Posted by juanantoniod on January 27, 2003, at 16:51:08
In reply to Re: New to Depakote-Can someone tell me how it works? » juanantoniod, posted by catmint on January 27, 2003, at 1:21:20
Amy,
I appreciate your caring enough to have an interest in what is going on with me.
Right now I am not working, I am disabled, mostly due to mental illness. So, until that is resolved, I am going to do some volunteering. I am also going to take 3 different workshops in the next 3 months about finding my life purpose. Hopefully that will give me some direction for re-entering the job market.
I started the Depakote at 500mg, and now am up to 1000mg daily. I don't know how it works, but I think the anti-anxiety component is allowing me to take a nap during the day, which I couldn't before because I felt hypervigilant and always on edge. (I also have a childhood history of abuse.)
Because I am on so many medications, I do keep a spreadsheet of them, and take it to may docs whenever it changes. I also recently came across a program which would check for drug interactions at the metabolizing enzyme (CYP450) level. None of mine appeared to have any major interactions.
I'm 36 and ECT is a therapy of last resort for me at this point. I promised my friend that before I would consider voluntary euthanasia, I would exhaust all treatments for depression. However, after recently seeing "The Hours", it further awakened me to the impact my death would have on others. This leaves me less open to committing something like voluntary euthanasia.
I think there are a few more meds to try and hopefully something will make me feel "normal". However, without the suicidal ideations, I'm not sure what my feelings are. I've already tried almost all the meds available, but might want to go back and give tricyclics a try. Strattera and Cymbalta are also options for the future. Maybe the Lexapro will work. I'm currently only at 10mg, ramping up to 20 daily, so there is still hope for that.
I know about vocational rehab and they usually require that you are in a specific program. Do you mind telling me what you are going to achieve? How old are you,and are you doing the vocational rehab because you now feel well enough to get back into the job market?
I look forward to hearing more about you,
Antonio
>
> Antonio,
> Thanks for all that you shared. I'm really happy to read that! Are you working? If not, can you go to vocational rehab? They are helping me get new skills so I can start working again and get off SSI(disability).
>
> How much Depakote have you started with? Are you able to take a nap during the day and/or sleep better at night?
>
> It sounds like you need to tell your pdoc straight up everything that you take so as to not have any interactions.
>
> I now understand why you take the stims due to your past meth addiction. I think depressive people who also have PTSD crave stimulants.
> I know I do. I also have PTSD due to an abuse incident as a child.
>
> I'm kinda confused about your long term plan. What do you think will happen? Is'nt ECT safe? Why would anything happen to you?
>
> I hope you keep talking to me and others on this board, I don't know how old you are but it doesn't mattter. I'ts never too late to have a better quality of life.
>
> Write soon,
> Amy
poster:juanantoniod
thread:137244
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030125/msgs/137806.html