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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Rainbowlight on June 24, 2003, at 22:47:16
Sorry it took me so long to respond, I haven't been online since last week. I finally spoke with my regular doctor, he thinks the hairloss is weightloss related. Thinks it's from too much calorie reduction. I went back on the Zoloft, only 12.5 and am also keeping the Restoril 15 mgs. I have added back. Yesterday I was so agitated/crying/depressed, it was awful. Today has been much better (day two in the Zoloft return), day 6 back on Restoril. I suppose I will have to keep them both. I really wanted to get down to just a few meds. I don't like being up to 4 of them.
Posted by Ritch on June 25, 2003, at 0:15:27
In reply to Ritch, posted by Rainbowlight on June 24, 2003, at 22:47:16
> Sorry it took me so long to respond, I haven't been online since last week. I finally spoke with my regular doctor, he thinks the hairloss is weightloss related. Thinks it's from too much calorie reduction. I went back on the Zoloft, only 12.5 and am also keeping the Restoril 15 mgs. I have added back. Yesterday I was so agitated/crying/depressed, it was awful. Today has been much better (day two in the Zoloft return), day 6 back on Restoril. I suppose I will have to keep them both. I really wanted to get down to just a few meds. I don't like being up to 4 of them.
I know what you mean. I'm just on three now: Depakote, Klonopin, Effexor. Actually, I don't mind four-it seems so symmetric somehow. But, I don't like five-it SOUNDS like imminent liver failure or pay out the yin-yang at the pharmacy, or bad general practictioner rapport to be expected :)
Posted by Rainbowlight on June 25, 2003, at 18:56:42
In reply to Re: Ritch » Rainbowlight, posted by Ritch on June 25, 2003, at 0:15:27
I thought I would die for sure on 6! Tee hee! You are always so good at giving me a good chuckle! Thanks, I needed that. I am in benzo-zoloft slowed down mode today. Trying to go with the flow and remember I want me a zombie forever! Mentally I am feeling MUCH better. No longer in that panic/the world sucks mode, which is a great thing! Hair is still falling out like crazy. Weird thing is, since I restarted the Zoloft my head feels tingly. Hoping it is new hair growing! and not gearing up for more hair loss. Sooo frustrating when I am taking every pro-hair vitamin made and it's still coming out like crazy. Have you lost hair on Depakote? I know it does that to alot of people. I notice everyone here raving about Nardil. Have you tried it? Are you Bipolar I or II? I am a rapid cycling Bipolar II with GAD, ADD, OCD (Geez, that sounds bad huh?) Can't handle being treated for the ADD though, stimulants kill my mood. Have you tried Strattera? Wonder if it's any good.
Posted by Ritch on June 25, 2003, at 23:36:57
In reply to Re: Ritch, posted by Rainbowlight on June 25, 2003, at 18:56:42
> I thought I would die for sure on 6! Tee hee! You are always so good at giving me a good chuckle! Thanks, I needed that. I am in benzo-zoloft slowed down mode today. Trying to go with the flow and remember I want me a zombie forever! Mentally I am feeling MUCH better. No longer in that panic/the world sucks mode, which is a great thing! Hair is still falling out like crazy. Weird thing is, since I restarted the Zoloft my head feels tingly. Hoping it is new hair growing! and not gearing up for more hair loss. Sooo frustrating when I am taking every pro-hair vitamin made and it's still coming out like crazy. Have you lost hair on Depakote? I know it does that to alot of people. I notice everyone here raving about Nardil. Have you tried it? Are you Bipolar I or II? I am a rapid cycling Bipolar II with GAD, ADD, OCD (Geez, that sounds bad huh?) Can't handle being treated for the ADD though, stimulants kill my mood. Have you tried Strattera? Wonder if it's any good.
I'm glad YOU are feeling better! ;0) I was in the panic/the world sucks mode today. My summer depression is definitely kicking in on schedule. I can laugh or feel good, but only very briefly, and then I just feel wired/tired and physically very pained, stiff, and fatigued. Appetite is getting a little out of control--gobble, gobble, yum,yum. If I just could SLEEP a solid 8 hours! Hell even six. I lost hair on Depakote when I was taking 500mg/day. But, it wasn't that much. My DX? Bipolar II-rapid cycling-seasonal recurrent depression and panic disorder. Nardil? Oh, it probably would work OK, but I'm VERY sensitive to orthostatic hypotension from meds. It is one of those nearly unbearable side effects that I rank high up there with antipsychotic akathisia. Even Remeron gives me orthostatic hypotension! This is weird, but even tiny doses of Effexor and WB(to some extent) cause *hyper*tension. I've got a NE receptor problem for sure. The stuff that causes hypertension works the best to quell depression, though (along with stims). Straterra? I'm skeptical about that one for sure. If it wasn't so damn expensive-I would consider it. But if it is nothing more than a "clean" version of nortiptyline or something-what's new about it?
