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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 9, 2005, at 0:38:25
i have noticed a lot of people praising atypical antipsychotics as having helped them regain motivation and concentration. could someone give me more details, how it works, and which atypicals will work and at what doses?? i have some 25mg seroquel tabs, not many though; and i also have some risperdal 0.5, i think? would they be of any help?? i have so much trouble with BOTH motivation and concentration, and i can't get my mind off of things that deeply upset me. maintaing focus is intensely difficult. finding words for everything is so frustrating... i barely function at all. always wearing dirty clothes, procrastinating, doing things so slowly or not doing them at all. zyprexa is also available where i live (canada), but i dont believe geodon or abilify are. amisulpride inst either. oh well, if anyone has a lil bit of advice that would be great. :) (i also take 300mg of desipramine at the moment.)
Posted by banga on April 9, 2005, at 11:38:22
In reply to atypical antipsychotics, motivation/concentration?, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 9, 2005, at 0:38:25
Hi,
I have (and currently am) on atypicals with the purpose of helping my obsessive ruminations, so that I can focus more on the outer world...
I was first put on Risperdal in the hospital--before that I would NEVER have thought of taking an AP. Within four days it jolted me out of a deep depression and the rumination stopped. Completely. At first it gave me energy. About two weeks later I started feeling quite tired...
I moved back to the States and went cold turkey off the risperdal and lexapro. I tried it again later on, but it seemed to have lost effectiveness...
I then tried Geodon. This again tool me out of the depression and rumination. I was almost pressed to do things from inside, but in a good way. But two things --the effect seemed to wear off, and with higher doses I had terrible brain fog.
so then I tried Abilify, which I take now. Though it wasnt as good in terms of rumination and motivation, it has helped give me energy and motivation and ruminate a little less.
I know you said you dont have the latter two in Canada. I have not tried seroquel, I understand it can knock you out, it supposedly helps with anxiety though....
So maybe risperdal is worth a try.
The other med that helped me with rumination is Anafranil, a tricyclic.
Posted by Phillipa on April 9, 2005, at 18:12:36
In reply to Re: atypical antipsychotics, motivation/concentration?, posted by banga on April 9, 2005, at 11:38:22
Yes seroquel can knock you out but we're all different. Some like it a lot. What about luvox? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by cache-monkey on April 10, 2005, at 1:27:42
In reply to Re: atypical antipsychotics, motivation/concentration?, posted by banga on April 9, 2005, at 11:38:22
Hey Banga,
I've just started Depakote after bad experiences with Lamictal (anxiety/panic) and Lithium (extreme polyuria). The other option my pdoc gave me was Abilify. I'm not sure the Depakote's going to work out due to sleep issues, although I'm going to give it a fair trial. In the mean time, I wanted to hear about other people's experiences with Abilify.
So... a few questions for you: were anxiety and/or sleep problems a strong symptom of yours without good meds? Did Abilify cause any (extra) difficulties in those areas. Finally, what dosages have you had success with?
Thanks,
cache-monkey> Hi,
> I have (and currently am) on atypicals with the purpose of helping my obsessive ruminations, so that I can focus more on the outer world...
> I was first put on Risperdal in the hospital--before that I would NEVER have thought of taking an AP. Within four days it jolted me out of a deep depression and the rumination stopped. Completely. At first it gave me energy. About two weeks later I started feeling quite tired...
> I moved back to the States and went cold turkey off the risperdal and lexapro. I tried it again later on, but it seemed to have lost effectiveness...
> I then tried Geodon. This again tool me out of the depression and rumination. I was almost pressed to do things from inside, but in a good way. But two things --the effect seemed to wear off, and with higher doses I had terrible brain fog.
> so then I tried Abilify, which I take now. Though it wasnt as good in terms of rumination and motivation, it has helped give me energy and motivation and ruminate a little less.
> I know you said you dont have the latter two in Canada. I have not tried seroquel, I understand it can knock you out, it supposedly helps with anxiety though....
> So maybe risperdal is worth a try.
> The other med that helped me with rumination is Anafranil, a tricyclic.
Posted by anodyne on April 10, 2005, at 7:53:37
In reply to Any anxiety before/after Abilify? » banga, posted by cache-monkey on April 10, 2005, at 1:27:42
Just one person's experience here but I found Abilify to be the worst med I have ever taken with respect to sleep. I was lucky to get 2-3 hours a night for almost two weeks and I was taking Klonopin + Ambien to try and counter the effects. Even after I stopped taking it (after a week) the effect lasted for about another week.
