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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by maxime on August 21, 2006, at 18:38:13
Hi
Okay, so meds don't work for me. I have been severely depressed. Paxil and Effexor made me hypomanic. My psychiatrist knows this. Should I ask him to prescribe me Paxil so that I can experience hypomania? He once suggested it himself. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE.
I see him tomorrow.
Maxime
Posted by blueberry on August 21, 2006, at 18:54:37
In reply to Should I get hypomanic?, posted by maxime on August 21, 2006, at 18:38:13
Yes. Definitely. Just an opinion though.
But....keep the dose as low as possible to get just a slight touch of hypomania. If that means 5mg, so be it. 10mg. Whatever. Don't shoot for therapeutic doses just because that's what everyone else does. Instead, look for that fine line between not working and working a little.
It's just my opinion, but when you've been depressed for as long as you have, you deserve a break, even if that means getting a touch of hypomania. And if it is managed wisely, it could end up working for a long time.
I just fear getting too much of a dose and too much hypomania, because if that happens and then it loses effect, the fall down is steeper and more dangerous that it needed to me. You don't want to set the stage for a massive let-down later on.
Basically I am saying manage what the drug does to you rather than letting it manage you.
Another option to act as a life boat and perhaps even smooth out and improve the paxil would be to take low dose lithium with it...150mg, 300mg, something like that. Or 2.5mg zyprexa for sleep. Just a tad bit of something to balance the paxil.
I say go for it. Use what you've learned from the past and manage it to your benefit.
> Hi
>
> Okay, so meds don't work for me. I have been severely depressed. Paxil and Effexor made me hypomanic. My psychiatrist knows this. Should I ask him to prescribe me Paxil so that I can experience hypomania? He once suggested it himself. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE.
>
> I see him tomorrow.
>
> Maxime
Posted by rjlockhart on August 21, 2006, at 19:31:49
In reply to Should I get hypomanic?, posted by maxime on August 21, 2006, at 18:38:13
Prozac has set off hypomania with me, i went reckless nights spending, well not spending, but i felt good about everything. I took 40mg.
Hypomania lasts for a while and you crash. You can, sometimes i can control it, but sometimes i woke up the next day horrible.
Mood stablizers i dont like at all, but hypomania is unfocused hypo energy. You do crazy things. I went over to my aunts and just drove all over the place singing in the car.
Sucked after i crashed.
I dont know, the logical awnser is no. But if you can control it back down to your regular mood, well just not crash. It may have some good.
but i dont want to give any bad advice.
Matt
Posted by maxime on August 21, 2006, at 19:36:50
In reply to Re: Should I get hypomanic? » maxime, posted by blueberry on August 21, 2006, at 18:54:37
I'll ask my pdoc then. I remember that I went hypomanic at 30 mg. But this was 10 years ago. I don't know how my body will react to it now.
I really can't feel much worse than I do now. So I might as well give it a go.
Maxime
> Yes. Definitely. Just an opinion though.
>
> But....keep the dose as low as possible to get just a slight touch of hypomania. If that means 5mg, so be it. 10mg. Whatever. Don't shoot for therapeutic doses just because that's what everyone else does. Instead, look for that fine line between not working and working a little.
>
> It's just my opinion, but when you've been depressed for as long as you have, you deserve a break, even if that means getting a touch of hypomania. And if it is managed wisely, it could end up working for a long time.
>
> I just fear getting too much of a dose and too much hypomania, because if that happens and then it loses effect, the fall down is steeper and more dangerous that it needed to me. You don't want to set the stage for a massive let-down later on.
>
> Basically I am saying manage what the drug does to you rather than letting it manage you.
>
> Another option to act as a life boat and perhaps even smooth out and improve the paxil would be to take low dose lithium with it...150mg, 300mg, something like that. Or 2.5mg zyprexa for sleep. Just a tad bit of something to balance the paxil.
>
> I say go for it. Use what you've learned from the past and manage it to your benefit.
>
> > Hi
> >
> > Okay, so meds don't work for me. I have been severely depressed. Paxil and Effexor made me hypomanic. My psychiatrist knows this. Should I ask him to prescribe me Paxil so that I can experience hypomania? He once suggested it himself. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE.
> >
> > I see him tomorrow.
> >
> > Maxime
>
>
Posted by maxime on August 21, 2006, at 19:38:54
In reply to Re: Should I get hypomanic?, posted by rjlockhart on August 21, 2006, at 19:31:49
I used to be on 100 mg of Prozac ... no hypomania. But you're right ... I don't want to crash. But it would be nice to feel high for once ... or rather normal.
I'll sleep on it ... if I sleep tonight.
