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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AdamCanada on February 9, 2008, at 1:24:35
For the first time in so many years I have felt at least somewhat alive in the 3-4 month period before January 2008. Late december i started to spiral downwards and couldn't even tell why. I thought lowering my paxil dose from 10mg to 9.5 or 9.25 was helping me feel better as I had a huge sex drive boost and more eagerness to meet women, at least I was a sexual animal even if I didn't have much interest in too much else. but i enjoyed meeting women whether it was just for friendship or for sexual relations...
now i dont have any of that. motivation down, sex drive down, emotions negative, anxiety up, social anxiety up.
I take paxil, clonazepam, gabapentin, ritalin. and i even brought the paxil back up to almost 10mg again. but it seems that may not have been the problem.
maybe build up of protein powder.... those amino acids in my body? wish i knew. I stopped taking protein powders for 1 week before and it didn't help, it may have even made me slightly worse.
I am so sick of living like this. I was doing so much better for 3-4 months to the point where I had so much confidence and drive to go out do just about anything. Hell I never went clubbing in my life until that period last year where I began to feel better, never danced in my life until then and actually enjoyed it. something i used to fear so much from my social anxiety.
i felt like i could be a normal person in some ways. that i could do what normal people take for granted so easily.
but i guess I am poisoned for life from accutane and the brain damage of ECT. My memory is shot, i have to write everything down, i cant even remember simple things like my own da-- telephone number. i feel like such an incredible idiot at times and my ability to learn new things is very compromised. oh look I used a big word! that is probably one of the largest in my so called vocabulary.
I used to be such a genius before all of this happened and before the Accutane and ECT but I guess I will never have that part of me back.
Sometimes.... rarely I feel more intellectual than usual but those are very rare occurances.
But aside from that... I just have no motivation, no drive, no plans, no goals (anymore), no dreams, no aspirations, and i cant get myself excited about Anything except to the smallest degree.
I guess I have a HUGE chemical inbalance because before I got poisoned by Accutane (which has been linked to thousands of suicides in north america) I was never like this.
I always had strong social anxiety but... at least I was able to be thrilled about life! I loved so many things, movies, acting, drama, photography, videogames, women, etc etc etc etc...
now i feel like only 10% of me is here and the rest is gone.
I have tried taking a new med recently... Trivistal LA (is this the same as Trivistal Retard version?) for 3 days. 25mg, 50mg, 50mg, and so far i dont see an improvement. i feel maybe more emotional but it's sad emotions right now. Over everything that I have lost.
So many people whom I met off facebook during those 3-4 months before I have avoided, because I'm too anti-social to even have anything to say to them. And when I do speak to them it's mindless little tiny chitchat. I am not the social person I was back in December.
I have lost it. I guess it's time to keep trying more and more different medications until something works. Even though I have tried over 20 already.
Some of the best have been temporary mini-solutions such as dexedrine and ritalin but they lose their effect.
What anti-depressant meds or non convential medications may be best for raising dopamine levels?
I just dont know what the hell to do. I have felt for the longest time. For so many years that I am too unstable to ever have a girlfriend... and I guess I was right. maybe if i get better again... but who knows when that will be. I am just sick of living like this and feeling so horrible beyond my control. I wish I was mentally healthy but this is just my sad pathetic reality.
Posted by your#1fan on February 9, 2008, at 1:40:36
In reply to So sick of my freaking ''life'', posted by AdamCanada on February 9, 2008, at 1:24:35
Aman,
Wellbutrin, and Prozac increase dopamine levels, Zoloft at 300mg is an actual DOPAMINE REPTKAE inhibitor, but your full of serotonin at the same time.
About life.......i have facebook too! never talk about anything i talkabout here! If partying helps, and its for you do it. I wished i could party.....party therpy.See a life that you want to live like the american dream. House, nice car, nice wife. Find a way like finan., broker, banking, owning your own bar?
dexedrine spansules? well those are abusable, but would defintny help with motivation, but sometimes if you have bad motivation, it will increase it.
Always have do things on your own! it is best! and find your idenity in something like new york, hollywood, i dont know go hunting, what do you see yourself as? generous? kinda self evavulate your personality.
Wish you luck...........
fan
Posted by Maxime on February 9, 2008, at 4:07:39
In reply to Re: So sick of my freaking ''life'', posted by your#1fan on February 9, 2008, at 1:40:36
> Aman,
>
> Wellbutrin, and Prozac increase dopamine levels, Zoloft at 300mg is an actual DOPAMINE REPTKAE inhibitor, but your full of serotonin at the same time.I don't think Prozac is known for increased dopamine levels. I may be wrong, but I don't think so.
Maxime
Posted by Maxime on February 9, 2008, at 4:11:25
In reply to So sick of my freaking ''life'', posted by AdamCanada on February 9, 2008, at 1:24:35
Hi Adam
Do you think you might suffer from S.A.D.? Are your moods better in the summer?
With the symptoms you list perhaps Nardil would be a good choice. Have you ever tried it?
First you need to focus on finding a med that helps. Second, you should see a therapist. He/she will be able to help you with your anxiety.
Women? Maybe you should focus on getting better and the rest will come sooner or later.
Maxime
Posted by Phillipa on February 9, 2008, at 12:25:22
In reply to Re: So sick of my freaking ''life'', posted by your#1fan on February 9, 2008, at 1:40:36
Fan isn't 200mg the maximum for zoloft? I think I read it. Love Phillipa
Posted by bleauberry on February 9, 2008, at 17:46:39
In reply to So sick of my freaking ''life'', posted by AdamCanada on February 9, 2008, at 1:24:35
Since you are the pioneering type, as evidenced by trying Trivastal, I thought I might bring up the idea of Amisulpride. At low doses of 25mg to 100mg it is pro-dopamine stimulation, it is great for social anxiety and has also been shown as effective as other antidepressants for depression. At higher doses it becomes more of a full bodied antipsychotic against both positive and negative symptoms, whereas at low doses just the negative symptoms. You would have to mailorder it. It also goes by the name Solian.
