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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 6040 to 6064 of 10407. Go back in thread:
Posted by Lyrical13 on January 6, 2004, at 20:42:26
In reply to Re: hypomania, posted by kattay on January 6, 2004, at 19:19:40
IMHO...those of us in tx are the normal ones. The rest of the world who are going about acting so crazy (no offense intended if any of you are sensitive to that term..I know sometimes it bothers me)...it's the rest of the world that is so dysfunctional..if they're not bothered by the state of things and this non-stop chaos and hectic pace of today,then what's wrong with them?
Posted by Lyrical13 on January 6, 2004, at 20:52:38
In reply to Re: hypomania, posted by kattay on January 6, 2004, at 19:19:40
How far are you from another area? It sounds like your current doc is confusing you not helping you. If you really have a bad feeling about your pdoc, trust your gut. I just changed pdocs and am so glad that I did. It has made a world of difference. I am in kind of a small town...not tiny..and I was thinking about driving to a doc that was recommended to me who is 45 min away. I don't really want to drive but if a good doc is there that can help me feel better and finally figure out the right med etc. then it's worth it to me. Fortunately before I had to go to the far away doc, I found out about a doc in my hometown who is fairly new to this area and was reportedly very good..the reports were right. He's been great!
Good luck
L13
Posted by kattay on January 6, 2004, at 21:48:03
In reply to pdoc problems, posted by Lyrical13 on January 6, 2004, at 20:52:38
I think i might give the effexor a trial and see what happens. as far as the pdoc goes, well, if the effexor does the trick then i wont have to see him much. I also see a counselor and she's pretty good. i'm actually going to see her tomorrow and we'll see how that goes. i'm going to bring up what the pdoc said. i'll post tomorrow and let ya'll know what came of it.
Posted by Zellie on January 6, 2004, at 22:44:56
In reply to pdoc problems, posted by Lyrical13 on January 6, 2004, at 20:52:38
I agree, with Lyrical13. Kattay, if you have serious reservations about your pdoc, you may wish to consider finding another one. There could be a treasure out there waiting for you.
I saw countless pdocs over the years, and gave up for the longest time on finding one that could help.
The pdoc I now see, whom I very much appreciate, is 45 minutes north of Toronto (I live in the greater Toronto area). It is well worth the drive. I have a friend who now also is going up there to see him.
It can get confusing, finding the right doc. Some docs seem to have conflicting ideas about medications. Some contradict one another outright (I suggested to a friend that she approach her doc about going on Wellbutrin. She is fairly overweight, and didn't want to gain more. Her Mdoc told her she'd put on weight with Wellbutrin, so he put her on Effexor, which he said would not cause her to gain. When she saw a pdoc in the same clinic 2 weeks later, he said the Mdoc should have started her on Wellbutrin, since it is not known for putting on weight! Also, this same Mdoc told her that what I am on, Effexor and Wellbutrin, is fatal!!! Oops! Pinch me...am I really here, or did I die??!)
My pdoc specializes in the disorders I have, and his passion is biochemistry, so he understands exactly what the drug interactions with the body can be.
Having said that, at the same time, because all people are so different in their body chemistry and no two people seem to have exactly the same medication experiences, a lot of the treatment is often trial and error as you journey towards the "optimum" treatment. "Optimum" to me means, most of my debilitating symptoms are under much better control, and I can live with the side-effects I experience.
Bottom line is, educating yourself is key to finding the best doc for you, and the best ("Optimum") treatment(s) for you.
This journey is not for the faint of heart! Mind you, I am addressing a group of people here who are far from that, although we often feel weak and faint. We are perseverers, strengthened and enriched by our experiences and our sufferings. We are stronger in character than we think. We've had to claw and dig for help, for answers, for energy, for hope, for health...which pays off richly by giving us a good, solid fighting spirit underneath the fatigue.
I wish for you to experience some great peace one day, once your symptoms get under control. It is surely to happen, if you do not give up.