Maxime
> Prozac has set off hypomania with me, i went reckless nights spending, well not spending, but i felt good about everything. I took 40mg.
>
> Hypomania lasts for a while and you crash. You can, sometimes i can control it, but sometimes i woke up the next day horrible.
>
> Mood stablizers i dont like at all, but hypomania is unfocused hypo energy. You do crazy things. I went over to my aunts and just drove all over the place singing in the car.
>
> Sucked after i crashed.
>
> I dont know, the logical awnser is no. But if you can control it back down to your regular mood, well just not crash. It may have some good.
>
> but i dont want to give any bad advice.
>
> Matt
Posted by maxime on August 21, 2006, at 19:59:46
In reply to Should I get hypomanic?, posted by maxime on August 21, 2006, at 18:38:13
I am turning off the computer for the night. I will check this thread in the morning before I leave ... hopefully there will be more input from people. Racer? ED? SLS? HELP!!!!
Maxime
Posted by finelinebob on August 21, 2006, at 20:35:27
In reply to Re: Checking thread in the morning, posted by maxime on August 21, 2006, at 19:59:46
I had close to a full blown manic episode -- well, given how low my baseline mood was at the time, it was probably cranked to 11 -- and it was the first time I could ever recall feeling "joy" in my life.
My baseline mood is considerably higher now and I'd guess my mood can get a little more elevated than "normal" at times. It makes life worth living, to have a feeling of well-being. It helps me see all the wonderful things my friends say about me and actually believe they might be true.
I can still experience crushing depression and I'm anxious most of the time, but that sense of well-being brings me up and while it doesn't completely quiet the anxiety, it allows me to push through it.
I don't know if that well-being is what counts for "normally happy" or hypomanic (or whether there is much of a difference), but I'll take it whenever I can get it.
Posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2006, at 21:40:13
In reply to Re: Checking thread in the morning » maxime, posted by finelinebob on August 21, 2006, at 20:35:27
Well I tend to agree with Matt. You don't want to crash but I've been depressed and anxious for l0years so to feel good even for a few weeks would be wonderful. I wonder if it's possible? Love Phillipa
Posted by Maxime on August 22, 2006, at 6:10:01
In reply to Re: Checking thread in the morning, posted by Phillipa on August 21, 2006, at 21:40:13
> Well I tend to agree with Matt. You don't want to crash but I've been depressed and anxious for l0years so to feel good even for a few weeks would be wonderful. I wonder if it's possible? Love Phillipa
Yeah, I don't want to crash. I think that goes without saying.
Anyhow I off now so if you see this thrad just ignore it.
Maxime
Posted by SLS on August 22, 2006, at 7:38:58
In reply to Re: it's morning, posted by Maxime on August 22, 2006, at 6:10:01
> Anyhow I off now so if you see this thrad just ignore it.
I don't understand what this means.
I agree with Blueberry. If you can provoke a mania, perhaps you can wrestle it into a more euthymic state using Zyprexa. This is something I would try to do for myself if I could find something that would produce a stable mania. Unfortunately, the only mania I seem capable of inducing is a TCA or Nardil withdrawal rebound mania that is self-limiting. Of course, you could always start the Zyprexa and Paxil at the same time.
I think Zyprexa would produce the best therapeutic effect. However, if you find this drug unacceptable as an initial choice, you could try initiating Abilify first and then add Paxil a few weeks later.
- Scott
Posted by Maxime on August 22, 2006, at 14:06:25
In reply to Re: it's morning, posted by SLS on August 22, 2006, at 7:38:58
Hi Scott. I typed my message so quickly that I had a lot of typos.
He gave me the Paxil. No way to Zyprexa because of WEIGHT GAIN and LACTATION. Abilify is not available in OH CANADA! Pity!
Anyhow, I will take my first dose tomorrow morning and see how things go. I am on a mood stabiliser ... trileptal, so maybe I won't go hypomanic. Who knows and who cares. *whispers, I like to pretend I don't care, but I really do*.
Maxime
> > Anyhow I off now so if you see this thrad just ignore it.
>
> I don't understand what this means.
>
> I agree with Blueberry. If you can provoke a mania, perhaps you can wrestle it into a more euthymic state using Zyprexa. This is something I would try to do for myself if I could find something that would produce a stable mania. Unfortunately, the only mania I seem capable of inducing is a TCA or Nardil withdrawal rebound mania that is self-limiting. Of course, you could always start the Zyprexa and Paxil at the same time.
>
> I think Zyprexa would produce the best therapeutic effect. However, if you find this drug unacceptable as an initial choice, you could try initiating Abilify first and then add Paxil a few weeks later.
>
>
> - Scott
>
This is the end of the thread.
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