Posted by brynb on April 8, 2013, at 15:21:34
After a lot of unraveling and recent instability and a hell of a last two weeks (which included a trip to the psych ER), I convinced my pdoc to let me quit Lexapro and switch to Nardil. I had to beg.
I know it's not great to make drastic med changes when a lot is happening and my mood and judgement is clouded, but it dawned on me that after 7 years on Lexapro (alone or combined with every other med) and 16 or so years on other SRIs, NRIs, TCAs and various psych meds (alone or combined with either too many SEs or no success) that I need to make a big change. I realize this BIG change includes a lifestyle overhaul which includes working, exercising and getting out, but these are impossibilities at the moment given my ongoing mental state.
I'd love to be med-free, but I don't think that's possible at the moment. A jump-start and safety net are necessary. So, having never truly explored the MAOIs, I feel Nardil would be best for my most prominent symptoms (depression and anxiety). I should mention that I started Ketamine treatment in January. It was great initially (it jump-started my mood and helped me out of a non-functioning funk), but now seems to just mess with mood stability and cause some mania--hypo or otherwise.
I'll be doing one more Ketamine treatment (I'm realizing my doctor makes a pretty penny off these and I probably should cut the Ketamine out for good, but this was his suggestion during the transition) and then trying TMS, too.
My question is: too many changes at an inopportune time? Or a really good idea as Lexapro--regardless of my recent Ketamine trial--isn't cutting it and I'm worse-off than ever? This year was my first where I can't work at all--not even on a part-time or freelance basis, and has been peppered with very unsavory ER visits, worse than ever mood instability and significantly worse memory and cognitive skills.
I'd love feedback, but please, tread lightly; I'm feeling fragile :/.
-b
Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
poster:brynb
thread:1041884
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130408/msgs/1041884.html