Kindest regards,
Zellie> How far are you from another area? It sounds like your current doc is confusing you not helping you. If you really have a bad feeling about your pdoc, trust your gut. I just changed pdocs and am so glad that I did. It has made a world of difference. I am in kind of a small town...not tiny..and I was thinking about driving to a doc that was recommended to me who is 45 min away. I don't really want to drive but if a good doc is there that can help me feel better and finally figure out the right med etc. then it's worth it to me. Fortunately before I had to go to the far away doc, I found out about a doc in my hometown who is fairly new to this area and was reportedly very good..the reports were right. He's been great!
>
> Good luck
> L13
Posted by Zellie on January 6, 2004, at 22:51:10
In reply to Thank you so much for that post-Zellie, posted by Jaynee on January 6, 2004, at 12:52:05
Thank you back! It delights me to know what a help we all are to one another. Is that not the essence of life, when everything else is boiled away? If, by our experiences, each of us can help even one other person, then collectively we will have touched and changed a whole lot of lives on this earth, for the better.
Kindest regards,
Zellie
> Wow, I could really relate to your post. It was very encouraging. So much of what you described really hit home for me. Although effexor's side-effects were just to much for me, I am doing okay on Celexa. I could do better so I will discuss other options with my pdoc.
>
> Thanks again.
Posted by Zellie on January 6, 2004, at 23:05:10
In reply to Re: THANKS.... orig...hypomania » Zellie, posted by Mercedes on January 6, 2004, at 13:03:43
Mercedes:
I hope you find as much success with FlyLady.com as I have! My home is as different as night and day, as I allow her e-mails to prompt and coach me. My pdoc told me to go to her site.
Her technique is to never overwhelm us. She tells us to simply delete whatever e-mails we cannot handle or don't have time for. She reminds us in every e-mail that we are not behind...just jump in wherever you are at!
She also doesn't overwhelm us by saying that today we have to clean the house. Instead, she'll assign us a small task in a particular room, and have us spend often just 15 minutes on the task. By doing lots of different tasks in just 15 minute increments, by George, my house is getting completely decluttered! Dinner is ready at a reasonable time. My fridge is cleaned out and organized...my laundry is done...all my Christmas decorations are put away, the tree down, and the house in order.
Who stole my house? Whoever did, I don't want it back! I much prefer the new one.
Honestly, I never could have begun to accomplish what I have, without her site, and without the meds as well.
By the way, I took her advice to be good to myself by having frequent breaks (once per hour). It really helps me not get depleted.
She is a wise ol' gal.
I have so much to be grateful for.
Thanks for your encouragement!
Kindest regards,
Zellie> Zellie, thanks for your very interesting story. Also, thanks for sharing the flylady.com. I went to the site and already joined. Gosh, I need something to motivate me. I seem to just "think" of what I need to do, and get nothing done.
>
> Thanks again, very inspiring story.
>
> Mercedes
Posted by zinya on January 7, 2004, at 2:41:30
In reply to re: docs and info about meds, posted by Lyrical13 on January 4, 2004, at 7:24:59
If you didn't see this, i thought this might interest almost all of you...
A Doctor's Toxic Shock
By NANETTE GARTRELL
January 4, 2004
NY Times MagazineHow could a psychiatrist in practice for 27 years fail to recognize an anxiety attack? I was interviewing a new patient when the first surge of adrenaline hit, but I couldn't identify the sensation. The patient continued talking about her lifelong struggle with depression. I broke into a sweat and wondered whether I was having a hot flash. I glanced at the clock -- 20 minutes to go. As I summarized the pros and cons of various antidepressants, my voice trembled. Did the patient notice? I felt as if I were disintegrating. I reached for a prescription pad, trying to steady my shaking hand.
I had never been seriously depressed or anxious before. Even after my sister's death and my father's suicide, I hadn't needed drugs to cope. But recently, as a close friend was dying of liver cancer, I began to dread going to work. I felt weighed down by my patients and their pain. I asked myself, Was I in worse shape than they were? My partner Dee, who is also a psychiatrist, suggested an antidepressant. She recommended bupropion, since, unlike some antidepressants, it doesn't cause a sleepy, fuzzy brain. I had prescribed it frequently -- including to patients who were physicians themselves -- with favorable results.
Within 10 days, I developed insomnia, agitation and tremors. I lost the ability to distinguish between sadness and the drug's side effects. When the panic attacks started, I worried I would end up like my father, who took his life after years of anxiety. Initially, I checked in with Dee once each day. Soon I was calling her hourly between patients. I needed every ounce of energy to concentrate at work.
