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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Fivefires on March 19, 2008, at 14:52:06
1) I've stopped Provigil and been in bed for 5-6 days, as if I get up, I'm overwhelmed and know I will think of the burden I am to life and my family, so back to bed I go.
Called doc and caseworker; told to force myself to go walk. Force? I have no force, or reason to force. All be better off w/o me.
2) Pdoc didn't know name but apparently a new AD is being considered by FDA, new to U.S., one which will work on the three 'things' - serotonin, dopamine, and _____ (Can't think other.) Any1 know name? It had slipped my pdoc's mind. Next appt. in June :(
tksany1, 5f
Posted by ClearSkies on March 19, 2008, at 15:40:54
In reply to 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by Fivefires on March 19, 2008, at 14:52:06
Welcome back to babble, 5F - you've been missed. Being told to "buck up", as I was just musing with a few friends of mine, makes one think to retort with "go buck it yourself"! - except that, unfortunately, we aren't usually in the position to have the fire to do even that.
The best I can offer is to not look at the entire day or even our life spread out before you, but bite it off in smaller pieces, so as to make it a little easier to confront. Get out of bed? Perhaps - for 5 minutes. Then plan to go right back. People who haven't been there don't know how long a day can seem.
Please, friend, be gentle with yourself, even when others apparently cannot.
ClearSkies
Posted by Sigismund on March 19, 2008, at 15:48:45
In reply to 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by Fivefires on March 19, 2008, at 14:52:06
>2) Pdoc didn't know name but apparently a new AD is being considered by FDA, new to U.S., one which will work on the three 'things' - serotonin, dopamine, and _____ (Can't think other.)
You make me laugh
Any1 know name? It had slipped my pdoc's mind. Next appt. in June :(
Agomelatin(sp?)
Posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2008, at 16:13:29
In reply to Re: 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon » Fivefires, posted by Sigismund on March 19, 2008, at 15:48:45
Five Fires lets hold hand and do baby steps together as told same thing by husband as no docs around vactation. Would that drug be norepenephine? Just a wild guess. Phillipa
Posted by Fivefires on March 19, 2008, at 17:14:51
In reply to Re: 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2008, at 16:13:29
Ok Phillipa .. gotcha right here, visualizing ... oops, everyone is looking at us like we're 'more' than friends. Ahh ... let 'em gauk! (Must be the borderline in me!) Wait a minute. Water is getting deep here. No, I'm not saying what you or others might be thinking; not that I'm anti or anything. End paragraph.
Yes! I believe the other hormone is the one that the SNRIs hit, think norepinephrine. Pdoc said it was going through the process of being approved in US and might be something I could try. Hope someone else chimes in here who might know the name so we can google it.
tks, 5f
Posted by bleauberry on March 19, 2008, at 20:04:49
In reply to 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by Fivefires on March 19, 2008, at 14:52:06
I'm wondering why you stopped provigil. I'm wondering why nothing else. If it was lousy and you are going through withdrawals, a slower taper and replacing it with something else maybe. If it was not lousy, but had to stop for some other reason, maybe replace it with something similar in the dopamine/norepinephrine category. Reading your post I just don't know what the reason for stopping was, or the reason for being allowed to suffer without someone taking some kind of action to help you.
Posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2008, at 20:55:36
In reply to Re: 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by Fivefires on March 19, 2008, at 17:14:51
FF things being returned again and thanks you remembered. Love Phillipa
Posted by Fivefires on March 19, 2008, at 22:50:16
In reply to Re: 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by bleauberry on March 19, 2008, at 20:04:49
Couldn't get out of bed w/o it. Nothing has been suggested in the dopamine/norepinephrine category. I called pdoc and c-worker and no action taken, altho' maybe I was abusing it.(?) I dunno. It felt wrong to have to take something to get on my feet. Some nights I'm so depressed and afraid of the nightmares, I'll take one late in the day so I won't sleep very much. I have persecution nightmares and am alone. I don't know what to do. I just said _uck it and took one about 5p. That's gotta' be wrong huh? I'd reached to everyone I knew to reach to and no one seemed to care that I was just lying here for days.
