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From Mimi to DENISE and friends » denise528

Posted by Mimi on June 3, 2003, at 18:39:34

In reply to Re: Mimi!!!, posted by denise528 on June 2, 2003, at 15:54:32

> Yes thanks Mimi, I was just wondering what does each drug that you take do for you, can you tell me the benefits of each one?
>
> Also, did you find the ECT helpful, if you had been put on that combination of drugs without having had the ECT do you think you would have recovered as well?
>
>
> Denise

Yes, Denise. Thanks for asking such specifics. It is a useful exercise for me to try to articulate the differences in med effects.

Let me preface by saying I've been on meds just five years and had ECT just 1 and 1/2 years ago.
I would say that Seroquel is by far the most important med to me. 50mg of Seroquel per diem provides me with an unprecedented sense of well-being and ease with life. (Risperdal was my intro to antipsychotic meds and I loved it, but I had to also take Bromocryptine to counteract ensuing lactation. Risperdal was the first med to ever work for me and I felt the wonderful effects as I swallowed it for the first time!!!)

My second favorite med is Buspar--which in my case causes the least side effects (drowsiness for 1 hour). Buspar allowed me to excell at my paying job as it freed me from lifelong social anxiety. I used to fear greatly talking on the phone in a workplace setting. Once I began taking Buspar all social situations were a cinch for me. I would say it allows my base personality to shine.

I acquired Ambien fairly recently for sleep. Wonderful med. Few side effects. I take it and I sleep through the night vs. waking up screaming at the top of my lungs from night terrors. Before that I took Periactin which caused me to gain weight rapidly. And before Periactin I took Klonopin which sedated me 24 hours a day and was highly addictive--not at all satisfactory for me.

Celexa elevates my mood, although I'm having a hard time differentiating the effects of Celexa from those of Nortriptyline. Celexa does reduce my sex drive as do some of the others. More than 20mg. is intolerable to me because of the sedating side effects.

As of yesterday, I have begun weening myself off of Nortriptyline. Upon rereading the PDR Family Guide to Prescription Drugs I determined that Nortriptyline has the most and the worst side effects (although that is debatable) and that it was the med I could most afford to lose. My pdoc has wanted me to get off it for some time as it has an overdose potential.

I am tired of being on so many meds and only being functional half the day (the afternoon). I know there is a danger of relapse so I am self-monitoring carefully.

To answer your question about whether I could have gotten by without ECT I will provide a short background story. Even though it sounds weird and archaic, my family or origin had forced me into an arranged marriage with a very nice but boring young man. After trying to get out of it for some years, I felt hopelessly trapped. Mind you I had suffered for years from double depression & PTSD. In fact, I did not wish to live due to the hopelessness of my social situation.

After 9 rounds of ECT I felt hope, was able to secure a new job, and swap my arranged marriage for a man I truly love. The side effects of ECT were tremendous. I have no memory of that fall nor did I have any functional memory at all for about six months after. My life and my memories began again when I met my fiancee in May 2002 (I had ECT in Nov. 2001). There is no way to answer your question. I wish I knew. I never intend to have ECT again--but it did seem to work or else the change in my life was coincidental. I know that I had risked my life with ECT (the MD told me I could die) and that after that there was NO risk I could not take. Does that make any sense to you? There also was a certain clarity of self that resulted from ECT: you lose your mind due to the injury to the brain but you regain your essence and your spiritual being. Strange, huh.

Are you contemplating ECT? I certainly did my research first, while I was in the hospital. I had many many friends. I was still a gamble. I don't know how it would have turned out otherwise. I truly had NO will to live at that time.

Yours,
Mimi


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poster:Mimi thread:229813
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030530/msgs/231165.html