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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SheilaC on February 26, 2010, at 17:26:18
I am taking Pristiq and I think it helps with mild depression, but it doesn't help too much with anxiety. I notice that I need to take Klonopin for anxious situations.
I have not been good about taking my small dose of Depakote. Would Depakote curb or even rid me of the anxiety (since Pristiq is not)?
Also - while stimulants seem to help me with anxiety, they tend to make me feel over-focused. Still working on which one to take.
And, of course, sleep is always an issue with me.
Is this a bad combo of meds: Pristiq, stimulant, Depakote, Klonopin, sleep med?
Seems like an awful lot of meds.
Posted by rjlockhart04-08 on February 26, 2010, at 18:48:26
In reply to Anxiety + meds..., posted by SheilaC on February 26, 2010, at 17:26:18
Restoril could be an option at bedtime but it's a narcotic, but still it's widely known for it's use for sleep. Also Lyrica is good anxiety med that is used "off label" for anxiety, but it's main use is for nerve pain. Also Nuerotin could be an option.
Zyprexa, I've got tell you that this medication improves the mood in some depressive states, even it's an anti-psychotic..it just has some antidepressant properties that help with thinking. And it's a good med for anxiety around 15-20 but also you have to know that your thinking will change because it blocks dopamine and serotonin in some sector's of brain.
Hope you get well:)
M
Posted by Phillipa on February 26, 2010, at 19:34:17
In reply to Anxiety + meds..., posted by SheilaC on February 26, 2010, at 17:26:18
Sheila don't think it's a lot of meds why the depakote? If anxious I'd stick with the klonopin lower or rid the stimulant. That's just me of course. I'm glad the pristiq is working for you. Love Phillipa
Posted by floatingbridge on February 27, 2010, at 2:32:03
In reply to Anxiety + meds..., posted by SheilaC on February 26, 2010, at 17:26:18
I don't know Shelia--I haven't been to keen on pristiq, yet here I go on over a year now. Our regimes are similar. I've added 300 lithium.
I'd love to hear what someone thinks....
Posted by SheilaC on February 27, 2010, at 16:54:34
In reply to Re: Anxiety + meds... » SheilaC, posted by floatingbridge on February 27, 2010, at 2:32:03
I liked Effexor better than Pristiq, but the Effexor bothered my bladder. Pristiq doesn't bother my bladder at all. It just doesn't pack the punch that Efffexor did. But it helps a little, so I will stick with it.
Maybe I need to really stick with the Depakote and I won't have the anxiety as much. Otherwise, I will be popping Klonopin too much and I am afraid that it will stop working.
Posted by floatingbridge on February 28, 2010, at 4:02:52
In reply to Re: Anxiety + meds..., posted by SheilaC on February 27, 2010, at 16:54:34
Sheila, I forget...how much depakote do you take? I forget my dose, but it was low and seemed to be benign. Maybe it would help with the anxiety. Being regular might be the key--and I suspect your dosage would be low
Good luck!
Posted by SheilaC on February 28, 2010, at 17:44:53
In reply to Re: Anxiety + meds... » SheilaC, posted by floatingbridge on February 28, 2010, at 4:02:52
> Sheila, I forget...how much depakote do you take? I forget my dose, but it was low and seemed to be benign. Maybe it would help with the anxiety. Being regular might be the key--and I suspect your dosage would be low
>
>
> Good luck!FB - right now my dose is low. I'm taking less than 500mg a day. I am working up to that right now. But, I think the regular dosing is the key.
Posted by Hombre on March 1, 2010, at 4:16:00
In reply to Anxiety + meds..., posted by SheilaC on February 26, 2010, at 17:26:18
Interesting. I just started taking Effexor and it is lifting me out of the depression nicely, but it also causes/exacerbates anxiety. I take lorazepam for that, but I wonder if Depakote would help with that instead. I take 400mg of Lithium (I get depressed on higher doses) and I think that helps with irritability/anger. Do you get any side effects from the small dose of Depakote? Does it help you sleep?
Please keep us posted.
Posted by SheilaC on March 1, 2010, at 12:23:30
In reply to Re: Anxiety + meds..., posted by Hombre on March 1, 2010, at 4:16:00
> Interesting. I just started taking Effexor and it is lifting me out of the depression nicely, but it also causes/exacerbates anxiety. I take lorazepam for that, but I wonder if Depakote would help with that instead. I take 400mg of Lithium (I get depressed on higher doses) and I think that helps with irritability/anger. Do you get any side effects from the small dose of Depakote? Does it help you sleep?
>
> Please keep us posted.Klonopin works great for the anxiety I get from Pristiq (I also got anxiety from Effexor). Depakote works pretty good for the irritability and anxiety, but it can make me depressed and sometimes it gives me insomnia. So, I just don't know.
Posted by Hombre on March 1, 2010, at 23:22:51
In reply to Re: Anxiety + meds..., posted by SheilaC on March 1, 2010, at 12:23:30
> Please keep us posted.
>
> Klonopin works great for the anxiety I get from >Pristiq (I also got anxiety from Effexor). >Depakote works pretty good for the irritability and >anxiety, but it can make me depressed and sometimes >it gives me insomnia. So, I just don't know.I've been taking Remeron for a while too, but we're lowering the dose now. It does help me sleep and I think it turbocharged the Effexor (and the anxiety?). The problem is I still find myself waking in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep.
Good luck and let us know how things are going with you.
Posted by floatingbridge on March 2, 2010, at 1:36:32
In reply to Re: Anxiety + meds..., posted by Hombre on March 1, 2010, at 23:22:51
Hombre,
When I was badly off, and restarting meds, it took a while for my sleep to return to 'normal' (at least not broken by anxious awakenings). Maybe for you, too? Just a thought. Also, at that point, I needed klonopin for deep anxiety management. Long term it was a depressant for me, and I switched to Xanax xr generic.
So you think remeron increased your anxiety when combined with effexor?
Posted by Hombre on March 2, 2010, at 2:52:57
In reply to Re: Anxiety + meds... » Hombre, posted by floatingbridge on March 2, 2010, at 1:36:32
floatingbridge,
I think one thing I need to say to myself everyday is to be patient and see things on a week-by-week basis rather than day-by-day. Your experience reminds me not to expect everything to settle into place all at once.
When I went up to 45mg of Remeron from 30mg I experienced a not-pleasant "rush" inside and was constipated for a few days. Got the same "rush" (and constipation) when I started the Effexor for the first few days. After 4 days I decided to take some lorazepam and things were groovy for once.
I'm back down to 30mg Remeron starting last night. I ended up taking a zopliclone to sleep but other than that no benzos today--yet. I will probably go down to 15mg of Remeron next week if things seem stable. Since starting Effexor I get the knockout effect from Remeron again. I like that, even if I have nighttime awakenings.
In the long run, I'm not sure if I want to take depakote or not. I still have trouble accepting my bipolar diagnosis--not in the sense that I disagree with the docs, but rather I have been depressed so much and I think my "normal" temperament is slightly hyperthermic. That's what feels normal to me, wherever it is, out there...
> Hombre,
>
> When I was badly off, and restarting meds, it took a while for my sleep to return to 'normal' (at least not broken by anxious awakenings). Maybe for you, too? Just a thought. Also, at that point, I needed klonopin for deep anxiety management. Long term it was a depressant for me, and I switched to Xanax xr generic.
>
> So you think remeron increased your anxiety when combined with effexor?
This is the end of the thread.
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