Posted by zeugma on March 22, 2005, at 16:13:45
In reply to Help/meds for Depersonalisation and derealization, posted by Cynthia3479 on March 22, 2005, at 7:51:03
Hi cynthia, I had a lot of depersonalization in my teens/early 20's that I think never resolved fully. I know exactly what you mean by "seeing in 2-D." I remember being shocked when i picked up a stone and seeing that it had an 'other side'- the side that was in the ground. I also had a lot of feelings like I was drifting away from my body. Now, although these acute symptoms have dissipated, I feel only loosely connected to my body.
What has helped? Well, stimulants. I found that high doses of Ritalin (60 mg) made me feel 'fully present.' Unfortunately I had a lot of trouble tolerating this high dosage and had to go off it. Provigil (which I'm on now) helps a little, too, but its effects can be strange and inconsistent.
The meds that are standardly prescribed are, of course, the SSRI's, but their efficacy is very limited, as is that of clomipramine. I take Klonopin too, but I don't think it helps dp all that much. I've had better luck with stimulants- but the side effects are pretty bad if you have an anxiety disorder.
By the way, my diagnoses are depression, GAD, ADD, and I'm in the process of determining if I have narcolepsy.
I found therapy to be worse than useless for any of my symptoms. Therapists are especially quick to brush off depersonalization as an 'anxiety' disorder, which it simply isn't, according to my research. It may be triggered by anxiety, but it is not a manifestation of it.
-z
poster:zeugma
thread:473915
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050322/msgs/474125.html