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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by adamie on October 13, 2001, at 11:00:07
hi. I am just now back from the hospital. I have been staying there for the past 3 weeks or more. It's kind of like a mental hospital except that it's mostly people with depression/anxiety although there are some others as well such as my roommate who has delerium. It's actually just a certain section of a normal hospital. I am out now on my weekend pass.It has been literally hell for me at times. My problem is severe clinical depression caused by accutane. Certain times it has felt as if I was not too bad but certain times it is hard to stand. I would imagine some people feeling what I feel would commit suicide.
Currently I am feeling quite horrible and I have had almost no sleep at all in the last 5 days. Before this I have had decent sleep usually. It's just that recently it seems my fiance doesn't want to see me anymore and I cant get in contact with her so I have been worrying a lot. But also worrying about something else. Something else which I found out today has been very much resolved. Yet I still feel horrible even though I have heard great news. So it's deffinetly my current medication making me worse. I'll explain in a second. And also my sleep has been disturbed by my ringing ear. It wont stop. It has been like this for the last 5 days. Hopefully doctors will take care of it soon because it's quite loud.
Regarding my current medication, it's Celexa. The last week the doctor has been increasing the dose pretty quickly due to my past medicatal failures. I naturally would feel a situational type of horrible due to the news of my fiance and another situation but it's not supposed to keep getting worse. And it has. To the point where I have felt as if mind torture was not too far off. Being unable to enjoy things and having no interests due to depression is one thing but becoming hard to stand even being alive is another. So something has to change! And so I am stopping the Celexa. Over the last week the doctor has been changing it from 20mg to 30mg to 40mg. And yet I have progressively been getting worse this last week. Today I have found out that my old girl friend wants me back. Great news. And she is such an incredible woman. Yet after the initial joy I was able to feel I still am feeling horrible. It is no doubt the Celexa. And perhaps the severe lack of sleep is contributing. I will tell my doctor on monday that we must stop the Celexa and that back when I was on Zyprexa I felt better so that there is no doubt what's going on. And aside from feeling horrible my heart is always beating very very fast.
A similar worsening effect I felt while on Effexor. On that I began to feel extremely horrible. I even felt like my life might be over. Good thing I went off that.
Other medications I have tried were paxil, wellbutrin, Sam-e, prozac, 5-htp, ECT, and I forget what else. Paxil seemed to help after 1 week but seemed to stop working later on. I dont really remember. Wellbutrin I dont remember but I guess it didn't help. Sam-e seemed to help at first but then later on it didn't. Prozac I think I had a bad experience with. 5-htp seemed to help a little. But I wanted more. I shouldn't have to settle for what might have been moderate depression. Zyprexa not too bad on it. ECT I had done while being kept on zyprexa. ECT didn't seem to help.
Does anyone know why certain medications make me worse?? Does anyone know what might help my specific situation? And also when it comes to side effects I feel almost none. Well bye
Posted by MM on October 13, 2001, at 12:42:35
In reply to Worse on certain medications??, posted by adamie on October 13, 2001, at 11:00:07
All I can say is that I'm SURE the lack of sleep is contributing, quite a bit. I don't why the celexa is making you worse, but it sounds like it is, so you need to talk to someone about that, and definitely need to sleep as soon as you can. Sounds like you're in a really bad place, and I sincerely hope you get well ASAP. Sorry I can't be of more help.
Posted by MB on October 14, 2001, at 14:45:20
In reply to Worse on certain medications??, posted by adamie on October 13, 2001, at 11:00:07
Is it possible that there might be a bipolar quality to your depression. Antidepressants make me worse (they didn't before, now they do...kindling?) also: racing, pounding heart; racing thoughts; pacing around wanting to pull my hair out saying, "oh my god oh my god," and thinking I'm going to freak out or die. It's been suggested this weird reaction could be because I'm bipolar...I don't know. It seems like what has been described to me as a mixed state...kinda like anxiety/mania/depression all rolled into one. Have you tried a mood stabalizer? It seems you've only tried drugs that, alone, might make bipolar worse (I don't know about Zyprexia and bipolar...that might be OK). Just a suggestion, I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I needed to ramble.
