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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Poppy on July 28, 2001, at 2:34:31
Does anyone, or has anyone ever felt normal, or ok, stable for a period of time. I last about three days, then it stops, I love those days and try to keep them but theres nothing I can do, im on 375mg efffexor xr, just increased to that about a a month-2 months ago.
Is this as good as I should expect, or should I aim for feeling ok everyday?? what can I do
Posted by adamie on July 28, 2001, at 9:13:10
In reply to Does anyone feel normal???, posted by Poppy on July 28, 2001, at 2:34:31
> Does anyone, or has anyone ever felt normal, or ok, stable for a period of time. I last about three days, then it stops, I love those days and try to keep them but theres nothing I can do, im on 375mg efffexor xr, just increased to that about a a month-2 months ago.
> Is this as good as I should expect, or should I aim for feeling ok everyday?? what can I doI went on paxil 24 days for accutane caused severe depression. Before the paxil the depression was going up and down. but it was too risky for me to bare without trying some medication even though is suspected in time my situation would overall improve. the paxil had a very very minor effect on me. i went from very severely depressed, to being quite severely depressed. not a significant improvement. and it made my concentration trouble worse and numbed emotions. i got off it with no witthdrawl problems. after 3 days I was feeling much better.
I was actually feeling quite good! I was so sure I would make a full recovery and soon. this lasted for 3 days. then the night before yesterday I was feeling worse suddenly. crying loudly for 30 minutes. i went from happy to bleh quite quickly. then the next day a bit better then that. now today I am feeling maybe the same. I am glad it's not worse. In time my depression caused by accutane should go away in time. whether it's a few months, years or even a decade, it should all go away for me. it was so amazing to feel a little great again. wow. absolutely amazing. full of emotions, my thinking and concentration strongly returned, creativity returned, i looked forward to thinks again, and i couldn't wait to be with my fiance. I could still tell I wasn't completely my normal fully happy self. but it was very good. I was at least half of my normal self.
now it's a bit worse but at least I can enjoy things even if it's to a limited extent. time to go get some lottery scratch tickets. those are so fun! well they were incredibly fun during those 3 days. but now they are just pretty fun. take care. i myself due to my 'special' depression should get better in time.
Posted by Edward on July 28, 2001, at 10:54:03
In reply to Does anyone feel normal???, posted by Poppy on July 28, 2001, at 2:34:31
> Does anyone, or has anyone ever felt normal, or ok, stable for a period of time.
Yes, every few months for an hour or two. It's so frustrating. And it seems to happen less and less as time goes by. My psychiatrist loves it. When I tell him about these good moments he puts it down my meds, even though it used to happen more before the meds. Then when things are going shit, he says that I'm getting better. "Remember last thursday..."
By the way, I like and respect my psychiatrist; I just want to take out my frustration at my boring, shitty life on his failed attempts to help me. I'm not totally ungrateful that he's doing his best for me.
Posted by stjames on July 29, 2001, at 2:15:36
In reply to Does anyone feel normal???, posted by Poppy on July 28, 2001, at 2:34:31
yes I have felt normal for almost 2 decades.
james
Posted by Poppy on July 29, 2001, at 7:27:40
In reply to Re: Does anyone feel normal???, posted by stjames on July 29, 2001, at 2:15:36
then why are you here?
Posted by Edward on July 29, 2001, at 7:48:41
In reply to Re: Does anyone feel normal???, posted by stjames on July 29, 2001, at 2:15:36
> yes I have felt normal for almost 2 decades.
>
> jamesLucky you
Posted by mila on July 29, 2001, at 11:39:22
In reply to stjames, posted by Poppy on July 29, 2001, at 7:27:40
> then why are you here?
to give you hope
to answer your question
Posted by Poppy on July 30, 2001, at 5:42:26
In reply to Re: poppy, posted by mila on July 29, 2001, at 11:39:22
well the question wasnt answered, maybe a bit of info like where they have been, or answer the question more helpfully, like if a drug made them feel well for two decades and if thats what should be aimed for in response to a drug, then I might have some hope.
>
> to give you hope
> to answer your question
Posted by mila on July 30, 2001, at 7:44:28
In reply to Re: poppy » mila, posted by Poppy on July 30, 2001, at 5:42:26
> well the question wasnt answered, maybe a bit of info like where they have been, or answer the question more helpfully, like if a drug made them feel well for two decades and if thats what should be aimed for in response to a drug, then I might have some hope.
>
Poppy,St.James is on medication as far as I know, and is very satisfied. Maybe he will read this thread again and tell you more about himself.
