![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 33. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 9:52:01
I am so sick of being sick...no matter what drugs I try there is no end in sight to this madness.
Current drug is Emsam being supplemented by amphetamine which was supposed help my focus, motivation and attention.
It's not working and I'm getting very depressed about my chance of ever getting well again. I recently reviewed all my notes from 1989 and only found that Adderall helped when added to Wellbutrin and Celexa.
I'm reaching a very uncertain point in life and I'm very tired from trying to help my pdoc figure out what to try next. I thought the stimulants were the missing link to the Emasam but now I'm not so sure. It may be time for a new pdoc and I haven't had any luck finding someone myself although my pdoc said he had someone he can refer me to.
I am so scared that nothing will ever work...my life is going down fast...no job, no interests, no hope...
Posted by Phillipa on January 19, 2007, at 10:29:41
In reply to Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 9:52:01
Ah stargazer thought you were doing better. So sorry. Maybe take the referral? Love Phillipa
Posted by laima on January 19, 2007, at 13:13:56
In reply to Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 9:52:01
You know, I'm finding myself dissapointed in the combo, too. I had put a lot of hope into it, but it still seems "lacking". I wonder if it's the difference between generic adderall or regular? The pharmacy assistant at my pharmacy told me that a lot of customers reported a significant difference, but then the pharmacist there working with her cut her off with "It's excatly the same!!!", and I took the generic. I wish now I went with my gut just so I could give it a try, but I didn't. Funny, they were out of the brand version, as were their other area branches whom they called. They would have had to order it, and it would have taken almost a week. I snooped around the internet later and did find a lot of testimonials which indeed claimed that the Barre brand generic (which I got) was rather lacking in a number of ways, including mood boost and inferior overall efficacy. At least one person even reported that the brand adderall is salty tasting, while Barre is very sweet. (? --Are they eating it?) I also wonder a lot about dexedrine now, which has such an anti-depressing reputation, and I wonder if Emsam just might not be working for me as well as it used to. But if selegeline only worked for me for about a year, that's not very long. On the other hand, there are reports of selegeline not really being the most potent antidepressent out there in the first place. Other MAOIs are said to be much stronger antidepressents for most people.
> I am so sick of being sick...no matter what drugs I try there is no end in sight to this madness.
>
> Current drug is Emsam being supplemented by amphetamine which was supposed help my focus, motivation and attention.
>
> It's not working and I'm getting very depressed about my chance of ever getting well again. I recently reviewed all my notes from 1989 and only found that Adderall helped when added to Wellbutrin and Celexa.
>
> I'm reaching a very uncertain point in life and I'm very tired from trying to help my pdoc figure out what to try next. I thought the stimulants were the missing link to the Emasam but now I'm not so sure. It may be time for a new pdoc and I haven't had any luck finding someone myself although my pdoc said he had someone he can refer me to.
>
> I am so scared that nothing will ever work...my life is going down fast...no job, no interests, no hope...
Posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 13:51:39
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression... » stargazer, posted by laima on January 19, 2007, at 13:13:56
Phillipa, Laima...
I am using the generic of Adderall, I think. The prescription just says "Amphetamine 10 mg. I think the manufacturer is Ranbaxy, no name on the pill but blue in color with the word, cor(I think)on one line and number (132) underneath that. All I know is that that is that was used to fill an Adderall order when I did not have "prior auth" for the prescription.
All I know is that day by day I'm having more and more doubts about my ability to ever get better.
I may try the "real" Adderall, which I also have but only in the 20 mg XR version and I thought that would be too much to try with Emsam given the warnings about using the two together.
I'm tempted to try a tricyclic or Nardil again, except I look at all the drug trials as more wasted time, but all I have is wasted time. I did have moments of feeling better when I tried the amphetamine at only 2.5 mg for a few days, but then I increased to 5 mg, then 7.5 mg, with no improvement. Today I used 2.5 mg of the amphet, then used half of the 20 mg Adderall capsule contents, ttrying to do something else.
I'm at a loss to know what to try next...I having a hard time believing that this is going on again, not that I haven't been through it many many times, but it never gets easier, it may actually get harder because of the length of time that I've been taking meds (almost 20 years on meds) with so little improvement.
You start to doubt your illness and think if it was depression something would have worked by now.
