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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 16, 2007, at 18:25:43
Geodon or Abilify.
Reason- I've gained about a pound or so a week since starting seroquel at 300mg. unacceptable blubber.
Also anxious because I do have a tendency towards having some muscle twitches and tics. Even though a small dose of klonopin will relieve those, I'm not sure that I should be messing around with a med that is more likely to cause akasthesias and dystonias than seroquel.
my current meds
120 mg cymbalta
300mg seroquel
200mg provigil
.5mg klonopin, many daysmy current symptoms
munchies
hedonia (that is, wanting to do fun stuff, rather than work lol)
weight gain
muscle tics, esp in legs and when I'm in trance state, also face.my current dx
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder with Depression and general anxiety (oh, what the hey-hey throw in some panic for some lively CrRuncH!)my desired condition
slender, witty, bright, wonderful. In short, I would like to be Karen_K. (but I want to retain my current husband).thank you all for your helpful suggestions.
(did I mention that I'm really anxious about switching meds? I've never switched meds in my life, I've only added. :( really really scared :'(-Ll
Posted by Phillipa on January 16, 2007, at 21:02:25
In reply to Anxious about replacing Seroquel with, posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 16, 2007, at 18:25:43
Lurpsie I say add more klonopin. That's me. I say no to geodon. Too many people I mail with have bad reactions to it. At least the klonopin is also an anticonvulsant not that you writh around on the floor and no weight gain. Love Phillipa
Posted by blueberry1 on January 17, 2007, at 5:08:45
In reply to Anxious about replacing Seroquel with, posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 16, 2007, at 18:25:43
I agree with Phillipa.
Posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 17, 2007, at 10:56:51
In reply to Anxious about replacing Seroquel with, posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 16, 2007, at 18:25:43
Thank you Phillipa and Blueberry,
I don't think I was very clear for my reasons for being on an anti-psychotic/mood stabilizer.
about 4 mos back, I was having a lot of intrusive thoughts. The world was one big trigger: I would hear an argument, or even raised voices and would be catapulted back to some traumatic childhood incident. Call it a flashback. Most unpleasant. Another variety of intrusive thoughts came in the form of ruminative thoughts about what a loser I am, and how come I can't solve my own problems, why I deserve to be punished. Another form of intrusive thought was that seemingly innocuous scenes from everyday life would seem like a proposal to commit suicide. For example, I would be crossing the street and my mind would automatically leap to the "what if you didn't make it across before that speeding truck passes?" I would open my kitchen cabinet and the food processor would trigger scenes of bloody horror.
My reaction to these thoughts is first to fight them and try to talk reasonably to them (the food processor is our friend, it saves us the trouble of having to use a morter and pestle to make pesto. we LOVE pesto. etc.) Eventually, though I would just be way too edgy to leave my home, or even to walk around in my home (I'd imagine seeing mousies or spiders in all the dark corners). I'd just crawl into bed and wish to die.
Some time later I'd crawl out and emerge in a state of depersonalized feelings and dissociation. I'd walk around as if in a dream for the next few hours or days. Completely spaced out. Not recognizing my face in the mirror, not remembering important conversations. Sometimes I felt so "un-real" that I would pinch myself or worse to "feel" again. I would act strangely around my friends, because I didn't really feel connected to anything that we were talking about. I'd be in this strange kind of hyper state of pretense to be who I *thought* I was. All the while getting more and more scared because I couldn't actually feel who I was, and I didn't know which parts of my identity were relevant.
You can imagine my relief when seroquel took those intrusive thoughts away. I rarely have these dissociated/depersonalized episodes nowadays. When I do, they are not as surreal as previously.
Also, I think the seroquel made my moods more stable, I wouldn't go from crying to laughing hysterically and back to crying again, for example.
Thanks for reading,
-Ll
Posted by Honore on January 17, 2007, at 11:39:58
In reply to why i need anti-psychotic ***suicide triggers***, posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 17, 2007, at 10:56:51
I don't know too much about abilify or geodon, but there's no reason not to try one. You won't necessarily get the same muscle reactions-- or you might. I've read that akathesia is more common with abilify (which is the one that I find interesting--but I know nothing about geodon, so it might also be interesting)-- but again-- not necessarily anything you'd experience.
What does your pdoc say about using the klonopin for the twitches? Does he say at all if there's any problem with their developing further?
Discontinuing one med and starting another one is frustrating and possibly a bit nerve-wracking or uncomfortable, but if the weight gain is unacceptable, then it's worth trying the others. I personally would go for it--
No more Lindts for Lurpsie. At least for a while. A Lindtless Lurpsie: not something one wants to contemplate. :( (or a Lurpsieless Lindt Store :()
{{{Lurpsie}}} -- {Lindst Store}
Honore
Posted by Sebastian on January 17, 2007, at 12:03:12
In reply to Anxious about replacing Seroquel with, posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 16, 2007, at 18:25:43
I would go with Abilify. Thats what I'm taking now. I didn't like geodon, it didn't work well for me. Side-effects of geodon were blury vision. It was more like an anti-depressant for me. But made me a little hard to get along with. Abilify seems to lighten my mood.
