Posted by b2chica on October 3, 2012, at 15:46:15
In reply to Re: PS. what should i do? » b2chica, posted by SLS on October 3, 2012, at 15:14:27
> Have you discontinued Lamictal?
i haven't been on lamictal
> Why are you still taking Pristiq if it is not preventing depression?
> Did Pristiq work when you first started taking it? Does it continue to give you a partial response?
the pristiq is working on depression...or it was/is..??unsure
pristiq has worked for an amazing 3 years (except normally once or so a year things go wacky and we have to augment)
> Did it make a difference to raise the dosage of Pristiq from 50 mg to 100 mg?yes made difference going up to 100, worked great. then too great.
> When you tried Wellbutrin, were you also taking Pristiq?
i tried wellbutrin back inthe day. it was the first AD to really work well for me. pooped out after about a year. then three years later tried again, both generics and name brand, didnt work.
no wasnt taking pristiq at same time> When you tried Wellbutrin, were you also taking Zyprexa?
yes off and on wellbutrin and zyprexa, mostly no though.
> Have you ever taken Effexor 300 mg/day?
effexor was HORRIBLE to me.
> I bet there are lots of things you haven't tried yet. You actually seem quite treatable. Just keep taking your Trileptal 600 mg/day. If you can induce mania, it should be easily controlled by using a mood stabilizer or an antimanic antipsychotic.
i'm confused with questions...are you sure your talking to me?
i'm not on Trileptal either. it almost gave me a stroke. got ataxia, nystagmus, and was 'locked in' for about 12 hours.
> I think you are going to need an anticovulsant mood stabilizer (Trileptal 600 - 900 mg/day), an antimanic antipsychotic (Zyprexa 15 - 20 mg/day) and, if necessary, one or two antidepressants (Effexor 300 mg/day or Pristiq 200 mg/day; Wellbutrin 300 mg/day).
>
> One can make the argument that treating you with only a combination of Trileptal and lithium makes sense. I guess it depends on where along the bipolar spectrum you are, and how much depression persists despite continued treament.
>
> Try to keep things simple and have patience. This is not an easy thing to do. To tell you the truth, to avoid suicidaity and remain employable, it might make sense to continue with Zyprexa or switch to Abilify while continuing with Trileptal. As you can see, there are plenty of alternative treatments available. You have reason to be optimistic, despite the difficult time you are enduring right now.
> - Scottif the pristiq hadn't worked i wanted to try your suggestion of desipramine from a few months ago. but the pristiq worked...then too well. now, wacky.
i listed my meds earlier but here:
pristiq 100
adderall 20, 10, 10
perphenazine 2mg, 6mg
gabapenting rx'd 5xday, only taking about 3 now
xanax rx'd 2mg, only take about 1mg pm for sleep
zyprexa starting yesterday 10mg pmi'm going to try to stablize out and change the gabapentin back to at least 3-4 times day (mid morning when anxiety hits, 1pm, 6pm and bedtime.
i'm going to lower xanax as that can cause me depression at times. (unless its really needed for anger etc.)
and keep zyprexa at 10 for 4 more days.IF that doesn't work i'll do outpatient hospital so they can sort things out.
right now i feel a little fuzzy (like i do when depression hits) but i have a lot of electric energy inside, some physical but mostly mentally. i'm trying to read some physics books to calm my mind. and also crocheting when i can, helps as its physical AND very repetative.
thanks ALways Scott!
b2c."What is madness, but nobility of soul at odds with circumstance.
The day is on Fire, and i know the purity of pure despair."
Theodore Roethke
poster:b2chica
thread:1027311
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20121001/msgs/1027471.html