Posted by ChrisK on June 19, 2001, at 6:48:25
This is a thank you to everyone here in Babbleland who have helped me get to where I am today. I first found this site over 2 years ago and have been coming back daily ever since. In that time I have gone from a nonfunctioning suicidal depressive to someone who can hold a part time job and enjoy a picnic or golf outing this summer.
For those who don't know me I came here off of a couple of serious suicide attempts. They were OD's that landed me in ICU for days each time. Somehow I was meant to make it through. I went through the full complement of meds over the years so I know the frustration of not feeling change when you start a new med.
Last month I finally asked my pdoc what my dx was and he told me it was Major Depression - recurrent and treatment resistant. To make a long story short I went through the SSRI's, Effexor, Remeron, Wellbutrin etc. and finally landed on Nortriptyline as the AD that helped my depression the most.
I also went through many phases of augmenting during this time - everything from Depakote to lithium to Naltrexone. I finally landed on Zyprexa which was great for relieving my ruminating thoughts of death and suicide. Most recently I have switched from Zyprexa to Geodon because of the potentially additional AD aspects of that med. Either way, they have cleared up my thought process to the point where I can function much more normally.
Most recently this year I have found great benefits from Mirapex. It has helped me get over the anhedonia and lack of motivation. Each med I have settled on in my cocktail is there because of specific symptoms each addresses.
It's been a long road and many years of constant work and trial and error testing of meds. My point is that three years ago I was in ICU for 3 days and then spent another three weeks in a pscych hospial. Today I am working again, although part time, and I can enjoy some of the daily things that I have been missing out on for the last 20 years. I went to the Belmont last week and enjoyed a whole day away from home by myself which was impossible such a short time ago.
PB has been a great place and a constant source of information but I will be spending less time here as I get my life back in order. I wish the best for everyone here and appreciate all of the help that has been offerred. I hope that I have been able to help others in their struggles too.
For those people who are fairly new around here: I am not the first person to have success and phase out of Babbleland and I won't be the last. There is hope that things will get better. I feel that I have something to live for now - If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.
Best of luck to all on a speedy recovery.
Chris
poster:ChrisK
thread:67046
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010618/msgs/67046.html