What else could it be? I thought maybe I have ADD and a stim would do something? I feel lightheaded and dizzy, no interest in anything, want to work but I have noconfidence in my ability to work. BP and pulse stable. Getting afraid to leave the house now.SG
Posted by laima on January 19, 2007, at 14:00:58
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 13:51:39
Have you tried parnate? I'm curious about that one since it's supposed to be "activating", and some people say it is amphetamine-like. My doctor brought it up last year, before the more appealing "try selegeline then switch to Emsam when it comes out" idea took over. When I read about people's experiences with it, I become more curious. I wonder if parnate helps ADD symptoms at all, if it is "amphetamine-like".What happens if you split an adderallxr pill? Can you try that to see if it's different? Or is it one of those that comes with a "do not split" instruction?
Posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 14:17:57
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression... » stargazer, posted by laima on January 19, 2007, at 14:00:58
Laima, it is a capsule not a pill. so I poured out the "beads" and took half of them.
I tried Parnate before and it did nothing for me. So that is not one I will probably try again, but never say never. Nardil and Marplan bothed worked but a retry of Marplan this year did not work. The only one I haven't retried is Nardil but it was in 1987 when it worked, so after so many years it may not work again. May still want to try to make sure though.
How long have you been going through this?
SG..waves of dizziness contiinue...
Posted by Phillipa on January 19, 2007, at 14:18:38
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 13:51:39
Stargazer please don't get agoraphobic like me. Please? Can you call your doc? Does the thought of going out scare you or what? I'm scared but it's anxiety. Love Phillipa ps you know how to reach me.
Posted by laima on January 19, 2007, at 17:02:58
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 14:17:57
Oh, it's a capsule. That sounds harder to split and take.
I'd say my high point with Emsam or selegeline was over the summer, so not too long after I started using it and becoming more active, optimistic, and engaged with things- but started a sink after some major stressors early in the fall, and sliding a bit more as winter got started-despite sitting with one of those special lamps. At this point I feel like the Emsam isn't doing much at all, not feeling so super-great. I feel like it's just about konked out, augmentation or no augmentation. All I believe I feel is the adderall. Adderall seems to work better and smoother than ritalin for me for ADD symptoms, but my initial excitement over its promise as an antidepressent augmentor is waning. Well, again, I'm very interested to find out if the brand version is as different from generic as some say- and I seem to have the generic with the least favorable reputation- but that still doesn't solve the problem of Emsam not working out so great. So, I am wondering, if I switched to say, parnate or another MAOI, if I'll be allowed to still use an ADD med. Is selegeline safer or same as other MAOIs with stimulants, I wonder- I know they are all technically not recommended, but I wonder what the case by case reality is. Like you, I am very concerned with how the ADD stuff contributes to depression- in my case to a feeling of spaced-out incompetence, disorganization, etc.
Stargazer, was each subsequent MAOI trial that you did less successful than the previous? I wonder if one can gain a tolerance to them as a group, as one can with SSRIs? It's spooky how Karen44, and now you, report using a particular MAOI successfully- and then retrying it later and getting no effect. I wonder what that's about?
> Laima, it is a capsule not a pill. so I poured out the "beads" and took half of them.
>
> I tried Parnate before and it did nothing for me. So that is not one I will probably try again, but never say never. Nardil and Marplan bothed worked but a retry of Marplan this year did not work. The only one I haven't retried is Nardil but it was in 1987 when it worked, so after so many years it may not work again. May still want to try to make sure though.
>
> How long have you been going through this?
>
> SG..waves of dizziness contiinue...
Posted by Honore on January 19, 2007, at 17:35:28
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression... » stargazer, posted by laima on January 19, 2007, at 17:02:58
Depending on what dose you're taking, you could try a higher dose, or you could try other things to boost the effect. I'm not sure what's potentially synergistic with Emsam, but with Parnate, for example, my pdoc suggested lithium, or with Emsam, abilify. Or if there are reasons to think it's anxiety, you could try a little xanax.
You can't entirely discount the idea that sometimes, if there are things going on, you might be more depressed, and the Emsam might not seem to be working. Esp. if you start to question the effect-- rather than maybe just taking xanax -- or trying other combinations.
Probably none of these drugs is potent enough to completely extinguish the negative mental pathways or mental pain pathways that we've built up over the years. So maybe at times, one has to work harder to resist-- or counteract them them, one way or another.
