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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 blueberry1 on December 19, 2006, at 19:47:32
Hey Ronaldo, I started adrafinil again today. I've just been so fatigued, drained and depressed. Anyway, I'm only did 75mg twice a day. For most people that would be nothing. But it lifted me from severe depression to moderate depression in about 6 hours. And tonight for the first time in about a week, I got my "evening bounce" back again.
Anyway, in my experience the first day effects become transparent by the second day. But as long as the evening bounce stays with me, at least I will know adrafinil is doing something. And with that low of a dose, and because I am more stabilized now on my lower dose of 1.25mg zyprexa (18 days!) hopefully anxiety or tension won't get in the way. I think I started adrafinil too soon last time after dropping zyprexa down, and I think I started with too high of a dose of adrafinil.
I think adrafinil works better in combo with something else, like low dose zyprexa or low dose ssri, than it does by itself.
And for some people, I think with all drugs less can be more, less can be better.
Anyway, I'm back on adrafinil.
Posted by Phillipa on December 19, 2006, at 20:40:39
In reply to Ronaldo....,Adrafinil, posted by blueberry1 on December 19, 2006, at 19:47:32
Blueberry congrats!!! Do you think the ECT helped it work better also and I'm with you on the less is better. Love Phillipa
Posted by ronaldo on December 20, 2006, at 4:23:23
In reply to Ronaldo....,Adrafinil, posted by blueberry1 on December 19, 2006, at 19:47:32
Hi blueberry,
75 mg - that is 1/4 of a tablet? 1/2 of a tablet a day. And you still felt a positive effect!
The Adrafinil seems to like you. Will you increase the dose today? What times do you take it? For me I think it will be important to take it quite early say 8.00 am and again at 12.00 noon or 1.00 pm to avoid any induced insomnia at night.I am glad you have rediscovered your 'evening bounce' again. I hope it is back for good (permanently). It will be something to look forward to during the day.
What other meds are you using at the moment? Are you bothered with insomnia due to Zyprexa w/d? It worries me. I have been taking some trazodone for sleep. So far I have taken 50 mg per night for two nights and then 100 mg last night. It doesn't help me much with the duration of sleep though it sends me to sleep quite quickly. But it does take away the anxiety in the early hours of the morning. I wake up at 4 am with the trazodone and then I doze and toss and turn until I get up at around 7.30 am.
I also have some amitriptyline 50 mg x 6 tablets. Do you think that will make me sleep, say just one 50 mg at night?
Actually I don't think anything is going to help me to sleep. I am drawn to the conclusion that I will just have to get used to 5 or 6 hours sleep a night. Lots of other people manage on it. Its just a case of getting used to it. I used to enjoy my sleep. Now I will have to learn to enjoy it a bit less.
I'm glad you are holding your own with the Zyprexa at 1.25 mg. How long until you go to Zero? Are you going to do any further taper before you pack it in altogether? Maybe you will stay at the 1.25 mg level to give the Adrafinil some company.
I hope the Adrafinil gives you millenium milage.
....ronaldo
> Hey Ronaldo, I started adrafinil again today. I've just been so fatigued, drained and depressed. Anyway, I'm only did 75mg twice a day. For most people that would be nothing. But it lifted me from severe depression to moderate depression in about 6 hours. And tonight for the first time in about a week, I got my "evening bounce" back again.
>
> Anyway, in my experience the first day effects become transparent by the second day. But as long as the evening bounce stays with me, at least I will know adrafinil is doing something. And with that low of a dose, and because I am more stabilized now on my lower dose of 1.25mg zyprexa (18 days!) hopefully anxiety or tension won't get in the way. I think I started adrafinil too soon last time after dropping zyprexa down, and I think I started with too high of a dose of adrafinil.
>
> I think adrafinil works better in combo with something else, like low dose zyprexa or low dose ssri, than it does by itself.
>
> And for some people, I think with all drugs less can be more, less can be better.
>
> Anyway, I'm back on adrafinil.
