Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 108970

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What do I do now? Just want to cry.

Posted by rainbowlight on June 6, 2002, at 15:08:40

I am so frustrated. I have been trying med after med for my horrible anxiety/OCD and I haven't been able to tolerate any of the meds. I am already on Remeron, Lamictal, and Risperdal (for bipolar and depression). I just went through trials of Luvox (made me agitated and lethargic, Paxil (lethargic/spacey). Zoloft (worked great for a month and then made me physically ill) and Wellbutrin (horrible, like the stomach flu 24 hours a day!). Tried all the benzos, they don't help much to get rid of the horrible/anxious thinking I have. I don't know what else to do? I am so beyond frustrated! The kind of frustration where you just want to cry. I don't know what to do, try Paxil again? Does the sedation and apathy go away? I am so afraid for my sex drive to go away too, I already have enough problems. Any advice? I am out of ideas.

 

Re: What do I do now? Just want to cry.

Posted by Bill L on June 6, 2002, at 15:42:21

In reply to What do I do now? Just want to cry., posted by rainbowlight on June 6, 2002, at 15:08:40

In what way did the Zoloft make you ill?

 

Re: What do I do now? Just want to cry. » rainbowlight

Posted by JonW on June 6, 2002, at 15:50:29

In reply to What do I do now? Just want to cry., posted by rainbowlight on June 6, 2002, at 15:08:40

Hi rainbowlight,

I think this is so well said by Dr. Goldberg, so read this first:

http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020525/msgs/108025.html

And second,

make sure you are working with an experienced psychiatrist who knows how to treat someone like you! There is hope! Hey, have you ever been on an MAOI? Having the right doctor is very important! Here are a couple of links that could be helpful. The first one is a referal database of doctors who specialize in bipolar disorder and the second is Dr. Goldberg's list of the best doctors in the United States (you may need one of the best!):

http://www.mghmadi.org/referraldatabase.html
http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.psychiatrists.html

Hang in there,
Jon

p.s. Here's a couple more links that could be helpful... The first one is a topic archive of questions and answers relating the the bipolar spectrum, etc. and the second is a sight maintained by Dr. Phelps all about bipolar II:

http://www.mghmadi.org/referraldatabase.html
http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.psychiatrists.html

 

Ooops!

Posted by JonW on June 6, 2002, at 15:59:31

In reply to Re: What do I do now? Just want to cry. » rainbowlight, posted by JonW on June 6, 2002, at 15:50:29

At the end of my last post I pasted the wrong links, here are the correct ones:

http://www.bipolarworld.net/Phelps/topicarchive.htm
http://www.psycheducation.org

> p.s. Here's a couple more links that could be helpful... The first one is a topic archive of questions and answers relating the the bipolar spectrum, etc. and the second is a sight maintained by Dr. Phelps all about bipolar II:
>
> http://www.mghmadi.org/referraldatabase.html
> http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.psychiatrists.html

 

Bill L - reply

Posted by rainbowlight on June 6, 2002, at 16:03:40

In reply to Re: What do I do now? Just want to cry., posted by Bill L on June 6, 2002, at 15:42:21

Pdoc added the Zoloft to my meds for OCD/anxiety. I started at 37.5 mgs. I felt wonderful for the first month. Anxiety and OCD were pretty much gone. Then it started making me feel like I had the flu, achy, bad headaches, tired. So she took it down to 12.5 mgs., the horrible physical symptoms went away, but then so did the good mental benefits. I slowly raised it back up and the physical stuff came back. She couldn't figure out what was causing this. I really wanted the Zoloft to work, it was the first med that really seemed to make things better for me. Do you have any idea why the med did this? or a remedy?

 

Re: Bill L - reply » rainbowlight

Posted by Ritch on June 7, 2002, at 0:15:27

In reply to Bill L - reply, posted by rainbowlight on June 6, 2002, at 16:03:40

> Pdoc added the Zoloft to my meds for OCD/anxiety. I started at 37.5 mgs. I felt wonderful for the first month. Anxiety and OCD were pretty much gone. Then it started making me feel like I had the flu, achy, bad headaches, tired. So she took it down to 12.5 mgs., the horrible physical symptoms went away, but then so did the good mental benefits. I slowly raised it back up and the physical stuff came back. She couldn't figure out what was causing this. I really wanted the Zoloft to work, it was the first med that really seemed to make things better for me. Do you have any idea why the med did this? or a remedy?