Posted by adamie on October 14, 2001, at 15:12:25
In reply to Re: Worse on certain medications?? Bipolar?? » adamie, posted by MB on October 14, 2001, at 14:45:20
> Is it possible that there might be a bipolar quality to your depression. Antidepressants make me worse (they didn't before, now they do...kindling?) also: racing, pounding heart; racing thoughts; pacing around wanting to pull my hair out saying, "oh my god oh my god," and thinking I'm going to freak out or die. It's been suggested this weird reaction could be because I'm bipolar...I don't know. It seems like what has been described to me as a mixed state...kinda like anxiety/mania/depression all rolled into one. Have you tried a mood stabalizer? It seems you've only tried drugs that, alone, might make bipolar worse (I don't know about Zyprexia and bipolar...that might be OK). Just a suggestion, I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I needed to ramble.
i dont think i've tried any mood stabilizers. Could you list some for me? Perhaps one of these could be a future choice.
Regarding racing thoughts, I dont really have any. My thinking ability is pretty low due to the depression. Really hard for me to concentrate.
thanks for the reply. I will mention the mood stabilizer idea to my pdoc.
Posted by Chloe on October 14, 2001, at 19:09:30
In reply to Re: Worse on certain medications?? Bipolar?? » MB, posted by adamie on October 14, 2001, at 15:12:25
> i dont think i've tried any mood stabilizers. Could you list some for me?Hi Adamie,
Mood stablizers consist of medications like Lithium, Depakote, Tegretal. These meds have been around a long time and have a good track record. Some of the newer, more novel mood stabilizers would include Trileptal, Neurontin, Lamictal (this one also tends to have some antidepressant effect too), Topamax, gabapentin. There may be more I just can't think of them at the moment.I am sorry you are having such a rough time. I, too had that racy, pounding heart feeling with Celexa. I found by waiting a few weeks, it got better. In fact now, I feel fine on Celexa. But it does take some time to adjust too it.
I hope you start feeling better soon
Chloe
Posted by Squiggles on October 17, 2001, at 18:53:43
In reply to Re: Worse on certain medications?? Bipolar?? » adamie, posted by MB on October 14, 2001, at 14:45:20
> Is it possible that there might be a bipolar quality to your depression. Antidepressants make me worse (they didn't before, now they do...kindling?) also: racing, pounding heart; racing thoughts; pacing around wanting to pull my hair out saying, "oh my god oh my god," and thinking I'm going to freak out or die. It's been suggested this weird reaction could be because I'm bipolar...I don't know. It seems like what has been described to me as a mixed state...kinda like anxiety/mania/depression all rolled into one. Have you tried a mood stabalizer? It seems you've only tried drugs that, alone, might make bipolar worse (I don't know about Zyprexia and bipolar...that might be OK). Just a suggestion, I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I needed to ramble.
If I was diagnosed correctly as bipolar, twenty
years ago, then it's true that imipramine at least,
for me was a terrible drug, which made me very
ill both physically and psychologically. I
turned it down after trying it for a couple of
weeks.Lithium, on the other hand was like water,
and brought me out of a very bad mental
state within 7 days.That was my experience, and I have been on
lithium since.Squiggles
Posted by adamie on October 19, 2001, at 18:24:36
In reply to Re: Worse on certain medications?? Bipolar??, posted by Squiggles on October 17, 2001, at 18:53:43
I am out of the hospital now on Oct 19th. The phychiatrist there who was prescribing meds for me turned down my suggestion of trying a mood stabilizer or anti convulsant. He said such medications can only be used to augment anti depressants. He instead wanted to keep on trying anti depressants which almost all have so far made me worse. And it has been hard for him to believe that these meds made me worse. My depression is due to accutane so it's not going to be like usual depression. But I guess he cant understand that.I am out of the hospital now where they have classes for in patients and out patients. They try to teach you to feel better. It's rediculous. And quite a few of the people there are because they think it helps them. Such classes are for people of low intelligence. If you need someone to tell you to look at the positives in life then there's something wrong with you. Shouldn't one do so naturally? What such classes would teach is all common sense. What such classes can do is help less intelligent situational depressives. People who are depressed because they feel their life is miserable. Not because they actually have a mental disorder. I hate how those nurses kept telling me the way to get better is to attend the classes. I attended but just to pass the time. Not because I for a second though they helped.
