Posted by Elizabeth on September 8, 2001, at 21:27:48
In reply to Re: Xanax and panic, experiences?-Elizabeth, posted by thrud on September 1, 2001, at 0:54:24
> > It's all subjective. But anyway, I have auras too, and I've never met anybody before who had panic auras.
>
> You too huh? You are also the first person I have who have auras with PA. I have them with *all* my attacks.Wow. We're 2 of a kind.
> I know that auras are often associated with epilepsy.
That's true, and whenever I mention them to a doctor, s/he invariably asks if I've ever had an EEG. (I have, several different times.)
> It wasn't too long ago when my pdoc tried me on lithium as a long shot: it actually *induced* very severe panic attacks.
That's a little weird -- lithium is a long shot, but I didn't think it was *that* long.
> We were both pretty amazed. I then thought to myself "well, I definitely don't have epilepsy, lithium is supposed to smooth out and suppress overactive brain activity."
As you discovered, it's proconvulsant. Seizures are one of the signs of lithium toxicity.
> I think many ADs are also convulsants (especially the tricyclics I think) and began wondering about my generally poor response to them: epilepsy????
Poor response to TCAs doesn't mean you're epileptic. Seizures on them might, though. The worst offenders in that group are clomipramine and maprotiline, I think (I might be missing one). Which one(s) did you try?
> Since I am already dabbling with benzos and AEDS anyway now I don't even *want* to be sent to a neuro incase he does diagnose epilepsy and I lose my drivers licence for a year!
This varies from state to state, but I don't think it's ever an absolute thing unless a doctor certifies that you have uncontrolled seizures that *interfere with your ability to drive*. (Panic attacks that included, say, blacking out, would also be a reason you shouldn't be driving.)
> > I think that's consistent with atypical depression/panic disorder.
>
> Interesting. Where did you read this?I forget exactly what I was responding to, but I think that I was referring to the reverse diurnal variation -- symptoms worse at night. This is pretty well established, I think. Search terms might include "reverse diurnal."
> I think it is time to see an endocrinologist. Apart from thyroid, I have not had any other hormonal chemical examinations. Something may be happening there.
That sounds like a plan.
> No, because I was tapering off, but still under the influence of Remeron when s-l-o-w-l-y titrating up the Lamictal.
Pre-Remeron (or pre-any meds), then?
> > It wasn't rejected; the drug company just decided not to try to get it approved.
>
> Was it a non-U.S. company?[Adinazolam] was discovered by Upjohn (yes, a US company). I don't know if they're the ones who market it in Europe (Germany and France at least, probably other places too).
> I hear the FDA throws up special "barriers" to foreign pharmaceutical companies attempting to gain approval for their products. I do not know if that is true or not.
I would believe it. A problem is that there's essentially a revolving door between the FDA and the drug companies -- a lot of people at FDA have ties to one or more pharmaceutical firms.
> > Well, like I said, your sexual problems don't seem to be the usual sort, so don't rule anything out until you've tried it. (Have you ever taken Tylenol #3 or Vicodin or anything like that, and if so, do you remember any sexual side effects?)
>
> No, I have not tried them.Wow. I haven't met too many adults who never had need for an opioid. (Dentists tend to prescribe them pretty liberally.)
> That is good to know. I wonder how bad my insomnia would be without the 3mg Xanax/day?
3 mg, huh? How do you divide that up?
> Lamictal is certainaly a rather "activating" substance.
I didn't notice *anything* from it.
-e
poster:Elizabeth
thread:76063
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010907/msgs/78309.html