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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by bigcat on August 17, 2005, at 17:58:07
Self awareness and anxiety are killing me. Cymbalta is making cognition sh*tty; I can't perform the simplest tasks like operating a cash register. Total fumbling doofus, ridiculously self-conscious on a level where it would be considered self-fulfilling paranoia.
Take lots of Xanax or cut the Cymbalta or both? Klonapin and valium and xanax have never touched my anxiety as I feel it to be inseparable from my depression, but I may just need a monster dose of xanax (I've always written it off and have taken rather high doses. Maybe it's time to really push it).
I'm very med-tolerant and have gone real high on anti d's without a problem. Maybe Cymbalta is screwing with me. I've been on 60mg's about 4 weeks. Anyway, let's talk about skyrocketing the xanax to a point where I can operate a cash register without falling asleep.
I sometimes wonder if my life is a 24hr panic attack that manifests itself in various streams of self-torture.I wonder if people who find relief from klonapin and xanax would consider my day an incessant panic attack...how high on the xanax...i can sleep and am safe and cared for for the next 2 days so let's let 'er rip.
I also had a script for risperidol to ease the obsessing and ruminating thoughts, but the sticker shock makes that economically unfeasable. Any advice? thanks guys.
Posted by Empathy on August 17, 2005, at 23:28:09
In reply to Highballing xanax- pray help please, posted by bigcat on August 17, 2005, at 17:58:07
My opinion... find something other than Cymbalta then, it sounds like it is adding fuel to the fire.
I have a very high tolerance to drugs,too... More XANAX doesn't necessarily mean you get a better effect - taking extra XANAX has the opposite effect on me - I become hyper, agitated and can't sleep... I can't recommend it.
What all have you tried for depression and anxiety?
Posted by bigcat on August 18, 2005, at 2:36:53
In reply to Highballing xanax- pray help please, posted by bigcat on August 17, 2005, at 17:58:07
I've treid every tricyclic, ssri, maoi, mood stabilizer, benzo, ECT, etc.). It think my anxiety is inseparable from my depression; I did have a tremendsous reemission form nardil immdiatley which faded, and marplan, which only kicked in on the fourth trial (so unpredicatble). But none of these held me for very long.
I'm thinking about skyrocketing my maois (+105mg nardil, + 170m marplan, and 200 parnate if possible. I'm very med-tolearant, and seem to have a much milder side effects profile. I also had some sucess combining an maoi with dexedrine, as they both break down into amphetamines, and the thought being that in conjunction they could prevent mutual poopout or tolerance. No benzos have any impact on me whatsover- klonapin, zanax, valium, nada. Meds seem to either exacerbate the depression or punish me with a different variety of the depressive experience, each with it'd own particular nasty symptoms that all boil down to a depression with a different prominent focus. When my depresion lifts, so does my anxiety, so I don't even know if it's the right approach to tackle the problem with benzos. Thanks- matt
Posted by Declan on August 18, 2005, at 3:23:21
In reply to Re: Highballing xanax- pray help please, posted by bigcat on August 18, 2005, at 2:36:53
Hey Matt
Maybe you need Chairman MAO. He hasn't been around for a while.
Declan
Posted by Jedi on August 18, 2005, at 3:31:17
In reply to Re: Highballing xanax- pray help please, posted by bigcat on August 18, 2005, at 2:36:53
> I've treid every tricyclic, ssri, maoi, mood stabilizer, benzo, ECT, etc.).
Hey BigCat,
If your diagnosis is atypical depression with generalized and social anxiety, you probably won't beat Nardil. I haven't tried adding a stimulant, but it seems like a good idea and has some precedence in treatment resistant depression. It would probably beat the five cups of coffee I drink in the morning. I currently take 75mg Nardil with 1mg Clonazepam daily. I have used 150mg of Wellbutrin-SR with 90mg of Nardil with no trouble. It really helps with the weight side effect. I've always had a little bit of initial aggressiveness when I've been on Wellbutrin but it goes away. Kind of like an amphetamine. Of course one PDOC said I was going to die on this combination (BS) and wanted me to do ECT instead. I'm saving that one for the last resort, before the big nap. This guy would not mix anything with a MAOI. The next PDOC would not even give me Nardil, so I was really sick for over a year. The other thing I've used with Nardil is Nortriptyline at 100mg nightly. This seemed to help with side effects. There is even some evidence that it can counteract the tyramine reactions. I did not push this one too far. I've been in the ER with a hypertensive reaction before. Not a fun time. These are just a couple of augmentation ideas that you may not have tried yet. I’m just guessing, but you probably need the multiple transmitter effectiveness of a MAOI. Then when it poops out, augment instead of change meds. Sounds like you have a good doctor. Wish I had one. I have to do all of the research and then go twist the arm of my GP.
Good Luck,
Jedi
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on August 18, 2005, at 8:29:11
In reply to Highballing xanax- pray help please, posted by bigcat on August 17, 2005, at 17:58:07
> I also had a script for risperidol to ease the obsessing and ruminating thoughts, but the sticker shock makes that economically unfeasable. Any advice? thanks guys.Sorry to hear that things are rough. Some pharmaceutical companies (at least in the US) have programs to help people pay for their meds if they csn't afford them. I seem to remember the Seroquel people having a program like that. I don't know about the Risperdal people. It might be worth doing an online search and maybe asking your doc to switch you to something else.
Best,
EE
Posted by ed_uk on August 18, 2005, at 10:15:07
In reply to Highballing xanax- pray help please, posted by bigcat on August 17, 2005, at 17:58:07
Chairman_MAO was taking Nardil 90mg + cabergoline + buprenorphine the last time we heard from him. You might want to babblemail him.
~Ed
Posted by Empathy on August 18, 2005, at 15:04:46
In reply to Re: Highballing xanax- pray help please, posted by bigcat on August 18, 2005, at 2:36:53
Does Dexedrine help with the anxiety? How much are you taking? I used that with my ADD and it can drastically help at work. If you see any improvement with anxiety on Dexedrine, I say skip all the other anxiety stuff and use it exclusively.
This is the end of the thread.
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