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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by catreu on July 27, 2005, at 23:52:45
I am a 33 year old, 5'5", 138lb. woman. I am married and have 7 children. Yes, 7 and yes they are all bilogically mine. : ) Ages, 13,12,10,8,7, and 14 month old twins. Now on with the problem...
To make a long long story as short as possible..., I am a woman with many medical issues. I am insulin resistant, have low blood pressure, migraines, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, degenerative disc disease in my lower back and neck, fibrocystic breasts, precancerous cervical cells, barretts esophagus and several cysts on my thyroid. I am an endocrine nightmare. I am hypersensitive to basically every medication ever created. If there is a side effect, I have it.
My last pregnancy was with IVF twins and I suffered Severe Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (happens in less that 1% of IVF patients). I had everything that goes with it except a stroke. Lucky me.
I have complained about chest pain and palpitations for the past 3-4 years but recently they have gotten worse. They are more frequent and now hurt, a lot! It feels like someone punches me in the chest. The palpitations take my breath away. I have been to every ER in my immediate area and have had all the test. Stress tests, countless EKG's, tons and tons of blood work and even an angioplasty. They all reveal normal heart function. The last test that has to be run is a Transesophogial Echocardiagram which happens July 29,2005. This will look to see if I have any holes in my heart or valve defects and such things.
My internist has suggested that my problem could be panic attacks. I have to confess, I have considered it myself but my symptoms do not feel made up, they are very very real. I am short of breath, have hot flashes, sweat contiually and have absolutely no energy.
Try managing 14 month old twins while feeling this way, plus 5 older children, a husband and a home.
I consented to taking meds for anxiety. I started taking .25mg of Xanax just before bed. I did help me sleep which was a nice change to the typical 2-3 hours sleep I had been getting per night because of the night sweats. I did notice I didnt have the shortness of breath as much but the chest pain is still there. Due to the highly addictive nature of Xanax, my doctor decided that I should try Anafranil. An antidepressant he assured me would help with anxiety and panic. So dutifully, I filled the prescription for 25mg pills of Anafranil. Last night (7/26/05) at 11:00pm I took only 2 capsules. I only took 2 instead of the reccomended 3 because of my hypersensitivity to most meds. At 1:00am I went to bed. I felt a little light headed but that was a possible harmless side effect that my doctor told me about. At 5:30am I awoke a crazed distressed woman. My usually low blood pressure (90/60) was 145/94 and my pulse was 170bpm. I thought I was having a heart attack. I broke out in a cold sweat and was clammy and very pale. I was shaking uncontrollably and felt like I was going to vomit. I could hardly breath and was insanely thirsty. I beat my husband into consiousness and made it down stairs to the telephone and called 911. All I could do was lie on the floor and breath and feel like my chest was going to explode and that I was just going to pass out. My poor husband and children were scared to death. By the time the medics arrived I was in and out of conciousness. My BP had dropped to 128/92. Still really high for me though. I got to the hospital, they took blood, hooked me up to monitors ran an ekg, and gave my oxygen.
After several hours of monitoring and 1/2 a liter of fluids, all test came back normal except for my cholesterol. It is 245. I have fought it for the last couple of years. I get it down to 170 or so then it creeps back up again. I know its the excess insulin that causes it. What I need to know is this......
Has anyone ever had this happen to them while on Anafranil? Also, If the half life is 31 hours, how long will it take for this nasty medication to clear my system since I only took the one dose?
I just feel like I have an incredible hangover.I'm sorry, I know this is an extremely involved post, but I have been looking for answers for so long and I am finding none. I just want to feel normal again. I want to know a day without fatigue, pain, headaches, faintness, dizziness...and the 3 trillion other symptoms that plague my every day life.
Hope someone can help.
Posted by med_empowered on July 28, 2005, at 2:45:06
In reply to Anafranil, posted by catreu on July 27, 2005, at 23:52:45
hey! Give it 5 days-1 week to pretty much clear out. The intense side-effects you experienced are rare, but much more common with tricyclics such as Anafranil than with, say, Zoloft or Celexa. Although I can understand your doc's hesitance to use benzos b/c of the addiction problem, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. 1) Benzos work much better and much faster and in more people when it comes to reducing anxiety, treating panic, inducing sleep, etc. compared to anti-depressants. Some benzos can actually help milder cases of depression (xanax is one of these). 2) There is something of a problem with addiction, but its really overblown...benzos are still a Schedule IV substance, which basically means there is something of a risk of addiction, but the risk is far outweighed by benefits and the amount of oversight needed is pretty small (you can get refills on benzos; schedule II substances, like Dexedrine, cannot be refilled). 3) "Addiction" isnt the same thing as "dependence". Yes, you will become dependent on benzos if you take them for long enough, and you may very well have withdrawal symptoms upon disconituation. That said, antidepressants cause withdrawal symptoms--sometimes severe (some patients, espcially those on Effexor, find themselves UNABLE to stop taking their antidepressant). True "addiction" involves constant drug craving, dose escalation, and is usually associated with illegal activities--like drug dealing, theft, prostitution-- to obtain the desired substance. Like I said, although dependence on benzos is pretty much guaranteed after long-term use, true "addiction" is rare. And finally.. 3) in patients with pre-existing health problems or unusual drug sensitivity, sometimes you have to use potentially addictive substances...its a kind of "the end justifies the means" thing. Example: Some people, with cancer or AIDS, develop severe depression but cannot take antidepressants b/c of side-effects and interaction with other medications. The solution? Using stimulants for depression. Instead of prozac, these patients can be given Ritalin or Dexedrine with pretty good results...addiction/dependence is likely, but it is acceptable in the given situation. Your doc just needs to learn to be flexible.
Posted by catreu on July 28, 2005, at 14:29:47
In reply to Re: Anafranil, posted by med_empowered on July 28, 2005, at 2:45:06
Thanks, I can use all the advice I can get at this point.
Posted by Phillipa on July 28, 2005, at 19:29:56
In reply to Re: Anafranil, posted by catreu on July 28, 2005, at 14:29:47
With all the side effects of AD's I'd stick with a benzo. Fondly,, Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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