![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by gardenergirl on April 2, 2006, at 10:20:02
Does anyone do this year round? I found it beneficial during the winter last year. This year I had a very hard time using it diligently, although recently I've been using it regularly and feeling better. Now that spring is here, I wonder if it would still be helpful to continue? I'm thinking I might lower the time or intensity somewhat, if needed, but I want to keep feeling good. And it helps me with sleep hygiene, because using it in the a.m. helps me wake up at a regular time.
Any thoughts?
gg
Posted by mike99 on April 2, 2006, at 13:44:33
In reply to Light therapy year round?, posted by gardenergirl on April 2, 2006, at 10:20:02
Hey gardenergirl,
I've been using light therapy for about 6 months and so far I intend to use it year round.
This is cuz I use it primarily for a sleep disorder and it's best for me to get that light early in the a.m.
Also, I don't intend to get much more sun during the summer months because a) I generally avoid it like a vampire as I'm very light-skinned and b) I keep the shades on if I'm in it.
But that's just me and I haven't been through the brighter months with the light box yet, so I'll just kinda play it by ear. But so far I have no intention of changing anything up.
May I ask how long you spend in front of the box and at what strenth light (I spend 20-25 minutes first thing in the a.m. at 10,000 lux)?
Lastly, if I remember correctly you were trying provigil??? If so how's that working out?
Take care,
Mike
Posted by Caedmon on April 3, 2006, at 20:10:11
In reply to Re: Light therapy year round? » gardenergirl, posted by mike99 on April 2, 2006, at 13:44:33
It's an excellent and very underrated idea. Typically no or few side effects (maybe some eye strain or headache), no drug interactions, and over time the cost of a lightbox is usually cheaper than most meds and/or doctor's visits. Yes, it helps even non-seasonal depression, from what I've read.
- C
Posted by gardenergirl on April 5, 2006, at 15:15:15
In reply to Re: Light therapy year round?, posted by Caedmon on April 3, 2006, at 20:10:11
Shoot, I started composing a reply but must have been distracted and closed the window before finishing. But thanks for the encouragement Mike and Caedmon.
I've decided to keep using the light therapy this year. I may find I need to back down from my usual 30 minutes at 10K lux, but we'll see. I can either back the light away a bit or dial it down (both versions I have can do that). Even if it just works to help me regulate my sleep/wake cycle, that would be worth it.
And I avoid the sun like crazy, too. I burn in about 10 to 15 minutes. Never have tanned. I'm very very fair-skinned. And I hate being all slathered with sunscreen, so I've got to be really interested in an outdoor activity in order to convince me to do that. I do get some great morning light in my family room, so that's a good way for me to get sunlight without burning. In fact, the other day I sat with my go-lite on one side and the sun coming in on the other. I wondered if maybe that was overkill? :) Actually, I wonder how much correlation there might be with a positive response to light therapy and being fair-skinned. I'm of N. European and Finnish descent, which my pdoc says has more SAD in the population than in sunnier areas. And of course that's where my fair skin likely comes from.
I think the Provigil is helping, although not as much as I'd hoped. I've heard of folks with ADHD finding significant improvement when taking the right meds. In my case what I've noticed is a reduction in impulsivity. I've caught myself thinking, "Hm, I'd normally just say this, but everyone's watching the game. Or talking about something else. Maybe I shouldn't interrupt or just blurt it out." I'm embarrassed to say it, but being able to avoid blurting is sort of a new experience for me. But that's good. I see it as an improvement.
I can still get distracted by multi-tasking or in trying to complete one task without hopping around starting others, and I was hoping for improvement in that. In fact, the other day when doing yard work, my husband asked if I'd taken my Provigil that day because I saw so much that needed to be done and did literally sort of run around between the different tasks. All he had planned for us to do was just pick up dead wood and sticks. But at first I think it did help with this, too. Some behaviors are just so ingrained in me that I think I need to work on it from a behavioral standpoint as well as physiological to really improve.
Provigil also seems to decrease my carb cravings, which are huge on Nardil. That's been great, and I didn't binge eat as much. I actually lost a couple of pounds. But I'm not sure that effect is continuing. I've been eating a lot of sweets again, although they are available to me, whereas before they weren't in the house. I didn't miss them though, like I did before. Again, it's a habit to always have them in the house, as I would feel deprived before if I didn't. So I need to work on that habit, too.
Okay, probably more information than you wanted, Mike. But I do think Provigil has been worth it for me, and I'm lucky it's covered by my insurance.
gg
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.