Posted by Laree on July 9, 2004, at 11:21:42
In reply to end of rope, posted by platinumbride on July 9, 2004, at 1:41:35
Have you thought about going back on Celexa (worked wonders for me, too) & Lamictal? How long have you been off of that combo for? If it's been months/years, you might want to see if it would work having lost tolerance again for them...
This happened to me with Lexapro; it worked wonders for me & then pooped out 2 different times at 20 mg. I've cycled through w/Zoloft a few times & it was good (@50 mg.), but last time I actually felt it made my depression worse (@100 mg.)! I know it isn't recommended but I didn't take it one day to see how I felt--and I felt SO MUCH BETTER! So I asked my pdoc if we could switch to something else; I was put on Wellbutrin (per my request), but I had a very hard time coping last winter with that as my only anti-depressant. Turns out I really DO need an SSRI for my seasonal affective disorder, so the WB was a mistake! Finally the depression got so bad that I asked to give Lexapro another go since it had been the most successful agent ever in aiding my SAD (which I have had since childhood).
There have been times in which my pdoc will suggest upping the dosage to an Rx that doesn't seem to be ellicitng good/much (initial) results; I suppose this is logical from their standpoints--but if you're sure on yours & you know that the drug just does not agree with you, I have found staying firm, listening to your body/mind and any negative messages it's receiving from the drug, and being honest & direct (w/your pdoc) has worked for me. The way I look at it is this: If I feel anxious and still depressed on a certain dose of an Rx, side effects will probably only get worse with an increased dosage.
Please, listen to yourself (while respecting your pdocs judgement, of course)!
Hang in there!!
Best,
L.
> I am really at a loss as to where my medication can go now. The last real relief I had was celexa and lamictal two years ago. Pooped out.
>
> I got good results for a while from zoloft, and once from paxil, but after a lot of extra weight from all these, they pooped.
>
> I am BPII, so we concentrated on finding the right mood stablizer. After topamax, trilpetal and lamictal.....I come up with a zero.
>
> Lexapro was a joke, but I thank it for at least another 20 lbs.
>
> Remeron - same deal, just gained more weight from it.
>
> My forray into the world of maoi was a low dose selegiline. It got my blood pressure up and made me a chronic insomniac, but i guess the blood pressure thing makes all maois a no go (fine, my doc won't prescribe parnate anyway)
>
> Wellburtin seemed to be similar: while I had the insomnia and anxiety, I got some energy. When those SEs abated, I was left with little but a pill that took away my desire to chain smoke.
>
> Tricyclics are out of the question, it seems, because I am 100 lbs over weight now.......
>
> So...what is a girl to do?
>
> Because I am having some issues with my menstrual cycle, my pdoc doesn't want to try more stuff, lest they mask any true hormonal issues. OK....I can wait...
>
> But really, what am I waiting for?
>
> I toy with trying effexxor again, but if it didnt work the first 6 week trial, why would it work now?
>
> Same is true of prozac.......but I only did that for 3 weeks...couldn't afford to up the dosages.
>
> Zonegran seems to be the next possible MS, but I had n o luck with topamax, so why should this work? Lithium scares me, and depakote is out of the question. Apparently it can also wreak havoc with the menstrual cycle.
>
> So I just put band aids on things. I take neurontin and klonopin for the anxiety that comes from knowing that if there is not more to life than all this, it is really not worth living. Then I smoke pot to make it all even better for the moment.....
>
> This is no life.
>
> But I really want to get better.
> So I am asking if there are options I am missing, and if someone can help.
>
> My pdoc just pulls suggestions out of a hat, and is very anti-effexxor. He is inclined to put me on a high dose of zoloft (the drug I was taking when I tried to commit suicide!!! ) (Not blaming the drug, but why would another 100 mgs help????)
>
> Please share experiences and such.........
> It is looking so very bleak to me......I spend more time than I care to trying to end my life and make it look like an accident. Surely I was put on this earth to do more than just that.
>
> Thanks,
>
> D
poster:Laree
thread:364276
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040704/msgs/364379.html