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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SDA on April 8, 2004, at 14:47:39
I am currently being treated with zoloft for depression (which I have a sneeking suspicion is not strictly unipolar). Off and on I seem to get a strange fuzzy sensation near the top of my head. I've seen it described be people around here as like "haveing a head full of cotton", and "have a half filled ballon pushing against the inside of your skull". Both of these descriptions seem to fit my sensations. Very seldomly I go through periods where I get quick, sharp pains in the same areas of my head.
They seem to get worse with less sleep, but sometimes can happen regardless of how rested I am. I'm no stranger to sleep deprivation, but these feeling are completely new to me. Is this a typical symptom of depression? What IS it exactly? Its making it even harder to go about my daily life as a student.
Posted by snapper on April 8, 2004, at 18:44:24
In reply to head fuzziness: what's the deal?, posted by SDA on April 8, 2004, at 14:47:39
SDA, it is hard telling weather it is the zoloft or the depression causing the fuzzy feeling in your head or not , or both> The cotton head and full feeling in the head is very common in depression. I suffer from it everyday. It feels like someone is inside my head just applying pressure to my skull!! If you have been on the Zoloft for a therapeutic amt. of time and are still significantly depressed you might want to ask your doc to switch meds.
Snapper
Posted by SDA on April 8, 2004, at 19:38:08
In reply to Re: head fuzziness: what's the deal?, posted by snapper on April 8, 2004, at 18:44:24
> SDA, it is hard telling weather it is the zoloft or the depression causing the fuzzy feeling in your head or not , or both> The cotton head and full feeling in the head is very common in depression. I suffer from it everyday. It feels like someone is inside my head just applying pressure to my skull!! If you have been on the Zoloft for a therapeutic amt. of time and are still significantly depressed you might want to ask your doc to switch meds.
> SnapperThe fuzziness predates the zoloft. Do you also find that it gets worse with lack of sleep?
Posted by SDA on April 8, 2004, at 19:40:33
In reply to Re: head fuzziness: what's the deal? » snapper, posted by SDA on April 8, 2004, at 19:38:08
One more thing that bothers me: The fuzziness can happen even when I'm not feeling sad at all. Most of the time I just feel mentally and physically ill.
Posted by snapper on April 8, 2004, at 21:36:22
In reply to Re: head fuzziness: what's the deal?, posted by SDA on April 8, 2004, at 19:40:33
SDA, thats the tricky thing about depression, It does'nt discriminate wheather or not you are sad or not sad- I have times that I really feel*good*
from an emotional standpoint,but on a biological and somatic feeling of overall distress my brain just says un uh ! Just because I react to something positive -like a joke or something funny on TV-does'nt mean I am not depressed. I wish this were not the case.Also in regards to your other question. Fuzziness: predating depression...to me I always associated that feeling with impending depression--I often refer to it as a 'tightness' a band around my head etc. It is obviously very different for everyone though!
Do you know how long this fuzziness has been going on> pre Zoloft?
snapper
Posted by SDA on April 8, 2004, at 23:13:26
In reply to Re: head fuzziness: what's the deal?, posted by snapper on April 8, 2004, at 21:36:22
The fuzziness didn't exactly start before the depression (if not then just prior to it kicking into full swing). Its been six months since then. The first time I started Zoloft, the dose was too high (100mg, since I have taken it at 200mg before for OCD). This caused bad agitation, and I stopped after a week. A few months passed, during which the cognitive impairments persisted, while the sadness waxed and waned. I then started Prozac at 10mg. This also caused agitation and anxiety, so it was stopped after about a week. I then finally settled on Zoloft at 25mg, and have gradually built up to 100mg over the course of about 4 weeks. So far I haven't had any bad reactions to it, and it seems to be helping slightly. I do tend to miss doses now and then, which may be delaying the therapeutic effects.
Your responses have been helpful. I was beginning to wonder if I had some kind of brain tumor. Some other odd occurrences have been unexplained vertigo and a weird sort of conscious seizure that I had while trying to fall asleep one night. Lately I?ve also been getting a feeling of weakness and unreality when in social situations, and will occasionally start seeing stars.
