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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by phidippus on September 13, 2012, at 23:27:33
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need? » phidippus, posted by AlexCanada on September 13, 2012, at 17:10:40
>Do you have any other possible sources?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17545748
>The dopamine based medications you mentioned are >they generally fine to take if I stay on ritalin?
Yes, in fact they tend to have a synergistic effect when taken with stimulants. I took Requip with Vyvanse for almost a year and it was a couple weeks into taking the Requip that I noticed my mood and motivation had significantly increased moreso than when taking Vyvanse alone prior.
Between the two, Requip and Mirapex, I would recommend Mirapex. It has a lot more data backing its efficacy at treating depression.
I too suffer from anhedonia during periods of depression, so I can relate. Of all the drugs I've tried to treat it, Buprenorphine was the most succesful, but had the most side effects, unfortunately.
What is your diagnosis and what drugs doo yoou take?
Eric
Posted by phidippus on September 14, 2012, at 17:40:29
In reply to Re: Long term Ritalin use..., posted by poser938 on September 13, 2012, at 23:25:49
Have you tried Wellbutrin?
Eric
Posted by poser938 on September 14, 2012, at 18:49:46
In reply to Re: Long term Ritalin use... » poser938, posted by phidippus on September 14, 2012, at 17:40:29
yes, i dont get anything good from it either.
Posted by AlexCanada on September 14, 2012, at 22:46:05
In reply to Re: Long term Ritalin use... » poser938, posted by phidippus on September 14, 2012, at 17:40:29
> Have you tried Wellbutrin?
>
> EricYes I have. Didn't work well for me. I don't recall the specific effects though.
Posted by AlexCanada on September 14, 2012, at 23:02:03
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need? » AlexCanada, posted by phidippus on September 13, 2012, at 23:27:33
> >Do you have any other possible sources?
>
> http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17545748
>
> >The dopamine based medications you mentioned are >they generally fine to take if I stay on ritalin?
>
> Yes, in fact they tend to have a synergistic effect when taken with stimulants. I took Requip with Vyvanse for almost a year and it was a couple weeks into taking the Requip that I noticed my mood and motivation had significantly increased moreso than when taking Vyvanse alone prior.
>
> Between the two, Requip and Mirapex, I would recommend Mirapex. It has a lot more data backing its efficacy at treating depression.
>
> I too suffer from anhedonia during periods of depression, so I can relate. Of all the drugs I've tried to treat it, Buprenorphine was the most succesful, but had the most side effects, unfortunately.
>
> What is your diagnosis and what drugs doo yoou take?
>
> EricMy diagnosis is erroneous. My doctor thinks I may have bi-polar even though I've never been manic or exhibited any of the symptoms. He happened to once see me during a time when I was taking a lot of gingko biloba and protein powder and was able to be interested in one thing in my miserable life... sex, so he felt it must have somehow been possible. Whatever. He also feels it might just be unipolar but me and him have been able to basically agree upon Melancholic Depression from my own research. I shouldn't have to do this. Doctors should know the symptoms but he is one of the very few doctors who will bother to listen to me.
At the bottom of this post I'll paste my symptoms in greater detail along with what I have tried. Basically almost all melancholic symptoms can be applied to me. Also I deal with some anxiety issues. Anxiety which manifests itself out of nowhere. it is less prominent these days than years ago. Zoloft is compounding my poor cognition and making me feel emotionally numb and very dull.
Right now i'm on valium 2.5mg 4x a day (around), ritalin 2.5 mg 4x a day (around), Zoloft 25mg a day (day 8 on it), 250mg Rhodiola Rosea, stopped Magnesium Glycinate recently (caused anxiety at times), stopped Vit D3 recently, Sometimes I take Gapapentin for short term relief of many symptoms, Once in a while I take modafinil if I really need energy and productivity but it usuaully causes me to feel lousy after 5 hours, sometimes even dysphoric.
Below are my symptoms and meds I have tried...