RBL,

Hello yet again. I may be totally off-base here, but I wonder if the Lamictal is agitating you too much? There have been others recently commenting about anxiety/agitation with Lamictal. Also, I have had dysphoric reactions to Remeron (hostility). If your main troubles are bipolar and OCD.... well, it just seems that SSRI (like Zoloft, i.e.) + Neurontin might be a better bet for you. Just thinking outloud yet once again..

Mitch

 

perhaps a Professor of Psychiatry M.D. can treat U

Posted by 3 Beer Effect on June 7, 2002, at 2:14:28

In reply to What do I do now? Just want to cry., posted by rainbowlight on June 6, 2002, at 15:08:40

Rainbowlight- Your case sounds very complex- you might need to find a very good psychiatrist & I think I know will you will be able to find the best. For example where I live there is an esteemed medical school called the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Most of the Medical School Professors, who are all M.D. psychiatrists (many of whom are famous for their research studies, books etc), also maintain their own private office of psychiatry or have one at the medical school where they take difficult-to-treat/challenging patients. These Medical School Professors of Psychiatry are actually doctors too, they don't just teach & do research. I contacted several & could have made appointments for myself but unfortunately at the time I had Cigna insurance which none of them took (Cigna has a reputation of being a hassle to deal with-most Doctors seem to hate Cigna insurance).
You can probably find most of the necessary info & also doctors names, phone #s on the website of the Medical School in your area or by calling the Department of Psychiatry at that Medical School. Just be sure the doctor you pick takes your health insurance (check the provider directory for your insurance or call). I would make a list of the top three psychiatrists you want to see who also teach classes at a good Medical School in your area. These psychiatrists can be harder to get appointments with so be patient, but if you can't make an appointment with one, just move on down the list.


Also, are you happy with taking Remeron? It personally turned me into a lethargic zombie who slept 14 hours a day even at 45 mg, & at 60 mg it was no longer sedating but made me hostile & angry/sharp with others. Perhaps the Remeron is why you had lethargy with some of the other antidepressants (Paxil, Luvox etc). Remeron changes the way an SSRI works by blocking some of their (mostly negative) effects at certain Serotonin receptors. But it also has norepinephrine boosting (NE is more often implicated in anxiety than serotonin or dopamine) & alpha-2 NE antagonism (which can cause hostility in some patients).

Perhaps Zoloft w/ Klonopin (a 2nd line anti-manic & anti-anxiety agent) or Paxil w/ Klonopin BOTH WITHOUT REMERON but with Ambien 10-20 mg to sleep at night might work. With SSRIs, sexual side effects are an effect you just have to live with, not much way around that besides Viagra for women.

Sometimes when the new drugs don't work, people have to turn to the old ones.
Have you ever considered the MAOI Nardil? The MAOIs have less side effects than the TCAs (The TCAs were more popular because they didn't figure out the tyramine/cheese effect until 10 years after MAOIs came out- Several deaths occured & MAOIs were withdrawn for a few years, & when they were reintroduced they never got over their 'bad' reputation (kind of like how Wellbutrin is still struggling to overcome its seizure causing stigma). Nardil does have sexual side effects & other side effects at first, but i've heard, unlike SSRIs, your body gets used to these side effects and they go away after 4-6 months or so.

Hope this helps & good luck- I don't think you will find the correct treatment combination by talking on this board. You might need the assistance of the best psychiatrists in your area. Also regularly see a good psychotherapist- people have a tendency to discount them, but my psychiatrist told me i'm never going to solve all my problems/achieve happiness by adjusting the amounts of various neurotransmitters in my head. You have to go out & do stuff, have hobbies, exercise, & basically live life (TV & the Internet do not constitute real life)! Do you ever go to the movies & out on dinner dates with your husband? After seeing a good movie, I always leave the movie theatre feeling more optimistic about the future & life in general.
3 Beers..........

