief glimmer of hope lasted only a few days or weeks. Right now, I am very discouraged about psychopharmacology and most psychiatrists. There are so few really good, "complete" doctors around. You said that you are bipolar. Do you think you are bipolar? I ask because that seems to be a popular diagnosis these days, and I often wonder whether it is over-used by doctors who simply don't know what the heck is going on. I'm particularly wary of the "soft bipolar" diagnosis. Nearly everyone I know, including my domestic pets, has some seasonal variation in energy and mood, but is that a good reason to medicate? And one of my biggest concerns is that so many people are diagnosed based on symptoms that are side effects of the medications they are taking or from which they are withdrawing, rather than on who they are at baseline. On the other hand, once you've been on psychotropic medications for a while, how do we know what "baseline" is anymore?
You asked which stimulants I'd taken. I've been on several different forms of methylphenidate, Adderall and Dexedrine. The worse rebound was from methylphendiate, followed by Adderall. Dexedrine rebound was more tolerable, but I'm uncertain why. Adderall is supposed to have a smoother decline, but it didn't work that way for me.
When I tapered Klonopin, I did so over many weeks, even though I never took that high a dose. I had the orange tablets, which are 0.5mg, I think. I cut the pills in tinier and tinier amounts over a few months. Each time I lowered the dose, I spent at least a week on it, sometimes more. Because I was cutting the pills, and the pills don't cut that well without crumbling, my method was not very precise. I estimated by size as close as I could, and it seemed to work out. I do think that Klonopin is a good drug. In years past, I had tried other anxiolytics, such as Librium, Valium and Ativan. And, as I mentioned a few days ago, when I had those panic attacks, I took Xanax. Of all the benzos I've taken, I think Klonopin is the best and the "most benign." Unfortunately, benzos don't work well for me as sleep aids. If I take a tiny chip of Klonopin on an anxiety-ridden day, it helps. If I take Klonopin at night, I sleep very poorly, and I feel horrid the following day. I know that, like alcohol, benzodiazapines interfere with some stages of sleep and can also impair memory, so I figure that they must be interfering with a sleep stage that is particularly important to me.
I was interested to read that you had been at NIMH. Have you ever considered the Mayo Clinic? I have often wondered about getting treatment there.
I still have hope that the right medicines will be available some day. If only there were more funding and other types of support for mental health research.
poster:Sarah T.
thread:463648
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/wdrawl/20050228/msgs/466224.html