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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 25. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 3:56:51
need to know. :(
two doses already taken. (same day, b.i.d.) don't really notice that i took anything.
ugh...
i may have woken up earlier, but i did this a few nights/mornings ago anyway i think... not likely notable... may have stopped wakeful bruxing, but sometimes i do anyway...
still feel like a rock.
Posted by SLS on April 16, 2008, at 5:07:03
In reply to how long until you noticed effect from amantadine?, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 3:56:51
> need to know. :(
>
> two doses already taken. (same day, b.i.d.) don't really notice that i took anything.
>
> ugh...
>
> i may have woken up earlier, but i did this a few nights/mornings ago anyway i think... not likely notable... may have stopped wakeful bruxing, but sometimes i do anyway...
>
> still feel like a rock.Here is what you need to know:
A few days to a few weeks is NOT a sufficient period of time to allow these drugs to do their work. It is not the antidepressant that is the remission, but the brain's adaptation to the presence of the drug.
Don't be like so many people on this board whom jump from drug to drug whenever they fail to respond in the first 2 weeks. Amantadine might be a bit of an exception, though. However, with the lack of definitive proof, I would still stick with it for at least 3 weeks. It might possibly start working in the first 1-2 weeks.
Rocks are extremely patient.
- Scott
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 14:28:55
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad » iforgotmypassword, posted by SLS on April 16, 2008, at 5:07:03
feel completely stuck and stiff, markedly even more so, blinking hard repeatedly again, now i'm getting distracted and losing people today. went home, took day off from the programme.
i cut short my strattera trial (15 days) as it would be another 140 dollars and i didn't expect much change from original response, which, although it was beneficial, no functional benefit. i felt much happier tho, as i felt i could see a lot more in my field of view visually and that i was a lot more present, oriented, and seeing things in that sense. it hinted it could have helped my creativity a lot, and i could literally see photographs i would take if i could hold tasks together, aim, and execute them. not a feeling i have had in a very very long time. (the feeling that i see and want to take a picture creatively) again tho, still no functional benefit. bottom line is that i am in an employment programme that ends in weeks, i have little time to try and not blow it but that's exactly what i am doing.
i'll write more later. i'm writing in short bursts when i am lucky and find myself typing along. i had another one that was too long and the burst overelaborated, unusable. i can talk a lot, that's all i can do. a neuroscience book a social worker/academic counsellor at carleton ~2 years ago said people with frontal lobe lesions "can talk a good game about doing things, but fail whenever faced with actually doing anything they can describe" (i cannot remember *exact* quote, partly paraphrased) i don't have frontal lobe lesions, but i relate very strongly with that. in fact i did tremendously when i read it, repeated it a lot, got and carried photocopies, but it got nowhere with any professional, they can play supportive and passionate, but it is just beyond what their fields care about. in the end it's as if most people around like to live by that idiotic bromide "no one can help someone who doesn't help themselves" or related dismissive stupidity, while thoughtlessly never facing how extremely right-wing the attitude is.
and rocks aren't patient. rocks are rocks. i think used figuratively you can be flexible. no one would say they felt like a rock if they weren't unhappy with the state.
sorry if the post is a mess.
Posted by SLS on April 16, 2008, at 14:36:31
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad » SLS, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 14:28:55
> and rocks aren't patient. rocks are rocks.
Well, they sure do wait around long enough to experience significant changes.
> no one would say they felt like a rock if they weren't unhappy with the state.
I know.
- Scott
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 14:45:54
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad » SLS, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 14:28:55
in addition, i felt less likely to say stupid things on the strattera. i am typically absent minded that way... so an important benefit in my case, but still, it's a lot of money (i'm on disability) for something that didn't help me function externally and when the heightened awareness effect wasn't always palpable. more positives i should record:
-i think another development i think i noticed was i was gaining the ability to accept things, which i need.
