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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by jhj on November 13, 2010, at 5:50:56
Hi
I am suffering from what doctor thinks is dysthymia, GAD, Social Phobia, Avoidant Personality Disorder though i think my depression is very severe and remains that way 24x7. Though i started treatment for last 7 years i have been facing these problems ever since early childhood. I have tried all SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs, Most benzos, Bupropion, Mirtazapine and few others. Practically i have tried all meds except MAOIs (I have tried Moclobemide) since Nardil and Parnate are not available in my country India. I have had 6 bilateral ECTs last year. However, none of the above treatments (Drugs, ECT, CBT) helped me or improved my symptoms even by 1%.
I wanted to actually know whether has it happened to anybody here that despite trying all the drugs, depression and anxiety do not improve at all? I am not talking about drugs stop working after some time or side effects giving more trouble than benefit. I am asking about not improving at all even for 1 minute even by 1%.
In addition to all these problems, my memory is very bad. This is not due to ECTs, it has always been like that. Sorry for my poor English.
Jatin
Posted by polarbear206 on November 13, 2010, at 8:58:45
In reply to Has this happened to anybody?, posted by jhj on November 13, 2010, at 5:50:56
Have you tried any mood stabilizers?
Posted by Phillipa on November 13, 2010, at 10:21:24
In reply to Re: Has this happened to anybody?, posted by polarbear206 on November 13, 2010, at 8:58:45
So you know your English is perfect!!! Phillipa
Posted by Tomatheus on November 13, 2010, at 10:24:40
In reply to Has this happened to anybody?, posted by jhj on November 13, 2010, at 5:50:56
Jatin,
I'm sorry to hear that you've been struggling with depression and anxiety for as long as you have and that the treatments you've tried have not brought any relief. As someone who has had a lot of difficulty getting depression treatments to work consistently and on an ongoing basis, I can sympathize with you, but I can't say that I've never experienced any benefits from the treatments that I've received. I think that most patients treated for depression and anxiety experience some sort of relief from treatment, even if it's only temporary, so it must be very difficult and frustrating for you to have not responded to any treatment at all.
Even though you haven't had any success with the treatments that you've tried so far for your depression and anxiety, I would urge you to keep trying different methods that might help to ease your symptoms. It doesn't seem likely that more antidepressants, benzodiazepines, ECT treatments, or CBT sessions are going to help you, but there are other options to explore. As polarbear206 pointed out, you might want to consider trying a mood stabilizer. I take a mood stabilizer (Lamictal, or lamotrigine) myself, and I can say that it's slightly reduced the severity of my depressive symptoms. Another medication that I take is Abilify (aripiprazole), which is an atypical antipsychotic with mood-stabilizing and antidepressant properties. It too has helped reduce the severity of my depressive symptoms, particularly the hypersomnia and circadian-rhythm abnormalities. Have you tried Abilify or any of the other antipsychotics?
Besides medications, dietary supplements are another option to consider for someone looking to elevate mood or reduce anxiety. Some of the most commonly used supplements for depressive symptoms include St. John's Wort, SAMe, and fish oil, but there are a lot of other supplements with different mechanisms of action that may potentially have mood-elevating properties. One of the supplements that I've found to be the most helpful is an herb called kanna, or sceletium tortuosum. As far as I know, kanna has never been scientifically studied for its antidepressant effects, but anecdotal evidence suggests that it can elevate mood and ease anxiety.
What you might want to consider before trying any more medications or supplements, though, is getting some tests done to rule out any non-psychiatric medical problems that might be contributing to your symptoms. Have you ever had your thyroid tested? If not, I think you should. Oftentimes, thyroid problems can masquerade as psychiatric disturbances such as depression and anxiety, and treating the underlying thyroid problem may end up taking care of your psychiatric symptoms. I think it's very possible that one of the reasons why you haven't responded at all to any of the treatments offered for psychiatric disorders is that you might have something going wrong in a part of your body other than the brain that might be treatable with something other than a psychiatric medication.
Well, I hope that I've given you a few ideas to think about and that perhaps some of the things that I mentioned might open up some new doors to some more successful treatment options. I wish you luck with everything and hope you find a way to alleviate the suffering that you've had to endure for so long.
Tomatheus
Posted by morgan miller on November 14, 2010, at 15:56:54
In reply to Has this happened to anybody?, posted by jhj on November 13, 2010, at 5:50:56
No apology necessary for your English, it's better than some that have English as their first language.
Have you tried opiates for depression? A safer more controlled one would be Suboxone.
What about buying Parnate or Nardil from a pharmacy on the internet?
Have you tried combining a TCA like Nortriptyline with an SSRI like Zoloft?
Do you take any natural supplements like fish oil?
Do you exercise regularly?
Posted by jhj on November 14, 2010, at 23:17:08
In reply to Re: Has this happened to anybody?, posted by Tomatheus on November 13, 2010, at 10:24:40
> Jatin,
>
> I'm sorry to hear that you've been struggling with depression and anxiety for as long as you have and that the treatments you've tried have not brought any relief. As someone who has had a lot of difficulty getting depression treatments to work consistently and on an ongoing basis, I can sympathize with you, but I can't say that I've never experienced any benefits from the treatments that I've received. I think that most patients treated for depression and anxiety experience some sort of relief from treatment, even if it's only temporary, so it must be very difficult and frustrating for you to have not responded to any treatment at all.
