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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 20 of 20. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dinah on April 30, 2005, at 9:57:00
My world feels off kilter, and I can't figure out why. A general feeling of pervading doom permeates my days and nights. I wake up from scary dreams to frightening thoughts but in the morning I've slept too deeply to remember them. It feels like my world is rocking and pitching under my feet on the way and I just don't know why. I've been taking way more Risperdal than usual, and having the sort of dark thoughts that come with anxiety rather than depression.
But I just can't figure out what it would be. There appear to be no more problems in my life right now, or in the horizon, than usual.
During the daytime, I can minimize those thoughts to where I'm barely aware of them.
Posted by rainbowbrite on April 30, 2005, at 13:21:56
In reply to Something ominous, posted by Dinah on April 30, 2005, at 9:57:00
Hi Dinah
Its a horrible feeling when things suddenly feel funny and strange for no particular reason. I personally like the more concrete part of life and I know it is really frustrating not being able to pinpoint what exactly is going on. Hang in there.
(((Dinah)))
Posted by Dinah on April 30, 2005, at 13:29:15
In reply to Re: Something ominous, posted by rainbowbrite on April 30, 2005, at 13:21:56
I can't shake the feeling that there is something going on that I'm noticing on a subconscious level. But try as I might I can't remember my thoughts the next day. Just the feelings. Maybe I'll put a notebook by my bedside.
OTOH, OCD can be like that too.
And I haven't been able to take my Glucophage (for diabetes) for days now because of the CT scan. I won't be able to till Monday. Maybe that's got something to do with it. I can't remember when it started.
Posted by Minnie-Haha on April 30, 2005, at 13:48:57
In reply to Thanks » rainbowbrite, posted by Dinah on April 30, 2005, at 13:29:15
> And I haven't been able to take my Glucophage (for diabetes) for days now because of the CT scan. I won't be able to till Monday. Maybe that's got something to do with it...
Gosh, I think it could. Doesn't glucophage have something of an anti-depressant effect?
In the meantime, load up on lavender bubble bath, chamomile tea, a scented candle, a new robe and/or slippers, and a good crossword puzzle book. If things don't improve in two weeks, see the pdoc! That Aunt Minnie's RX.
I wish you well.
Posted by rainbowbrite on April 30, 2005, at 13:54:11
In reply to Thanks » rainbowbrite, posted by Dinah on April 30, 2005, at 13:29:15
Absolutely that has something to do with it! I think blood sugar really messes up emotions. Im sure it is whats going on and I would hang on to that becasue it really helps so much knowing there is a reason for feeling crappy.
I hope it goes away soon :-)
Posted by Dinah on April 30, 2005, at 14:26:06
In reply to Re: Thanks » Dinah, posted by rainbowbrite on April 30, 2005, at 13:54:11
Usually when my blood sugars are high, I feel better. But perhaps it can lead to anxiety as well.
Posted by anastasia56 on April 30, 2005, at 14:55:31
In reply to Sounds like a wise choice, posted by Dinah on April 30, 2005, at 14:26:06
i've had that feeling like the sky is falling before...it feels like deja vu and that you know something awful is going to happen. now that i think about it it seems like i've only had that when i'm not taking my ad's.
hope it clears up as soon as you're back on your glucophage (sp?). By the way, usually nothing bad happens.ana
Posted by Tamar on April 30, 2005, at 15:49:50
In reply to Sounds like a wise choice, posted by Dinah on April 30, 2005, at 14:26:06
> Usually when my blood sugars are high, I feel better. But perhaps it can lead to anxiety as well.
That may be true when your sugars are a little high, but is it still true if they're very high? Are you keeping track of your sugars?
I use insulin rather than glucophage, but I know that if my sugars get much too high I can feel really spooked. Are you able to compensate for the lack of glucophage by altering your diet? Maybe have all the meat and cheese you can eat but hold the pasta or something like that?
Posted by Pfinstegg on May 1, 2005, at 0:00:01
In reply to Sounds like a wise choice, posted by Dinah on April 30, 2005, at 14:26:06
Dinah, I am going to admit to having some on-going concerns about your diabetes, I know it is mild, and only got diagnosed a year ago, but don't most people treat it more aggressively than you are doing? For example, don't they test their blood sugar a number of times a day, and work with a dietician to learn exactly how to eat? And really work hard to get to a normal weight? Also, all those antipsychotics can cause metabolic syndrome and diabetes, so isn't it unsafe for you to take any of them, including RisperdaL? I keep wondering if you could even reverse the whole thing if you did these things. Three years ago, I gained 40 pounds in a few months on 5 mg. of Zyprexa, and developed metabolic syndrome- well on the way to getting diabetes. I stopped the Zyprexa when I realized the connection. thanks to the medication board here. I really struggled to get the weight off- and did in about a year. The metabolic syndrome has gone, and I can tell you I will never put another AP in my mouth. Pdocs never mention these things when they prescribe them. One even said to me, "we can't think about that side of things-you need to take it". Well, I don't.
