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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 13:03:56
My mind has been racing for a long time. I am on various meds for mental disorders and but the past 4 days I cannot seem to slow my mind down. I am literally about to pull my hair out it is making me nuts. I take Lithium but I am at the highest dose and my question is...is there anything out there that might help me. I know there are other coping skills, like journaling or meditation..but I cannot slow down to do anything.
I need help.
The medicines I am taking are Lithium, Lamictal, Geodon, Prozac, and Lunesta.
Posted by your#1fan on January 20, 2008, at 13:17:29
In reply to Racing Mind, posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 13:03:56
Have you considered Seroquel? or asked your doctor about a phenothorizes? (antipsychotics)
Well, they slow down the imput of dopamine, which would stop your racing throughts.
Im suprised about Lithium! that is suppost to be the gold standard of controling thoughts.
Have your thought about.......well just ask your doctor that your mind is going really fast. And maybe something stronger than Lithium.
OH.....
ZYPREXA! ask your doctor ZYPREXA!!! i take it. 15mg will slow those thoughts down in a second!Believe me, i had racing thoughts one day, 7.5mg took care of it. At night.
Ask your doctor about Zyprexa!
fan
Posted by linkadge on January 20, 2008, at 14:31:28
In reply to Racing Mind, posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 13:03:56
How much prozac are you taking?
Linkadge
Posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 15:08:33
In reply to Re: Racing Mind, posted by linkadge on January 20, 2008, at 14:31:28
I am on 20mg of prozac...I was on a lot more but it was making me agitated...so I am weaning off of it.
Posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 15:14:43
In reply to Re: Racing Mind, posted by your#1fan on January 20, 2008, at 13:17:29
I took Seroquel for about 2 years but I took it at night because it made me sleep...during the day however I still had problems. I have been on some antipsychotics..can't name them right off, but it is almost like NOTHING works for me. (at least this is how I feel) I want some thorazine to put me out of my misery but I have to be careful what I ask for because I used to take Valium and Klonopin and xanax (not all at the same time) and I abused them..to the point of having to go to rehab...so when I say I want to be knocked out..or I want to be "numb" my psychiatrist immediately thinks I want to take benzos again.
But, I want my mind to be calm..it has never been calm and I feel so frazzled. I know when I first started on Lithium, it was like a breath of fresh air...I could finally relax and sleep..and now it is like it isn't working like it should...I am on 900 mg of Lithium and she told me she can take it up one more time..but I have to get my lithium Level checked before she will do anything and yet I need something done sooner than later..(Im not a very patient person when it comes to my mental health)
Posted by Phillipa on January 20, 2008, at 19:09:55
In reply to Re: Racing Mind, posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 15:14:43
Amanda the lithium level is very important as can become toxic quickly advise you to take her advise get it done as soon as possible and good luck. Phillipa
Posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 19:18:19
In reply to Re: Racing Mind » Amanda29, posted by Phillipa on January 20, 2008, at 19:09:55
Thanks. Yeah, this is like the 4th time since I have been on it that I will have had it checked. It is a pain, but I would rather do that then have something go wrong.
I am using psychobabble as a way to get rid of my thoughts because they are flying all over the place and making me feel crazy. No one around me understands how it feels to have your thoughts racing all the time. They just want me to get over it and you know, sometimes I can..and sometimes I cant...right now..I cant.
I thought the Lithium would clear me up completely and for a while it did...but now, I feel all "cloudy" ...if that makes sense.
Posted by bleauberry on January 20, 2008, at 19:34:59
In reply to Re: Racing Mind, posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 15:08:33
> I am on 20mg of prozac...I was on a lot more but it was making me agitated...so I am weaning off of it.
I speak only from personal experience, but when I weaned down on prozac I also had unbearable racing mind. Because prozac halflife is so long it really doesn't hit until days after a dosage change, or even a week or two after. For me it lasted the entire time getting off it as well as about a month after finally off it. I did not take xanax on a regular basis, but I did take small doses of it now and then when things were just too unbearable. It wasn't completely gone for another two months after that. Even now a year later I am very prone to it with the slightest trigger.
The other meds...well, they aint doing the job. What can I say. They need to be changed. No sense in taking powerful drugs or expensive drugs that leave you in misery. You can have that same misery for free with no side effects. So maybe it's time for something else.
A calm serene combo that worked pretty good for me was 25mg zoloft, 5mg zyprexa, 500mg extended release depakote. Smooth going.
Posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 19:42:53
In reply to Re: Racing Mind » Amanda29, posted by bleauberry on January 20, 2008, at 19:34:59
Thanks. I am remaining at 20mg of the prozac. I havent tried Zyprexa but I have taken Depakote...I gained a lot of weight on it so I was taken off.
I think that my medications are "working" but the dosage needs to be changed. I might be wrong though because I think I have almost maxed out the dosage. I know I cannot take much more Lithium. I was on Seroquel at night..(I couldnt take it during the day because it made me sleep) but my problem is that I need something for during the day..when my mind is actually awake.I know I have other options of medications but I have basically taken the more common meds...and I am almost to the point of feeling that Electric Shock Therapy would be for me..and that scares me.
