Posted by Ritch on May 28, 2003, at 22:11:19
In reply to Re: ECT fixes TD » Ritch, posted by Chloe on May 28, 2003, at 20:37:31
> Hi Mitch,
> Nice to hear from you. I guess I have been gone for a while. I had a really good stretch with the ECT.
> My docs were really laid back about my treatments and I swear I would still be having them if I didn't ask to stop. I was having two per month (all my insurance would cover in the end) for a couple months and that wasn't quite frequent enough. I was starting to have minor mood swingings and irritable outbursts. So I, not the docs decided to end it because the insurance wouldn't pay for say...three a month. Unfortunately, my mood disorder has kinda come back and I am living day to day again. I miss my stability and reliability. But some things are alot better...I learned so much with ECT. Things about my emotional life became so clear...Though probably obvious to those close to me! But I learned that my mood is NEVER going to remain even or constant. I can pine and wish and pray for that, but it's not going to come. So now if I am really elated and productive, and I think I am cured, I know now that that mood is not going last. A crash is around the corner. Seems silly, but I never realized that til ECT wiped out my cycling.
>
> Anyhoo...Yes, I have tried Lamictal and depakote, neurontin, Tegretol, trileptal, topamax, and any others out there. All the antiepileptics give me bad rashes and scalp burning pain. I get miserable side effects and minimal relief. Lamictal made me feel very blah and just crumby all over. Have you tried it or are you thinking of trying it?
>
> Now I take
> 900 mg Eskilith CR
> 40 mgs Doxepin
> 10 mgs Valium
> 5 mcgs T3 (thyroid)
> (25 mgs Seroquel prn)
>
> When I first started T3 it was helping with my cycling. Then, I think my thyroid shut off because I got massive hair loss, lethargy, chronic unbearable constipation, etc. I just could not live that way, so I cut my dose in half waiting for a endocrin appointment. It's been almost 6 months trying to get an appointment. My BF wants me to go back up on the T3, but hypothyroid side effects SUCK. I can't face it. I think cycling is better at this point. Have you ever tried any thyroid stuff? There might be something to that. But I am afraid to mess with it until I can be monitored properly.
>
> Hope you are doing ok...
> ChloeChloe, it seems that you have gotten a bunch of important insight about your cycling from all of your recent ECT experience. For me it is just like a tribal seasonal songdance of sorts. That makes it predictable-which is helpful-but it makes you feel fatalistic about things and sometimes I discount good news too much. That's weird about your meds-lithium+doxepin+diazepam were the first three meds in different classes that I had been on simultaneously-but that was in the early '80's! Depression-wise the lithium worked better than Depakote, but it was a little mean on my thyroid and I only have 1/3 of a thyroid left. I've been quite wirey (predictably) the last few weeks and my pdoc wanted to add some lithium (but I can't handle it very well). We tried some Zonegran and it made me very irritable with insomnia (yuck), and then tried Keppra and that just made me listless and increased my anxiety/depression (slept better though). I haven't tried Lamictal yet.. I'm thinking about bringing it up in a very formal way at my next appt. though. I think if I follow the titration guidelines (despite being on Depakote), that I will be OK. But before I do that I want to add just a *tiny* bit of Buspar (2.5-5.0mg/day) to my current meds of
Depakote 250mg
Klonopin .5-.75mg
Effexor approx. 4-6mg
Fishoil 1-2G EPA
I got a very good antianxiety response to Buspar previously-I'm just med sensitive and it made me dysphoric at higher doses (but it causes dysphoria in practically anybody in overdose). Thyroid stuff.... I would like to try that at some point because.... stimulants have been so successful in the past, and I think that adding something that could reduce the cycling and reduce depression/anergia would be a good route to follow.=====take care===Mitch
poster:Ritch
thread:99976
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030525/msgs/229846.html