Usually it takes six weeks for antidepressants to work. I developed a new appreciation for patients who quietly and calmly suffer, waiting for their meds to kick in. I was terrified that I might feel worse if I stopped the bupropion or changed drugs. I was determined to stick it out despite my deteriorating physical and mental health; I was following the advice I had given hundreds of patients. I forced myself to eat but still lost 10 pounds. Sometimes I felt paranoid, and I wondered if I was delusional. When I wasn't working, I was curled in a fetal position, contemplating whether I should hospitalize myself.
At last, I called a couple of friends who are psychiatrists. Dee and I couldn't figure out whether the bupropion was helping or hurting, so I asked for their input. Their experience prescribing antidepressants was similar to mine. We had had patients who did poorly on one medication or another, disliked this or that side effect. In most cases, we were able to switch to another medication that worked. I dragged out books and journals and scoured the Internet for information. I knew that 10 percent of patients stopped treatment because of intolerable side effects when bupropion was initially being tested. But nothing I read helped me compare my experience with those of other patients who had quit taking it.
So I called another friend. She put me in touch with a journalist who had taken bupropion after his girlfriend died. He was a former cocaine user, and he told me he couldn't stand how bupropion made him feel. His symptoms were similar to mine. He said it was like coming off a coke high, that he would choose grief any day over bupropion. I found something that connected the dots in a press release about a Stanford study on antidepressant side effects. The researchers had identified a genetic marker that explained why some people couldn't tolerate specific medications. I suspected that I was one of those people.
After four weeks, I had had enough, so I tapered off the bupropion. My symptoms -- the insomnia, lack of appetite, agitation and panic attacks -- continued for three weeks after I took my last tablet. I felt weak for a month, as if I had just recovered from the flu. Yet for some mysterious reason, I haven't been depressed since. I don't quite understand how or why I continued to work through it all. I had convinced myself that I was just one of many physicians who went to work every day, in sickness or in health, upbeat or laid low. I hate to think of how many other people may be suffering similar side effects without knowing the cause of their misery. If finding useful information was so difficult even for a physician like me, how do most people with antidepressant toxicity fare? In my case, a former cocaine user was more helpful than books, journals or even colleagues.
After taking bupropion, I describe potential side effects to my patients in much greater detail. Even though I continue to prescribe it, I'm hypervigilant about any signs of distress. If a patient complains of symptoms similar to mine, I switch meds immediately. In the past, I would have encouraged the patient to stick it out, anticipating that most side effects would eventually pass. I wonder where I'd be now if I had followed my own advice.
Nanette Gartrell is an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco.
Posted by ann72 on January 7, 2004, at 7:39:37
In reply to Re: hypomania, posted by kattay on January 6, 2004, at 19:19:40
your story had inspired me also. I am trying to figure out if i am bpII or what. It seems all the meds Ive taken dont have in the long run. I am taking effexor xr and started because of anxiety issues, now i'm very depressed and even wish i were dead sometimes...i wish i could find the right pdoc and cure for me..i just have to hang in there and so do u.
Posted by Zellie on January 7, 2004, at 7:44:00
In reply to well, well, well: Shrink takes own medicine!, posted by zinya on January 7, 2004, at 2:41:30
Wow! What an encouragement, to see the humility of that physician...her desire to share her very humbling experience. I will copy it and take it to my pdoc, who will super appreciate it. He loves learning about what his patients go through, so he can be even more helpful.
Thanks so much.
Kindest regards,
Zellie
Posted by T_R_D on January 7, 2004, at 11:21:06
In reply to Re: Brain zappage after missing just one day?, posted by Lyrical13 on January 5, 2004, at 4:56:10
> I don't think I've experienced this brain zap that many people have mentioned. What does it feel like?
I describe my experience as my brains feeling like scrambled eggs being thrown against a brick wall. I used to get really bad "jolts" if you will...
Posted by LenoreW on January 7, 2004, at 11:21:17
In reply to Womanly Question, posted by Gummybear on January 4, 2004, at 16:28:01
One thing they know Effexor can do is raise prolactin levels, which I'm guessing could have effects on estrogen and other hormones even if the drug doesn't effect them directly. (I personally think Effexor does effect estrogen directly, based on my own experience with it.)
