Posted by nickm on October 21, 2003, at 9:12:13
In reply to Re: Anti Psychotics for Insomnia and ?, posted by DanielJ on October 21, 2003, at 7:28:30
I guess I cannot trust psychopharmacologists so easily. My wife was put on Zyprexa, Prozac, Provigil, Lamictal, and Klonopin. In March she developed EPS symptoms, tremors of lips and hands, and a shuffling gait. Her doctor wouldn't admit that Zyprexa and/or Prozac or both could give such symptoms. Wouldn't even discuss it!!!
My wife changed doctors. The minute she went off Prozac, the EPS symptoms improved. The minute she went off Zyprexa, all the symptoms disappeared.
The new doctor put her on Abilify, the akathisia, dysthonia, and EPS came back, and she developed panic attacks as well as lost all appetite, and couldn't sleep. Her Klonopin doses were augmented to 4-5 mg per day even if she's over sixty. She began to need more and more Klonopin.
A third doctor wanted to give her ECTs, and did it by saying to her, "You will die if you don't have them." She had five and almost died. A month after the ECTs she still has long term memory loss, inability to sleep, and confusion.
During and after the ECTS she was kept on Serzone, Trazodone, Ambien, and Abilify. She dropped the Abilify on October 12, and yet a new doctor gave her Benadryl to help her sleep and alleviate the EPS-Parkinson symptoms. The akathisia is subsiding and hopefully she will be able to gradually go off Klonopin.
This last doctor also confirmed what I had already read about Zyprexa and Serzone. Zyprexa, with its weight gaining properties (My wife gained thirty plus pounds) can eventually help you develop diabetes or hyperglicemia. First of the four doctors she's seen who's been willing to admit to this. He also told us he wouldn't prescribe Serzone because of its black dot on the Physcian's Referal's Manual, on the Drug's Box, and its banning in Europe and Canada for potential liver damage.
All these medications are a knife with two edges. And none of them helps - in our experience - for more than a few months.
Good luck,
Nickm
poster:nickm
thread:271133
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031021/msgs/271406.html