Posted by Pfinstegg on May 1, 2005, at 0:07:20
In reply to Re: Sounds like a wise choice » Dinah, posted by Tamar on April 30, 2005, at 15:49:50
It's vital to my health that I never take any of them.
Posted by chemist on May 1, 2005, at 4:23:51
In reply to I'll go further..., posted by Pfinstegg on May 1, 2005, at 0:07:20
hello all, chemist here...i was browsing and came upon this and wanted to comment that while i am not up to speed in re: your meds and upcoming procedure, i suspect you are going in for a scan (high-contrast, specifically)...and are you taking a drug such at metaglip (glucophage + another) or staight-up metformin (glucophage)?...the info provided in re: atypical antipsychotics being implicated in increased chance of emergence of diabetes mellitus is spot-on, although this is in the ``rare'' category. however, the literature is rife with report after report (as pfinstegg notes) indicating that ``rare'' is closer to ``well-done'' in many cases.
as you know, your risperidone can be taken with or without meals, and the prescribing guidelines are rather strict in that the dosage ought not be changed. further, the brief stoppage of metformin is known to cause problems, and what you describe is not inconsistent with playing with glucose levels in a willy-nilly fashion.
if you like, i will send to you the official prescribing info so you can have a look in terms of how the feelings you are having are best kept at bay with strict compliance to the meds and exercise/diet. i am far from the oracle or the only source: the prescribing info is always available at the home sites of the company manufacturing it. please be well...yours, tjm
Posted by Dinah on May 1, 2005, at 9:30:37
In reply to may i???, posted by chemist on May 1, 2005, at 4:23:51
Chemist, you're right. CAT scan with contrast Wednesday. Had I been aware I would have insisted on better timing of the test so that the weekend wouldn't have stopped my doctor from getting the results of the creatine (sp?) and bun levels, and I could go back on Glucophage (actually Metformin) earlier. Next time I'll know.
Tamar, I've been taking my blood sugars religiously while off Glucophage, and while they're higher than on Glucophage, they haven't approached dangerous. They're still well below 200 even after meals. I don't take them so well other times. You get bored and tired of sticking your finger all the time when your blood sugars consistently come back ok, as mine have since going on Glucophage. My quarterly levels are in the non-diabetic range on Glucophage. If I really binge foodwise, it's a different story. But I've gotten so sick lately doing that that I've virtually stopped.
Regarding food and exercise. Well, I have no excuse for exercise. While I know it makes some people (including my husband) feel better, it's never had that effect on me. I used to garden for exercise, but I am having too much trouble meeting other obligations. My husband's buying us an exercise bike and promises me uninterrupted reading time if I use it, so that might well work. Uninterrupted reading time for me at the moment is when I get to an appointment early. It's a powerful reward. I also occasionally think of trying an easy Yoga tape since unlike exercise stretching does make me feel better. Not sure that would help diabetes though.
Food... I really don't eat all that much, and my husband says that all the time. I gained fifty pounds on Luvox and just can't get it off. When I'm really busy at work, I eat really badly because I need the energy and the time. Other times, while I might tend to more starches than my dietician would like, I'm not too bad. And I tried her high protein diet for a while. But if I see one more carton of yogurt or one more piece of beef jerky, I'll barf. And I never barf. I did pick up a number of low carb alternatives that I still use. But the idea of forcing down what she wants me to eat doesn't make living a longer life seem appealing.
Regarding medications. The 500 mg daily Depakote is a more likely culprit for my inability to lose weight than the occasional Risperdal (probably no more than thirty a year at .25 mg). But without it, I'm laid low with migraines so often that I can't get my work done.
And I can't imagine going back to life without Risperdal. I used to spend hours crying in bed or rocking in the bottom of my closet when I had a meltdown. Not to mention the suicidal ideation and self injury urges and actions. Not to mention the desparate calls to my poor therapist. I happen to respond very well to antipsychotics and very poorly to antidepressants.
I don't know. I have several medical conditions that play against one another. I had to drop my Lipitor because I have a frankly not so great liver. It's a fatty liver, and I don't know if that's the problem or if I was born that way. If I remember correctly, I had elevated liver enzymes well before I gained weight. So my high cholesterol (mostly triglycerides anwyay) isn't important enough to accept the worse liver tests on Lipitor. I'm to fish oil now.
Then there's my migraines and tendency to anxiety/agitation. Therapy can only do so much. And I've decided that those trump my diabetes. It's hard to worry about long term consequences when you have to get from one day to the next without letting people down more badly than you have to in fulfilling your obligations.
You have to make tradeoffs somewhere.
Thanks guys. I appreciate your caring.
Posted by Pfinstegg on May 4, 2005, at 15:09:20
In reply to Tamar, Pfinstegg, Chemist Sorry. Very long., posted by Dinah on May 1, 2005, at 9:30:37
The fact remains that you are continuing a number of risk factors for diabetes which are in your control, if you choose to take control of them:
1. You can eat a delicious diet within the guidelines- it doesn't have to be beef jerky or stuff you hate! A number of people here on the boards are doing that. How about another nutritionist?
