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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Frustratedmama on March 16, 2010, at 17:45:03
Hi everyone,
Thanks to all who responded to my last post- you are all so thoughtful! Well, I just got back from pdoc and recommendations were to decrease the Pristiq by 50 mg for one week then to discontinue while initiating the Savella (I will be taking the Savella in 2 25 mg doses for a week- then 2 50 mg doses). Here's PRAYING this works as I don't want to end up where I was last year. Pdoc thought the idea was reasonable based on my history and thinks this may work :). I sure hope so cause the spiral down is NOT working for me right now :(.
FM
Posted by Lou Pilder on March 16, 2010, at 21:10:27
In reply to Pristiq to Savella, posted by Frustratedmama on March 16, 2010, at 17:45:03
> Hi everyone,
> Thanks to all who responded to my last post- you are all so thoughtful! Well, I just got back from pdoc and recommendations were to decrease the Pristiq by 50 mg for one week then to discontinue while initiating the Savella (I will be taking the Savella in 2 25 mg doses for a week- then 2 50 mg doses). Here's PRAYING this works as I don't want to end up where I was last year. Pdoc thought the idea was reasonable based on my history and thinks this may work :). I sure hope so cause the spiral down is NOT working for me right now :(.
> FMFM,
You wrote,[...Thanks to all that respondeed..Here's PRAYING this works...]
I am unsure as to what you are wanting to mean and if you could post answers to the following, then I could have the opportunity to post to you advice about your situation with the chemicals that you take into your system.
A. Are you praying to a God for that to work?If so, which God are you praying to?
1B. Does that God, if it is a God that you are praying to, prescibe that those that take mind-altering drugs be cast into the Lake of Fire?
2B. Why is the word {praying} in caps?
C. other questions not stated (yet)
Lou
Posted by Phillipa on March 16, 2010, at 22:12:45
In reply to Lou's request-pryngtugd? » Frustratedmama, posted by Lou Pilder on March 16, 2010, at 21:10:27
I sure hope it works for you please post let us know how it goes. I also will soon be changing meds. Love Phillipa
Posted by floatingbridge on March 17, 2010, at 10:43:07
In reply to Pristiq to Savella, posted by Frustratedmama on March 16, 2010, at 17:45:03
Good Luck FM! Sounds like you have a good doc.
Posted by SLS on March 17, 2010, at 13:15:52
In reply to Pristiq to Savella, posted by Frustratedmama on March 16, 2010, at 17:45:03
> I will be taking the Savella...
I just started taking Savella. I hope it works for the both of us.
:-)
- Scott
Posted by floatingbridge on March 17, 2010, at 13:24:57
In reply to Re: Pristiq to Savella, posted by SLS on March 17, 2010, at 13:15:52
Best to you both!
> > I will be taking the Savella...
>
> I just started taking Savella. I hope it works for the both of us.
>
> :-)
>
>
> - Scott
>
Posted by bleauberry on March 17, 2010, at 17:16:54
In reply to Pristiq to Savella, posted by Frustratedmama on March 16, 2010, at 17:45:03
I am excited for you!
I also have some cautious reservations, so please bear with me on that.
Some people know I am a fan of savella. Why is that? Because when ECT failed, and all other meds (didn't try MAOIs at the time) failed, Savella worked and did so fast. I mean, come on, a med like that is hard to find.
Does anyone think that if someone came out of ECT super depressed and took lexapro they would in short time feel great? Not. Prozac? Not. Wellbutrin? Not. SSRI+AP? Probably not. SSRI+TCA? Slight maybe. MAOI? Possible. So putting it all in perspective like that, I think the fact that savella all by itself lifted me from the dark following a failed ECT deserves a look.
Since we are all different, I think it is tempting to think the drug could work as well for everyone but in reality probably won't. It's just that on pubmed there are a couple small studies where treatment resistant patients improved markedly on savella, with remission in 3 out of 5 for example. The difference there was that it was not monotherapy...it had either low dose risperdal (.25mg-1mg) or zyprexa (5mg-10mg) along with it. My good response came with just monotherapy.
Here are my cautious reservations.
Pristiq is likely going to be nasty coming off. That weaning schedule you were given is extremely aggressive. I think you could be in for a very rough ride. I hope I'm wrong. But if it is as rough as I think, you will have no way of knowing what savella can do. It or anything else will just be totally swamped by the horror of such quick withdrawal.
My other reservation is that...surfing the web, visiting other forums, etc,...the general trend in savella failures mostly have one thing in common...doses ramped up too fast and too high.
I can point out a couple pubmed case studies where remission resulted from just 20mg. Me, I responded robustly to a single 25mg dose split in thirds, taken 1/3 at a time 3 times in a day.
SLS is very tolerant of meds and a rapid metabolizer so I think he will not have much problem handling savella. For the general population I think there needs to be a good sense of suspicion at the commonly advertised dose schedules. The starter pack, going from 12.5mg to 100mg in a short time, is in my opinion extremely aggressive and begging for failure.
Another person here a few months ago had to quit savella because even though it helped mood some, the side effect of rage was unmanageable and intolerable. I can sure understand that. My point is...I think that dose, whatever it was, dosens't matter, whatever it was, was too high. Shooting for a predetermined target is something I do not agree with.
I read comments from several of the people who were actually in the savella clinical trials. They all had similar experiences, in that the best benefits of the med came with time...but that time would never happen if the dose was ramped up too high causing side effects blamed for early termination. Some of those people who did have excellent response to savella would have been early dropouts except for the fact that they were in a clinical study and encouraged to stay the course.