There has to be a medicine out there that can help me.
Posted by your#1fan on January 21, 2008, at 0:44:29
In reply to Re: Racing Mind » bleauberry, posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 19:42:53
Amanda Prozac is a great antidepressnat for me, it broades my day, makes everything seem ok.
If i dont take it, i have a very bad lapse of depression, no energy, pessimistic, and sad.
I know this may sound off the charts, but Prozac has stopped me from suicide. It hithens my view point of life.
Stimualnts i used to think where the "best" because of the temporary stimulation and antidepressnat and euphoria, but it becomes drug addiction, repeated doses, and insomnia. Thats old old news for me.
Zyprexa would help you alot, its a bit expensive, but i think you should give it a try.
My thoughts are with you, because i have racing thoughts too, and it can go in a billion places. Anger, confusion, insomnia! ha>
Xanax has taken care of nerves for me, but Zyprexa is the "calming" the mind. For me.
I hope you feel better.
Your#1fan
Posted by upsndowns on January 21, 2008, at 13:08:51
In reply to Re: Racing Mind, posted by your#1fan on January 21, 2008, at 0:44:29
I reinforce the advice to try Zyprexa. I take Abilify and it made my thoughts race, not to mention the restlessness and general akathisia so the doc put me on Zyprexa and it worked almost immediately. Only issue is, it does cause some to gain weight, not like Depakote, but it does happen. I would give it a try if I were you, but I would also have those Lithium levels checked asap.
Posted by CareBear04 on January 21, 2008, at 17:46:42
In reply to Re: Racing Mind, posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 15:14:43
hi amanda. i'm in a similar position as you-- almost the same meds and very much wanting something to knock me out completely so that i don't feel anything.
lithium is a very funny drug. therapeutic doses are independent of weight/size and even the same person may need different doses at different times. and i've found that even lithium levels don't always seem to reflect whether or to what degree it's working for me. at times, lithium has been a great mood stabilizer for me and has boosted my mood. right now, my level is in the therapeutic range, but i don't feel like it's working at all. who knows? but yeah, you should probably get that level. you could be too close to the upper limit to increase or maybe you're even under the lower limit of therapeutic and need to go up on the dose.
for racing jumbled thoughts, i've found a little bit of haldol useful. it's not very sedating so you can take it during the day, either at regular intervals or as needed when your thoughts are really out of control. it slowed my thoughts down without making my mind fuzzy or my body sluggish. i did, unfortunately, eventually develop some of the side effects old antipsychotics are known for. but maybe those could be avoided if you only took haldol as needed or limited its use to this period when you're feeling really bad.
hope you feel better.
cb
Posted by Amanda29 on January 21, 2008, at 18:57:11
In reply to Re: Racing Mind, posted by upsndowns on January 21, 2008, at 13:08:51
Thanks but I checked with my Psychiatrist and she said that she tends to stay away from Zyprexa because of the weight issue. I have had problems with my weight and so I don't think that is a risk I am willing to take.
I am however going to get my lithium level checked on Thursday.
Posted by upsndowns on January 24, 2008, at 12:50:54
In reply to Re: Racing Mind » upsndowns, posted by Amanda29 on January 21, 2008, at 18:57:11
I found that any positive effects I had from Zyprexa were offset by the depression I got from the weight gain and feeling of lack of control over my body.
Posted by Amanda29 on January 24, 2008, at 19:06:06
In reply to Re: Racing Mind, posted by your#1fan on January 21, 2008, at 0:44:29
I found out my lithium level ..it is 1.2 which means that I cannot go up any higher...any thoughts on other meds I could use? I need something that will calm my mind..I have tried Risperadol and abilify and seroquel...I dont want to try zyprexa because of the weight gain...
Posted by bissie66 on January 28, 2008, at 14:56:04
In reply to Re: Racing Mind » bleauberry, posted by Amanda29 on January 20, 2008, at 19:42:53
I am able to take a very small amount of Seroquel during the day and not fall asleep. It's a blessed relief when I have racing mind syndrome. Have you tried taking a miniscule portion during the day? You can do that with Seroquel.
> Thanks. I am remaining at 20mg of the prozac. I havent tried Zyprexa but I have taken Depakote...I gained a lot of weight on it so I was taken off.
> I think that my medications are "working" but the dosage needs to be changed. I might be wrong though because I think I have almost maxed out the dosage. I know I cannot take much more Lithium. I was on Seroquel at night..(I couldnt take it during the day because it made me sleep) but my problem is that I need something for during the day..when my mind is actually awake.
>
> I know I have other options of medications but I have basically taken the more common meds...and I am almost to the point of feeling that Electric Shock Therapy would be for me..and that scares me.
> There has to be a medicine out there that can help me.
This is the end of the thread.
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