 

Ritch

Posted by rainbowlight on June 7, 2002, at 2:42:25

In reply to Re: Bill L - reply » rainbowlight, posted by Ritch on June 7, 2002, at 0:15:27

I have wondered about the Lamictal too. I was given Lamictal and Remeron at the same time when I was in the hospital last year. I was started on the same doses I am on now (Lamictal 100 and Remeron 30). How would I know which one it could be? Would I have to lower each one and see what happens? How long would it take to know? As always, I am full of questions for you, lol! Oh, another question (LOL!), I took some of the Zoloft again today, 12 mgs. to ease my agitation (I have been off it completely for over a week). Right away within hours I felt much calmer and happier. Is that okay, or is it inducing mania? I have no basis for what "normal" feels like, so I always wonder if my happiness is "normal" or "manic". I am wondering if maybe, as you said you used to do, I could take some of it every other day so it won't build up in my system. Does it stay at a steady level. or do you come down off it?

 

3 beers

Posted by rainbowlight on June 7, 2002, at 2:52:10

In reply to perhaps a Professor of Psychiatry M.D. can treat U, posted by 3 Beer Effect on June 7, 2002, at 2:14:28

Thanks for replying. I started on the Lamictal and Remeron at the same time, in the hospital last year (had a psychotic manic episode because I quit Celexa cold turkey - BAD mistake!). The Remeron doesn't make me sleepy at all, in fact I still have to take Restoril to get me to sleep. The Lamictal is also so activating for me that I can't sleep by myself while on it, I have to have the Restoril. I really want to get off the Remeron and onto a more helpful SSRI. I quit the Zoloft over a week ago. Today I was so agitated I took a small dose, 12.5 mgs. Within hours I felt much better. Could it be inducing mania? I feel so good on it until it builds up in my system then I get bad headaches, etc. I also have Cigna insurance. They are the worst! Many health professionals have said I would be better off on Medicare. How sad is that? Right now I couldn't afford out of pocket to pay for another pdoc. I am going to try to see if any of the good ones in my area take Cigna. (highly doubtful but worth a try). You would think living in Southern California that great doctors would be everywhere, but ya know I couldn't find a psychopharmacologist at all. And I even called the UCLA medical center. They treated me like I was nuts! They didn't even know what a psychopharmacologist was, I had to explain it to them. So much for living in the big city!

 

Re: Ritch » rainbowlight

Posted by Ritch on June 7, 2002, at 8:48:30

In reply to Ritch, posted by rainbowlight on June 7, 2002, at 2:42:25

> I have wondered about the Lamictal too. I was given Lamictal and Remeron at the same time when I was in the hospital last year. I was started on the same doses I am on now (Lamictal 100 and Remeron 30). How would I know which one it could be? Would I have to lower each one and see what happens? How long would it take to know? As always, I am full of questions for you, lol! Oh, another question (LOL!), I took some of the Zoloft again today, 12 mgs. to ease my agitation (I have been off it completely for over a week). Right away within hours I felt much calmer and happier. Is that okay, or is it inducing mania? I have no basis for what "normal" feels like, so I always wonder if my happiness is "normal" or "manic". I am wondering if maybe, as you said you used to do, I could take some of it every other day so it won't build up in my system. Does it stay at a steady level. or do you come down off it?

Yes, that is a hassle when you get started on multiple meds at the same time. It has taken me years to figure out which one actually is helping symptom A and which one symptom B, and which one is *really* causing sfx A and sfx B! Well, one thing you can say for sure now is that *some* Zoloft makes you feel calmer and happier. So, you can probably put an "x" next to that one, and since it is indicated for and does help people with OCD, it sounds reasonable that it might be a med you would want to stick with somehow in some combination at some dosage for your OCD symptoms. Dosage-wise the highest I could stand on Zoloft was 25mg/day absolute max. It wasn't really making me hypomanic, it was the sfx were too intense for me to handle and it did disrupt my sleep (but then so do all SSRI's in varying degrees). I found 12.5mg day to work fairly well for a considerable length of time, but I could take that once every two days and it worked almost as well! You ought to talk to your pdoc about it and see if you can just take 12.5 every other day and see what she thinks. *Then* consider reducing something else that may be contributing. Were you hospitalized for a major depressive episode, or was it for OCD, or was it a hypomanic or mixed episode? Feeling *calmer* is not usually a sign of mania, FWIW :)

Mitch

 

Re: What do I do now? Just want to cry.

Posted by pharmer on June 8, 2002, at 1:18:09

In reply to What do I do now? Just want to cry., posted by rainbowlight on June 6, 2002, at 15:08:40

Hi Rainbowlight,I had positive results with clomipramine and clonazepam combo to treat my ocd/anxiety. I was on this combo.for 8+years but started on the road of "newer" antidepressants last year. Take care.Rick


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