Posted by KimberlyDi on January 7, 2004, at 11:34:19
In reply to loved the sentence about normal also, posted by Lyrical13 on January 6, 2004, at 20:42:26
did tx mean Texas?
Heck yes, we're the only normal ones! From the wide open spaces to the ever-changing weather, it keeps a person humble.
LOL, Colorado is beautiful also though.
Posted by zinya on January 7, 2004, at 11:51:14
In reply to Re: Womanly Question, posted by LenoreW on January 7, 2004, at 11:21:17
I'm with Lenore here. I've mentioned previously on the board here my own view - sorry i don't know where/how to link to it - but i detailed my own carpal tunnel recurrence on Effexor and the only previous time i had carpal tunnel was 3 yrs ago when my HRT had been totally upended (by insurance companies deciding my form was no longer a "formulary" -- blech! - and obliging me to try a different brand they saw as equivalent -- it WASN"T ...
And in the throes of that experience, i discovered at least some studies that already had linked carpal tunnel to estrogen, studies which had been triggered by seeing the high incidence of carpal T during menopause...
Such things as sweating -- which some of us experienced in buckets on Effexor -- is definitely regulated at least in part by hormones.
I have to say: For at least a decade, i've had little patience with doctors who say "Ohhhh hormones [or whatever] have no connection to ... [fill in the blank]" .... Geez. Wake up to holistic understandings of body processes, mds, not to mention adding in the body-mind connection too.
The adrenal glands are pivotal, manufacturing site for hormones, for obviously adrenalin, and there's no way an impact on production of one adrenal output is not going to affect its production of others... Just narrow-minded poppycock...
It's been a while since i recommended this book here, so perhaps it's timely to do so again. To me, it's a veritable Bible -- or Atlas? -- or encyclo (pick your religious or secular metaphor :) -- of vital such info from a very enlightened woman doctor (from Maine, as i recall) -- This is, imho, a "must-buy" for all women. How's THAT for an endorsement? :)
Christiane Northrup's "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom""
(once more with feeling - i'm trying Dr. Bob's system here to link to amazon but it's saying Amazon doesn't have it. Yet i can see it right on amazon's site - Something's wrong with the amazon link here but anyway it's available, $13 new, $8 used... :))
She's an advocate of naturalistic "solutions" whenever possible, she's a guru on the types and key distinctions of types of estrogen and HRT in general, as well as the pivotal role of the adrenal gland -- which nobody ever learns enough about, imo -- hence my thinking of her again in this context...
Posted by Jaynee on January 7, 2004, at 13:27:46
In reply to Re: hypomania, posted by ann72 on January 7, 2004, at 7:39:37
Ann, have you tried anything other than Effexor? I tried Effexor xr for about 5 weeks, and it made me so incredibly depressed and anxious. I cried for about 4 hours a day on Effexor and I haven't cried in 2 years. I quit the effexor and started back on Celexa and I am doing "way" better.
Maybe effexor isn't working for you?
Posted by melley on January 7, 2004, at 16:54:15
In reply to loved the sentence about normal also, posted by Lyrical13 on January 6, 2004, at 20:42:26
Just thought I'd check back in. I've been off effexor since June. What a difference! I think effexor is truly an evil drug. I am now on lexapro--a nice gentle drug that still leaves you with feelings. I think with effexor affecting two parts of your brain it is no wonder it is a dangerous drug.
Posted by Lyrical13 on January 7, 2004, at 19:45:55
In reply to Re: THANKS.... FlyLady.com » Mercedes, posted by Zellie on January 6, 2004, at 23:05:10
I'm curious about this flylady. I jotted down the website but haven't checked it out yet. I too have tons of clutter to work through. I started on it last spring when I was a bit hypomanic and I started pitching stuff and downsizing and organizing like crazy. But I would like to have a more calm consistent approach to getting to a more orderly organized clutter-free state and maintaining that. I have so much clutter from years of packrat existence that the task of weeding through it is overwhelming at times. I try to break it down into small manageable tasks..and it helps.. the thing is, I really need help on managing things the most during my depressed phases...that's when things really get out of control and I can't find the motivation or brainpower or energy to do anything.