So while I am excited about savella, I am almost grimacing over the rapid pristiq withdrawal and the super aggressive dosing of savella. Now in the pharmaceutical world and clinical world those things are not viewed as overly aggressive. I just happen to live in the real world. My eyes have seen and experienced more than those people in white coats have.
I'm just trying to share all I know about savella, because I want you to feel better!
My only final note is that when savella by itself doesn't do the job, the addition of a minimum dose AP seems to do great.
Don't let any rough ride in your near future shake you off course.
Posted by Dr. Bob on March 17, 2010, at 20:46:55
In reply to Lou's request-pryngtugd? » Frustratedmama, posted by Lou Pilder on March 16, 2010, at 21:10:27
> A. Are you praying to a God for that to work?
Sorry to interrupt, but I'd like to redirect this thread to Psycho-Babble Faith. Here's a link:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20080809/msgs/939859.html
That'll be considered a new thread, so if you'd like to be notified by email of follow-ups to it, you'll need to request that there. Thanks,
Bob
Posted by floatingbridge on March 17, 2010, at 22:54:17
In reply to Re: Pristiq to Savella » Frustratedmama, posted by bleauberry on March 17, 2010, at 17:16:54
BB, I thought a cross taper (that is what it's called, right?) of savella would offset the withdrawal of pristiq. Not that you know of?
And in your opinion, would savella be possibly contra-indicated in someone who has done poorly on Wellbutrin & strattera?
A 'quick metabolizer'--what does that mean?
Too many questions--sorry.
Posted by Frustratedmama on March 18, 2010, at 17:37:18
In reply to Re: Pristiq to Savella, posted by floatingbridge on March 17, 2010, at 22:54:17
Hi,
Just an update- doing okay- nothing bad so far and nothing great on 50 Savella in PM with 50 Pristiq in AM-BB- I am worried about going down on Pristiq too fast and on amping up the Savella too quickly; currently taking 100 mg of Pristiq though-My system is very strange- some meds I am super sensitive too (like the atypical's such as geodon or abilify) however, other meds I need HIGH doses of too respond (such as Vyvanse, Prozac, Pristiq, etc). SO, not sure where I will fall in this case but will defintely monitor both the tapering and the addition of Savella.....
SLS- glad we are both doing this and hoping this works for you too!!!!! :)
FB- Are you still on Pristiq? DId you try Savella? How are you?????
Phillipa- always there for me- THANK You!!!! Wishing you well :)
FM
Posted by Lou Pilder on March 18, 2010, at 20:56:10
In reply to Lou's request-pryngtugd? » Frustratedmama, posted by Lou Pilder on March 16, 2010, at 21:10:27
> > Hi everyone,
> > Thanks to all who responded to my last post- you are all so thoughtful! Well, I just got back from pdoc and recommendations were to decrease the Pristiq by 50 mg for one week then to discontinue while initiating the Savella (I will be taking the Savella in 2 25 mg doses for a week- then 2 50 mg doses). Here's PRAYING this works as I don't want to end up where I was last year. Pdoc thought the idea was reasonable based on my history and thinks this may work :). I sure hope so cause the spiral down is NOT working for me right now :(.
> > FM
>
> FM,
> You wrote,[...Thanks to all that respondeed..Here's PRAYING this works...]
> I am unsure as to what you are wanting to mean and if you could post answers to the following, then I could have the opportunity to post to you advice about your situation with the chemicals that you take into your system.
> A. Are you praying to a God for that to work?If so, which God are you praying to?
> 1B. Does that God, if it is a God that you are praying to, prescibe that those that take mind-altering drugs be cast into the Lake of Fire?
> 2B. Why is the word {praying} in caps?
> C. other questions not stated (yet)
> LouFriends,
Thank you for reading this here in relation to my offer of advice in relation to the chemicals, referred to as medicines here.
There is a group called {Public Citizen} that has petitioned for the recall of the drug Savella. Here is a link.
Lou
http://www.citizen.org/publications/publicationredirect.cfm?ID=7723
Posted by floatingbridge on March 18, 2010, at 22:14:47
In reply to Hi SLS, FB, BB, and Phillipa :), posted by Frustratedmama on March 18, 2010, at 17:37:18
FM, first, good luck. How are you reacting? I'm curious about your transition. Thought BB had some good comments to consider.
Still on pristiq 50. Curious about Savella because of pain and because never was sure pristiq did anything for me. I'm alright. Better than earlier in the year, but take nothing for granted. 300 lithium seems to help with out side effect.
Thanks for asking!
fb
Posted by Frustratedmama on March 19, 2010, at 9:28:15
In reply to Lou's offer of support and education-cevelah, posted by Lou Pilder on March 18, 2010, at 20:56:10
Thanks Lou, I read the link and will discuss them more with my pdoc. I appreciate your input and concern, so thank you. FM
Posted by Lou Pilder on March 19, 2010, at 11:52:42
In reply to Re: Lou's offer of support and education-cevelah » Lou Pilder, posted by Frustratedmama on March 19, 2010, at 9:28:15
> Thanks Lou, I read the link and will discuss them more with my pdoc. I appreciate your input and concern, so thank you. FM
FM,
You wrote,[...will discuss..with my (psychiatrist)...].
I invite you now to click on this offerd link to give you more infomation to discuss with your psychiatrist if you like.
Lou
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Bzwx5HcurM
This is the end of the thread.
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