I had 30 years of anxiety disorder and 10 of clinical depression. Both are gone after 8 months of treatment with SSRIs and psychotherapy. I feel 'normal' as you put it now. There is not a trace of the old reactions or emotional states. They have vanished.
mila
Posted by JohnL on July 31, 2001, at 4:13:09
In reply to Does anyone feel normal???, posted by Poppy on July 28, 2001, at 2:34:31
> Does anyone, or has anyone ever felt normal, or ok, stable for a period of time. I last about three days, then it stops, I love those days and try to keep them but theres nothing I can do, im on 375mg efffexor xr, just increased to that about a a month-2 months ago.
> Is this as good as I should expect, or should I aim for feeling ok everyday?? what can I doAfter ten years of trying different drugs, I do now feel what I would consider 98% normal. I have regained interests, motivation, pleasure. But like normal people, I also have down days sometimes when something happens that is truly a reason to be down, such as a money problem, a quarrel with a lover, etc. Thankfully my good normal days far outnumber the bad ones. I can go weeks without any bad days. When I do stumble into a down time, it usually resolves after one to three days.
If your high dose of Effexor is not doing the trick, then it is my guess that it is not the correct drug for you. It may be affecting the wrong chemistries, or affecting them from the wrong angles, or Effexor simply might be a poor molecular binding match for your unique genes. And based on what I've seen at this board over the years, antidepressants in general are often the wrong drugs. Just because someone is depressed should not automatically mean they need an antidepressant. The symptoms could likely be caused by a different malfunction in brain chemistry, totally unrelated to antidepressants.
With that in mind, you might want to try adding Zyprexa, Risperdal, Ritalin, Adderall, Adrafinil, to your ongoing Effexor. And possibly reduce the Effexor dose at the same time. Limit your drug trials to just those drugs. I believe the highest potential for success exists within that short list. Mileage varies, and they could all be failures, but I believe that in this hit-and-miss game, they hold the highest potential and the highest odds for success.
John
Posted by Simcha on July 31, 2001, at 7:53:26
In reply to Re: Does anyone feel normal???, posted by JohnL on July 31, 2001, at 4:13:09
Ok, I have to ask it... What is normal?
When I began this journey to meds I thought that waking in the morning wanting to go back to bed while wanting to be dead was normal. I thought that I just wasn't a "morning person." On Effexor, one day, after a month of titrating up to 150mg XR, I woke up wanting to be awake and alive. A veil had lifted. I'm not sure that that is entirely normal.
Today, I'm on Wellbutrin and Celexa. I do feel that my depression is in remission. Some days are better than others. I think that this is normal. I can tell you that I'm not sure what normal is because I've lived most of my life in the fog that is depression. I've only recently emerged to discover the daylight around me. Yes, it's a good thing....but.....is it normal? I dunno.
> > Does anyone, or has anyone ever felt normal, or ok, stable for a period of time. I last about three days, then it stops, I love those days and try to keep them but theres nothing I can do, im on 375mg efffexor xr, just increased to that about a a month-2 months ago.
> > Is this as good as I should expect, or should I aim for feeling ok everyday?? what can I do
>
> After ten years of trying different drugs, I do now feel what I would consider 98% normal. I have regained interests, motivation, pleasure. But like normal people, I also have down days sometimes when something happens that is truly a reason to be down, such as a money problem, a quarrel with a lover, etc. Thankfully my good normal days far outnumber the bad ones. I can go weeks without any bad days. When I do stumble into a down time, it usually resolves after one to three days.
>
> If your high dose of Effexor is not doing the trick, then it is my guess that it is not the correct drug for you. It may be affecting the wrong chemistries, or affecting them from the wrong angles, or Effexor simply might be a poor molecular binding match for your unique genes. And based on what I've seen at this board over the years, antidepressants in general are often the wrong drugs. Just because someone is depressed should not automatically mean they need an antidepressant. The symptoms could likely be caused by a different malfunction in brain chemistry, totally unrelated to antidepressants.
>
> With that in mind, you might want to try adding Zyprexa, Risperdal, Ritalin, Adderall, Adrafinil, to your ongoing Effexor. And possibly reduce the Effexor dose at the same time. Limit your drug trials to just those drugs. I believe the highest potential for success exists within that short list. Mileage varies, and they could all be failures, but I believe that in this hit-and-miss game, they hold the highest potential and the highest odds for success.
> John
Posted by Poppy on July 31, 2001, at 8:16:48
In reply to Re: Does anyone feel normal???, posted by JohnL on July 31, 2001, at 4:13:09
well I know im not just going to settle for three days a week now. At the moment I thought that was a godsend, especially after two years.
thanks for your advice
Posted by Poppy on July 31, 2001, at 8:22:32
In reply to Re: Does anyone feel normal???, posted by Simcha on July 31, 2001, at 7:53:26
I think I know what you feel I have around three days If im lucky a week when the veil lifts.
and as far as normal goes, its just a word for something I might aim for. A balance in the chemicals in my head for the most part, to stop struggling through everyday. I guess its open to interpretation really, a median from feeling depressed, after two yearsthe depression was normal for me. I guess you could call normal recovered.
thanks for your advice it is much appreciated
Posted by jotho on August 1, 2001, at 9:01:38
In reply to Re: Does anyone feel normal???, posted by JohnL on July 31, 2001, at 4:13:09
Hey JohnL...