Does it cost to join this site? Does she e-mail you personally or is it kind of a newsletter kind of thing? It sounds very interesting and helpful.
Also, have any of you ever heard of crazy lady organizers? A friend on mine had one...it's like a day planner but it has pages geared more towards managing a household. Very nifty. Also had purses that looked very functional...help to keep things organized without hauling around a suitcase... I looked for them on the web but haven't been able to find them.
ONe more question. Do any of you watch Clean Sweep on TLC? I love that show. It is inspiring me to de-clutter my life and get rid of stuff. It's on weeknights from 6-7pm Eastern and on Saturday nights...I think at 10pm Eastern. I'm not sure when else. It has a carpenter, organizer and interior designer plus a team of workers. They go to a couple's house and help them clean and organize 2 rooms that are just out of control with clutter and mayhem. THey move everything out onto their lawn and they have to sort all the stuff into "KEEP", "TOSS" or "SELL" piles. AFter the couple does the initial sort, the organizer comes out and helps them get the KEEP pile pared down some more. They go to a hotel overnight and usually have some kind of organizing task like sorting their photos into categories or thinning out and organizing their files. The next day they come back and have a yard sale. Whatever doesn't get sold is carted off to charity. Meanwhile, the clean sweep team completely redecorates and organizes the 2 rooms and at the end you get to see the finished rooms. I've gotten a lot of great organizing ideas and also gotten some guidelines on how to weed through all my stuff. I've started taking a clean sweep approach to small areas of my house at a time. I'm slowly building a pile of stuff for a yard sale next summer and pitching a lot of stuff and figuring out how to better organize the stuff I am keeping.
Anyway, I thought that related to the flylady discussion and perhaps could be helpful to some of you.
TTFN as Tigger would say!
L13
Posted by Lyrical13 on January 7, 2004, at 20:02:31
In reply to Re: hypomania, posted by ann72 on January 7, 2004, at 7:39:37
I just thought of something else. I am on 225mg of Effexor XR. At first it was wonderful.. actually for probably 8 or 9 months after I got to a therapeutic level. But then my next cycle of depression hit. That's when I was increased eventually to 225mg but was still having so much trouble. very very depressed and thinking that I just wanted to crawl under a rock and die. I switched docs because my old one kept telling me to "wait" and I was falling apart at work..crying for no particular reason... sobbing and sobbing and I didn't even know why.
My new pdoc told me that for my type of depression where I've tried several different ADs and have even maxed out a couple of them but was still having difficulty one med alone wouldn't do it. He said we needed to augment the Effexor in one of 4 ways (boost its effectiveness):
1. Another AD that worked on a different chemical
2. Thyroid medication
3. Mood stabilizer
4. Atypical API wanted to do thyroid because of very few side effects. But it would take quite a while to get up to a therapeutic level and I was barely hanging on. So I started SEroquel..an atypical AP because it would start working quickly. BAsically, a dose for a schizophrenic or other type of problem APs are prescribed for would be on a dose of 400-500mg. But for augmenting an AD teh max dose would be about 100mg. I started at 25mg. Within about 3 days I was significantly improved. By the end of the first week, I was about 200% better. AFter 2 weeks I increased to 50mg and now I am wonderful. That's my dose now. I made it through the holidays feeling better than I remember feeling since I was a small child. Usually at the end of vacation I feel a little bummed about going back to work. This time I felt perfectly fine...sometimes even cheerful. Still have normal range of emotions. I'm a bit hypomanic now, but I think that's because my true dx is BP2. But the above approach is designed to work for unipolar depression which is what I thought I was for the past 13 years.
HOpe this helps.