I hope so, anyway.
Honore
Posted by Reggie BoStar on January 19, 2007, at 23:45:30
In reply to Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 9:52:01
Hi stargazer,
You're starting to sound like me. That's not good.
I've been through it all too, including ECT (7 treatments out of 8, anxiety cut it short). I don't know what to do either.
However, I picked up on what your pdoc said about a referral. It's your choice, but if I had the option I'd do it. The advantage of the referral is that you don't have to go shopping around for a pdoc yourself.
Provided, of course, the new pdoc doesn't do things the same way your current one does. I'm assuming your current pdoc is smart enough to know that sending you into the same treatment under a different person won't accomplish anything.
RE "stargazer": is that star as in celebrity, or star as in Regulus? I ask because I have a degree in Astronomy.
BTW "Reggie" is short for "Regulus".
Later,
Reggie BoStar
Posted by leo33 on January 20, 2007, at 1:11:29
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression... » stargazer, posted by Reggie BoStar on January 19, 2007, at 23:45:30
stargazer i understand where you are at completely. If I were to describe my situation I could not have said it better than you did. I go to the hospital for assessment on monday and have no clue on what med to try next. Maybe back to nardil as it worked in 1992 to 1996. The longest any one worked for me.
I too am confused and scared, know that you are not alone. I also know its hard to get positive feelings when some one tries to give you hope.
So I will say the serenity prayer for you.God grant me the courage to accept the things I can not change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.God Bless you,
Leo
Posted by liliths on January 21, 2007, at 12:06:29
In reply to Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 9:52:01
hi Stargazer
I am so sorry to hear that you're not doing well. I know you had high hopes for adding a stim to your regimen.
did the adderral/welbutrin/celexa combo help enough for you to consider trying again? Or maybe something similar like an ADD med with wellbutrin?
good luck and please keep us posted on how you're doing
namaste,
lilith
> I am so sick of being sick...no matter what drugs I try there is no end in sight to this madness.
>
> Current drug is Emsam being supplemented by amphetamine which was supposed help my focus, motivation and attention.
>
> It's not working and I'm getting very depressed about my chance of ever getting well again. I recently reviewed all my notes from 1989 and only found that Adderall helped when added to Wellbutrin and Celexa.
>
> I'm reaching a very uncertain point in life and I'm very tired from trying to help my pdoc figure out what to try next. I thought the stimulants were the missing link to the Emasam but now I'm not so sure. It may be time for a new pdoc and I haven't had any luck finding someone myself although my pdoc said he had someone he can refer me to.
>
> I am so scared that nothing will ever work...my life is going down fast...no job, no interests, no hope...
Posted by deniseuk190466 on January 21, 2007, at 14:12:56
In reply to Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 9:52:01
Hi,
What have you tried so far med wise?
Also, have you thought about trying some of the stimulation therapies like TMS, ECT, VNS or DBS?
I feel for you I really do because I feel the same way, although I haven't suffered as long as you have.
Just want to say that just because you haven't responded that well doesn't mean you are imagining it. When you find something that works you will know then that you weren't imagining anything.
Denise
Posted by stargazer on January 21, 2007, at 14:34:02
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression... » stargazer, posted by laima on January 19, 2007, at 17:02:58
Laima...although I always remembered responding well to Nardil and Marplan, the second trial with Marplan failed and the Nardil period of success was short lived, around 2 years which is still better than nothing. For all I know I may have retried Nardil but don't remember doing it and never wrote it down, which is my only real way of remembering any of this stuff.
Doesn't depression get progressively harder to treat over the years, hence it's definition of treatment resistance?
Today I tried a 20 mg Adderall-XR capsule even though I was afraid of the dose with a MAO. I'm getting more desperate with every day.
Not sure what to do next, thinking process is considerably slower and less optimistic...SG
Parnate didn't do much of anything but I do remember feeling badly throughout the trial.
Posted by stargazer on January 21, 2007, at 14:41:23
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by Honore on January 19, 2007, at 17:35:28
Honore...thanks for suggestions...it's really got me stumped lately...when you're in the middle of a Bad one, all thinking is faulty and there's little logic remaining...I was sure the Emsam stim combo would work...I think for me, a big part of my reaction is the length of time I have had depression and with each subsequent failure comes a real sense of doom and loss of life.
