Posted by Bob on July 9, 2008, at 0:42:53
In reply to Re: Extreme morning anxity » Haightguy, posted by bleauberry on July 7, 2008, at 20:05:25
> I have theses exact symptoms. They've been with me about 3 years, and even when I was on zyprexa they were strong symptoms. I have found a few things that stop them dead in their tracks in about 3 days.
>
> 8mg milnacipran 3 times per day (25mg capsule customized into 3 homemade capsules)
>
> 5mg cymbalta once a day morning (about 50 of the enteric coated beads spread on applesauce)
>
> 2.5mg hyrodcortisone
>
> All of these things have something in common...they interrupt the feedback loops that have gone wild in the norepinephrine/cortisol circuitry.
>
> My doctor made a diagnosis of this condition with me by doing an adrenal stress index test, which is a saliva cortisol test taken 4 times in a day. It showed below normal cortisol noon, creeping up toward normal 4pm, slightly above normal 10pm, off the charts high 5am. I mean seriously so high it was literally almost off the top of the graph paper, equivalent of being as high as a skycraper above where it should be. That's the waking anxiety. It is excessive cortisol/adrenaline stuff. In my case anyway, and I am pretty sure most others who experience it.
>
> The meds I mentioned will actually worsen it the first couple days. But when the feedback loops realize something has changed and kick in, the morning anxiety shuts down rather fast.
>
> St Johns Wort actually helped too, just not quite as powerful and not nearly as fast.
>
> I am sensitive to meds, so maybe someone else would need higher doses than I took. The doses I took are way below therapeutic doses for what they were intended.
>
> Klonopin in the evening, as with you, helped me too, except for the terrible depression it gave me. Klonopin worked not through the feedback loops, but by basically shutting everything down, including the haywire adrenaline stuff. I much prefer a low dose norepinephrine or cortisol med, since they more directly interrupt the real problem.
>
> > I have extreme morning anxiety, and sometimes I think I can't bear it. As soon as I wake up it hits me hard. I have taken Lyrica and Neurontin and they help but they make me sleepy. Anyone have any ideas what might help better for this. I take Klononpin, but I can't take it in the morning, as it induces sleep. I have a very hard time dealing with this anxiety. I take Klonopin in the evening and it helps.
> > Thanks,
>
>
Milnacipran is not available right now in the US, correct?
poster:Bob
thread:838662
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080706/msgs/838962.html