>
> Even though you haven't had any success with the treatments that you've tried so far for your depression and anxiety, I would urge you to keep trying different methods that might help to ease your symptoms. It doesn't seem likely that more antidepressants, benzodiazepines, ECT treatments, or CBT sessions are going to help you, but there are other options to explore. As polarbear206 pointed out, you might want to consider trying a mood stabilizer. I take a mood stabilizer (Lamictal, or lamotrigine) myself, and I can say that it's slightly reduced the severity of my depressive symptoms. Another medication that I take is Abilify (aripiprazole), which is an atypical antipsychotic with mood-stabilizing and antidepressant properties. It too has helped reduce the severity of my depressive symptoms, particularly the hypersomnia and circadian-rhythm abnormalities. Have you tried Abilify or any of the other antipsychotics?
>
> Besides medications, dietary supplements are another option to consider for someone looking to elevate mood or reduce anxiety. Some of the most commonly used supplements for depressive symptoms include St. John's Wort, SAMe, and fish oil, but there are a lot of other supplements with different mechanisms of action that may potentially have mood-elevating properties. One of the supplements that I've found to be the most helpful is an herb called kanna, or sceletium tortuosum. As far as I know, kanna has never been scientifically studied for its antidepressant effects, but anecdotal evidence suggests that it can elevate mood and ease anxiety.
>
> What you might want to consider before trying any more medications or supplements, though, is getting some tests done to rule out any non-psychiatric medical problems that might be contributing to your symptoms. Have you ever had your thyroid tested? If not, I think you should. Oftentimes, thyroid problems can masquerade as psychiatric disturbances such as depression and anxiety, and treating the underlying thyroid problem may end up taking care of your psychiatric symptoms. I think it's very possible that one of the reasons why you haven't responded at all to any of the treatments offered for psychiatric disorders is that you might have something going wrong in a part of your body other than the brain that might be treatable with something other than a psychiatric medication.
>
> Well, I hope that I've given you a few ideas to think about and that perhaps some of the things that I mentioned might open up some new doors to some more successful treatment options. I wish you luck with everything and hope you find a way to alleviate the suffering that you've had to endure for so long.
>
> TomatheusHi Tomatheus,
Thanks for your suggestions. I have got thyroid tests done and the reading is in normal range. I have taken lamotrigine and lithium in the past without any benefits. I have taken risperidone in combination with Fluoxetine and Paroxetine in the past but with no avail. I have also tried St. John's wort. I used to blame generics available in india for my non improvement but I have talked to many patients and those drugs have benefited all of them at least to certain extent.
Jatin
Posted by jhj on November 14, 2010, at 23:33:07
In reply to Re: Has this happened to anybody?, posted by morgan miller on November 14, 2010, at 15:56:54
> No apology necessary for your English, it's better than some that have English as their first language.
>
> Have you tried opiates for depression? A safer more controlled one would be Suboxone.
>
> What about buying Parnate or Nardil from a pharmacy on the internet?
>
> Have you tried combining a TCA like Nortriptyline with an SSRI like Zoloft?
>
> Do you take any natural supplements like fish oil?
>
> Do you exercise regularly?
HiThanks for your concerns.
I have not tried opiates beacuse i can not try them on my own. nobody is ready to prescribe them.
I have not tried Nardil or Parnate due to same reasons. I am not able to get doctors to prescribe either of them.
I have tried combination of SSRIs and TCAs in the past and currently trying Fluoxetine+Clomipramine ofcourse without any benefits.
I have not tried any supplements so far. I will try them as suggested by you.
I do not exercise except a walk in the morning because i get tired very easily. In fact i remain fatigued throughout the day and feel like resting all the time.
Jatin
Posted by B2Chica on November 15, 2010, at 12:00:28
In reply to Has this happened to anybody?, posted by jhj on November 13, 2010, at 5:50:56
ok. couple comments.
i have been on xxx wow many drugs that didnt work, i mean not at all. but there are a few that do.
the thing is. i too have dysthymia along with psychotic depression. my T told me that dysthymia is more a personality disorder thing (great right) and that meds may not help that. but for the GAD there are several things out there... i just got on gabapentin and klonipin, both work well for that.
but for you depression...there IS something out there. just hang in. sometimes its a combo.
can you get your seretonin levels checked? see if maybe its more norepiniphrine or dopamine that are your issues?
simple blood draw.best wishes!
b2c.
Posted by Alexanderfromdenmark on November 16, 2010, at 11:02:24
In reply to Has this happened to anybody?, posted by jhj on November 13, 2010, at 5:50:56
Hi, I know you are looking for answers, but I honestly don't know if anyone here are qualified to say why your meds havn't worked. It obvious you have been living in hell for a very long time so I'm sorry my input is so poor.
Could you describe your symptoms in detail? Do have any idea yourself?
Does anything like Simple Scizophrenia sound like you at all?
Are your doctors treating you with respect and listing to you? Do you have any caring friends and relatives?
This is the end of the thread.
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