I find the Adrafinil to be working quite well so far (3 weeks, or so). I seem to be having trouble obtaining amisulpride without having to order a 500Lb. skidload of 'em. What, in your estimation, would be a possible substitute to try in its place? I keep referring to you because of symptom and drug-effect parallels... i guess it's kinda like following a particular movie critic who seems to have the same taste in movies, so you stick with him/her.
thanks, jotho
Posted by adamie on August 1, 2001, at 11:33:05
In reply to Re: Does anyone feel normal???, posted by Simcha on July 31, 2001, at 7:53:26
Normal is when you have complete and total control over your emotions. And the only time you ever feel bad is due to unfortunate life events. You can enjoy anything you want because you have all the motivation and emotional ability.my depression 5-9 days ago for 4 days was great. i was becoming my normal perfectly happey self. I always found it silly to be unhappy. At least for normal people without mental disorders. When you have the ability to enjoy anything then what is the point? With depression you dont have a choice and you feel bad uncontrollably. Before my depression I always felt my life is perfect, I was incredibly happy. My life still is perfect (in all the ways that matter) but the somewhat moderate depression prevents me from feeling that to the usual extent.
for me normal doesn't just feel decent or okay, for me normal is feeling perfect, because of course there is no reason not to be. take care
Posted by JohnL on August 2, 2001, at 5:07:14
In reply to Re: Does anyone feel normal??? » JohnL, posted by jotho on August 1, 2001, at 9:01:38
> Hey JohnL...
> I find the Adrafinil to be working quite well so far (3 weeks, or so). I seem to be having trouble obtaining amisulpride without having to order a 500Lb. skidload of 'em. What, in your estimation, would be a possible substitute to try in its place? I keep referring to you because of symptom and drug-effect parallels... i guess it's kinda like following a particular movie critic who seems to have the same taste in movies, so you stick with him/her.
> thanks, jothoJotho,
I'm glad Adrafinil is showing some promise so far. Though there have been a few people here who did not find it helpful, it has proven to be very helpful to more people than not. That's why I continually repeat myself and recommend it over and over. You could continue to see gradual improvements as you continue taking it. For me it seemed to continue to improve the longer I took it.Possible substitutes for Amisulpride include low doses of either Zyprexa or Risperdal. Zyprexa 2.5mg to start, increasing to 5mg as the initial sedation side effects wear off around a week or two. Risperdal generally has less sedation and is a good possibility. Dose size would probably be in the .25mg to 1mg range. Both of these meds seem to work differently at low doses than they do at high doses. Low doses are similar to Amisulpride in my own experience with them. But trial and error is required to choose which is better and to fine-tune dosage.
John
Posted by Simcha on August 2, 2001, at 7:50:21
In reply to Re: Does anyone feel normal??? » Simcha, posted by adamie on August 1, 2001, at 11:33:05
> Normal is when you have complete and total control over your emotions.
?? Complete and total control? Do we ever have complete and total control of anything in this life? My 12-step programs tell me to let go of control and to accept my feelings and move through them. They also tell me that I should not accept anything that is abusive, like depressive emotions... I guess that's why I'm on meds. My emotions were out of control and they were ruining my life. :-(
>And the only time you ever feel bad is due to unfortunate life events. You can enjoy anything you want because you have all the motivation and emotional ability.
I agree to this one!!! Since I've been on meds and added a pdoc to the mix of tools to deal with my depression I find that I get closer and closer to this. :-)
> my depression 5-9 days ago for 4 days was great. i was becoming my normal perfectly happey self. I always found it silly to be unhappy. At least for normal people without mental disorders. When you have the ability to enjoy anything then what is the point? With depression you dont have a choice and you feel bad uncontrollably. Before my depression I always felt my life is perfect, I was incredibly happy. My life still is perfect (in all the ways that matter) but the somewhat moderate depression prevents me from feeling that to the usual extent.
Yes, see your point. I don't ever remember a time where I felt like my life was perfect. Then again....my pdoc says that I've been depressed most of my life.. :-( I can see that I have everything I need in life.... So I guess from that perspective... everything is perfect! Hmmm...
> for me normal doesn't just feel decent or okay, for me normal is feeling perfect, because of course there is no reason not to be. take care
My, aren't you the little optimist! lol ;-) I'm glad to hear that it is possible to have a positive outlook on life. I'm coming around. I never realized how far down the scale of depression I was until I got started with the medication. Thank G-d for these little pink and purple pills! :-)
This is the end of the thread.
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