Posted by TamaraJ on March 7, 2005, at 14:21:46
In reply to Re: Kara, my turn. How you are doing? » TamaraJ, posted by KaraS on March 6, 2005, at 16:16:29
> Hi,
> > >
> >
> Ah, so you hit the snooze button a lot too. I've started to set my alarm earlier as well. (Unfortunately that gives me more reason to keep hitting that snooze button.) I'm hoping that when I have to be some place that I won't continue to hit the snooze button. We shall see.
>
-- Ya, I am a "snoozer". I never used to be. I was always one of those people who didn't need an alarm clock - just woke up at the same time everyday and jumped out of bed. But, in the past couple of years, my alarm clock has become both my best friend and my arch enemy! Oh well. I am sure you won't be hitting the snooze button as often when you have to be some place. But, you're right, time will tell. I will be in that boat soon too. So, I'll have to see just how well I do in that regard. Yipes!
>
> If your method of shopping works for you, then no harm done. I'm the opposite though. I don't want to have to worry about taking it back if it doesn't fit so I always try things on. I saw a segment on the news the other day about some retailers having limits on the amount of things that can be brought back within certain timeframes. The person who always just brought things home was not allowed to return some things because of this policy and it led to a story on the news.
>
-- I have been really lucky that I have very rarely had to or wanted to return something. If I am unsure about something, then I will cave in and take the time to try it on. I worked with a lady who used to shop, try things on, buy and then a few days later, after re-trying things on at home, decide she didn't like what she had bought and return it. We all used to tease her about it, but she didn't seem in the least bit concerned. I would be so embarrassed if I was constantly returning things, especially if I had tried them on first. I can imagine that some stores would want to curtail compulsive returners. Can you imagine if someone was buying clothes, wearing them for a special event, and then returning them. Yuk! But, I am sure that some people do that.> I think that doing some CBT or trying to redirect thoughts to something else are good solutions (if one can manage it) when one starts to negatively worry and obsess. Who knows, maybe even the tapping will, in time, help with this kind of thing. And maybe medication could help eventually.
>
-- What I find so weird about CBT is that I think most of us know that we need to redirect our thoughts are change our thinking - that is just common sense. But, changing our thinking isn't always effective in quelling anxiety, especially when the anxiety is the "free floating" kind where there doesn't seem to be any particular thought(s) or action(s) that seem to be causing it. I don't know, maybe I am just being cynical. The tapping may work. The way I was taught was, again, you have to focus on what is causing the angst and tap it away. I am really looking forward to starting yoga or something like that. It is supposed to be very calming, centering and energizing.
>
> So how is the nort. treating you so far??? Any side effects or problems? Hopefully it's ok. I had tachycardia from it but you would have noticed that on the first pill so chances are you're not going to have that problem. Don't beat yourself up about going off of the Paxil. There's no way you could have known about future med problems. I feel that away about the Effexor sometimes but I went off of it for a good reason and I just keep telling myself that.
>
-- So far, I think it is treating me well. I have been experiencing a little bit more agitation/anxiety, but I am hoping that that will subside as my body adjusts to the med. I don't want to jinx myself, but I think I may be experiencing a lessening of the dark, ruminating thoughts I have been having. The anxiety is still there, but there are other reasons for that. When I see the pdoc next week, I may discuss Klonopin with him. Have you ever tried it? I have heard it can be particularly good for avoidant personality caused by constant anxiety and the "what if" thoughts. That will be the last hump I will have to get over if the nort works. You're right, we can't beat ourselves up for making the decision to discontinue a med. I am sorry that the Effexor did not agree with you the second time around. But, I sure am glad that the Doxepin is at least helping keep the anxiety under control for you. That gives you a little bit of breathing room to do some more research and identify a med for the depression. Have you ever tried Tofranil PM? I have heard some good things about it for depression and anxiety.
>
> Both of your parents are characters! Definitely lots of material for a sitcom! As for your doctor, I really envy him. I wish I had a career I loved and that gave me a sense of fulfillment.
>
-- Oh, they are characters alright! Material for a sitcom now, but when they were together, it would have probably been better material for a horror show! Now, there were two people who never should have gotten together or stayed together as long as they did. I think in some cases, opposites attract and can have a very healthy and loving relationship. But, in some cases, it is a disaster. Oh well, the times were different when my parents married. If they had decided to pursue a relationship in this day and age, they probably would have lived together and realized that they were all wrong for each other. Go figure.
