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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Sheilac on October 21, 2014, at 7:33:21
I've been quite stable on Geodon, klonopin and Trileptal for a while. Then my reg doc threw Elavil at me for neuropathy which threw me into a hypomanic state. My pdoc quickly put me on Depakote, which made me feel like a zombie, goofy, no memory, nauseous, just out of it. I hate how I feel
Am I supposed to be so medicated that nothing throws me off balance (like Elavil or steroids)?
I feel like I'm in denile again. I hate taking meds, but I hate the shaky, sick feeling I have all the time. Why is it so hard to accept that I have to be medicated, flat and lifeless all the time? I know I've always had mood swings, but I can remember 20 years ago I just took an antidepressant and klonopin. Over the years the drugs have gotten stronger and harder to take.
I feel such social anxiety being off meds that it's hard for me to hold down a job or leave the house. I've always been this way since I was a kid. What do I do? Am I in denile? Is this my life, always being medicated or being thrown into hypomania by a cup of coffee? Those are my choices?
Some people say Geodon is a bad mood stabilizer. Is this true?
Posted by Christ_empowered on October 21, 2014, at 21:38:47
In reply to In denile? Meds sick..., posted by Sheilac on October 21, 2014, at 7:33:21
You're not as sick as a lot of people. I could have been sent to a state mental hospital, for instance. Count your blessings.
Now, I think adding depakote was overkill. A couple days of night time zyprexa could have killed the hypomania.
If you need meds...try to keep it minimal. My suggestion? Some sort of atypical, keep the Klonopin or another benzo (its hard to quit Klonopin, anyway), see how that goes.
Meds don't cure anything. This is not like with anti-biotics or anti-virals. This is psychiatry. What you're doing is changing brain chemistry so you change how you feel and hopefully that changes how you behave. Every time you add a medication, you change your brain chemistry more. The more meds you take, the longer you take them, the more actual change to the brain you make.
I don't like depakote. I mean, I'm on the more severe end of mentally ill, and I don't take that stuff. I take Trileptal and Lamictal and Abilify. Part of the reason I'm doing better is that I don't switch my meds too much. I also do Orthomolecular, which I recommend to you, too. Its supplements w/ your meds and whatever else you choose to do for your problems (therapy, art, writing, exercise, spirituality, whatever).
Also...you have to keep your expectations realistic. For me, at this point meds keep me stable enough to recover from whatever you call what ails me, pursue a degree online, and stay out of a mental hospital. That's about all I usually expect--to not be incapacitated by my problems OR side effects, and sufficiently "normal" to start building a life for myself.
There is NOT a pill for every ill. Diagnosis isn't all that important, either. Its all about getting your problems sufficiently under control so you can do something about them. Maybe one day you won't even NEED meds.
Is Geodon a good mood stabilizer? I wouldn't take it. It apparently has the potential for cardiac issues. TD is a real possibility.
What do you need from meds? Reading over your meds, I kinda think long term Klonopin use may be causing some low mood/depression in you. My vote would be for a switch to valium or xanax xr.
Atypicals are heavy meds. I mean, they're easier to tolerate than, say, full dose Thorazine, but...still...they're major tranquilizers. Seriously. The mental health people may not call them that (at least not in front patients) anymore, but that's what they are.
I think maybe you should make an appointment with a new shrink and just have him/her give advice and see what happens.
Ever tried Luvox?
Posted by europerep on October 22, 2014, at 5:55:55
In reply to Re: In denile? Meds sick..., posted by Christ_empowered on October 21, 2014, at 21:38:47
> You're not as sick as a lot of people. I could have been sent to a state mental hospital, for instance. Count your blessings.
Wow, not only do you happen to have the monopoly on judging people's suffering, you also happen to be among the worst off. What a remarkable coincidence.
Posted by Chris O on October 25, 2014, at 0:53:23
In reply to In denile? Meds sick..., posted by Sheilac on October 21, 2014, at 7:33:21
God, I totally hear you with the social anxiety and not being able to leave the house and the anger/frustration with the "half life" most meds seem to provide. What a cruel Candide-esque joke this all is, eh? I offer my profound empathy and hope that you find something to make things better.
Chris
Posted by phidippus on October 31, 2014, at 18:57:46
In reply to In denile? Meds sick..., posted by Sheilac on October 21, 2014, at 7:33:21
What worries me about you is all these feelings you are a having are symptoms of your illness and not the effects of your medication. You don't stay on anything long and are always shifting things around. Compounding this is the fact you prefer low, sub-therapeutic doses of medication. You're never going to get a handle on your illness if you keep on going like you do. Pick a symptom and treat it. What you're left feeling may be more symptoms and not side effects of the drug. Once you determine which it is, move forward accordingly.
Get off everything and stay on 1000 mg dose of Depakote for a week then tell me how you feel. If you feel depressed, its probably a symptom. If you feel lethergic, its probably a side effect. I hope what i'm writing here is making sense to you.
Geodon is not a mood stabilizer. It is an atypical antipsychotic that antagonizes dopamine, seratonin and agonizes some seratonin receptors.
Yes it treats mania and depression, but not in a way that provides true mood stabilization.Eric
This is the end of the thread.
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