Each day that I lose to depression is another day not living. I want the opportunity before I die to experience life without depression again and longer than a few days or months. That doesn't seem to be too much to ask for. I always played by the rules but they do not apply when you have depression...SG
Posted by stargazer on January 21, 2007, at 14:54:46
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression... » stargazer, posted by Reggie BoStar on January 19, 2007, at 23:45:30
Reggie...Hi, thanks for your response...I would like to have the consult from my pdoc but it would probably mean retrying some of old stuff, despite so many trials in so many years. What I have noticed though is that the doses used today are much higher than doses used years ago, although my positive responses on meds have always been at lower doses.
Stargazer came from a book called "Ahab's Wife" which I read several years ago about the whalers on Nantucket. I don't really know about its astrological origin, although there is also a reference to Orion in the book.
How are you handling your depression today?
SG
Posted by stargazer on January 21, 2007, at 15:05:36
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by leo33 on January 20, 2007, at 1:11:29
Leo, Please post after your visit to the hospital on Monday. Who will you be seeing there and do they have a good reputation for treating depression. After you had success with Nardil, what other meds have worked for you? I too had luck with Nardil for only 2 years, but I remember feeling "normal".
I recently reviewed all my notes from drug trials since 1987, and only Nardil, Marplan (2 years) and a combination of Wellbutrin, Adderall and Celexa (4 years, partial response, enough to allow me to work) provided marked relief. I thought the MAO's seemed to give me the most complete resolution of symptoms though. A retrial with Marplan this year failed.
Have you retried Nardil? I wanted to do this before my current trial with Emsam but pdoc wanted to try Emsam first. Of course, I agreed and had some intial improvement but now with diminishing returns. I am currently also trying Adderall with Emsam, risky, but as far as I'm concerned, no risk, no life... SG
Posted by blueberry1 on January 21, 2007, at 15:10:38
In reply to Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 9:52:01
Have you ever visited the website remedyfind.com? It might be helpful to spend a few hours or a few days, even a whole weekend, browsing through the posts there.
From the main page click on 'Health Conditions/Concerns'. Then scroll down and click on 'Depression'. You'll get a list of the top antidepressants, as rated by actual users like you and me. You can also click on 'Click to View Complete List of Depression Treatments' to see reviews of other antidepressants that did not make the top list.
Interesting is that provigil, while not an antidepressant, is actually rated by a long shot as the best antidepressant out there.
Anyway, click on an antidepressant you have not tried. Then you can read the reviews of users. No matter which one you look at, you will find a mix of things like 'I've tried everything on the market and this is the only one that works for me'; or 'made me more depressed'; or 'didn't work'; or 'worked but with bad side effects'. It's amazing to see how mileage varies.
But the reason I think it is good to spend time reading these is because it can generate the one thing you need the most right now...HOPE. You'll see lots of people just like you who tried all kinds of things and were about to give up when they found magic in something they had overlooked or something they had no confidence in.
As just one of many examples, there are a ton of people who tried every ssri there is except for one and had justifiably lost all hope in them as a worthless class of drugs. But they discovered that last one they hadn't tried worked great. Many other examples.
More importantly, you will see some people who seem to be exactly like you. They tried the same meds as you and got the same results and the same side effects. And you'll see what ended up working good for them. Basically, you will spot some 'trends' or 'patterns' that seem to fit you. That can help guide you in a new direction.
It does take a lot of time. Just browsing through a couple meds or taking a look at a few posts won't be helpful. There is a need to look at all the top meds and look at hundreds of posts. But somewhere in that process I can almost guarantee you there will be new hope and new ideas. Thousands of people have already been in your shoes, and mine (I am in your shoes right now). Reading their stories of eventual success, and what med or combo it what that brought that success, can generate a lot of hope. As well as new ideas. Some of the meds or combos these people got well with were ridiculously simple and straight forward. Most of them did not require exotic combinations or off label drugs.
If you haven't already, try it. I think it has the power to be helpful in gaining some new hope and new ideas.
Posted by stargazer on January 21, 2007, at 15:33:44
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression... » stargazer, posted by liliths on January 21, 2007, at 12:06:29
Thank you liliths...Those are some of the options I will explore when i see my pdoc on Wed.
