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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Phillipa on January 19, 2007, at 12:38:23
Seems like it's anti-med week. Is everyone cured? Am I the only one not cured? Or am I the only one still taking meds? Seems to run in cycles but it can be confusing especially for new people agree or disagree? Thanks Love Phillipa
Posted by ClearSkies on January 19, 2007, at 13:19:17
In reply to Seems Like It's Anti-Med Week Anyone Want To Post, posted by Phillipa on January 19, 2007, at 12:38:23
> Seems like it's anti-med week. Is everyone cured? Am I the only one not cured? Or am I the only one still taking meds? Seems to run in cycles but it can be confusing especially for new people agree or disagree? Thanks Love Phillipa
Scared as anything at starting Lithium as I complete tapering off of Lamictal. Coming off the Lamictal improved my sense of smell, taste, and perception and clarity of colour. My pdoc gave me the Spock eyebrow-lift at this report. Feh on her, I say.Campral continues to work well at suppressing alcohol cravings.
Cymbalta continues to keep the worst of depression at bay.
Xanax - .25mg as necessary has rescued me from anxiety as I tapered off the Lamictal
Ambien - I had to discontinue this as it left me with no short term memory. Made it very difficult to go grocery shopping. Good for exercise, though, as I had to retrace my steps, trying to remember what I was looking for.Overall, doing OK. A couple of weeks of hypomania is subsiding and some peace and clarity of mind is pretty much back on track.
CS
Posted by blueberry1 on January 19, 2007, at 17:54:33
In reply to Seems Like It's Anti-Med Week Anyone Want To Post, posted by Phillipa on January 19, 2007, at 12:38:23
This is a sweet and sour subject for me. I am anti-meds in the sense that I wish I could be in satisfactory condition without them. Also because side effects are so disabling until you find the right drug, which can takes years. And when the right drug is found, it may not work completely. Even if it does, it may not continue to work going forward. So it's hard to be pro-drugs with all this stuff.
I've tried drug-free periods and they are extremely taxing in terms of physical deterioration and mental deterioration. I just slowly get worse and worse. So in that sense I am pro-drugs.
I can't believe it, but I am actually missing that totally numbed out feeling of paxil or zoloft. At least that was considerably better than the depression and nervousness I am drowning in right now.
Posted by Phillipa on January 19, 2007, at 19:34:47
In reply to I take so many, I must be pro-med... » Phillipa, posted by ClearSkies on January 19, 2007, at 13:19:17
Clear Skies the smell, taste, clarity of colors according to Scott is a sign of not being depressed.Well if you were hypomanic obviously you were not depressed. So no more lamictal? I've heard good thing about lithium. Love Phillipa
Posted by ronaldo on January 20, 2007, at 15:51:36
In reply to Re: Seems Like It's Anti-Med Week Anyone Want To Post, posted by blueberry1 on January 19, 2007, at 17:54:33
Greetings blueberry,
How is the Zyprexa going? Are you still on zero mg? How do you think the lack of Zyprexa is making you feel? Do you have any rebound symptoms? Can you say you have at last defeated it? I would really like to know. I am truly sorry that you seem to be going through a bad patch at the moment. Myself 2.5 mg and coping.
ronaldo
Posted by blueberry1 on January 20, 2007, at 20:19:08
In reply to Re: Seems Like It's Anti-Med Week Anyone Want To Post » blueberry1, posted by ronaldo on January 20, 2007, at 15:51:36
Greetins to you Ronaldo. Still off zyprexa. 21 days now. In terms of depression, no difference on or off it. Anxiety/nervousness has increased significantly. Very distracting and crippling.
Tried benadryl a few nights. It works. Gave me leg cramps after a couple days. Not sure why.
Tried xanax .25mg once to 3 times per day. It works decent, but is pretty stupifying. The rebound anxiety was bad, and I can see how it can draw susceptible people into really needing it more and more.
Tried 7.5mg remeron last night per my doctor's request. Remeron gave me great sleep. I woke with hardly any anxiety. Even zyprexa never did that for me. Anxiety came back in mid afternoon, but not fierce like it has been.
