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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Denise528 on March 26, 2002, at 12:05:23
Hello,
I am currently trying lithium and Prozac, neither of which seem to be helping me this time round, I keep hitting rock bottom, the lithium just makes me feel sick and listless. When I take a Zyprexa this seems to lift me out of the slump and gives me the energy to on for a few more days. I really think that the Zyprexa is helping me and I am so grateful for it but am torn between taking it and not taking. I've read some of the horror stories I've read on this board concerning Tardive Dyskinesia. Sometimes I think I'd rather be not depressed and twitch a bit than be depressed without the twitches but then I think maybe I should explore every other avenue (even ECT) before succombing totally to Zyprexa. Has anyone any opinions which is better for me Zyprexa or ECT?
Denise
Posted by Bill L on March 26, 2002, at 12:28:50
In reply to Zyprexa really seems to help me., posted by Denise528 on March 26, 2002, at 12:05:23
Take it. I honestly don't know much about Zyprexa but I do know that in all medication discussion groups, including this one, you will hear a lot of horror stories about all medications.
If evidence really does show that it is harmfull, your doctor should let you know.
Posted by Denise528 on March 26, 2002, at 14:05:47
In reply to Re: Zyprexa really seems to help me., posted by Bill L on March 26, 2002, at 12:28:50
Hi,
Thanks for that firm instruction, that's what I want to hear. I will take it and enjoy the feeling, to be honest whatever the side effects I'd rather have two years of feeling well and then death than 10 years of feeling depressed.
Denise
Posted by Steeler Tookahn on March 26, 2002, at 18:08:54
In reply to Re: Zyprexa really seems to help me., posted by Denise528 on March 26, 2002, at 14:05:47
Denise,
Zyprexa has a very low incidence of tardive dyskinesia. I found it to be an extremel helpful medication but the weight gain became too much.Good luck,
Steeler
Posted by Denise528 on March 27, 2002, at 9:27:38
In reply to Re: Zyprexa really seems to help me., posted by Steeler Tookahn on March 26, 2002, at 18:08:54
Steeler,
I'm glad it helped you, I can't understand though why you came off it and what you replaced it with? Surely it's better to put on a bit of weight and feel better, than be skinny and miserable? Or did the weight gain make you miserable?
Denise
Posted by Steeler Tookahn on March 27, 2002, at 13:23:17
In reply to Re: Zyprexa really seems to help me - Steeler, posted by Denise528 on March 27, 2002, at 9:27:38
The weight gain was truly miserable and the Zyprexa seemed to be losing its effectiveness. I am willing to put up with just about any side effect but the weight gain was becoming downright unhealthy. The endocrinologist became alarmed. Still, if I could have been sure that a higher dose of Zyprexa would maintain the effectiveness, I might have stayed on it and fought the weight battle as best I could. Instead, the doctor decide to go with Lamictal.
Posted by OldSchool on March 27, 2002, at 21:25:09
In reply to Zyprexa really seems to help me., posted by Denise528 on March 26, 2002, at 12:05:23
> Hello,
>
> I am currently trying lithium and Prozac, neither of which seem to be helping me this time round, I keep hitting rock bottom, the lithium just makes me feel sick and listless. When I take a Zyprexa this seems to lift me out of the slump and gives me the energy to on for a few more days. I really think that the Zyprexa is helping me and I am so grateful for it but am torn between taking it and not taking. I've read some of the horror stories I've read on this board concerning Tardive Dyskinesia. Sometimes I think I'd rather be not depressed and twitch a bit than be depressed without the twitches but then I think maybe I should explore every other avenue (even ECT) before succombing totally to Zyprexa. Has anyone any opinions which is better for me Zyprexa or ECT?
>
> Denise
Here is my opinion. First of all, whats your basic diagnosis? Is there any serious psychosis in your dx? Schizophrenia? Schizoaffective? Classic manic depression? If so, neuroleptic usage is going to be automatic for you. Particularly for schizophrenia.However, if your illness is more of a mood disorder with psychotic features or "rumination" as the hip twenty dollar psychiatry word is thrown around a lot, ECT might be the better way to go. Those little twitches are probably some form of EPS. Tell your Pdoc about them...they dont like to hear about that stuff, makes them nervous. These newer atypical anti-psychotics arent supposed to cause tha sort of thing as bad, but the reality is they do cause twitches and movement problems.
For mood disorders with psychotic features, bilateral ECT works the best. No danger of movement disorders, just memory loss. For me, I will take memory loss. If you have schizophrenia, forget about it your life is neuroleptics. Another advantage of ECT vs neuroleptics is that the ECT is "cleaner" it doesnt raise your blood sugar like Zyprexa or Clozapine do. Thus no danger of inducing diabetes with ECT as with atypical anti-psychotics.
There is also clozapine, but thats a whole other story. Clozapine is in a class by itself and is a very serious undertaking, yet the claim is clozapine produces basically no EPS or TD.
Old School
Posted by crepuscular on March 28, 2002, at 13:01:14
In reply to Re: Zyprexa really seems to help me., posted by OldSchool on March 27, 2002, at 21:25:09
hey old school, ECT may be "cleaner", but it requires global anesthesia which always carries a non-zero probability of death. ECT is also expensive, time consuming, and the benefits are typically short term - measured in weeks or months. personally the memory loss effect doesn't scare me (or most people who've really suffered) but for some people this is a signficant - and not unfounded - fear.
> > Hello,
> >
> > I am currently trying lithium and Prozac, neither of which seem to be helping me this time round, I keep hitting rock bottom, the lithium just makes me feel sick and listless. When I take a Zyprexa this seems to lift me out of the slump and gives me the energy to on for a few more days. I really think that the Zyprexa is helping me and I am so grateful for it but am torn between taking it and not taking. I've read some of the horror stories I've read on this board concerning Tardive Dyskinesia. Sometimes I think I'd rather be not depressed and twitch a bit than be depressed without the twitches but then I think maybe I should explore every other avenue (even ECT) before succombing totally to Zyprexa. Has anyone any opinions which is better for me Zyprexa or ECT?
> >
> > Denise
>
>
> Here is my opinion. First of all, whats your basic diagnosis? Is there any serious psychosis in your dx? Schizophrenia? Schizoaffective? Classic manic depression? If so, neuroleptic usage is going to be automatic for you. Particularly for schizophrenia.
>
> However, if your illness is more of a mood disorder with psychotic features or "rumination" as the hip twenty dollar psychiatry word is thrown around a lot, ECT might be the better way to go. Those little twitches are probably some form of EPS. Tell your Pdoc about them...they dont like to hear about that stuff, makes them nervous. These newer atypical anti-psychotics arent supposed to cause tha sort of thing as bad, but the reality is they do cause twitches and movement problems.
>
> For mood disorders with psychotic features, bilateral ECT works the best. No danger of movement disorders, just memory loss. For me, I will take memory loss. If you have schizophrenia, forget about it your life is neuroleptics. Another advantage of ECT vs neuroleptics is that the ECT is "cleaner" it doesnt raise your blood sugar like Zyprexa or Clozapine do. Thus no danger of inducing diabetes with ECT as with atypical anti-psychotics.
>
> There is also clozapine, but thats a whole other story. Clozapine is in a class by itself and is a very serious undertaking, yet the claim is clozapine produces basically no EPS or TD.
>
> Old School
This is the end of the thread.
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