Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 80440

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feel brain - dead

Posted by amyw on October 6, 2001, at 11:22:05

I am 20 years old and have been having various problems with depression, binge eating etc.over the last 3 years. My questions is whether anyone here ever feels like they can't think, focus, concentrate, or do anything. It seems different from depression to me and when it happens, I can't even stand to have any outside stimulation. In the past, stimulants like adderall have helped me, but lately nothing helps at all. I have tried concerta, but it doesn't help this feeling at all.
Th best way II can describe it is that it feels as if my brain doesn't ahve enough sugar to function.
PLEASE RESPOND IF THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR. I also am on 100 mgs of zoloft and I couldn't handle college and am vegatating, isolating and scared.

 

Re: feel brain - dead

Posted by pellmell on October 6, 2001, at 13:36:48

In reply to feel brain - dead, posted by amyw on October 6, 2001, at 11:22:05

When I was 19 (only four years ago) I was diagnosed with depression. My major symptoms sound a lot like yours: big problems concentrating (in class I couldn't remember what the teacher'd said 30 seconds ago), and absoultely no social ability (I couldn't think fast enough to keep up in conversations). I'd always had low confidence and persistent feelings of self-loathing, but not being able to think drove me lower than I'd ever been. I'd never been terribly outgoing, but at least I was smart...and I couldn't even hold on to that anymore. At the end of the day I'd walk as fast as I could from my last class to my room, and stay there until hunger or something made me come out. I overspent for the temporary high and worked constantly to keep myself away from social interaction. When I finally went to see someone, I told them I thought I had some sort of disease or parasite eating away at my brain.

I'm on different meds now, but then 200mg of Zoloft augmented with lithium did wonders for me. I would probably still be on that now if Zoloft didn't make me useless below the waist.

Consider talking to your doctor about augmenting the Zoloft with something else. YMMV, but lithium worked very well for me.

I think I have an idea of what you're going through...while I was never suicidal, my quality of life was dismal. Worst of all, I thought I deserved it. It was a such a revalation when I was told I had an illness, and all the bad I was feeling wasn't a result of my lack of will.

Good luck, and keep us posted.
-pm

 

Re: feel brain - dead

Posted by Gracie2 on October 6, 2001, at 16:04:31

In reply to feel brain - dead, posted by amyw on October 6, 2001, at 11:22:05


It sounds to me (in all my glorious wisdom) that you need to augment your medication with therapy-
counseling, talk groups, even hypnosis.
When I first saw a psychiatrist, my appointments with her were 15 minutes long. She would change or increase my medication - very little talking. It wasn't enough for me, and I wound up in the hospital for my depression. Then there was a LOT of talking - doctors, social workers, discussion groups - and it really helped. Not least of all, it made me feel like I wasn't a freak. I remember one poor woman who couldn't stop crying and carried her teddy bear with her everywhere. This woman was an executive in a Fortune 500 company.
There was also a doctor, a resident, who was addicted to cocaine. Voila - having mental problems doesn't mean that you are weak, useless,
or stupid.
Please find someone to talk to. Discussion groups are very helpful - that's why AA works for so many people; you share experiences and support each other. I wish I knew how you could find one in your area, since it probably isn't in the Yellow Pages under MY LIFE SUCKS. You could do some web-surfing, or maybe somebody here on PB knows. Either way, I wish you strength and better times to come.
-Gracie

 

Re: feel brain - dead » amyw

Posted by jay on October 6, 2001, at 18:10:15

In reply to feel brain - dead, posted by amyw on October 6, 2001, at 11:22:05

Hi:

I do recognize the symptoms...the binge eating and the isolation. One med that seems to show some help for binge eating is Luvox. Have you ever tried it, say starting at a low dose? There are specific case reports from Medline regarding the use of Luvox and binge eating. Here are a few..hope they help..Jay:

Am J Psychiatry 1998 Dec;155(12):1756-62 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut


Fluvoxamine in the treatment of binge-eating disorder: a multicenter placebo-controlled, double-blind trial.

Hudson JI, McElroy SL, Raymond NC, Crow S, Keck PE Jr, Carter WP, Mitchell JE, Strakowski SM, Pope HG Jr, Coleman BS, Jonas JM.

Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02178, USA. jhudson@hsph.harvard.edu

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of fluvoxamine in the treatment of binge-eating disorder. Binge-eating disorder is a newly described eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating but without purging behaviors. Uncontrolled reports have suggested that serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may be effective in treating this disorder. METHOD: Eighty-five outpatients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of binge-eating disorder were randomly assigned to receive either fluvoxamine (N=42) or placebo (N=43) in a 9-week, parallel-group, double-blind, flexible dose (50-300 mg) study at three centers. The primary outcome measures were frequency of binge eating, expressed as log ([binges/week]+1), and Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale ratings. Secondary measures included the level of response (based on the percentage change in frequency of binges), body mass index, and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score. Except for the level of response, the outcome measures were analyzed by random regression methods; the treatment-by-time interaction was the measure of treatment effect. RESULTS: Compared with placebo, fluvoxamine was associated with a significantly greater rate of reduction in the frequency of binges, rate of reduction in CGI severity scores, rate of increase in CGI improvement scores, level of response for patients who completed the 9-week study, and rate of reduction in body mass index. There was no significant difference between placebo and fluvoxamine groups in the rate of decrease in Hamilton depression scale scores. A significantly greater proportion of patients receiving fluvoxamine than those receiving placebo discontinued treatment because of an adverse medical event. CONCLUSIONS: In this placebo-controlled trial, fluvoxamine was found to be effective according to most outcome measures in the acute treatment of binge-eating disorder.
----
J Clin Psychopharmacol 1996 Feb;16(1):9-18 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut


Fluvoxamine in prevention of relapse in bulimia nervosa: effects on eating-specific psychopathology.

Fichter MM, Kruger R, Rief W, Holland R, Dohne J.

Klinik Roseneck, Hospital for Behavioural Medicine, Prien, Germany.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 72 patients with bulimia nervosa treated successfully with inpatient psychotherapy, the efficacy of fluvoxamine in maintaining improvement was tested. Fluvoxamine and placebo, respectively, were given over a period of about 15 weeks (2-3 weeks inpatient titration phase, 12 weeks outpatient relapse-prevention [maintenance] phase). The variables assessed concerned bulimic behavior and other aspects of eating disorders, global status, depression, anxieties, obsessive-compulsive behavior, and other aspects of psychopathology. Because the dropout rate was relatively high (N = 27 [33%]) and because it was considerably higher in the fluvoxamine group (19 out of 37 subjects), analyses were performed on the intent-to-treat sample (ideally including all 72 subjects). Results of the completer sample analyses (including only those subjects who finished the study) are briefly presented for comparison. In both the intent-to-treat and the completer analyses, the following scales showed fluvoxamine to have a significant effect in reducing the return of bulimic behavior: (1) self-ratings: Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI)-bulimia, urges to binge in previous week and the number of actual binges in the previous week; (2) expert ratings: Psychiatric Status Rating Scales for Bulimia nervosa, Structured Interview for Anorexia and Bulimia nervosa (SIAB)-"total score," SIAB-subscale "fasting," and SIAB-subscale "vomiting." Two further variables (EDI-total score and SIAB-subscale "bulimia") showed the superior relapse prevention effects of fluvoxamine compared with placebo for the completer sample, while they did not reach significance for group-by-time interactions in the intent-to-treat sample. During a final, short (4-week) off-medication phase, no effect of the discontinuation of medication was observed.
---

> I am 20 years old and have been having various problems with depression, binge eating etc.over the last 3 years. My questions is whether anyone here ever feels like they can't think, focus, concentrate, or do anything. It seems different from depression to me and when it happens, I can't even stand to have any outside stimulation. In the past, stimulants like adderall have helped me, but lately nothing helps at all. I have tried concerta, but it doesn't help this feeling at all.
> Th best way II can describe it is that it feels as if my brain doesn't ahve enough sugar to function.
> PLEASE RESPOND IF THIS SOUNDS FAMILIAR. I also am on 100 mgs of zoloft and I couldn't handle college and am vegatating, isolating and scared.

 

Re: feel brain - dead » Gracie2

Posted by pellmell on October 7, 2001, at 10:35:21

In reply to Re: feel brain - dead, posted by Gracie2 on October 6, 2001, at 16:04:31

> It sounds to me (in all my glorious wisdom) that you need to augment your medication with therapy-
> counseling, talk groups, even hypnosis.

Excellent, excellent suggestion. I'd forgotten how much (cognitive-behavioral) therapy helped me in the beginning. It was amazing, though it seemed to lose its efficacy after a year or so. I agree totally. I still think a change in med strategy would help as well.

-pm

 

Re: feel brain - dead

Posted by Katey on October 8, 2001, at 21:11:10

In reply to Re: feel brain - dead » Gracie2, posted by pellmell on October 7, 2001, at 10:35:21

hey....your definately not alone....what you feel sounds a lot like what i was feeling. especially the binge eating...but mine was more a combination of binging and starving. equally unhealthy and not recommended from my stand point (stretch marks are nasty things.) i had the same results on zoloft....but it didnt help as much as it helped you. i dont recommend effexor because it left me more sedated than when i was depressed. prozac seems to have helped some in my case, but i also would really like to try therapy. ive always been told by everyone but my doctor that ADs were meant to be used in conjunction with therapy...anyways thats enough of my ramblings....hopefully i helped a little? nothing lasts forever even when it all feels like hell, eventually it gets a little better atleast.


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