I took Celexa, Wellbutrin and Adderall for about 4 years and did not write in my diary which meant I was feeling OK. I was able to work for this time although I did remember quite a bit of difficulty in my job, which has always been a problem of mine. But I must not have had the kind of difficulties that usually has made me want to change meds.
What happens to me while working with depression is the depression gets worse and fails to improve as meds are adjusted, while working. I end up quitting the job because the symptoms of depression are so incapacitating. My belief is that if I continue to work I will end up with cancer due to the stress. So I convince myself to quit and then I try to get my meds straightened out which almost never happens within a reasonable period of time.
This pattern is well established for me and has not allowed me to ever achieve a stable work history, so when I find myself in this situation again, I am devastated.
Instead of being able to accept this, I am continually reminded of lost opportunities and failed dreams. I have some hope for now, but with each relapse, that hope diminishes.
I've said too much already...thanks for your support, it means alot...SG
Posted by liliths on January 21, 2007, at 15:46:27
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired/liliths, posted by stargazer on January 21, 2007, at 15:33:44
oh stargazer.. it may not mean very much right now, but your suffering touches mine so profoundly
I understand EXACTLY what you're saying. I feel the very same way... it hurts endlessly. Every day feels that much more diminished as I watch life simply pass without me
If you're anything like me, it doesn't help to know others hurt... but hopefully it helps to know others understand.. you're not alone
namaste,
lilith> Thank you liliths...Those are some of the options I will explore when i see my pdoc on Wed.
>
> I took Celexa, Wellbutrin and Adderall for about 4 years and did not write in my diary which meant I was feeling OK. I was able to work for this time although I did remember quite a bit of difficulty in my job, which has always been a problem of mine. But I must not have had the kind of difficulties that usually has made me want to change meds.
>
> What happens to me while working with depression is the depression gets worse and fails to improve as meds are adjusted, while working. I end up quitting the job because the symptoms of depression are so incapacitating. My belief is that if I continue to work I will end up with cancer due to the stress. So I convince myself to quit and then I try to get my meds straightened out which almost never happens within a reasonable period of time.
>
> This pattern is well established for me and has not allowed me to ever achieve a stable work history, so when I find myself in this situation again, I am devastated.
>
> Instead of being able to accept this, I am continually reminded of lost opportunities and failed dreams. I have some hope for now, but with each relapse, that hope diminishes.
>
> I've said too much already...thanks for your support, it means alot...SG
Posted by stargazer on January 21, 2007, at 15:51:46
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by deniseuk190466 on January 21, 2007, at 14:12:56
Denise...I have not tried TMS,ECT,VNS or DBS and I was hoping to avoid those, esp ECT which will
not be an option for me...too many lies, too much residual cognitive impairment.I've heard of vagus nerve stim, is TMS something to do with magnets and what is DBS?
Hopefully I can find a medication/combo to work since all of those treatments require another level of treatment with hospital care, etc.
I really believe medication can work for most depression except I believe the pdocs are not the most experienced in choosing which meds will work for which patients. I'm trying to help my pdoc choose the right meds but it hasn't been working lately.
My mood went down in the last week and I saw it for what it is worth, a condition with alot more treatments, but for me, given my history, little options for improvement...SG
Posted by stargazer on January 21, 2007, at 16:40:41
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of depression..., posted by blueberry1 on January 21, 2007, at 15:10:38
BB...Have you had any success with something you have found on remedy find? I have gone there before and will return as you have encouraged me to look again. I was thinking the tianepine or amulpiside suggestions on PB have always sounded like they may help me, but since they're not offically used by pdocs there is more uncertainty using them.
My latest med, Emsam, was used because I have had success with MAOI's and my pdoc wanted to try this before my suggestion of retrying Nardil. Despite knowing there are more meds to try, I have had horrible side effects from previous trials and I get much worse the longer I can't find something to help.
