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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sam K on October 16, 2008, at 23:25:09
Well Im doing okay these days, Im taking 300mg lithium. It doesnt really have any side effects I know of, maybe except anxiety but that comes and goes. My doctors plan is to get me on some prozac with the lithium. Ive tried prozac before and it made me verry very anxious. It releived depression verrrrry well though. hehe.
Lithium is pretty calming but I dont think it will take away the adrenaline rush prozac gives me. It frustrates me that my doctor has plans for me that I feel wont work.
I take Lamictal too, and it really makes me feel unreal, and causes paranoia. I mean it has helped but.. it really makes me crazy. Like psychotic stuff. Ive been weaning down lately and it gets worse actually at 50mg, it causes more stimulation and craziness. But overall, it really destroys my memory as well as my school performence.
Does anyone have any ideas?? Is depession treatable without antidepressants?? It seems like they all make my thoughts race really bad. Although I may be wrong. Lexapro seriously made my thoughts race bad. And the ssris seem to unleash the agoraphobic in me. If I open my front door, I feel very afraid and people might see me. Sometimes I feel like maybe just lithium, but that is probably wishful thinking.
Posted by Jeroen on October 17, 2008, at 7:19:43
In reply to hey, posted by sam K on October 16, 2008, at 23:25:09
hi there, lamictal gave me a psychosis
i would be very carefull with the paranoia stuff, it gave me a strange psychosis that i can treat with abilify or seroquel the rest will make it worse
Posted by yxibow on October 17, 2008, at 23:44:04
In reply to hey, posted by sam K on October 16, 2008, at 23:25:09
> Well Im doing okay these days, Im taking 300mg lithium. It doesnt really have any side effects I know of, maybe except anxiety but that comes and goes. My doctors plan is to get me on some prozac with the lithium. Ive tried prozac before and it made me verry very anxious. It releived depression verrrrry well though. hehe.
> Lithium is pretty calming but I dont think it will take away the adrenaline rush prozac gives me. It frustrates me that my doctor has plans for me that I feel wont work.Do you speak up more or is this a one-sided discussion. Just curious. Going through the tough times is a lot better with a collaborative model but I know some doctors don't operate that way.
> I take Lamictal too, and it really makes me feel unreal, and causes paranoia. I mean it has helped but.. it really makes me crazy. Like psychotic stuff. Ive been weaning down lately and it gets worse actually at 50mg, it causes more stimulation and craziness. But overall, it really destroys my memory as well as my school performence.
Jeroen may be making a generalization, I'm not going to go more there -- but while Lamictal is an excellent antidepressant like some of the other AEDs I wouldn't be surprised if there was word finding and memory issues although Neurontin I think affects that more.
> Does anyone have any ideas?? Is depession treatable without antidepressants??What you're experiencing sounds like a combination of anxiety and depression -- beyond that I can't say. And at the level of distress that I can feel, yes, depression can be treated with CBT and progressive work on functionality but I think what you describe requires a bit more than that. Don't get me wrong, some therapy would be a good idea.
It seems like they all make my thoughts race really bad. Although I may be wrong. Lexapro seriously made my thoughts race bad.
Well not all SSRIs are alike. Have you ever tried Paxil? Or Luvox? They tend to be more sedating, especially Paxil. But these are only generalizations.
And the ssris seem to unleash the agoraphobic in me. If I open my front door, I feel very afraid and people might see me.
Do you actually feel that in a sort of paranoid form, or is this just untreated agoraphobia gone to a new height?
Paxil might be better for this because it sounds like panic and a phobia.
While I'm not a fan of APs, I happen to take one off label, a small dose of Seroquel might be of help.
But this sounds more complicated -- and I'm getting the feeling that you do like the "rush" of Prozac now that I read this over ?
Mixing a stimulant like Adderall with the Lithium might help, but its sort of playing with fire because I don't know about the phobia-anxiety spectrum part of things.
Is there any official diagnosis?
-- Jay
Posted by bleauberry on October 18, 2008, at 9:36:17
In reply to hey, posted by sam K on October 16, 2008, at 23:25:09
Since prozac and zyprexa go together like peanut butter n jelly, you might ask for that. They turbocharge the overall effectiveness. It has been tested successfully for treatment resistant depression and is prescribed for bipolar depression. They tend to cancel out much of each other's side effects. You wouldn't want Symbyax, though, which is the pill with both meds in it. You would want them separate so you can adjust doses of each individually. For example you might like a higher dose of zyprexa and a lower dose of prozac, or the other way around maybe.
And a note on prozac. If it is to be done, please don't fall victim to the generic thing. With or without insurance, your copay will be a lot higher than generic, but it is worth it. Sure we see people do well on generics, but there are hundreds of reports here of people who relapsed on them, or had side effects they didn't have with brand names. I personally despise generics. Unreliable. Generic prozac is not Lilly prozac. Don't let someone tell you they are the same active ingredient and so they are identical. That is not the truth. It is more complicated. For now, just believe me. Stay away from generic prozac. Get the real stuff. And again, it goes well with zyprexa for a wide variety of things ranging from difficult depression to anxiety to paranoia to bipolar.
Posted by Phillipa on October 18, 2008, at 15:23:50
In reply to Re: hey » sam K, posted by bleauberry on October 18, 2008, at 9:36:17
Is paxil more sedating than luvox? Phillipa
Posted by yxibow on October 18, 2008, at 19:43:01
In reply to Re: hey, posted by Phillipa on October 18, 2008, at 15:23:50
> Is paxil more sedating than luvox? Phillipa
For some, yes -- it just isn't prescribed as much for some people because the plasma level can change quite rapidly if you forget to take the medication and then the anxiety rushes back.
But in general, -theoretically- it is slightly more weight gaining, some people claim a lot, but that varies really and I don't know if it is the norm or not. I think those things depend on how low a weight the person had to begin with, in a number of cases.But anyhow, for GAD can it be a rather calming agent at a low dose for some.
-- tidings
Jay
Posted by Phillipa on October 18, 2008, at 19:52:32
In reply to Re: hey » Phillipa, posted by yxibow on October 18, 2008, at 19:43:01
Thanks Jay was just wondering. Love Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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