It made me horribly anxious/ detached but I have a feeling this was related to the sleep issue. I probably did not give it a fair trial because of the insomnia factor.
Is the Depakote causing insomnia for you?
Posted by cache-monkey on April 10, 2005, at 13:01:15
In reply to Re: Abilify?...cache-monkey, posted by anodyne on April 10, 2005, at 7:53:37
Dan,
Thanks for posting your experience on Abilify.
With the Depakote, I do seem to be having more trouble falling asleep, although there could be other things going on as well. I seem to feel more energized after dosing (ER version), rather than sedated. And my sleep seems a little more light, dream-filled and fitful. I'm considering moving my dose time to an earlier part of the day to see if that helps. I hope that things will stabilize, though...
~cache-monkey
> Just one person's experience here but I found Abilify to be the worst med I have ever taken with respect to sleep. I was lucky to get 2-3 hours a night for almost two weeks and I was taking Klonopin + Ambien to try and counter the effects. Even after I stopped taking it (after a week) the effect lasted for about another week.
>
> It made me horribly anxious/ detached but I have a feeling this was related to the sleep issue. I probably did not give it a fair trial because of the insomnia factor.
>
> Is the Depakote causing insomnia for you?
Posted by banga on April 10, 2005, at 15:33:31
In reply to Any anxiety before/after Abilify? » banga, posted by cache-monkey on April 10, 2005, at 1:27:42
> So... a few questions for you: were anxiety and/or sleep problems a strong symptom of yours without good meds? Did Abilify cause any (extra) difficulties in those areas. Finally, what dosages have you had success with?
>Hi there!
I have intense generalized anxiety. Highly anxious about nothing, or small things such as people being angry with me,or having done something wrong which proves I am a terrible person, or big things, for that matter...I would ruminate constantly, so much so that I would constantly be off in my own world.My most consistent symptom was waking up with the feeling of fear and doom, for no reason, and it was torure getting out of bed. I would have trouble socializing, fearful of who knows what exactly.
Sometimes when combined with depression, I could not get out of bed at all and would try and sleep the day away. Even trying to coax myself to just get up, not deal with anything--just go for a cup of coffee--I could not do it.
I would have trouble falling asleep, however overall I did not have insomnia--once I fell asleep I would sleep till--well, it used to be Id sleep forver. Now I actually willingly get up at 7.
The Abilify calms, though not stops, the rumination and general feelng of anxiousness. I am considering going up on dose, although earlier it would agitate me when I tried taking more. I highly suspect that it also help the depression immensely...
It is a very activating medication, so it is not too difficult for me to imagine that someone with many physical symptoms with anxiety would do as well. My depression is so lethargy-oriented that the Abilify helps me have energy to do things.
I currently take only 2.5 mg--but I am on two ther medications that act to increase blood levels of Abilify--so I could hazard a guess that the actual amount is closer to 5mg or so, maybe even more.
At one point I was not sure whether the Abilify was helping--when I first started it, because I had also started up other medications that lessen anxiety (Luvox). Yet when I stopped the Ablilify, I experienced three days of agonizing, paralyzing anxiety. When I restarted, it abated.
I am currently on the following:
Abilify 2.5mg
Luvox 50mg
desipramine 75mg
Adderall 40mg
Lamictal 200mgI keep getting tempterd to alter things--drop the Lamictal (but then my cousing had a manic episode, then I thought well maybe a mood stablilizer is good), or something else (is the Luvox doing anything?)...but then I think of that overused saying 'if it aint broke dont fix it...' I wish I had a bit clearer mind, I wish my anxiety were even less, but I am more stable than I have been for five years, I should not play around. As I said, I might just try increasing the Abilify, to see if it helps with that remaining anxiety, but that is all I dare to change....
So that is the picture in detail.
Good luck, if any other questions come up please ask.
Posted by banga on April 10, 2005, at 15:37:00
In reply to Re: Abilify?...cache-monkey, posted by anodyne on April 10, 2005, at 7:53:37
> It made me horribly anxious/ detached but I have a feeling this was related to the sleep issue. I probably did not give it a fair trial because of the insomnia factor.
