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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 16 of 16. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Cynthia3479 on March 22, 2005, at 7:51:03
Hi,
My name is Cynthia, I am 30, from Canada, and I suffer from Dp/DR since the birth of my child. Since then, I feel not myself, not there, I feel like I am besides reality, I see like in 2-D, in fact, like if I took pot. My perception has changed. I have time lapses (dissociation), and I always feel like I missed some hours, minutes of my day, even when I change from a place to another. It's like if I have mini loss of consciousness and I wake up all confused. It happens a lot eahc day, but nobody can see this. But I feel very very afraid. Like if I will go crazy.
Also, I have memory troubles, I do something and when I remember it, it's like I vaguely remember it's me who did that. I feel like it was not me but I know it's me!!! I can just take a walk, and go back home, and not being hyper aware that I took walk, etc.
I am depressed and diagnosed depressive, with anxiety and dp/dr, and trauma. I see a psychiatrist, I tried ALL ssri's who make it worse. I tried a lot of benzos too. I am on klonopin, each day since 2 years, and it doesn't help anymore. I saw psychologists too.
I had an EEG, MRI, showed only a slight disrythmia. They said it was caused by stress. I had a cortisol test, it was a little bit over the normal.
I am at home with my kid and don't work for now.
Can someone relate and tell me which med helped them?
Thanks!!!!
Cynthia
Posted by zeugma on March 22, 2005, at 16:13:45
In reply to Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealization, posted by Cynthia3479 on March 22, 2005, at 7:51:03
Hi cynthia, I had a lot of depersonalization in my teens/early 20's that I think never resolved fully. I know exactly what you mean by "seeing in 2-D." I remember being shocked when i picked up a stone and seeing that it had an 'other side'- the side that was in the ground. I also had a lot of feelings like I was drifting away from my body. Now, although these acute symptoms have dissipated, I feel only loosely connected to my body.
What has helped? Well, stimulants. I found that high doses of Ritalin (60 mg) made me feel 'fully present.' Unfortunately I had a lot of trouble tolerating this high dosage and had to go off it. Provigil (which I'm on now) helps a little, too, but its effects can be strange and inconsistent.
The meds that are standardly prescribed are, of course, the SSRI's, but their efficacy is very limited, as is that of clomipramine. I take Klonopin too, but I don't think it helps dp all that much. I've had better luck with stimulants- but the side effects are pretty bad if you have an anxiety disorder.
By the way, my diagnoses are depression, GAD, ADD, and I'm in the process of determining if I have narcolepsy.
I found therapy to be worse than useless for any of my symptoms. Therapists are especially quick to brush off depersonalization as an 'anxiety' disorder, which it simply isn't, according to my research. It may be triggered by anxiety, but it is not a manifestation of it.
-z
Posted by JKL on March 22, 2005, at 16:28:56
In reply to Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealization, posted by Cynthia3479 on March 22, 2005, at 7:51:03
Though it is just my opinion, I think your kinds of symptoms are similar to things that happen more in schizonphrenic disorders than depressive disorders.
I had the same experiences as you and I thought it was just living hell. Horrible. When my doc finally decided to look at the antipsychotic class of meds, since we had exhausted lots of other more logical things (SSRIs often made me worse), I got better very fast. Zyprexa has been wonderful for me. I also take it with a small 10mg dose of prozac and 600mg st johns wort. Zyprexa keeps me sane, steady and stable. Prozac I think just turbochargers the zyprexa and keeps me non-depressed. There is some blawness and lack of motivation leftover, and the sjw conquers that real well.I just think you would get better the fastest if you look at a different class of drugs, like the antipsychotics. Zyprexa is my fav. But risperdal or abilify are also possible choices. Regardless of whatever label diagnosis a doc might give you, the symptom cluster that you described has a good chance of being addressed by an antipsychotic medication.
Posted by mmcconathy on March 22, 2005, at 16:30:35
In reply to Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealization, posted by Cynthia3479 on March 22, 2005, at 7:51:03
no one awnsered my posts either...
But my gosh, were not the only people who are like this... i thought i was in a simulation at one time, i was the only person here.
Listen it will fade away after time, i dont know how the symptoms differ from me. It lasted for about 2 months for me becuase i was under so much stress working for my dad's firm, going to school. I didnt feel "here", i was put aside, sort of auto-pilot.