In terms of depression I don't know where to go. My doctor and I will be meeting again this week to discuss that. Most likely an ssri I did fairly ok with but didn't give enough time (zoloft) or a return to the first one I ever took which worked 12 years ago (paxil) or wellbutrin. I'm sure she'll mention effexor and cymbalta since she is convinced I need help in the norepinephrine department.
Sometimes I get silly thoughts about going back on zyprexa. I guess it could happen. But for now, not. It had some benefits for me, but the risks were just too high. Besides, every time I've been to the emergency room, psych ward, or referred for ECT, zyprexa was one of the drugs in my combo. So it must not have been all that great in benefits or none of those things would have happened.
>
> How is the Zyprexa going? Are you still on zero mg? How do you think the lack of Zyprexa is making you feel? Do you have any rebound symptoms? Can you say you have at last defeated it? I would really like to know. I am truly sorry that you seem to be going through a bad patch at the moment. Myself 2.5 mg and coping.
>
> ronaldo
Posted by Phillipa on January 20, 2007, at 20:31:08
In reply to Re: Seems Like It's Anti-Med Week Anyone Want To Post » ronaldo, posted by blueberry1 on January 20, 2007, at 20:19:08
Blueberry you had good results on paxil? As the first ad I took was l0mg of paxil with .25 of xanax a few times a day. I've been on the benzos so many years can't just go off them. Do you think paxil might work again? Love Phillipa
Posted by ronaldo on January 21, 2007, at 3:55:45
In reply to Re: Seems Like It's Anti-Med Week Anyone Want To Post » ronaldo, posted by blueberry1 on January 20, 2007, at 20:19:08
Hi blueberry
I'm so glad you are still off the Zyprexa but I must admit to a twinge of selfishness. I want to see Zyprexa hit the dust. I'm so sorry you have significant anxiety and nervousness, such unpleasant side effects. I urge you to be strong and to resist any temptation to go back to the Zyp. Every time you have the temptation think hard about all the hard work you did to come off it. I'm glad the Remeron is working for your sleep and seems to have a knock on effect on your anxiety. I will bear that one in mind for my own sleep if I run into difficulties.
Funny enough I also experienced leg cramps but not enough to really worry about. I am using 5 mg Valium to ease me out of my Zyprexa habit. I am feeling so good on 2.5 mg that I am tempted to go straight to zero in my next step down. Foolhardy in your opinion?
I hope you can stick with the Remeron and it continues to make you feel better. Don't buckle on the Zyprexa. You've been through hell to get where you are (zero mg), don't throw it all away.
Good luck with your pdoc later this week.
ciao
ronaldo
> Greetins to you Ronaldo. Still off zyprexa. 21 days now. In terms of depression, no difference on or off it. Anxiety/nervousness has increased significantly. Very distracting and crippling.
>
> Tried benadryl a few nights. It works. Gave me leg cramps after a couple days. Not sure why.
>
> Tried xanax .25mg once to 3 times per day. It works decent, but is pretty stupifying. The rebound anxiety was bad, and I can see how it can draw susceptible people into really needing it more and more.
>
> Tried 7.5mg remeron last night per my doctor's request. Remeron gave me great sleep. I woke with hardly any anxiety. Even zyprexa never did that for me. Anxiety came back in mid afternoon, but not fierce like it has been.
>
> In terms of depression I don't know where to go. My doctor and I will be meeting again this week to discuss that. Most likely an ssri I did fairly ok with but didn't give enough time (zoloft) or a return to the first one I ever took which worked 12 years ago (paxil) or wellbutrin. I'm sure she'll mention effexor and cymbalta since she is convinced I need help in the norepinephrine department.
>
> Sometimes I get silly thoughts about going back on zyprexa. I guess it could happen. But for now, not. It had some benefits for me, but the risks were just too high. Besides, every time I've been to the emergency room, psych ward, or referred for ECT, zyprexa was one of the drugs in my combo. So it must not have been all that great in benefits or none of those things would have happened.
>
> >
> > How is the Zyprexa going? Are you still on zero mg? How do you think the lack of Zyprexa is making you feel? Do you have any rebound symptoms? Can you say you have at last defeated it? I would really like to know. I am truly sorry that you seem to be going through a bad patch at the moment. Myself 2.5 mg and coping.
> >
> > ronaldo
>
>
This is the end of the thread.
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