Posted by Quintal on January 17, 2007, at 12:22:23
In reply to Anxious about replacing Seroquel with, posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 16, 2007, at 18:25:43
Well Abilify for one is a very different beast to Seroquel being a D2 partial agonist/modulator, so there might be some advantage. I'm just wondering how you'd manage to sleep with all those stimulating meds - more Klonopin? It's something that needs to be addressed since withdrawing from Seroquel alone would likely cause severe insomnia and Abilify can be stimulating as well.
My pdoc says Abilify is good as an antidepressant but seems poor at controlling psychotic symptoms, sometimes provoking them. I had severe akathisia when I tried Abilify so that I went for three days without sleep and actually had some of those derealization/depersonalisation-type experiences you describe by the third day. I also lost my (temporary) job because I was too sick to go to work and too frightened and paranoid to phone in. I don't know much about Geodon but I have read posts from people saying it made them feel more depressed.
I wonder if a stimulant med such as Adderall to replace the Provigil might slow/reduce the weight gain?
Q
Posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 17, 2007, at 13:28:48
In reply to Re: Anxious about replacing Seroquel with » Llurpsie_Noodle, posted by Quintal on January 17, 2007, at 12:22:23
> Well Abilify for one is a very different beast to Seroquel being a D2 partial agonist/modulator, so there might be some advantage. I'm just wondering how you'd manage to sleep with all those stimulating meds - more Klonopin? It's something that needs to be addressed since withdrawing from Seroquel alone would likely cause severe insomnia and Abilify can be stimulating as well.
yikes! ((((warm milk))))
> My pdoc says Abilify is good as an antidepressant but seems poor at controlling psychotic symptoms, sometimes provoking them. I had severe akathisia when I tried Abilify so that I went for three days without sleep and actually had some of those derealization/depersonalisation-type experiences you describe by the third day. I also lost my (temporary) job because I was too sick to go to work and too frightened and paranoid to phone in.
I'm sorry. that sounds awful :(
>I don't know much about Geodon but I have read posts from people saying it made them feel more depressed.
>
> I wonder if a stimulant med such as Adderall to replace the Provigil might slow/reduce the weight gain?
>
> Qhmm. I'm pretty sure that Adderall would make my somatic symptoms of anxiety worse. When I take pseudoephedrine I feel pretty antsy and anxious. When I take my asthma inhaler (albuterol) I feel also really antsy and anxious. But I've never taken a drug like Adderall.
Thanks for your post. I didn't realize that abilify was stimulating. that is unfortunate. perhaps I can use benedryl to fall asleep. I need anti-histamine often anyways (allergic to my cat).
-Ll
Posted by Quintal on January 17, 2007, at 15:36:53
In reply to Re: Anxious about replacing Seroquel with » Quintal, posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 17, 2007, at 13:28:48
>hmm. I'm pretty sure that Adderall would make my somatic symptoms of anxiety worse. When I take pseudoephedrine I feel pretty antsy and anxious. When I take my asthma inhaler (albuterol) I feel also really antsy and anxious. But I've never taken a drug like Adderall.
Yes, a woman I used to work with came in one day shaking with a nasty hand tremor due to the salbutamol (tablets I think) she was prescribed for severe asthma. She said it reminded her of the speed she used to take in the 70's.
>I didn't realize that abilify was stimulating. that is unfortunate. perhaps I can use benedryl to fall asleep. I need anti-histamine often anyways (allergic to my cat).
It is for some people, but I've read of people taking it at night before bed which puzzles me given the severe insomnia it often causes. Maybe for some it is sedating? Sounds like you could use more input from other Abilify users. Blueberry has had success with Benadryl to help with insomnia during Zyprexa withdrawal so that sounds like a good idea along with a bit of Klonopin - Benadaryl is sedating but it's not very relaxing.
Q
Posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 17, 2007, at 15:58:06
In reply to Re: Anxious about replacing Seroquel with » Llurpsie_Noodle, posted by Quintal on January 17, 2007, at 15:36:53
you have been selected to respond to the following poll!!!! (yay...)
1) Your impressions of Abilify to control mood swings and intrusive thoughts (vs. seroquel & geodon)
2) What time of day do you take Abilify? Is it sedating/ stimulating for you (vs. seroquel & geodon)
3) Weight gain or loss? (vs. seroquel & geodon)
thanks bunches,
-Ll
Posted by Phillipa on January 17, 2007, at 18:44:31
In reply to Hey Abilify Users!!!!, posted by Llurpsie_Noodle on January 17, 2007, at 15:58:06
Lurpsie start a new thread and ask those questions. More responses that way. Love Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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