2. Hard as it is, you can get down to a normal weight if you committ yourself to it, and have the proper support from a nutritionist. (My husband just did that- he lost 70 pounds in a year- and he wasn't even eating very much when he was overweight. He did have overweight parents with diabetes, though, and was developing metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance. Now he's really healthy at 175 lbs. He says it was the toughest thing he's ever had to do, but he's so glad and relieved now. Not that it's easy now- he's just made a lifelong committment- as if it were AA, he says.
3. I don't think any one medication is vital. You say you take Risperdal 30 times a year- that's about once every 10 days, although you did mention taking more recently. Getting diabetes from the AP's is becoming much better known now. Why knowingly add that risk factor?
Sorry to be hard on you Dinah, but you are just so young to let your health go.
Posted by Tamar on May 4, 2005, at 18:00:16
In reply to back to the diabetes.., posted by Pfinstegg on May 4, 2005, at 15:09:20
> Sorry to be hard on you Dinah, but you are just so young to let your health go.
>Dinah, I just wanted to add one thing to Pfinstegg's list: exercise. I know you hate it, but I think without it the diet and metformin probably isn't enough. I'm assuming here that you have Type 2, since you don't take insulin, and with Type 2 you're more likely to be at risk of cardio-vascular problems. Obviously, exercise is good for your heart and lungs as well as your glucose levels.
Can you listen to books on tape while you ride that exercise bike? Might be a kind of compromise.
I can understand that you feel other things trump your diabetes. But diabetes is a systemic disease and can affect almost everything: teeth, nerves, eyesight, mental health... you name it!
Maybe my ulterior motive is to keep you as healthy as possible so you can keep babbling! Mwahahahaha... :)
Hugs,
Tamar
Posted by Dinah on May 5, 2005, at 18:56:34
In reply to back to the diabetes.., posted by Pfinstegg on May 4, 2005, at 15:09:20
You saw my meltdowns here on the board.
And yes, I still have them. But they're nowhere near the class they used to be.
I don't want to go back to that. I didn't like me so much.
Posted by Dinah on May 5, 2005, at 18:58:11
In reply to Re: back to the diabetes.., posted by Tamar on May 4, 2005, at 18:00:16
My husband is gung ho on the exercise bike, so I suppose in his own time we'll be getting one. I keep telling him to find one that runs the TV or computer and we'll be set.
And I really am considering yoga. The easiest sort for old people.
Posted by Pfinstegg on May 5, 2005, at 19:03:14
In reply to Pfinstegg, you knew me when., posted by Dinah on May 5, 2005, at 18:56:34
I do remember you using the word "meltdown", and knew it meant a very hard time. And I've noticed that you never use it any more. You seem a lot stronger and happier now than then. Are you SURE you need Risperdal? I'm still making the strongest case I can for all possible anti-diabetic measures! Just because your parents had it doesn't mean that you have to...
Posted by Dinah on May 6, 2005, at 11:06:19
In reply to Re: Pfinstegg, you knew me when. » Dinah, posted by Pfinstegg on May 5, 2005, at 19:03:14
I've been thinking this over.
I think I use therapy to the greatest extent I can to replace Risperdal. They have a similar effect on me. In fact my therapist sees it the other way, that he can be replaced by a pill.
But the truth is that while the insurance companies would probably prefer I pop a pill and be done with it, I'm well aware of the side effect profiles of the drugs that work best for me. Not only diabetes, but TD risk as well. So if it's at all possible, I'll schedule an extra session instead. A lot more expensive, but a lot safer.
But if he's not available... Well, I haven't been able to conquer what I truly believe is a biological tendency to these meltdowns. I have to do what I need to to function as well as possible.
Posted by Pfinstegg on May 6, 2005, at 16:24:18
In reply to Re: Pfinstegg, you knew me when. » Pfinstegg, posted by Dinah on May 6, 2005, at 11:06:19
I do understand- and you only use Risperdal occasionally. It's wonderful that a therapy session will help just as much- and I know you schedule extra ones when you need them, like after your father's death. Do you telephone him during *meltdowns*? I just got so shockingly close to diabetes, myself, with using Zyprexa daily for only about 6 months. My parents lived into their 90's- slender, and no diabetes in them or any other relatives. I'm fine, now, but feel I should let other people know of my own experience. I have noticed, also that the AP-diabetes link has been picked up by malpractice lawyers. So the lawyers have decided it's a possible money-making link for them, even while many psychopharmacologists never mention it, and never institute tests for blood sugar or insulin resistance.
Posted by Dinah on May 6, 2005, at 19:00:48
In reply to Re: Pfinstegg, you knew me when. » Dinah, posted by Pfinstegg on May 6, 2005, at 16:24:18
I understand. Pharmaceuticals are shockingly prescribed sometimes. It's a shame that I respond so well to that class of drugs.
I occasionally call him during a meltdown, and I always know I'm free to call him. But the truth is that he's lousy on the phone. So I usually only call him to see if he can see me, or to leave a message on his machine, or to listen to his answering machine.
I'm glad you didn't suffer any lasting harm from your experience with Zyprexa.
This is the end of the thread.
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