![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Lainy on July 26, 2003, at 16:08:38
My diagnosis is Adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood. I started Wellbutrin 5 days ago at 100mg 2x daily...will now go to 150mg 2x day as per doc. I also take 3mg of Klonopin (WHICH DOESN'T DO CRAP!)
I NEVER just feel CALM...I guess you could say, normal....like I did years ago. I NEED TO FEEL CALM. This lack of calm is not good for my mind or body.
Any suggestions? Please don't tell me to walk...I already do. Please don't tell me to read, I already do. And oh, I've tried St. John's Wart. I NEED a medication to give me a nice CALM....I'm not talking about a HIGH. Just relaxed and calm.
Posted by linkadge on July 26, 2003, at 16:33:59
In reply to ANYTHING TO 'JUST' FEEL ''''CALM''''??, posted by Lainy on July 26, 2003, at 16:08:38
If you want calm then Wellbutrin is not for you. It is not a good med for anxiety and it's chemical actions are similar to stimulants.
The best med you are going to get for calm is probably an SSRI like paxil or celexa.
Actually If you really want calm get lithium. This stuff will make you calmer than the average person can understand.
But realistically lithium may not be for you. Personally I would try an SSRI like paxil or Celexa.
You could also try magnesium suplements and/or vitamin c supplements as they really do help many.
Magnesium helped me much more than St. John's Wort.
Good LuckLinkadge
Posted by Ame Sans Vie on July 26, 2003, at 18:19:43
In reply to Re: ANYTHING TO 'JUST' FEEL ''''CALM''''??, posted by linkadge on July 26, 2003, at 16:33:59
If it's tranquility/peace of mind that you're looking for, then I'd highly recommend a combination of Depakote and either Valium or Tranxene. Depakote is well known for its ability to reduce aggressive behavior, and therefore it's not surprising that it's a great mood-stabilizer and calmative. And if the Klonopin isn't working, perhaps one of the two benzodiazepines I listed above would help more. Though I'm sure that if you were on an adequate dose of Klonopin it would work great on its own. Maybe it's time to find a new doctor? One who isn't at all benzophobic?
P.S. Neurontin, though less effective than Depakote in some ways, may be a good alternative as it has a very favorable side effect profile.
Posted by Lainy on July 26, 2003, at 19:46:23
In reply to Re: ANYTHING TO 'JUST' FEEL ''''CALM''''??, posted by linkadge on July 26, 2003, at 16:33:59
I've tried Paxil and Celexa...not good for me, plus too much weight gain.
Posted by worrier on July 26, 2003, at 21:08:07
In reply to ANYTHING TO 'JUST' FEEL ''''CALM''''??, posted by Lainy on July 26, 2003, at 16:08:38
> My diagnosis is Adjustment disorder with mixed anxiety and depressed mood. I started Wellbutrin 5 days ago at 100mg 2x daily...will now go to 150mg 2x day as per doc. I also take 3mg of Klonopin (WHICH DOESN'T DO CRAP!)
>
> I NEVER just feel CALM...I guess you could say, normal....like I did years ago. I NEED TO FEEL CALM. This lack of calm is not good for my mind or body.
>
> Any suggestions? Please don't tell me to walk...I already do. Please don't tell me to read, I already do. And oh, I've tried St. John's Wart. I NEED a medication to give me a nice CALM....I'm not talking about a HIGH. Just relaxed and calm.>Wish I had some answers for you...I don't, but I understand exactly how you feel. I've tried Wellbutrin(caused horrible insomnia),Prozac(made me really weird and disconnected) and Paxil(increased my anxiety/panic so much I ended up in the ER in the midst of a 48 hour long panic attack-too much serotonin) SSRIs are absolutely not an option for me. Right now I take 2mg xanax XR in the a.m. , 2mg of gabitril and .5-1mg of regular xanax p.m. My pdoc wants me to increase the gabitril to 4mg p.m. which I an trying to do, but it makes it really hard to get out of bed in the morning. Note however that I feel sleepy, not calm. I have not felt "calm" or "normal" as you put it, in over a year (since the paxil incident). I hope you don't find this to discouraging...we just have to keep looking for the answer. The xanax xr seems to work better than anything I've tried so far. Can't tell that the gabitril is doing much except the sleepiness. If I hit on something that works I'll let you know. Please do the same. Good luck to you. Worrier.
Posted by Sebastian on July 26, 2003, at 22:03:11
In reply to ANYTHING TO 'JUST' FEEL ''''CALM''''??, posted by Lainy on July 26, 2003, at 16:08:38
Zyprexa will make you very calm, thats the one I used for years, worked very good.
Sebastian
Posted by River1924 on July 27, 2003, at 0:44:49
In reply to Re: ANYTHING TO 'JUST' FEEL ''''CALM''''?? » Lainy, posted by Sebastian on July 26, 2003, at 22:03:11
Wellbutrin is a terrible choice, I think. Did you say in a previous post that your life has fallen to pieces in the last year? If so, grief takes a long time to pass. I know that isn't nice, nor is it what we are led to beleive, nor is it what we want to believe. Regardless, the herbs theanine and lemon balm are a little helpful. I took the old fashioned schizophrenia/anxiety drug stelazine with reminyl (for the brain dead feeling that starts in at about day 7)...the combo worked for me (at least for awhile.) It might give you a breather to sort out your thoughts. I find the newer schizophrenia drugs like zyprexa and seroquel way too sedating but if you can tolerate them. Give it try.
