Posted by stargazer on February 23, 2007, at 0:24:58
In reply to Re: Brain Steroids: Cocktail for Calm Clarity » stargazer, posted by Atreyu on February 22, 2007, at 11:04:39
Atreyu,
Interestingly, I just asked my pdoc for a second opinion and the pdoc he referred me to did not accept insurance so I guess he was probably a good doc. Too bad I can't afford to see him.
Is this because the people that can afford to go to these docs do not want an insurance trail identifying them as 'psych' patients. It's always the case, the rich get the best treatment and the rest of us get the leftovers.
I'm going to see someone tomorrow who accepts insurance. Probably a pretty mediocre doc.
I am currently on 12 mg Emsam. My depression is in remission for now but I don't feel normal or well enough to accept this feeling. I'm always dizzy and my brain is not sharp or focused in it's functioning. I haven't felt well in a very long time and since I'm not working due to depression, it's hard for me to tell how functional I actually am with little work stress affecting me.
Question-Whats the best way to have a new pdoc evaluate my depression and treat it with the right combination of medications? I don't think they know what's wrong with my brain and therefore they don't seem to have any game plan when they treat me. I don't think any of the typical AD meds do much for me but I have had luck in the past with two MAOs, Nardil (1989), stopped working and Marplan (1994), discontinued by Roche, forced to come off it, retrial in 2006, which failed. A combination of Celexa, Wellbutrin and Adderall worked for a while too, not great but acceptable results.
I still don't have an idea of what brain deficiencies I have and I never feel the pdocs ask the right questions to determine which meds will work. There doesn't seem to be any logic in their choice of meds. They just try anything I haven't been on before and that usually makes me worse. Luckily, this past November Emsam did pull me out of a depression but it has not restored me to a place that feels right.
My depression seems to be triggered mainly by work responsibilities. When I was on Nardil I had the ability to work under pressure and although I felt stress, I didn't cave with it, until it stopped working. It seems when a med works, I can handle stress and be able to accomplish many stressful things. When I'm depressed I become unable to handle even minor stressors, become unable to make any decisions, and lose the ability to multitask and prioritize tasks.
Is this a faulty process having to do with the brain's executive functioning? Are you familiar with what is broken or not working right? Is it a dopamine problem or something else going on?
I have gone from being very accomplished to being quite mentally debilitated. In my past few jobs I try to avoid any situations that will stress me out because I'm so afraid of decompensating and becoming depressed but even with doing this, my brain inevitably starts to fail. I become unable to filter information for relevance and I get overloaded with useless details and become unable to focus on what's important.
Do you see anything here that is a clue to what is going on and what meds might work? I am desparate and that is why I have asked my pdoc for a second opinion. You may be better equipped than them to advise me about this. At least it would give me some ideas to discuss when I see him tomorrow, if I get your response in time.
Thanks for any light you can shed on my situation. Sorry so long, I tired myself out. Also my ability to read and retain info has always been poor. This is why I told my pdoc I thought I had ADD.
Stargazer
poster:stargazer
thread:734959
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070219/msgs/735259.html