L13
Posted by Lyrical13 on January 7, 2004, at 20:04:47
In reply to Re: loved the sentence about normal also » Lyrical13, posted by KimberlyDi on January 7, 2004, at 11:34:19
But I did live in TExas for 12 years... :)
Posted by Lyrical13 on January 7, 2004, at 20:12:26
In reply to Re: Womanly Question, posted by zinya on January 7, 2004, at 11:51:14
Thank you! I've been saying the same thing for a long time! How can it NOT be related? Everything that happens with our bodies impacts other parts of our bodies. I have that book but my sis has it right now. I want to go back to it and read about the adrenal glad because I have always thought that mine must be messed up. I have anxiety and I also have hypoglycemia and the adrenal gland is very much involved in regulating blood sugar. I also have endometriosis and a hx of ovarian cysts. I've always thought that they must be inter-related. Basically my endocrine system is FUBARed.
also, I wonder about your mention of carpal tunnel. I've been having a lot of problems with that lately and also a lot of stiffness in my hands. I thought it was related to how much time I've been spending on the computer...but it doesn't seem like it's incredibly excessive though it could play a part. And I know the ergonomics of my desk are all wrong. I've been trying to compensate...put the keyboard down on the middle drawer, put the mouse down on another pulled out draw with a book on top of the drawer, raise the monitor by putting a couple books under it (good thing I have a lot of books!) But I know it's still not quite right.
Hmmm.. could you elaborate on the Effexor and carpal tunnel angle? Thanks
Posted by Zellie on January 7, 2004, at 20:48:17
In reply to flylady info, posted by Lyrical13 on January 7, 2004, at 19:45:55
Dear Tigger (Lyrical13):
You will LOVE the FlyLady site, based on what you've shared. It is well-paced, sensible, consistent, and wise in its de-cluttering and organizational methods.
It is free! I am already signed up with Yahoo, (which also was free to join), so when I went to sign up for FlyLady, my same password and user name signed me up automatically.
It is way awesome. No, the e-mails are not individualized...but they are sent out daily to all. If there are any that you do not have time to read or do, then you are urged to simply delete them, so you never feel "behind." Although the e-mails are not personalized, it feels as though they are, since they are so pertinent! This woman knows the things that plague we organizationally and motivationally impaired individuals!
Let me know what you think, if you join, once you've worked with it for a few days or for a week or so. For me, it has been such a blessing. My husband loves the changes it is making in my life and in our home. So do I.
Kindest regards,
Zellie
> I'm curious about this flylady. I jotted down the website but haven't checked it out yet. I too have tons of clutter to work through. I started on it last spring when I was a bit hypomanic and I started pitching stuff and downsizing and organizing like crazy. But I would like to have a more calm consistent approach to getting to a more orderly organized clutter-free state and maintaining that. I have so much clutter from years of packrat existence that the task of weeding through it is overwhelming at times. I try to break it down into small manageable tasks..and it helps.. the thing is, I really need help on managing things the most during my depressed phases...that's when things really get out of control and I can't find the motivation or brainpower or energy to do anything.
>
> Does it cost to join this site? Does she e-mail you personally or is it kind of a newsletter kind of thing? It sounds very interesting and helpful.
>
> Also, have any of you ever heard of crazy lady organizers? A friend on mine had one...it's like a day planner but it has pages geared more towards managing a household. Very nifty. Also had purses that looked very functional...help to keep things organized without hauling around a suitcase... I looked for them on the web but haven't been able to find them.
>
> ONe more question. Do any of you watch Clean Sweep on TLC? I love that show. It is inspiring me to de-clutter my life and get rid of stuff. It's on weeknights from 6-7pm Eastern and on Saturday nights...I think at 10pm Eastern. I'm not sure when else. It has a carpenter, organizer and interior designer plus a team of workers. They go to a couple's house and help them clean and organize 2 rooms that are just out of control with clutter and mayhem. THey move everything out onto their lawn and they have to sort all the stuff into "KEEP", "TOSS" or "SELL" piles. AFter the couple does the initial sort, the organizer comes out and helps them get the KEEP pile pared down some more. They go to a hotel overnight and usually have some kind of organizing task like sorting their photos into categories or thinning out and organizing their files. The next day they come back and have a yard sale. Whatever doesn't get sold is carted off to charity. Meanwhile, the clean sweep team completely redecorates and organizes the 2 rooms and at the end you get to see the finished rooms. I've gotten a lot of great organizing ideas and also gotten some guidelines on how to weed through all my stuff. I've started taking a clean sweep approach to small areas of my house at a time. I'm slowly building a pile of stuff for a yard sale next summer and pitching a lot of stuff and figuring out how to better organize the stuff I am keeping.
