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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tinabarn on August 23, 2001, at 16:06:06
I've tried Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Effexor, Wellbutrin, and now Zoloft and Risperdal. I'm a writer and I'm suffering serious creativity problems. My mind is a blank. I tried skipping a pill (Zoloft) but I had a panic attack and lost my nerve. Writing is more important to me than anything in the world. Can anyone help?
Posted by AVR on August 23, 2001, at 19:47:10
In reply to Zoloft and Creativity, posted by tinabarn on August 23, 2001, at 16:06:06
You should try something other than ssri's. SSRI's create a lot of memory problems. I could never make a conversation on Paxil. I Also wasn't creative at all and I had no emotions either. What are you problems? Have you looked into klonopin/neurontin? They are great for anxiety and panic attacks.
Posted by Mitch on August 23, 2001, at 23:57:32
In reply to Zoloft and Creativity, posted by tinabarn on August 23, 2001, at 16:06:06
> I've tried Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Effexor, Wellbutrin, and now Zoloft and Risperdal. I'm a writer and I'm suffering serious creativity problems. My mind is a blank. I tried skipping a pill (Zoloft) but I had a panic attack and lost my nerve. Writing is more important to me than anything in the world. Can anyone help?
So, you are being treated for panic disorder and the meds are killing your creativity? Well, just being a little incremental here, I would suggest skipping a Risperdal dose and keep taking the Zoloft and see what happens instead. If you don't panic and you "wakeup" then maybe you don't need to take Risperdal.
Mitch
Posted by mickey on August 24, 2001, at 5:30:41
In reply to Zoloft and Creativity, posted by tinabarn on August 23, 2001, at 16:06:06
Tina,
Check August 9th under Art and Depression. I had the same questions as you and you will find several replies there that may be helpful to you.
Mickey
Posted by Zo on August 24, 2001, at 16:21:00
In reply to Zoloft and Creativity, posted by tinabarn on August 23, 2001, at 16:06:06
In that mix, the Paxil jumps out . ..as taking the edge of *too* much. I'm dealing with this all the time: how to be stable and still excited and weird enough to write. I have TLE, and when it's popping, I am like so in the Flow! So far, in 20 years at this, Zyprexa (added to myusual meds, Neurontin, Effexor, benzo at bed, Dexedrine) was THE drug for writing -- For the first time in my life, I was both creative AND could assemble the work as a whole. Then I noticed (!) I'd gained 50 lbs of dangerous abdominal fat. . .Pdoc and I still struggling to find a substitute. Geodon didn't do it.
Anyway, it's tough. I also got too pleasantly zoned out to work on Zoloft. Of course, I am ADD too, and it aggravated that terribly, was bumping into walls.
Given the choice, I'd rather use any benzo than Zoloft, or I would mediate with with Dex or Adderall. . .but I don't know your dx. I understand, though, that for us, wellness is whether or not we can WRITE. Period. And that's what we must insist on, as a yardstick.
Zo
Posted by tinabarn on August 25, 2001, at 9:37:39
In reply to Re: Zoloft and Creativity » tinabarn, posted by Zo on August 24, 2001, at 16:21:00
Thank you all for your thoughtful feedback. I did check out the posts on Art and Depression--thanks Mickey. The drug suggestions were most what I was after--I'll see my doctor Monday and ask him about Klonopin, Dexedrine, etc. I did try Zyprexa but the side effects were so bad I stopped after a day--extreme dizziness and nausea. What Zo said about the standard of wellness being whether or not we can write was true. I've been "happy" on Prozac and Zoloft but underneath the pleasure there's a sense of pointlessness. And eventually leads to noncompliance anyway. Not being on some kind of medication isn't a possibility anymore, so I'll try them all until I find something that works better. Thanks again.
> In that mix, the Paxil jumps out . ..as taking the edge of *too* much. I'm dealing with this all the time: how to be stable and still excited and weird enough to write. I have TLE, and when it's popping, I am like so in the Flow! So far, in 20 years at this, Zyprexa (added to myusual meds, Neurontin, Effexor, benzo at bed, Dexedrine) was THE drug for writing -- For the first time in my life, I was both creative AND could assemble the work as a whole. Then I noticed (!) I'd gained 50 lbs of dangerous abdominal fat. . .Pdoc and I still struggling to find a substitute. Geodon didn't do it.
>
> Anyway, it's tough. I also got too pleasantly zoned out to work on Zoloft. Of course, I am ADD too, and it aggravated that terribly, was bumping into walls.
>
> Given the choice, I'd rather use any benzo than Zoloft, or I would mediate with with Dex or Adderall. . .but I don't know your dx. I understand, though, that for us, wellness is whether or not we can WRITE. Period. And that's what we must insist on, as a yardstick.
>
> Zo
Posted by Zo on August 25, 2001, at 17:44:22
In reply to Re: Zoloft and Creativity » Zo, posted by tinabarn on August 25, 2001, at 9:37:39
What's your dx. . if you don't mind my asking?
The Art thread was interesting. . .but I'd hate to say how much my art depends on the right meds in the right balance. I've worked at therapy twenty years, just as ardently as I've pursued the biochemical end of things. . and the spiritual as well.
And it's come down to meds. For me. While I was on Zyprexa, for the first 6 months of this year, I assembled my novel again, got an editor. . .and since I went off it. . .God, I don't want to discourage anybody, but this is my truth, one person's situation, it has been lying here a few hours of revision, literally, short of going to my agent.
I'm not helpless. I am ill, and I am struggling to put together a med package that works. . .for the umpteenth time. Further complicated by the fact that part of my dx is also where the wonderful writing comes from! Giving up all my "madness". . just isn't in the cards. It would be the same as dead.
Much amiguity, and in the end, we have to chart our own course.
Zo
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