Prozac does increase dopamine levels, but not by reuptake. This is shown in various pubmed studies.
There is a problem with both prozac and paxil. That is, they are both fluoride based chemicals. Fluoride over the longrun wreaks havoc on your thyroid gland. Just a thought, but there could be a link between that and how your mood has changed the last few months. Maybe during a slow transition your thyroid was in an window but with more time has been pushed out of that window.
I truly doubt the 1/2mg drop in paxil had anything to do with anything, even though it felt like it at the time. I think it was just coincidence and something else was going on at the same time. Like thyroid maybe?
Hey I don't know. Just thinking. I can relate though. Post ECT makes a tough situation. Same with me.
Anyway, you mentioned pro-dopamine, social anxiety, depression, memory, and amisulpride popped into mind. I tried it several years ago in combo with prozac and it was a good one. It is specific to just dopamine and nothing else.
It might be worth looking at a different class of drugs, such as the nootropics. I am thinking specifically of hydergine and adrafinil, both of which have worked good on symptoms like yours with other people at chelation forums I visit.
Posted by AdamCanada on February 11, 2008, at 20:59:58
In reply to Re: So sick of my freaking ''life'' » AdamCanada, posted by Maxime on February 9, 2008, at 4:11:25
last winter was much better than this i know that for certian. i dunno maybe something about this winter is different. perhaps i feel worse every winter but this time has been strong instead of mild. I dont know.
I'm cutting my darn paxil dose and trying trivistal LA. The Triv seems to make me tired and sleepy. Ugh. yet prior to taking it today i felt a lot more social and actually talking to people and feeling some of my sex drive and motivation back. then 30 mins or an hour after trivistal LA I feel worse, tired, dull, head hurts, ugh whatever.
Maybe the Triv interacts badly with other meds I take who knows.... Paxil, Clonazepam and tiny doses of Gabapentin. But It may have been the Gaba that did it. Ugh I'll find out soon enough I guess. Not taking any Gaba today and tomorrow and see if any change.
Nardil... never tried and i been told i'd have to get off Paxil first before I try it.
So my goal for some time has been to get off paxil and try some other meds that may work better. For a long time I have felt paxil helped me but as time went on... perhaps it doesnt anymore. I felt so much better on 9.25mg paxil than 10mg paxil when i cut that dose several months ago. strange isn't it.... how later on I would spiral downwards and I just dont know why.
So here I am taking 8.5mg paxil for the past 2 days and today I felt better in the morning a bit. and the early afternoon. Ugh but it's never stable.
Also I dont see a therapist... I see a psychiatrist. Therapy cannot help me. My problem is not ''in my mind'' it is something i cannot control. if it wasn't for medication I would probably be dead 5 years ago. The pain was immense, tremendous, and complete inability to find the slightest joy or interest in anything. I was a zombie. then few meds helped throughout various trials like risperdal and paxil. but nothing helped ''enough'' to give me my life back.
At least not back then.
Regarding women... the good thing about that 3-4 month period was that at least I was able to be motivated and driven by something. Photography and women. It's better than having no interest in anything at all so that's why I mention it. I loved the huge sex drive boost I recieved.
but i am becoming more hopeful despite how horrendous I been feeling. I'm making some serious changes to my meds and for better or worse there will be change. That is certian.
> Hi Adam
>
> Do you think you might suffer from S.A.D.? Are your moods better in the summer?
>
> With the symptoms you list perhaps Nardil would be a good choice. Have you ever tried it?
>
> First you need to focus on finding a med that helps. Second, you should see a therapist. He/she will be able to help you with your anxiety.
>
> Women? Maybe you should focus on getting better and the rest will come sooner or later.
>
> Maxime
>
>
Posted by AdamCanada on February 11, 2008, at 21:58:21
In reply to Re: So sick of my freaking ''life'', posted by bleauberry on February 9, 2008, at 17:46:39
nt
> Since you are the pioneering type, as evidenced by trying Trivastal, I thought I might bring up the idea of Amisulpride. At low doses of 25mg to 100mg it is pro-dopamine stimulation, it is great for social anxiety and has also been shown as effective as other antidepressants for depression. At higher doses it becomes more of a full bodied antipsychotic against both positive and negative symptoms, whereas at low doses just the negative symptoms. You would have to mailorder it. It also goes by the name Solian.
>
> Prozac does increase dopamine levels, but not by reuptake. This is shown in various pubmed studies.
>
> There is a problem with both prozac and paxil. That is, they are both fluoride based chemicals. Fluoride over the longrun wreaks havoc on your thyroid gland. Just a thought, but there could be a link between that and how your mood has changed the last few months. Maybe during a slow transition your thyroid was in an window but with more time has been pushed out of that window.
>
> I truly doubt the 1/2mg drop in paxil had anything to do with anything, even though it felt like it at the time. I think it was just coincidence and something else was going on at the same time. Like thyroid maybe?
>
> Hey I don't know. Just thinking. I can relate though. Post ECT makes a tough situation. Same with me.
>
> Anyway, you mentioned pro-dopamine, social anxiety, depression, memory, and amisulpride popped into mind. I tried it several years ago in combo with prozac and it was a good one. It is specific to just dopamine and nothing else.
>
> It might be worth looking at a different class of drugs, such as the nootropics. I am thinking specifically of hydergine and adrafinil, both of which have worked good on symptoms like yours with other people at chelation forums I visit.
This is the end of the thread.
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