Biggest Issues: Severely poor long term memory and ability to retain new knowledge, Antero Grade Memory Loss, Poor Cognition, Lack of emotions, Anhedonia, Dysphoria, Mind feeling blocked/cloudy, Severe lack of enjoyment, Lack of drive/motivation/desire/sense of reward, Difficulty relating to others and feel bit like a zombie, Severe difficulty being social (also partially due to inability to relate), Anxiety (usually handled if I keep taking valium), Low energy
Effects of Memory and Cognitive Issues: Loss of current thought process and forgetfulness of what I was about to do, Forget what happened a day ago, people's names, difficulty imagining what people's faces look like, unable to recall events from tv shows/movies/media, slow speech usually, takes time to process thoughts and information,
Best Medications tried: Ritalin/Dex (especially first time), Parnate (first few months especially), Paxil (some resemblence of normalicy and integration into society). Valium/Ativan (some mood improvement + anti-anxiety), Gabapentin (Improvement of most symptoms including emotions and cognition, but tolerance builds quickly). Vivalan/Vivarint (only available in france now),Treatments Tried:
Benzo- Valium, Ativan, Klonopin, Xanax
SSRI- Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft,
SNRI/Other/Alternative- Wellbutrin, Effexor, Stablon, Remeron, Lithium, Adrafinil, Gabapentin, Narproxen, Vivarint, Buspar, Trivistal LA, ECT, rTMS, Reboxetine, Mirapex,
NRI- Reboxetine,
MAOI- Parnate, Nardil
Stimulant- Ritalin, Dexedrine, Provigil
Anti-Psychotics- Zyprexa, Risperidal, Abilify (as a low dose add-on), Seroquel,
Natural/Herbal- Rhodiola Rosea, Omega 3, Omega Complex, Korean Ginseng, Magnesium Glycinate, Royal Jelly, Niacin, Gingko Biloba, Bee Pollen, L-Arginine, Resveratrol, D3, Maca Root,Sensitivities: Vitamin A, Sunlight,
----Treatment Results:
Worse: Celexa (gradual worsening of depression and burning pain), Effexor (rapid worsening of depression and burning pain), Abilify (rapid worsening of depression when taken w Parnate), Cymbalta (gradual worsening of depression), Seroquel, ECT (Severely damaged my long term memory and overall cognition perminently), Nortriptyline, Lithium,
Better: Risperidal (some ability to enjoy things but overall would still be largely lacking), Parnate, Ritalin (first time this or Dexedrine was taken I was able to feel a bit like my old self, ability to experience pleasure, positive outlook, return of old hobbies, Was able to appreciate being alive), Dexedrine (similar to ritalin), Valium (some mood improvement, some anxiety improvement, most benzos have had similar effect), Ativan (was more social on this than other benzos while also on Paxil), Rhodiola Rosea (herbal similar to an MAOI) (A small miracle for mood, energy, cognition, general well being, would still be lacking pleasure. Has lost much effect over time), Gabapentin (tremendous cognitive improvement, imagination, more emotions, less cloudy thought process, feeling of greater intellectual capacity. Some improvement to mood, ability to be social. Although rapid tolerance onset, inconsistent, ironically sometimes cognitive impairment.), Vivarint (some mood improvement, massive improvement to sex drive),
Mixed Results: Remeron (sluggish on low doses, more active on higher doses, very mild mood improvement, impulsive spending), Zyprexa (some mood improvement, lot of lethargy, cognitive slowness, food tasted wonderful), Stablon, Modafinil (increased Cognition, Energy, Motivation but may compound dysphoria)
Negligible or Unsure: Zoloft, Nardil, Adrafinil, Narproxen, Buspar, rTMS (could not access any tangible improvement), Reboxetine, Mirapex, Piribedil, Klonopin, Wellbutrin,
Needs confirmation (not sure if taken): Prozac,
Posted by SLS on September 14, 2012, at 23:26:32
In reply to My diagnosis and what I take » phidippus, posted by AlexCanada on September 14, 2012, at 23:02:03
If there is a chance that you have ADHD, Strattera might be worth a try.
I can't say for sure what's doing what in my treatment regime. However, the addition of minocycline is helping me a great deal. The key might be to combine a NRI, Lamictal, and minocycline. If there is a bipolar thing going on, Lamictal + minocyline might be all that you need. I have yet to see if I need Abilify in the mix. I am currently taking 10 mg/day. However, I intend to attempt to discontinue it. As I gather more information as to how I respond to treatment adjustments, I'll post the results.
Currently:
Parnate 80 mg/day
nortriptyline 150 mg/day
Lamictal 200 mg/day
lithium 300 mg/day
Abilify 10 mg/day
minocycline 200 mg/day
- Scott
Posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 5:53:01
In reply to Re: flumazenil is probably acutely neurotoxic » SLS, posted by phidippus on September 11, 2012, at 17:28:06
>"administration of the benzodiazepine receptor >antagonist flumazenil (4 mg/kg, IP) elicited a >marked increase (95 or 60%) in dopamine release in >the nucleus accumbens"
>That's a huge increase in dopamine.
Crack cocaine probably increases dopamine 5000% in the nucleus accumbens. That doesn't mean that crack cocaine is indicated.
Posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 5:59:12
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by phidippus on September 11, 2012, at 17:49:44
The beta carbolines were recognized to be benzodiazapine antagonists quite some time ago. They were used to test gaba's mechanisms in anxiety and panic. It was recognized that they could produce extreme anxiety in test subjects and that this could be reversed by benzodiazapines.
If you want low doses of a gaba antagonist why not just drink coffee or eat chocolate (a natural source of beta carbolines)?
Posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 6:01:48
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by poser938 on September 11, 2012, at 18:33:56
>my doc prescribed Gabapentin today and she said to >only get a 3 day fill of this. if it doesnt work >we will be trying a GABA antagonist. she said it >makes a lot of sense to try this next.
Yeah, sure it makes a lot of sense.
If driving north on road A doesn't get you to your destination, **surely** driving south on the same road will.
Linkadge
Posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 6:02:22
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by poser938 on September 11, 2012, at 18:51:21
I think you're making this up. No doctor would be that foolish.
Linkadge
Posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 6:15:04
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need? » AlexCanada, posted by phidippus on September 12, 2012, at 17:13:11
Flooding the brain's pleasure centres with dopamine does about as much to fix depression as Ben Bernanke printing money (Quantitative Easing - QE3) fixes the economy.
Linkadge
Posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 6:19:29
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by poser938 on September 12, 2012, at 19:58:21
So....let me see if I have this right. You were perfectly fine before using drugs. Then, for no apparent reason (in your perfectly mentally healthy state) you decide to take an antidepressant. Then, after permanently warping your brain you decide that taking *another* drug is the solution to the fact that you were perfectly fine without drugs to begin with.
Linkadge
Posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 6:22:52
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by poser938 on September 12, 2012, at 19:58:21
You said that mirapex had the negative effect of making it difficult for you to experience pleasure.
So.........huh..........you're making no sense. If direct dopaminergic stimulation makes your anhedonia worse... why do you want to take a flumazenil based on the premise that it will work because it increases dopamine??
Linkadge
Posted by phidippus on September 15, 2012, at 15:21:04
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 6:01:48
Hilarious.
You should leave the poor boy alone.
Eric
Posted by phidippus on September 15, 2012, at 15:23:05
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 5:59:12
Thanks for the info. More coffee it is, then. Wait, I'm not the one that wants a GABA antagonist.
Eric
Posted by phidippus on September 15, 2012, at 15:24:27
In reply to Re: flumazenil is probably acutely neurotoxic, posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 5:53:01
I love cocaine!
Eric
Posted by phidippus on September 15, 2012, at 16:16:01
In reply to Re: My diagnosis and what I take » AlexCanada, posted by SLS on September 14, 2012, at 23:26:32
>I intend to attempt to discontinue it.
I hope you don't become manic.
Eric
Posted by phidippus on September 15, 2012, at 16:40:03
In reply to My diagnosis and what I take » phidippus, posted by AlexCanada on September 14, 2012, at 23:02:03
>My doctor thinks I may have bi-polar even though >I've never been manic or exhibited any of the >symptoms.
Sometimes mania can present as a bunch of anxiety. Do you experience any cycling in your mood?
>I take Gapapentin for short term relief of many >symptoms
Take it all the time. You're not going to build up a tolerance to it-it doesn't work that way
>valium 2.5mg 4x a day
Benzodiazapines can compound depression.
>Zoloft 25mg
Seems like Paxil or Parnate were better than the Zoloft. Why don't you take either one or even both again?
> Severely poor long term memory and ability to retain new knowledge
Aricept can help with memory issues. So can Keppra.
>Antero Grade Memory Loss
You need therapy to learn to live with this.
> Lack of emotions, Anhedonia, Dysphoria, Mind feeling blocked/cloudy, Severe lack of enjoyment, Lack of drive/motivation/desire/sense of reward, Difficulty relating to others and feel bit like a zombie, Severe difficulty being social (also partially due to inability to relate),
Depresssion sucks.
>Ritalin/Dex
Some of your cognitive issues may be ADHD related. I'd recommend you get back on a stim.
I wonder if some of your symptoms may be somatic. How have you fared in therapy?
Eric
Posted by SLS on September 15, 2012, at 16:51:48
In reply to Re: My diagnosis and what I take » SLS, posted by phidippus on September 15, 2012, at 16:16:01
Regarding Abilify:
> > I intend to attempt to discontinue it.
> I hope you don't become manic.
Yes. This is a concern of mine.
- Scott
Posted by phidippus on September 15, 2012, at 17:44:51
In reply to Re: My diagnosis and what I take » phidippus, posted by SLS on September 15, 2012, at 16:51:48
Increase your Lithium to 1200 mg and you won't have to worry. ;)
Do you think Abilify's 5ht1a partial agonism is affecting your mood in any way?
Eric
Posted by poser938 on September 15, 2012, at 21:51:27
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 6:22:52
Linkadge, if you see me post on this board again... i dont need your 2 cents. have a nice day.
Posted by poser938 on September 15, 2012, at 22:13:07
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by linkadge on September 15, 2012, at 6:22:52
i had actually brought your idea to her at my appointment. about how my idea is strange. she said not to listen to you because she said that we are smarter than you.