>
Goes to show how individual all of this is...actually I do think I remember some initial insomnia, and even perhaps a slight increase in anxiety before it decreased, all of that wore off for me.
I take Adderall, Abilify and desipramine--all uually viewed as "activating" and I get to sleep right away and sleep like a baby....
As I said, since it is such an activating drug it is not hard to imagine that it is not for every type of anxiety.
Posted by cache-monkey on April 11, 2005, at 12:10:44
In reply to Re: Any anxiety before/after Abilify?, posted by banga on April 10, 2005, at 15:33:31
Hey,
Thanks for the input. My anxious/mixed state symptoms are actually quite a bit like what you describe. When it's bad I can also sleep for ever, even though I have problems getting to sleep initially. It's interesting to hear that Abilify is actually benefiting you in terms of anxiety and rumination. Many people have the opposite experience.
As far as tweaking your meds: I agree that unless you're getting some funky side effects, why change things if they're working pretty well for now? I'd actually hazard a guess that maybe you're so used to meds/combos that don't work that you're essentially programmed to always be thinking about what to change next. It's hard, but try to enjoy your stability.
Hopefully I'll get there too someday soon...
Best,
cache-monkey> > So... a few questions for you: were anxiety and/or sleep problems a strong symptom of yours without good meds? Did Abilify cause any (extra) difficulties in those areas. Finally, what dosages have you had success with?
> >
>
> Hi there!
> I have intense generalized anxiety. Highly anxious about nothing, or small things such as people being angry with me,or having done something wrong which proves I am a terrible person, or big things, for that matter...I would ruminate constantly, so much so that I would constantly be off in my own world.
>
> My most consistent symptom was waking up with the feeling of fear and doom, for no reason, and it was torure getting out of bed. I would have trouble socializing, fearful of who knows what exactly.
>
> Sometimes when combined with depression, I could not get out of bed at all and would try and sleep the day away. Even trying to coax myself to just get up, not deal with anything--just go for a cup of coffee--I could not do it.
>
> I would have trouble falling asleep, however overall I did not have insomnia--once I fell asleep I would sleep till--well, it used to be Id sleep forver. Now I actually willingly get up at 7.
>
> The Abilify calms, though not stops, the rumination and general feelng of anxiousness. I am considering going up on dose, although earlier it would agitate me when I tried taking more. I highly suspect that it also help the depression immensely...
>
> It is a very activating medication, so it is not too difficult for me to imagine that someone with many physical symptoms with anxiety would do as well. My depression is so lethargy-oriented that the Abilify helps me have energy to do things.
>
> I currently take only 2.5 mg--but I am on two ther medications that act to increase blood levels of Abilify--so I could hazard a guess that the actual amount is closer to 5mg or so, maybe even more.
>
> At one point I was not sure whether the Abilify was helping--when I first started it, because I had also started up other medications that lessen anxiety (Luvox). Yet when I stopped the Ablilify, I experienced three days of agonizing, paralyzing anxiety. When I restarted, it abated.
>
> I am currently on the following:
> Abilify 2.5mg
> Luvox 50mg
> desipramine 75mg
> Adderall 40mg
> Lamictal 200mg
>
> I keep getting tempterd to alter things--drop the Lamictal (but then my cousing had a manic episode, then I thought well maybe a mood stablilizer is good), or something else (is the Luvox doing anything?)...but then I think of that overused saying 'if it aint broke dont fix it...' I wish I had a bit clearer mind, I wish my anxiety were even less, but I am more stable than I have been for five years, I should not play around. As I said, I might just try increasing the Abilify, to see if it helps with that remaining anxiety, but that is all I dare to change....
>
> So that is the picture in detail.
> Good luck, if any other questions come up please ask.
>
>
Posted by banga on April 11, 2005, at 13:25:53
In reply to Re: Any anxiety before/after Abilify? » banga, posted by cache-monkey on April 11, 2005, at 12:10:44
>>I'd actually hazard a guess that maybe you're so used to meds/combos that don't work that you're essentially programmed to always be thinking about what to change next. It's hard, but try to enjoy your stability.
>
> Hopefully I'll get there too someday soon...
>
> Best,
> cache-monkey
I hope you will too! Keep trying, it is worth it!
B.
This is the end of the thread.
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