-i should talk more about my initial response, which was very notable. it worked particularly well with alcohol, go figure. GABA?
if i could actually make money to fit it back into my budget... that would be something for consideration. or a section 8. complicated. again don't judge my executive ability by how many words i type.
tangent, but i kind of fear adrenergic activity as it seems maybe or likely linked to aging (breaking down collagen, for energy of all things?), i know the worry seems immature, but i am sensitive to this worry, as i have lost many years. i guess like a lot of people...
Posted by SLS on April 16, 2008, at 14:53:54
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 14:45:54
> in addition, i felt less likely to say stupid things on the strattera. i am typically absent minded that way... so an important benefit in my case, but still, it's a lot of money (i'm on disability) for something that didn't help me function externally and when the heightened awareness effect wasn't always palpable. more positives i should record:
>
> -i think another development i think i noticed was i was gaining the ability to accept things, which i need.
>
> -i should talk more about my initial response, which was very notable. it worked particularly well with alcohol, go figure. GABA?Yes.
> if i could actually make money to fit it back into my budget... that would be something for consideration. or a section 8. complicated. again don't judge my executive ability by how many words i type.
>
> tangent, but i kind of fear adrenergic activity as it seems maybe or likely linked to aging (breaking down collagen, for energy of all things?),I didn't know that.
> i know the worry seems immature, but i am sensitive to this worry, as i have lost many years. i guess like a lot of people...
Tell me about it!
Hang in there. Keep using your mind as much as your condition allows. I frequently tell people that I use all of what little God gives me to work with. I know you are impaired and anergic. It can be discouraging. I hope you and your doctor continue to search for alternatives. Thinking "outside the box" might be necesssary.
Good Luck.
- Scott
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 17:38:24
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad » iforgotmypassword, posted by SLS on April 16, 2008, at 14:53:54
you don't have to read this. just posting a response in case it may be useful, i still feel urgency. i am typing, which is a good thing. someone else may be reading too. i don't know.
> > -i should talk more about my initial response, which was very notable. it worked particularly well with alcohol, go figure. GABA?
>
> Yes.i feel i can dislodge with lorazepam, this has helped me get things done, enough times it has been plainly essential. again, response has not been ideal or reliable. sometimes i can get a bit drunk, goofy, and inappropriately uninhibited on it, sharing private issues/thoughts, and doing things quite strangely that i regret later. this is quite bothersome, even though this is already part of my muddled unreliable activated-akathitic/deactivated nonsense.
> > tangent, but i kind of fear adrenergic activity as it seems maybe or likely linked to aging (breaking down collagen, for energy of all things?),
>
> I didn't know that.i think i confused this. if i remember it's cortisol that apparently attacks collagen, and atomoxetine ups its levels apparently.
>I know you are impaired and anergic. It can be discouraging. I hope you and your doctor continue to search for alternatives. Thinking "outside the box" might be necesssary.i am not really anergic. "avolitional" is the word i feel is important, decisions and tasks paralyse. i can be (anergic), and that has been a dominant problem before. i tie my problems to dopamine in another known way, my susceptibility to tardive movement sx/EPS, e.g. my screwball sensations in my hands and jaw, daytime bruxing, forced blinking and scrunching, akathitic feelings and stiffness feeling very closely related. this includes stiffness of my mind. also, i *still* produce milk after discontinuing risperidone MONTHS ago (sept), yet much less. still kind of strange.
this has led me to suspect/theorize my brain's ability to use dopamine just doesn't work. perhaps now, also the increase of dopamine, cannot be predictable and thus not useful, despite the fact that i may clearly need better dopaminergic function.
i also have thought about GABA, more so a month ago, but since neurontin was more than a little wierd/no epiphany, i just keep my prn of lorazepam with me... (i can never seem to get addicted to ANYTHING, which according to goldstein, is a hallmark of CFS. whew.)
there is just no such thing as a diagnosis for me. system is just blown.
i should look at more GABA related stuff, but my cognitive uselessness and scattering makes me ambivalent about drugs that may cause further impairment.
sorry this is long.
Posted by undopaminergic on April 16, 2008, at 18:40:35
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad » SLS, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 17:38:24
>
> > > tangent, but i kind of fear adrenergic activity as it seems maybe or likely linked to aging (breaking down collagen, for energy of all things?),
> >
> > I didn't know that.