Posted by AlexCanada on September 16, 2012, at 15:25:28
In reply to Re: My diagnosis and what I take » AlexCanada, posted by phidippus on September 15, 2012, at 16:40:03
> >My doctor thinks I may have bi-polar even though >I've never been manic or exhibited any of the >symptoms.
>
> Sometimes mania can present as a bunch of anxiety. Do you experience any cycling in your mood?No. My mood tends to be consistently low, dull, low energy, poor cognition, poor interest, poor drive, poor motivation, poor ability to enjoy anything, some bit of on and off anxiety (usually depending if I take certain supplements/herbals etc). sometimes in the morning or late at night i may feel slightly better but there is no cycling.
> >I take Gapapentin for short term relief of many >symptoms
>
> Take it all the time. You're not going to build up a tolerance to it-it doesn't work that wayIt has the most potent effect for me when I start it up. Even 100mg can have a very positive effect but as the days progress 100mg ends up doing very little, then it's about 200mg making a positive difference, then 300mg and so forth. Then eventually side effects at 600mg a day become very annoying and much of the benefits don't present themselves anymore. I used to be able to take gabapentin 300mg twice a day about 3 years ago and it would continue to work well for me despite still limited interest. For some reason it eventually would not work as well beyond a certain point. Before it developed less tolerance. These days it develops tolerance quite quickly. I am also noticing the longer I stay on this Zoloft junk the less effective gabapentin is when I try it once in a while for some relief. Yet very little relief arrives.
If there is some trick for helping gabapentin prevent tolerance it would be very helpful.
> >valium 2.5mg 4x a day
>
> Benzodiazapines can compound depression.I'd love to not take valium if my overall mood would benefit but each time I've tried to stop valium I'd have some temporary benefit including cognition but eventually there would be very protracted withdrawal and possibly a mix of pre-benzo symptoms. I would feel very dark and dysphoric and intense anxiety would manifest itself. My cognition would be even worse as well. This would persist for weeks until i could not take it anymore and end up taking valium again and find it relieve those horrific symptoms. How much of it is withdrawal and how much of it is my most severe depressed state I am not sure but it is clear that withdrawal is a significant part of it due to how quickly valium can help if I didn't take it for a while. How horrific i felt without valium would be a bit of flashback to how painful being alive would feel when my strong melancholic depression + anxiety began when I was 18.
> >Zoloft 25mg
>
> Seems like Paxil or Parnate were better than the Zoloft. Why don't you take either one or even both again?Paxil was very beneficial for years but it wore off. I tried to start it again this year but it just made me feel dull, dumb, impaired, I couldn't stand it. Parnate worked well for about a year and a half. Beyond that it lost much of it's benefit. I end up feeling constantly tired when I was back on it for a few months this summer and it was one of the worst summers I have had in years.
I am day 10 on zoloft now. I been considering stopping it but am trying to give this mind numbing apathy inducing junk a fair shot. Paxil 10mg was the magic number for me. Even 9.5mg paxil to be more precise. What might be the equivilent dose for Zoloft?
> > Severely poor long term memory and ability to retain new knowledge
>
> Aricept can help with memory issues. So can Keppra.Thanks. I may have those in my list but I'll look into them again. Here in Canada it has become more difficult to order medications due to government regulations but I'll see what I can do.
> >Antero Grade Memory Loss
>
> You need therapy to learn to live with this.
>
> > Lack of emotions, Anhedonia, Dysphoria, Mind feeling blocked/cloudy, Severe lack of enjoyment, Lack of drive/motivation/desire/sense of reward, Difficulty relating to others and feel bit like a zombie, Severe difficulty being social (also partially due to inability to relate),
>
> Depresssion sucks.
>
> >Ritalin/Dex
>
> Some of your cognitive issues may be ADHD related. I'd recommend you get back on a stim.
>
> I wonder if some of your symptoms may be somatic. How have you fared in therapy?
>
> Eric
>
>Therapy has been worthless for me. It is more frustrating than anything when some of those therapists feel people like me should just ''snap'' out of it. Most of them just don't get it.
Posted by linkadge on September 17, 2012, at 7:29:10
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by poser938 on September 15, 2012, at 22:13:07
>i had actually brought your idea to her at my >appointment. about how my idea is strange. she >said not to listen to you because she said that we >are smarter than you.
the two of you combined - or individually?
Linkadge
Posted by phidippus on September 17, 2012, at 15:38:49
In reply to Re: is a GABA antagonist what i need?, posted by linkadge on September 17, 2012, at 7:29:10
>>said not to listen to you because she said that we are smarter than you.
>the two of you combined - or individually?
Good one! *slap on the knee* Haha!
Eric
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