Posted by Viridis on July 27, 2003, at 4:52:45
In reply to ANYTHING TO 'JUST' FEEL ''''CALM''''??, posted by Lainy on July 26, 2003, at 16:08:38
I found that Wellbutrin intensified my anxiety and panic attacks, and caused other major side effects as well. I know others who have had similar experiences, including a friend who thought she was having a heart attack after the first (and only) time she took it. It works well for some people, but has the potential to really increase anxiety and tension. My pdoc says he almost never prescribes it for patients with anxiety disorders because this is such a common result.
As for calming drugs... I find Klonopin very helpful, although apparently it isn't working for you (at least, at the dose your doctor will allow). Xanax is also very effective for me, but I only use it occasionally. I take Neurontin, but only experienced a calming effect the first couple of times I took it; now it does nothing and I'm planning to discontinue it. However, others here have reported a lasting effect, and it's very safe, so would be worth a try.
Strangely, I also find Strattera has a mellowing effect. Like Wellbutrin, it's a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, but supposedly is much "cleaner". I should add that I have ADD, but this drug is also being used off-label as an antidepressant. A nice benefit if you're concerned about weight is that it tends to be a mild appetite suppressant for some people (like me), and I'm not aware of any weight gain issues.
I also find Adderall (a stimulant) has a calming effect for me, but again, I have ADD, so others might react very differently.
As others have mentioned, Depakote and Zyprexa are well known for calming effects, although both are also notorious for weight gain (I haven't tried either). Among the "standard" antidepressants, Serzone seems to have the best reputation for reducing tension (I know two people who have done very well on it, although again, I haven't tried it myself).
Finally, Gabitril is being promoted as an antianxiety drug, and although the reports here have been very mixed, my pdoc says that some of his colleagues have used it with their anxiety patients very successfully. I have a sample pack that I keep intending to try, and will report back once I do.
Good luck!
Posted by worrier on July 28, 2003, at 22:07:07
In reply to Re: ANYTHING TO 'JUST' FEEL ''''CALM''''?? » Lainy, posted by Viridis on July 27, 2003, at 4:52:45
> I found that Wellbutrin intensified my anxiety and panic attacks, and caused other major side effects as well. I know others who have had similar experiences, including a friend who thought she was having a heart attack after the first (and only) time she took it. It works well for some people, but has the potential to really increase anxiety and tension. My pdoc says he almost never prescribes it for patients with anxiety disorders because this is such a common result.
>
> As for calming drugs... I find Klonopin very helpful, although apparently it isn't working for you (at least, at the dose your doctor will allow). Xanax is also very effective for me, but I only use it occasionally. I take Neurontin, but only experienced a calming effect the first couple of times I took it; now it does nothing and I'm planning to discontinue it. However, others here have reported a lasting effect, and it's very safe, so would be worth a try.
>
> Strangely, I also find Strattera has a mellowing effect. Like Wellbutrin, it's a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, but supposedly is much "cleaner". I should add that I have ADD, but this drug is also being used off-label as an antidepressant. A nice benefit if you're concerned about weight is that it tends to be a mild appetite suppressant for some people (like me), and I'm not aware of any weight gain issues.
>
> I also find Adderall (a stimulant) has a calming effect for me, but again, I have ADD, so others might react very differently.
>
> As others have mentioned, Depakote and Zyprexa are well known for calming effects, although both are also notorious for weight gain (I haven't tried either). Among the "standard" antidepressants, Serzone seems to have the best reputation for reducing tension (I know two people who have done very well on it, although again, I haven't tried it myself).
>
> Finally, Gabitril is being promoted as an antianxiety drug, and although the reports here have been very mixed, my pdoc says that some of his colleagues have used it with their anxiety patients very successfully. I have a sample pack that I keep intending to try, and will report back once I do.
>
> Good luck!>Viridis, please let me know what you think of the gabitril when/if you try it...from previous posts I know we have very similar reactions to lots of meds....especially the horrible reactions to SSRIs. I started gabitril not quite 3 weeks ago in conjuction with 2mg of xanax xr (I take the xanax in the a.m. and the gabitril at night. Right now I'm just taking 2mg, my pdoc said to increase it to 4mg p.m. after a week, but I found it made me really dopey the next day....he says keep trying so now I'm trying 3mg p.m. I can't say I've noticed much difference except it's really hard to get out of bed in the morning.Oddly it doesn't seem to make me sleepy at night , so I usually add .5-1mg of regular old xanax at night. Will be curious to see if you find it helpful. My pdoc is holding remeron and strattera out as the next things to try (with the xanax) if the gabitril doesn't work. I know you've tried strattera with success (if I remember correctly). What about remeron? Any experience with it? Best wishes to you. Worrier.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.