>
> i think i confused this. if i remember it's cortisol that apparently attacks collagen, and atomoxetine ups its levels apparently.
>I felt kind of uneasy and shivery on both reboxetine and atomoxetine, and woke up uncharacteristically early in the morning, so I did get the definite subjective impression that those drugs were stressful in some way that stimulants aren't, even though most of them are also noradrenergic; perhaps they are just less potent in that regard, or alternatively, their dopaminergic action may mitigate their noradrenergic effects.
> also, i *still* produce milk after discontinuing risperidone MONTHS ago (sept), yet much less. still kind of strange.
>How long were you using it, at at what dose? I found the side effects (feelings of weakness, fatigue, and perhaps increased anhedonia) unacceptable even at 0.5 mg, but there was no milk. Are you female? I suppose it would be a more likely side effect in that case.
>
> i also have thought about GABA, more so a month ago, but since neurontin was more than a little wierd/no epiphany, i just keep my prn of lorazepam with me... (i can never seem to get addicted to ANYTHING, which according to goldstein, is a hallmark of CFS. whew.)
>That seems the be the case for me too. I attribute it to anticipatory anhedonia, which I regard as just another aspect of dopaminergic dysfunction.
>
> i should look at more GABA related stuff, but my cognitive uselessness and scattering makes me ambivalent about drugs that may cause further impairment.
>You may wish to look at theanine (L-theanine). I took 1.5-2 grams, which had a strong sedative effect - perhaps like 15 mg midazolam or more. However, after extra doses of stimulants, I began to regain full alertness and my focus as I explored theanine on PubMed was exceptionally good. Judging from that single experience, which is a bit premature, I suspect that GABA and dopamine may have synergistic effects that serve to enhance focus.
Posted by undopaminergic on April 16, 2008, at 18:59:04
In reply to how long until you noticed effect from amantadine?, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 3:56:51
> need to know. :(
>
> two doses already taken. (same day, b.i.d.) don't really notice that i took anything.
>
> ugh...
>
> i may have woken up earlier, but i did this a few nights/mornings ago anyway i think... not likely notable... may have stopped wakeful bruxing, but sometimes i do anyway...
>
> still feel like a rock.From the prescribing information:
"If there is no improvement in a few days, or if medication appears less effective after a few weeks, discuss with a physician.""SYMMETREL has an onset of action usually within 48 hours."
I tried it several times, for maybe 1-3 weeks at a time, and it always failed, except at one time when I had been taking it for one or two days. I developed a kind of intense high that I assume was similar to mania or hypomania - I was feeling very well, except that the intensity of the flight of ideas was rather incapacitating. It's the only time that has ever happened to me, and I've never managed to repeat my success with amantadine. I suspect memantine is a more reliable agent - it's very closely related in structure.
Posted by Jeroen on April 16, 2008, at 22:59:57
In reply to how long until you noticed effect from amantadine?, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 16, 2008, at 3:56:51
hi there 7 days and it worked for me
i felt good i think youll like it somehow
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 17, 2008, at 15:37:55
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantadine?, posted by Jeroen on April 16, 2008, at 22:59:57
> hi there 7 days and it worked for me
>
> i felt good i think youll like it somehowthank you, this is helpful. i had set my limit at 5-7 days, now i will keep it at 7. if you are staying on the board and wish to respond a few questions if that's okay.
-Did you experience poop-out that is described so commonly?
(one website says that this can be reversed by stopping it for a few days, but i don't know if i trust that.)
-What dosage(s) did you use? What did dosage increases feel like? (like nothing, or helpful, or detrimental)
-----
amantadine seems so strange. random studies online saying lower doses are more effective than higher doses...
it along with lorazepam seems to make an interesting combination with me where i feel much more at peace, less need to talk or pace to vent my nerves.
this feels different from my normal unreliable response to 1mg of lorazepam.
the people running the programme seem to think i seem more impaired, wondering if my med change has some sort of adjustment period.