Posted by Rainbowlight on June 27, 2003, at 0:17:44
In reply to Re: Ritch » Rainbowlight, posted by Ritch on June 25, 2003, at 23:36:57
Seasonal summer depression huh? What causes seasonal depression? I hear quite a few people here mentioning it. Sorry you had such a rough day. I hate those days where you LITERALLY feel like the world is falling apart and that you WILL finally go crazy, once and for all. EVERYTIME I swear I will never feel better again, so then hubby has to give me the "things always get better, hang in there" pep talk. It's strange how when you are in the middle of the depression you really think you will never feel better. I get that stiff/pained feeling if I go too high on the Zoloft. Can you take a sleep med to help you get some sleep? I sleep a little too long on the Restoril, about 10 hours. But at least I FEEL rested when I get up thank goodness. I am still having that icy/hot weird feeling on the top of my head. Feels like I rubbed Ben Gay all over my head. And definately a numb feeling only on the left side of my head. Strange! But I feel good, so what the hell! Just curious if you, also being Bipolar II, have a bad long term memory like I do? Do you rapid cycle daily/hourly? For me it can be hourly, which is a pain in the butt. I can feel horrible in the morning, great in the afternoon, grouchy by night. Never quite know how I'll wake up in the morning. Orthostatic hypotension? Can you explain that one to me, I'm not quite as knowledgable about these things as you are. Tomorrow I see the pdoc. Have to convince her to put me back on the Restoril. I think she will go for it (at least I hope so!). Wish me luck!
Posted by Ritch on June 27, 2003, at 9:53:15
In reply to Re: Ritch, posted by Rainbowlight on June 27, 2003, at 0:17:44
> Seasonal summer depression huh? What causes seasonal depression? I hear quite a few people here mentioning it. Sorry you had such a rough day. I hate those days where you LITERALLY feel like the world is falling apart and that you WILL finally go crazy, once and for all. EVERYTIME I swear I will never feel better again, so then hubby has to give me the "things always get better, hang in there" pep talk. It's strange how when you are in the middle of the depression you really think you will never feel better. I get that stiff/pained feeling if I go too high on the Zoloft. Can you take a sleep med to help you get some sleep? I sleep a little too long on the Restoril, about 10 hours. But at least I FEEL rested when I get up thank goodness. I am still having that icy/hot weird feeling on the top of my head. Feels like I rubbed Ben Gay all over my head. And definately a numb feeling only on the left side of my head. Strange! But I feel good, so what the hell! Just curious if you, also being Bipolar II, have a bad long term memory like I do? Do you rapid cycle daily/hourly? For me it can be hourly, which is a pain in the butt. I can feel horrible in the morning, great in the afternoon, grouchy by night. Never quite know how I'll wake up in the morning. Orthostatic hypotension? Can you explain that one to me, I'm not quite as knowledgable about these things as you are. Tomorrow I see the pdoc. Have to convince her to put me back on the Restoril. I think she will go for it (at least I hope so!). Wish me luck!
Good luck with the Restoril! I *seem* to need a benzo to be fully functional. When I was first put on them back in the '80's a couple of years after I was on lithium, it was a breakthrough improvement in my symptoms (esp. the high potency ones-at the time Xanax and Ativan-although I settled on low-potency ones for chronic use). I was first offered bzd's by the 2nd pdoc I saw, right after I was dx'ed bipolar. At the time they had a bad reputation (there was a lot of abuse-I knew a few people that abused them horribly-and their docs kept writing..). Anyhow, after seeing all that going on I *refused* the benzos by the pdoc I saw. I told him I thought they were addicting and didn't want them, then asked how much Valium he was wanting to prescribe-5mg a day or something? He came back with: "How about 10mg 3x daily? I guess I was VERY anxious at that time. ;)
Orthostatic hypotension? Changes in blood pressure (sudden drops), when you change posture-standing up suddenly. I think I really mean *postural* hypotension. Your BP drops-your heart rate picks up in response-and you get real dizzy. TCA's and MAOI's have a tendency to cause it. But, I don't like those effects, because I can feel them just walking around and making subtle posture changes. It feels like my body is always "following" me by a few seconds, yuck!
My cycling? It runs about every 3 weeks or 20 days or so. Sometimes that shortens (it did last month when I tried some Zonegran and it made things worse), or lengthens (Trileptal noticeably seemed to help that) in response to meds. Otherwise-the major depressions (if they strike) are in late Fall-early Winter (typical SAD), and then in Summer. The best correlation I can find is the absence of light (winter), and presence of HEAT (summer). I like COOL AND BRIGHT. HOT AND DARK = BAD.
This is the end of the thread.
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