>
> Anyway, I thought that related to the flylady discussion and perhaps could be helpful to some of you.
>
> TTFN as Tigger would say!
>
> L13
Posted by Zellie on January 7, 2004, at 20:57:40
In reply to effexor and depression, posted by Lyrical13 on January 7, 2004, at 20:02:31
I was soooo happy to read that you are now feeling so much better.
Kindest regards,
Zellie
> I just thought of something else. I am on 225mg of Effexor XR. At first it was wonderful.. actually for probably 8 or 9 months after I got to a therapeutic level. But then my next cycle of depression hit. That's when I was increased eventually to 225mg but was still having so much trouble. very very depressed and thinking that I just wanted to crawl under a rock and die. I switched docs because my old one kept telling me to "wait" and I was falling apart at work..crying for no particular reason... sobbing and sobbing and I didn't even know why.
>
> My new pdoc told me that for my type of depression where I've tried several different ADs and have even maxed out a couple of them but was still having difficulty one med alone wouldn't do it. He said we needed to augment the Effexor in one of 4 ways (boost its effectiveness):
>
> 1. Another AD that worked on a different chemical
> 2. Thyroid medication
> 3. Mood stabilizer
> 4. Atypical AP
>
> I wanted to do thyroid because of very few side effects. But it would take quite a while to get up to a therapeutic level and I was barely hanging on. So I started SEroquel..an atypical AP because it would start working quickly. BAsically, a dose for a schizophrenic or other type of problem APs are prescribed for would be on a dose of 400-500mg. But for augmenting an AD teh max dose would be about 100mg. I started at 25mg. Within about 3 days I was significantly improved. By the end of the first week, I was about 200% better. AFter 2 weeks I increased to 50mg and now I am wonderful. That's my dose now. I made it through the holidays feeling better than I remember feeling since I was a small child. Usually at the end of vacation I feel a little bummed about going back to work. This time I felt perfectly fine...sometimes even cheerful. Still have normal range of emotions. I'm a bit hypomanic now, but I think that's because my true dx is BP2. But the above approach is designed to work for unipolar depression which is what I thought I was for the past 13 years.
>
> HOpe this helps.
>
> L13
Posted by Crazy T on January 7, 2004, at 23:47:55
In reply to Re: Anyone had success on Effexor XR? » jp, posted by dms777smd on November 30, 2003, at 22:44:08
Hi. I just started taking Effexor XR (first 37.5 mg, then 75). It's been three weeks, and I HAVE to take Ativan with it or I am manic. This bothers the hell out of me b/c I don't want to form an addiction to Ativan, and frankly, it barely works, so usually I take more than two to even relax. What should I do?
Posted by Dr. Bob on January 7, 2004, at 23:51:12
In reply to flylady info, posted by Lyrical13 on January 7, 2004, at 19:45:55
> I'm curious about this flylady...
I'd like to redirect follow-ups regarding her to Psycho-Social-Babble. Here's a link:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20031229/msgs/297924.html
Thanks,
Bob
Posted by Dr. Bob on January 8, 2004, at 0:09:05
In reply to Re: Womanly Question, posted by zinya on January 7, 2004, at 11:51:14
> Christiane Northrup's "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom"
>
> (once more with feeling - i'm trying Dr. Bob's system here to link to amazon but it's saying Amazon doesn't have it. Yet i can see it right on amazon's site - Something's wrong with the amazon link here but anyway it's available, $13 new, $8 used... :))Hmm, worked for me... Are you sure you weren't missing one double quote, on the left?
Bob
Posted by Zellie on January 8, 2004, at 8:07:57
In reply to Redirect: flylady info, posted by Dr. Bob on January 7, 2004, at 23:51:12
Hi, L13. Sorry, it should have been Flylady.net (I had said .com previously). Hope this hasn't confused you.I'll post any additional info about Flylady on the site Dr.Bob recommended (psycho-social).
Kindest regards,
Zellie> > I'm curious about this flylady...
>
> I'd like to redirect follow-ups regarding her to Psycho-Social-Babble. Here's a link:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20031229/msgs/297924.html
>
> Thanks,
>
> Bob
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