>
> Criminal is exactly the word. And even those who have health insurance can be completely ruined financially if they or one of their family members develops a horrible disease or condition because insurance only pays for so much. Besides, insurance companies always find excuses not to cover things. They love to call procedures "experimental" and that way they don't have to pay for them. The politicians always give lip service to changing our healthcare system but nothing ever happens once they get elected. To be fair, Clinton tried to do this but Congress gave too much resistance. Part of the reason was that he put Hillary in charge of the whole thing and everyone balked at her being given this role. Afterall, who was she? No one elected her to anything (at the time). Lots of sexism involved too.
>
-- I had heard some horror stories about people having to deal with the insurance companies and having treatments, etc. denied or having to jump through hoops and provide justifications, etc. for off-label uses. I seem to recall having heard a story of a man who lived in Texas (I think I am remembering correctly), and he had a daughter who had serious medical problems. He almost went broke in the States trying to get her treatment, and finally left the States for Canada so she could get the care she needed. The partisan sniping and egos need to be shelved long enough to put some serious thought into the issue.
> > >
> Yeah, I'm sure it's the best move in the short-term. It's just my heightened state of anxiety, given recent events, that has me questioning my decision.
>
-- It's a big decision, and I don't blame you for having mixed emotions about it. Yes, there are a number of pros, but, as you have said, there are some cons. Hopefully, once you make the move and get settled, the pros will outweigh the cons. I hope everything works out. I am really keeping my fingers crossed for you that this will, in the end, be a good, positive move for you.>
> I just hope that this therapy continues to work for Jerry. There are lots of dangers with opiates and the chances are great that he will require higher and higher dosages in the future.
>
-- I do too.
>
> What was your response to the l-tyrosine? I thought that helped you but my memory is failing me. I tried acetyl-l-carnitine along with DMAE and phosphatidylserine for several weeks and didn't notice any improvement. I'm sure that they were doing good things in my body but nothing that I could really pinpoint in terms of depression or increased concentration. I only took 100 mg. of DMAE and PS though. I don't remember the ALC dose. Maybe I didn't go high enough on any of them. I don't have the money now or I'd like to try taking larger doses of PS to lower my cortisol. The NADH and ALC seemed to work well for you. Good to know that you have those augmentors available to you.
>
-- I seemed to have a relatively positive response to L-Tyrosine. But then I added L-Glutamine into the mix early on and ended up after about two weeks on both L-Tyrosine and L-glutamine in a severely agitated state. It was incredibly unpleasant. Because I was using both together, I didn't know if it was the L-Tyrosine or the L-Glutamine or a combination of the two. But, it freaked me out so much that I stopped both and have been a little wary ever since about trying again. Maybe once I get my current state of anxiety and depression under control, I will experiment again. I was using 150mg of DMAE and that seemed to help somewhat in combination with NADH. But, I think that the anxiety I had been experiencing was derailing to some extent the effectiveness of the combo (because the anxiety would be so bad some days that I would feel exhausted from it). You may respond to a higher dose of DMAE. I had read in a couple of places that ACL provided some relief at doses of 1,000 - 2,000mg. I tried PS, but, even at doses of 200 - 300mg a day, I did not experience any noticable improvement or relief. I guess natural supplements are just like meds in one regard - you have to experiment to find the right supps or combo of supps for your own particular chemistry.
>
> Your raindance worked. It's really sunny here today and the prediction is for several more days of this to follow. So, please don't stop the dancing!!! (It could also help you deal with cigarette withdrawal and work wonders for your anxiety.) :-)
>
-- That's great news! Sunny and several more days of sun. What a relief. I'll keep dancing. You're right too - it may help with the anxiety and depression. My sister-in-law wants me to take dance lessons with her. We have a friend who is a dance instructor, and he's really good. So, when I am feeling better, we may sign up for one of this classes. That would be fun!> Talk to you later. Now I think I'm going to force my butt outside to take a walk.
>
-- Hope you managed to get out for a walk and enjoyed it. It's so nice to walk in the sunshine. It's snowing here tody. We are expecting about 25cm or more. Ugh! Oh well, spring isn't far off (thank goodness!).Take care and talk to you soon!
Tamara
poster:TamaraJ
thread:456548
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050305/msgs/467831.html