Well, i dont know what type of dissociation you are experiencing, derealization mainly what i experienced. Depersonilization more extreme, you feel your flouting, you yourself are not real, i did at one time felt i was really not "here" i was just watching a movie, at a Mavericks game in dallas.
I dont want to really recommend, i want to put my thought, stimulants may help to get you out of the "distorted fog", when i when i was at the climax of this, i took high doses of amphetamine (adderall), which made feel "with" reality, not drifting.
Take a hot shower when this happens, or cold, what ever, i run 3 miles usally daily, this makes it go away becuase it takes the mind off, and focus trying to keep up with the physical stress.
if you need some more advice, email me wcarol345@aol.com (temporary address for connection problems)
Stay intact.
Posted by Cynthia3479 on March 22, 2005, at 16:49:07
In reply to Re: Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealization, posted by JKL on March 22, 2005, at 16:28:56
Schizophrenic???
I sa many doctors, psychiatrists, they NEVER labeled me schizo.... I can take care of myself, my son, I don't have hallucinations or delusions, I don't see myself from the outside...
My God you have a strong diagnosis, it's encouraging!!!
If I have schizo it's been the same since 2 years, and no friend can imagine by looking at me that I am ill. So I don't think it is... serious...
Posted by ace on March 22, 2005, at 18:11:36
In reply to Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealization, posted by Cynthia3479 on March 22, 2005, at 7:51:03
> Hi,
>
> My name is Cynthia, I am 30, from Canada, and I suffer from Dp/DR since the birth of my child. Since then, I feel not myself, not there, I feel like I am besides reality, I see like in 2-D, in fact, like if I took pot. My perception has changed. I have time lapses (dissociation), and I always feel like I missed some hours, minutes of my day, even when I change from a place to another. It's like if I have mini loss of consciousness and I wake up all confused. It happens a lot eahc day, but nobody can see this. But I feel very very afraid. Like if I will go crazy.
>
> Also, I have memory troubles, I do something and when I remember it, it's like I vaguely remember it's me who did that. I feel like it was not me but I know it's me!!! I can just take a walk, and go back home, and not being hyper aware that I took walk, etc.
>
> I am depressed and diagnosed depressive, with anxiety and dp/dr, and trauma. I see a psychiatrist, I tried ALL ssri's who make it worse. I tried a lot of benzos too. I am on klonopin, each day since 2 years, and it doesn't help anymore. I saw psychologists too.
>
> I had an EEG, MRI, showed only a slight disrythmia. They said it was caused by stress. I had a cortisol test, it was a little bit over the normal.
>
> I am at home with my kid and don't work for now.
>
> Can someone relate and tell me which med helped them?
>
> Thanks!!!!
>
> CynthiaIn my experience, NARDIL and XANAX helped TREMENDOUSLY....and they took away the phobic anxiety assoxiated with my derealization....
Try them!!!
Ace
PS- if they don't work give Anafranil a shot...
Forget all the SSRI's.
Posted by Spriggy on March 22, 2005, at 18:17:01
In reply to Re: Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealization » Cynthia3479, posted by ace on March 22, 2005, at 18:11:36
I don't think schizophrenia is necessarily the answer here- we know so little to start throwing that one around.Have you had a traumatic experience recently or been on a new medicine?
I had dp/dr for about one month- it was NOOO fun. It was so weird.. I hated it and I found it very hard to describe to other people. The only way I could describe it was the way you feel when you have a high fever... just very "surreal" weird "head fog" floaty feeling. ACK. It's horrific.
I'm praying for you right now.
I have read that Lamictal and Wellbutrin are two drugs specifically that can help with depersonalization. It makes sense that a stimulant would help since the feeling is kind of like a "dreamy" downer state.
The weird part for me was that I had that dp/dr stuff with intense anxiety- so a stimulant would've sent me over the edge even worse.
I will pray you find relief soon! I remember how awful it felt and how hard it was to describe.
Posted by JKL on March 23, 2005, at 5:20:10
In reply to Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealization, posted by Cynthia3479 on March 22, 2005, at 7:51:03
My doc has hundreds of patients on zyprexa, mostly for depressive and personality issues, not schizophrenia. So you don't have to be diagnosed as schizo to do well with an antipsychotic. I myself do very well with zyprexa and I have never been diagnosed as schizo.
