Posted by cubbybear on December 7, 2002, at 9:37:19
In reply to Re: Cubbybear » cubbybear, posted by bluedog on December 6, 2002, at 12:35:14
Hi bluedog,
You hit it right on the nose; it was close to 1 A.M. when I was typing the last note and I really should have been in bed. But I made up for it with a nap the next afternoon (today--Sat.) To answer your questions (hoping that I'm not repeating what I said previously). I had my first depressive episode back in '84, I started taking MAOI Parnate and then. after feeling much better, I decided to discontinue the drug several months later. Well, a few months after that, depression episode #2 started and the cycle began again.Since the relapses have occurred several times over the past 18 years every time I tried taking an AD "holiday", I have concluded that-- as is the case with millions of depressed people-- the likelihood of a relapse will always be high if there's no AD med in my system. This has been proven with statistics for countless people who have had just one or two depressive episodes. They get "cured" and then relapse again, if they try staying off AD meds. I've come to accept the situation as a lifelong condition-- in much the same way as a diabetic will always need insulin to maintain his/her correct chemical balance.
You said "I would really love to see whether the minimum 300 mg maintenance dose of Aurorix can prevent you relapsing back into depression. . ." Hey, that's the same question going around in my mind now, and only time will tell. And all I can say is, I sure hope it does prevent it!
You also asked if I had any other medical problems other than depression and anxiety. Psychologically, no, except for occasional insomnia, even when I'm feeling OK.
You asked some reallly good questions about my use of Clonazepam. The main reason my dr. got me started with this med back in July was to facilitate sleep while my depression was going full blast. We were using the Clon. as a supplement to the Zoloft. He also pointed out that since Clon. has a fairly long half-life, it could also provide some anti-anxiety protection into the following day. Now, here I am five months down the road, my depression is in remission, I'm taking the Aurorix, and we agree that the time is right to try getting off the benzo. You yourself caught the idea: I simply want to see how well I can sleep "on my own" now without it. Problems with Clonazepam? I haven't had any problems with itother than the usual side effect of drowsiness in the morning, but that goes away within an hour.
The only downside to being on a benzo for a while is that when the time comes to quit it, you have to taper off VERY slowly, and there's the possibility of rebound insomnia/anxiety or other not-so-pleasant withdrawal symptoms. So an ultra-slow taper is essential. Benzos have been a very controversial topic for the past 20 years. I mean, just type in the word "benzodiazepines" [hope I spelled it right] under any good search engine, and you'll see tens of thousands of websites, and some blast you with words like "abuse", "dependence", and "addiction". Some of it may be true for some people but there are also plenty of others out there, like you and me, who don't abuse benzos, don't get addicted, and know when and how to stop.
You can see by now that I like to ramble on and on. . . . I hope that this has been helpful.
poster:cubbybear
thread:130712
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021203/msgs/130891.html