Posted by blueberry1 on December 20, 2006, at 4:29:55
In reply to Re: Ronaldo....,Adrafinil » blueberry1, posted by Phillipa on December 19, 2006, at 20:40:39
> Blueberry congrats!!! Do you think the ECT helped it work better also and I'm with you on the less is better. Love Phillipa
ECT absolutely definitely 100% did NOT help anything. Everything is actually worse from it.
And though ultra low dose adrafinil helped me on the first day, I must admit there are probably people on the psych ward at the hospital that are in better shape than I am.
Posted by blueberry1 on December 20, 2006, at 17:01:59
In reply to Re: Ronaldo....,Adrafinil » blueberry1, posted by ronaldo on December 20, 2006, at 4:23:23
HI Ronaldo. Will I increase the adrafinil dose today? I did 75mg bid today. 10am and then 2pm. I might go to 75mg three times a day. I didn't feel adrafinil as much today, but I did feel a vague sense of energy and antianxiety and antidepression all at the same time. Nothing that would move a needle on a meter or anything, at such a low dose, but enough to keep me out of the dark dungeon I've been in for the last week. Adrafinil feels dopaminergic to me.
No problems with sleep at all. Other meds are 1.25mg zyprexa and 150mg st johns wort (lowered from 300mg a few days ago because it wasn't helping and maybe making things worse) and 200mg lithiuim orotate and fish oil. I don't know if I can ever get rid of zyprexa. I'm just going to stay at 1.25mg for a while, maybe go back to 2.5mg, maybe shoot for zero, but I'm just going to feel it out over time and in no hurry.
Things on the backburner are 25mg zoloft which treated me ok last year during a month trial; amisulpride which was excellent 10 years ago and went extremely well with adrafinil, should arrive in 8 to 14 days; tramadol...already have it onhand but I'm scared.
I've had periods of bad sleep, sometimes lasting several months, and it is aweful. I can sure relate to what you are going through. Sooner or later though you will have good sleep again. It is not gone forever.
I don't know if amitriptyline would be good for sleep or not. I imagine its sedating side effects would probably carry over through the next day.
Hey, we're in this fight together. Hang in there.
Posted by Phillipa on December 20, 2006, at 18:50:05
In reply to Re: Ronaldo....,Adrafinil » Phillipa, posted by blueberry1 on December 20, 2006, at 4:29:55
Blueberry but your posts sound different like you feel a lot better? Love Phillipa
Posted by ronaldo on December 21, 2006, at 5:34:23
In reply to Re: Ronaldo....,Adrafinil » blueberry1, posted by Phillipa on December 20, 2006, at 18:50:05
> Blueberry but your posts sound different like you feel a lot better? Love Phillipa
You're right Phillipa. He comes across to me the same way. He sounds happier.
ronaldo
Posted by blueberry1 on December 22, 2006, at 18:36:41
In reply to Re: Ronaldo....,Adrafinil » blueberry1, posted by Phillipa on December 20, 2006, at 18:50:05
> Blueberry but your posts sound different like you feel a lot better? Love Phillipa
I wish! Oh how I wish. Do my posts sound different? I sure feel pretty lousy. I had a major major crash yesterday, tears, crying, thinking of the emergency room, the whole works. Today was a tiny bit better. It felt like a dopamine crash. I reduced st johns wort from 300mg to 150mg and expected to feel something about 3 days later, which indeed I did. You know what's cruel? When a med isn't helping or is making you worse, but when you stop it you crash. Not because the med was doing anything, but because of the sudden drop in neurotransmitter levels.
Adrafinil has helped in a vague way. Day 1 = 75mg bid. Day 2 = 75mg tid. Day 3 = 150mg bid. Day 4 = ??? Someone at work asked if I was ok. I said yeah, why. They said I looked stressed. Maybe I need some xanax.
I usually post in the evenings, when mood is a notch better than any other time of day.
Posted by Phillipa on December 25, 2006, at 22:14:24
In reply to Re: Ronaldo....,Adrafinil » Phillipa, posted by blueberry1 on December 22, 2006, at 18:36:41
Me too. I post at night. Riding my bike sometimes helps. And isn't depression which type? Better in the evening? Love Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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