A bit off topic. But anyway I will be seeing a new phychiatrist soon and so hopefully I will be able to try one of those other classes of meds but it looks doubtful. So I will stick with my zyprexa which I have been put on again.
> > Is it possible that there might be a bipolar quality to your depression. Antidepressants make me worse (they didn't before, now they do...kindling?) also: racing, pounding heart; racing thoughts; pacing around wanting to pull my hair out saying, "oh my god oh my god," and thinking I'm going to freak out or die. It's been suggested this weird reaction could be because I'm bipolar...I don't know. It seems like what has been described to me as a mixed state...kinda like anxiety/mania/depression all rolled into one. Have you tried a mood stabalizer? It seems you've only tried drugs that, alone, might make bipolar worse (I don't know about Zyprexia and bipolar...that might be OK). Just a suggestion, I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I needed to ramble.
>
>
> If I was diagnosed correctly as bipolar, twenty
> years ago, then it's true that imipramine at least,
> for me was a terrible drug, which made me very
> ill both physically and psychologically. I
> turned it down after trying it for a couple of
> weeks.
>
> Lithium, on the other hand was like water,
> and brought me out of a very bad mental
> state within 7 days.
>
> That was my experience, and I have been on
> lithium since.
>
> Squiggles
Posted by Andy123 on October 19, 2001, at 18:30:02
In reply to Re: Worse on certain medications?? Bipolar?? ?adamie, posted by MB on October 14, 2001, at 14:45:20
Here is your new official diagnosis:
psychiatric hypochondria.:)
Antidepressants make me worse (they didn't before, now they do...kindling?) also: racing, pounding heart; racing thoughts; pacing around wanting to pull my hair out saying, "oh my god oh my god," and thinking I'm going to freak out or die. It's been suggested this weird reaction could be because I'm bipolar...I don't know. It seems like what has been described to me as a mixed state...kinda like anxiety/mania/depression all rolled into one. Have you tried a mood stabalizer? It seems you've only tried drugs that, alone, might make bipolar worse (I don't know about Zyprexia and bipolar...that might be OK). Just a suggestion, I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I needed to ramble.
Posted by MB on October 22, 2001, at 17:16:12
In reply to Re: Worse on certain medications?? Bipolar?? ?MB, posted by Andy123 on October 19, 2001, at 18:30:02
I wonder if there's ever been a hypochondriac for whom the disease of focus was, actually, hypochondria. I mean, it's a catch-22. The patient would say, "doc, I think I have hypochondria." And the doctor could say, "well sir, you don't really have hypochondria, you're just imagining it." But as soon as he said that, he would be calling the patient a hypochondriac. This one keeps me up late at night trying to figure out. lol
> Here is your new official diagnosis:
> psychiatric hypochondria.
>
> :)
>
> Antidepressants make me worse (they didn't before, now they do...kindling?) also: racing, pounding heart; racing thoughts; pacing around wanting to pull my hair out saying, "oh my god oh my god," and thinking I'm going to freak out or die. It's been suggested this weird reaction could be because I'm bipolar...I don't know. It seems like what has been described to me as a mixed state...kinda like anxiety/mania/depression all rolled into one. Have you tried a mood stabalizer? It seems you've only tried drugs that, alone, might make bipolar worse (I don't know about Zyprexia and bipolar...that might be OK). Just a suggestion, I don't really know what I'm talking about, but I needed to ramble.
Posted by Elizabeth on October 25, 2001, at 12:56:53
In reply to Re: Worse on certain medications?? Bipolar?? ?MB, posted by Andy123 on October 19, 2001, at 18:30:02
> Antidepressants make me worse (they didn't before, now they do...kindling?) also: racing, pounding heart; racing thoughts; pacing around wanting to pull my hair out saying, "oh my god oh my god," and thinking I'm going to freak out or die. It's been suggested this weird reaction could be because I'm bipolar...I don't know.
It sounds like the way people with panic disorder often respond to antidepressants (especially SSRIs).
-elizabeth
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