Posted by snapper on April 8, 2004, at 23:50:11
In reply to Re: head fuzziness: what's the deal? » snapper, posted by SDA on April 8, 2004, at 23:13:26
SDA, keep in mind that these meds can often times have side effects identical to the problem for which they are being prescribed. The feelings of unreality is most likely an intense anxiety reaction. I am not a big fan of any of the ssri or snri meds out there, but is it possible for you to try a med you have never tried,it sounds like Zoloft has been your mainstay and just is not doing its' job!! whaddya think?
snapper
Posted by Civ on April 9, 2004, at 13:29:11
In reply to Re: head fuzziness: what's the deal?, posted by snapper on April 8, 2004, at 23:50:11
> SDA, keep in mind that these meds can often times have side effects identical to the problem for which they are being prescribed. The feelings of unreality is most likely an intense anxiety reaction. I am not a big fan of any of the ssri or snri meds out there, but is it possible for you to try a med you have never tried,it sounds like Zoloft has been your mainstay and just is not doing its' job!! whaddya think?
> snapper
Hey snapper,What meds do you like? MAOI's? Mood stabilizers?
Posted by snapper on April 9, 2004, at 16:13:46
In reply to Re: head fuzziness: what's the deal? » snapper, posted by Civ on April 9, 2004, at 13:29:11
Hey civ, fwiw, even though I am am minimally medicated right now, I am trying to find meds I can tolerate! I don't like any meds, but unfortunately I still feel compelled to find something that works for me!! Being very treatment resistant is not fun ! While I like the support and exchange of thoughts and ideas and suggestions re what works and what does'nt. I also feel that many people on this board do have a good response to meds and seem to just be whining about what at many times appear to be trivial side effects to meds that are effective for them! I am sorry If my response back to you sounds ambivelent, or curt. But If I, like many others on this board who are truly *treatment resistant* could find a med or combo of meds that would help them feel half way normal - the S/E' profiles would probably seem pretty damn insignificant. I am seriously facing the likely hood that I may have to go through another series of ect treatments. Which happens to be the most effective anti-depressant out there. I know it may sound like I am anti-med, I am not, but like SLS (Scott) said in a recent post; having to deal with significant mental illness day in and day out, really grinds ones tolerance level down!
I have been frequenting this board a lot lately, looking for possible answers and at the same time if I can offer some advice and or constructive comments about what has or has not worked for me in the past then I am going to respond - I do this mainly to give people the truth and my experiences with the variuos 50 or so meds that I have taken in the last 14 years, in an effort to try and help them avoid many of the drug nightmares that I have encountered !!Again I am sorry If my posts and responses sound like I think all meds suck-they don't. I am just trying to get *stable*, and please don't feel like my lengthy response to your original simple question is a personal attack! It is not!-My depression and anxiety levels are just really instense right now and I am sure that that comes through in my posts!!
BTW what meds do you like and what works for you?
snapper
Posted by Civ on April 9, 2004, at 21:15:36
In reply to Re: head fuzziness: what's the deal? civ, posted by snapper on April 9, 2004, at 16:13:46
No offense taken. I was not attacking you either. I too am not a big fan of SSRI's so I was wondering if you liked the MAOI's better.... I've yet to try those.
Posted by snapper on April 9, 2004, at 22:37:01
In reply to Re: head fuzziness: what's the deal?, posted by Civ on April 9, 2004, at 21:15:36
Civ, thanks for responding back. My dep and anxiety are really jacking me up. Hostility,mood swings, SI, irritable you name it. Anyhow, I had a robust response to parnate in 1993 then I stupidly started to drink to help control the hypo-mania that I got from taking it- It worked for 8-10 mos. Then my Depression, anxiety and a pretty incredible amt of *self induced * stress took over and It pooped out. Then in Jan of 1994 I was on Nardil....but I don't know if I gave it enough time to work or I was scared to death of its' potential side effects and I quit or what. Some people swear by It and It is def. worth a try
I just know for fact that most p-docs reserve maoi's for last resort type situations.
let me know what you decide. I happen to be one of those in the last resort situation/positions again and I am vacillating between maoi' or straight for ect again!!
good luck
snapper
Posted by SDA on April 11, 2004, at 20:20:56
In reply to Re: head fuzziness: what's the deal?, posted by snapper on April 9, 2004, at 22:37:01
Well, I've been making an honest effort to get a healthy amount of sleep the past couple of days. So far it seems to have warded off the fuzziness. Is this your experience also? As I said before, I've been much more sleep deprived in the past, but haden't gotten any of these sensations until I became depressed.
Also, does anyone know what causes the fuzzy feelings? Is there actually increased pressure in the skull? I thought a depressed brain shrunk, not expanded.
This is the end of the thread.
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