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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by PL on July 11, 1999, at 18:47:14
What is "EUTHYMIA!!" ?
Posted by Racer on July 11, 1999, at 21:47:27
In reply to Racer....., posted by PL on July 11, 1999, at 18:47:14
> What is "EUTHYMIA!!" ?
Greek, I think. Eu is good, thymia has to do with mood. So, euthymia means normal mood, or good mood. It means that you're not depressed, not manic. Just healthy and normally happy.
It's just a good word, sometimes.
How are you doing, PL? You've sounded pretty wretched lately. Any better?
Posted by PL on July 12, 1999, at 8:38:50
In reply to Re: Racer....., posted by Racer on July 11, 1999, at 21:47:27
Your so nice to me Racer, that I feel I owe you an explanation. Let me give you some background.
I've been uncomfortable and depressed all my life. I remember going to the doctor as 10 an telling him I felt anxious. As a teenager I was anorexic. Have been hospitalized for mental conditions 3 times. My parents died in my early 20s and I have no relationship with my only sibling (brother).
A psychiatrist gave me lots of serax and stelazine. A bad experience with a psychologist after 1.5 years counseling because he got a "crush" on me and turned me over to a jerk I hated and as a result, I "cured" myself by learning to compartmentalize my depression.
After the death of my father in law, the last link to any family except my husband and daughter (age 15) I lost some of my compartmentalizing abilities and started to fall apart. My job offered insurance so started on Zoloft which after the initial boot up period gave me something I never had before.....contentment. Unfortunately it pooped out after one month. Increasing the strength just brought on too may side affects. Thereafter numerous others had to many side effects or no results. I had pretty good results with remeron, but at first felt more stoned than any illegal I had ever tried and after a week my corporal tunnel became intolerable.
Now I'm on wellbutrin 400mg/day and kolopin 1mg/day. I the well is helping me with cognitive abilities, (I must have had ADD all my life but learned to compensate,) but not with depression. I have a bad case of social anxiety so on came the klon but I think its just making me more depressed. I am going to ask to add some effexor. (Tried that before but at a therapeutic dose raised my blood pressure too much.) Perhaps this combo will work. I wish that moclobemide would be approved. I want to try a MAOI but could not do without blue cheese, pickled herring, spicy meats, etc.
Posted by Racer on July 12, 1999, at 10:34:43
In reply to To: Racer....., posted by PL on July 12, 1999, at 8:38:50
Most of that sounds pretty familiar to me, PL. If you've read my threads from earlier this month, you'll see a lot we have in common. As for being nice to you, I got a lot of support on this board during my crisis, and my heart just went out to you because it was so clear you were in pain. I can certainly relate to that.
The drug problems are awfully familiar, too. Because I metabolize everything funny, it's hard to get me to a therapeutic dose before it gets toxic. I have failed on a lot of drugs because of side effects, since if you triple the dosage, you usually at least double the chance of side effects. Right now I'm on Effexor XR with a low dose of Prozac. It's too soon to tell anything, but the good news for me is that the Effexor is close to side effect free, so if the addition of Prozac can finally hit the depression at this dose, maybe the side effects can be avoided. My troubles tend to be lowered blood pressure and weight gain, two common enough side effects of anti-depressants.
PL, you can go on. It's hard, especially when you're as isolated as you sound. Not having family is a terrible thing, the only one I really have is my mother, and she is not capable of providing support. (Who do you think made me crazy? But she's generous, she'll make you crazy too if you ask nice...) Talk about pressure, I've been taking care of my mother since I was ten or eleven. Do you wonder about the anorexia? By the way, I'm a firm believer in the Setpoint theory of anorexia. If I weigh over 142 pounds, I can feel strong, and slender and attractive, but if my weight falls below that point for any reason, I'm suddenly fat, stupid, ugly, unattractive, and generally right back into the distorted body image. Doesn't matter why my weight dropped. The flu or depression or a hot summer, as soon as I pass that magic number, I can tell because I suddenly feel enormous and look in the mirror to see the Michelin Man in human female form. Have you tried gaining a little weight to see if you can find your setpoint and get over it? It may sound stupid, but the first time I gained over that point, on Nortriptyline, I suddenly ate normally, even without any therapy for the anorexia. Well, semi-normally. I still don't feel hunger as a recognizeable sensation.)
Good luck, and do come here to learn and to get support.
Posted by cynthia_grace@yahoo.com on July 12, 1999, at 23:07:18
In reply to Re: To: Racer....., posted by Racer on July 12, 1999, at 10:34:43
Racer,
This setpoint theory you're talking to PL about has really hit a nerve with me. I've never heard of this theory before, but I do remember weighing 125 lbs and feeling really good and having a good body image. I know weighing more (I'm 115 lb now) also helps with depression. How did you hear about this theory?
I'm like you, I don't recognize hunger in my body. Funny because, I think, most anorexics are really hungry and obsessed with food, but deny themselves it.
Glad you're feeling good and have your new doctor.
Cynthia
Posted by Cynthia on July 13, 1999, at 22:58:08
In reply to Re: To: Racer....., posted by cynthia_grace@yahoo.com on July 12, 1999, at 23:07:18
Please erase my e-mail address if you can. I accidently put it under my name section while posting it. Thanks. great board.
Cynthia
This is the end of the thread.
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