I wanted to share this with you because I had the same symptoms you described and zyprexa fixed them.
Antipsychotic is just a name. They are drugs that block certain receptors and stimulate others, kind of like some antidepressants such as remeron, the difference being that antipsychotics involve more dopamine action and generally more wide ranging effect in multiple areas of the brain than antidepressants such as remeron.
Just my opinion, but a diagnosis is only a guide as a starting point. The only true thing that counts is how you respond to a certain drug that manipulates brain chemistry. If a diagnosis was accurate or helpful in treating patients in a consistent manner, this board wouldn't exist.
So many people have gotten better with meds that really don't fit their diagnosis. For example, if someone is diagnosed as bipolar depressive and they just get worse on SSRIs and wellbutrin doesn't help either, then the likelihood of success with a med from a different name class is increased, simply by means of elimination if nothing else.
Posted by banga on March 25, 2005, at 9:47:14
In reply to Re: Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealization, posted by JKL on March 23, 2005, at 5:20:10
Hi everyone,
I have had derealization for several years now. I know Anafranil helped me once years ago....the effect seemed to diminish.
What I find odd/interesting is that the two classes of drugs listed as helopful here are antipsychotics and stimulants--?but they have completely opposite effects on dopamine levels. I wonder what that could mean.....
Those who found Zyprexa helpful, did you by chance try other antipsychotics, did they help just as much? I actually find abilify and geodon put me even more into a fog....
Posted by jclint on March 25, 2005, at 18:46:41
In reply to Re: Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealization, posted by banga on March 25, 2005, at 9:47:14
I have trouble with this. I have heard some things about Lamictal being good for it. Sorry I have no links.
Posted by banga on March 26, 2005, at 10:57:28
In reply to Re: Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealizat, posted by jclint on March 25, 2005, at 18:46:41
Does anyone have experience using Lamictal for derealization?
Posted by qbsbrown on March 27, 2005, at 20:36:03
In reply to Re: Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealizat, posted by banga on March 26, 2005, at 10:57:28
I do have some experience w/ it. Yes probably the best my DR has been, was under lamictal and klonopin.
There are two major colleges studying depersonalization right now (kings college in london, mt sinai in nyc). They have not released much data on many tests as of yet. One small study (like less than 20 people) however, did show that lamictal+ssri had about a 50 percent success rate. So it is still very much in the air.
I would highly advise that anyone suffering w/ DP or DR visit dpselfhelp.com. You will be amazed with the amount of people there, and some have great ideas and advice.
Posted by ed_uk on March 28, 2005, at 6:56:40
In reply to Re: Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealizat, posted by banga on March 26, 2005, at 10:57:28
Hi B,
Do you think you're going to increase the Lamictal?
Ed x
PS. Do you think you're having any side effects from the Lamictal at the moment?
Posted by banga on March 28, 2005, at 7:03:42
In reply to Re: Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealizat » banga, posted by ed_uk on March 28, 2005, at 6:56:40
Hi Ed!
I went up from 100 mg to 200mg. I have no major side effects. I was just checking in on the depresonalization/derealizatoin board, I was thinking how lucky I am-in that I tend to have much less side effects than others in general on meds. The derealization, however, seems to be my weak point--the most common side effect I feel from drugs is spaciness/fog--worsening the sense of disconnectedness.
Posted by ed_uk on March 28, 2005, at 7:31:47
In reply to Re: Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealizat, posted by banga on March 28, 2005, at 7:03:42
Hi B!
>I went up from 100 mg to 200mg. I have no major side effects.
:-) I hope it helps! It's a good sign that it's not making you foggy.
Ed x
Posted by cynthia3479 on March 28, 2005, at 10:54:46
In reply to Re: Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealizat » banga, posted by ed_uk on March 28, 2005, at 7:31:47
Hi,
I just began Anafranil for dp/dr since it seems to help, according to the dp units.
Since 4 days, I feel more and more tired, in the day, but I wake up very early. It touch a bit of obsessions and depression, but I feel so tired I can't think, that is why it help obsessions!!!
I will do an ECG to make sure my heart is OK.
Maybe I'll retry Lamictal.
Cynthia
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