Again, the loss of time to a depression which is chronic and recurring has given me less optimism in finding an answer that will take care of this once and for all. With each successive failure is more doubt in finding something that can really work. If you have the time and resources and mental fortitude perhaps you can do this indefinately, but I see things differently. The trying and failing wear me down and I fear I will give up after too many failures. It is just the course that I see happening...SG
Posted by Phillipa on January 21, 2007, at 19:45:11
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired of /Blueberry, posted by stargazer on January 21, 2007, at 16:40:41
Stargazer have you thought of upping the EMSAM? Or maybe even adding providgil as I know a person on EMSAM highest dose and providgil and is doing well despite medical conditions. Love Phillipa
Posted by Reggie BoStar on January 21, 2007, at 21:54:54
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired/Reggie, posted by stargazer on January 21, 2007, at 14:54:46
Hi stargazer,
Regarding that consult: it might not involve retrying the same stuff if your current pdoc sends your complete file along with recommendations to the new one. If the new one reads up on everything, there's no reason why he would try something that's already failed.I've run into this before in the course of changing pdocs for various reasons. I've found that as long as I was careful to sign all the release forms for my records so they could be sent to the new pdoc, there were no repetitions of treatment.
Of course that's my experience. Maybe I just got lucky, too.
Right now my pdoc and therapist are still hammering away, always trying new things. I changed both of them after ECT a few years ago. That was when the regimen changed quite a bit. The new therapist is more of the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) type and is very active in our sessions in terms of guiding me through various mental exercises to help me avoid unhealthy trains of though. She doesn't just sit there and listen. It's very interesting.
The pdoc got together with my MD to discuss the situation. After that the pdoc added Lamictal to my medications. I'm still way early in the starter set to know if that will work. In the meantime the MD verified that my testosterone was low and put me on supplements for that. So far, no go and I'm having a lot of bladder trouble. But now he tells me that it takes a while to kick in, and the bladder issues may be unrelated. I go for another test for all that stuff in 2 weeks.
The nice thing is that my MD, pdoc, therapist, and neurologist (for migraines) are all affiliated with the same hospital and routinely share info with each other. They can do this in person or by phone, which is very efficient - they don't have to wait around while records are transferred. Also I have a pharmacy that's completely computerized and keeps tabs on all my meds to monitor for interactions and other issues.
The pharmacy even raised a flag once when I picked up some Phenobarbitol for my cat! Evidently it's not recommended for someone like me (g). I reminded them that the script was written by a vet for my cat, and that cleared that up.
Now... how am I doing? It's just too soon to tell if the new meds and therapy approaches are going to do any good. I'm very careful not to get my hopes up because of past failures, so it's going to have to be something obvious that lasts before I'll accept it as a real improvement.
In the meantime I try to go for walks, 1 or 2 miles/day minimum, keep a regular sleeping schedule (not doing too good there), and go to free support groups wherever I can find them. Some of these are selected AA meetings where I know my agnosticism won't be out of place. Others are "dual diagnosis" groups (behavioral health plus substance abuse, I'm also a drunk) and bipolar support groups in this area. So far all of the groups I've found are affiliated with the same hospital.
I even tried "Emotions Anonymous" once. That's a 12-step group modeled on AA, for people with emotional issues. It wasn't that good a meeting, but that's just because of that particular group of people. If there were more EA meetings in town, I could probably find a better one.
In summary I guess my approach is to keep saturating myself with new approaches as the old ones fail. It's the only way I can keep from from just folding when things don't work.
Anyway that's my approach. Hope the info is useful, and sorry if I rambled. I have trouble keeping things short.
And if you check these boards for other postings in the past, you'll see I have troubles being consistent. That's another one of my issues that the support people are trying to alleviate.
Hey, I checked out "Ahab's Wife" on Amazon and it looks interesting. I used to frequent the area of Woods Hole and Nantucket in the 80's and so have a rough familiarity with the whaling culture and the community. I had to put it on my wish list, though. Money is a little short in the patient business.
One thing struck me as a little odd - the synopsis said that she went to New England to escape from a "puritanical father". Wow. Of all places to go to escape puritanical attitudes, 19th century New England would not be high on my list. This place was the philosophical pits for hundreds of years after Cotton Mather and his goons were hanging witches.
Just kidding. I'll definitely look into the book. In the meantime, best of luck with your treatments, and please keep on posting so we can all see how you're doing and try to offer support.
Take care,
Reggie BoStar
Posted by Phillipa on January 21, 2007, at 22:06:27
In reply to Re: Sick, sick, sick...and tired/Reggie » stargazer, posted by Reggie BoStar on January 21, 2007, at 21:54:54
Reggie they have an emotions anonymous group here in Charlotte Nc only one and it meets once a week. What type of disorders frequent them. You didn't like yours? Can't believe there aren't others here but there's not. Love Phillipa
Go forward in thread:
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.