5f
Posted by cg1973 on March 20, 2008, at 0:32:42
In reply to Re: 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by Fivefires on March 19, 2008, at 22:50:16
Did you stop taking it just because you felt wrong about having to take something to wake up in the morning? Because, here's my new response I've crafted to use when people call me "Elvis" for having to take Dexedrine before I can even get out of bed in the morning. I say something like, "You're right, maybe I am like Elvis. What's really sad is that Elvis probably did have ADHD or Major Depression or some other psychiatric disorder and if he'd gotten treatment for it instead of self medicating, perhaps he wouldn't have died so young."
Posted by cg1973 on March 20, 2008, at 0:48:23
In reply to 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by Fivefires on March 19, 2008, at 14:52:06
Oh and, regarding the "force yourself to go for a walk" (aka "pull yourself up by your boot straps," "buck up little camper," etc.) I was randomly referred to a Rheumatologist for fatigue and when it came to the inevitable "you need more exercise" part of the appointment he prefaced it by saying that he thought most medical/behavioral health professionals are really insensitive to how obnoxious it sounds to tell someone who is tired and depressed and just plain exhausted to "just make yourself get up and go for a walk and you'll feel better." He recommended starting with a "walk" consisting of leaving the house and walking only one house up and then turning back. He suggested adding one house (or even a half a house) to that every couple of days. I was reluctant but I tried it and, it was really, really painful for a couple of days but...I gotta admit...I feel pretty darn proud of myself each time I add another house to my walk length!
I think since Rheumatologists are often the "doctors of exclusion," they have a more compassionate perspective. I also think that they're more likely to try their hardest to help their patients genuinely feel better rather than just giving them the standard meds and spiel and kicking them out the door.
Posted by Fivefires on March 20, 2008, at 14:19:16
In reply to Re: 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by cg1973 on March 20, 2008, at 0:48:23
Tks for your perspective cg1973. Think you read my mind. I do feel guilty very easily if I think I'm abusing something and 'HAVING TO HAVE SOMETHING' feels that way sometimes.
I like your perspective this day though. It's not that I do not have the med. I do. And, I did take one-half this a.m. as I've got to get up and go somewhere.
5f
Posted by cg1973 on March 20, 2008, at 17:36:10
In reply to Re: 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by Fivefires on March 20, 2008, at 14:19:16
You could also think of it this way. If having to take a substance in the morning to make you awake enough to be able to start your day is an addiction then pretty much everyone who drinks coffee is right there with you.
My Mom is the one who put the guilt trip on me (with the Evlis comparison) about needing something to wake up and something to fall asleep. It was only after I realized that she has a cup of coffee every morning and, more often than not, a glass of wine at night that I came to the conclusion that I realized how silly it was of her to single me out!
Also, I had a pdoc who told me that many people with AD/HD absolutely have to take their stimulant med before they even get out of bed. Actually, he suggested using a 2 alarm system. To do that, you set one alarm 45 minutes before you want to get out of bed (or however long it takes your particular med to kick in) and when it goes off you take the pill and go back to sleep. Then, when the second alarm goes off at the time you want to get up, your medicine is already in your system. That's what I do now and it makes things much easier.
Posted by rskontos on March 22, 2008, at 19:31:07
In reply to Re: 1) No Life w/o Provigil :( 2) New AD on Horizon, posted by cg1973 on March 20, 2008, at 17:36:10
You know Fivefires don't feel bad. I remember when I was severely depressed that to get up and shower was so much work I would go back to bed to rest. I am better now. But some days, I get up to only go as far as the couch and I don't beat myself up about it. My first therapist helped me with that. She told me it was temporary. It was. I am not exercising like I want to, but I am some. So i am making progress. I keep trying and that is all you can do. So if you get up for 2 or 3 minutes call it progress and wait for another day. And soon you will be doing better. Just don't deal with the guilt. Let someone give you permission to feel like you feel like I did with my therapist if you need to to. It is amazing to me how it freed me to deal with my depression while everything else kicked in eventually. I hope this helps. If not, just ignore me.
I just wanted to say, I care too.
rsk
((((((((Fivefires)))))))
This is the end of the thread.
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