Posted by DL on April 6, 1999, at 22:42:59
In reply to Re: Muscle Tension-Jaw, posted by Toby on April 6, 1999, at 11:28:08
Toby,
Thanks for remembering.....Thought you had disappeared.....Been marking time waiting to see the therapist, now I'm getting a little nervous. I had to make appt in the middle of my work day and work things around it. Appt is on Thursday at 10:30AM.......I continue to sleep well almost all the time and anx level is still lower than I can remember it. But, it's rare that I feel happy, excited. I'm not sad, tearful a lot but life continues to be fairly flat. I put a lot of myself into what I do and I think I do well with the families I work with and their babies/toddlers, but it feels sort of like a "fake" me. I think "me" got lost over the last 2 decades[or more] and I have to find a way to rebuild it. I mostly like to come home to my place where I can relax. I think peeling away some of the fear and anx and need to constantly protect myself, has unmasked a person who needs a lot of work to find a way to enjoy life (the way I see others doing--but I can't seem to get there). I slip into that "social phobia" perspective a lot..
> The suggestions offered above regarding massage, Klonopin, Kava, consultation with an oral surgeon, bite guard and the EMDR are all good.Update on jaw pain:
The dentist gave me something called "Cal Max" it's an instant dissolving, quickly absorbed Ca and Mg supplement with Vitamin C. Each teaspoon supplies 400mg Ca, 200mg MG, and 500mg Vit C. You add one teaspoon to 1/2 cup boiling water and it foams, fizzes and ends up looking like water-with a very mild lemon taste. He said the Ca is necessary for muscle fibers to relax and that it should feel very calming to me and also help me sleep. He had me take it 3 times a day for 3 days and now I'm doing 2x day and then will just take it at bedtime. It does really relax me. Works better than the Ca pills I was taking. He also showed me how to open and close my jaw inline (I was moving it out of alignment to avoid the pain of the spasmed muscle.) It hurts to stretch it that way but I am noticing it is a little better. I have a bite guard and now use it whenever I'm home instead of just at night.I really do not want to go back to taking the klonopin again unless I have to. I still have some of it so I could if I wanted to. I do have the name of 2 places (chiropractors) who have massage therapists and have experience in TMJ. But I have never been to a chiropractor and wonder if this would only help for a short time.?? EMDR for jaw pain--I wonder--who knows?
I know the jaw pain was present before the Remeron, so I don't think it's contributing to it. You may indeed have to go back to the Klonopin or try the Kava from the health food store (just be sure never to use those two together because the effects add up and can lead to coma). I have been also hearing about very good results with TMJ from EMDR specialists, so you should ask the therapist you are seeing if she can target the jaw pain at some point. I believe you are seeing her tomorrow or the next day, right? I look forward to hearing about it.
>
> As for the weight gain: I asked the drug rep if there has been any new information about that. Besides the suggestion of trying the Zantac or Pepcid, increasing the mount of exercise you get and cutting calories, there has been nothing new.I was reading a new psychotropic drug reference at the book store this week. I looked up Rememron and it was described as only good for the occasional person who has tried all the other drugs already without success--due to it's side effect of weight gain in almost all who take it. It was pretty much passed over. Also mentioned that if you have flue symptoms on it you should go have your white cell count done.
>You would really need to talk with your doctor before thinking about stopping an antidepressant, especially since you've had the depression for so long it would be a big risk to come off the one thing that has really worked.
I moved my MD appt up till after the therapy appt. The therapist said she has had good luck connecting with 2 local MD's in the area. so I may try to get an appt with one of them and switch from the only psychiatrist I have ever seen--at the health clinic. I won't do anything with the Remeron till I speak to MD. Perhaps someone new will be more open to suggestions. The Remeron is very expensive. It now costs me $25/mo. I finally dropped the natural hormone prescriptions since they were "non preferred also" I also wrote to the company that makes Remereon and have had no answer. Wrote to health ins co and they won't move it to the preferred category.
I wrote to the e-mail address on an Organon site I found. If anyone has a better way to write to them please pass it on to me.
Will post after therapy session if I am still in working order.
Dotty
poster:DL
thread:3230
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990401/msgs/4498.html