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 17, 2008, at 15:42:08
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantadine?, posted by Jeroen on April 16, 2008, at 22:59:57
oops, last post was meant to be tagged as responding to you.
and count me as another person hoping you don't stop posting. there are some crumby things we deal with here, but it gets even worse when we lose certain posters like yourself.
Posted by SLS on April 17, 2008, at 16:38:44
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 17, 2008, at 15:37:55
> thank you, this is helpful. i had set my limit at 5-7 days, now i will keep it at 7.
What is wrong with going longer? Side effects?
Sometimes I swear I'm wasting my breath.
- Scott
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 17, 2008, at 18:32:09
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad, posted by SLS on April 17, 2008, at 16:38:44
> > thank you, this is helpful. i had set my limit at 5-7 days, now i will keep it at 7.
>
> What is wrong with going longer? Side effects?i thought i mentioned it, i didn't, but yes as you suggested, the reason why i am not giving amantadine much time is that it seems to be an exception. the reputation of it having an effect that quickly fades. it is also rarely used as monotherapy as in my case.
i said that rather tersely, at day 7 i don't know what i am going to do, but i need a plan. it is a definate assessment point. i feel i probably won't go off of it, but i also feel i need to be prepared to in this case, after all these years i think i have at least some sensitivity to knowing when a drug is fading out, and going off seems to help me assess if i took away something that did help. it can confirm what were just hunches.
i am an in an employment programme, i am currently blowing it, it ends soon, and when i've blown it, i've blown it, and the programme itself is a lot of pressure. my feeling of urgency isn't just immaturity. i haven't had an opportunity like this in 6-7 years. but i do still know i have to be mature enough to accept failure.
> Sometimes I swear I'm wasting my breath.
well, sorry.
anyone like me, or i assume are somewhat like me, i don't think i have ever seen anyone get better...
and just an example, a cfs doctor, goldstein, whose theories i thought were very useful to me (he took a quite different neuro-cognitive look at it) did not waste much time with drugs, he would often assess immediate response, and use that to decide what next drug to try.
in my case, my own management of things, it is impossible to know...
and yes, my concern over side effects is an issue. the last few days have not been remotely normal, and i am under continued pressure.
my response to this drug has been quite complex and other people around me have been commenting. i could go into details, but it would be hard, and it would be a long post.
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 17, 2008, at 18:37:13
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad » SLS, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 17, 2008, at 18:32:09
> anyone like me, or i assume are somewhat like me, i don't think i have ever seen anyone get better...
this is in relation to other people here patiently trying medication after medication. other people like this on the web, as well.
sorry for anything else that doesn't tie together.
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 18, 2008, at 4:58:35
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad » iforgotmypassword, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 17, 2008, at 18:37:13
ability to perform tasks obviously even worse now, cannot DO steps. i am lucky when i somehow get through one, my mind exhausts and i forget what the next (sub-)step was. i get confused over just taking my medication. that can't be a major task of the day.
i have a work placement in 1 hour.
Posted by SLS on April 18, 2008, at 5:42:50
In reply to morning, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 18, 2008, at 4:58:35
> ability to perform tasks obviously even worse now, cannot DO steps. i am lucky when i somehow get through one, my mind exhausts and i forget what the next (sub-)step was. i get confused over just taking my medication. that can't be a major task of the day.
I am very sympathetic to your plight. My cognitive and memory functions were the most severe of my deficits due to depression.
> i have a work placement in 1 hour.Good luck.
The most you can do is use all of what little God gives you to work with. I hope you will be pleasantly surprised by your efforts.
A moderate amount of caffeine always helped me to perform better. Just don't use this strategy too often, or it will produce diminishing returns.
- Scott
Posted by iforgotmypassword on April 18, 2008, at 11:36:43
In reply to Re: morning » iforgotmypassword, posted by SLS on April 18, 2008, at 5:42:50
> > ability to perform tasks obviously even worse now, cannot DO steps. i am lucky when i somehow get through one, my mind exhausts and i forget what the next (sub-)step was. i get confused over just taking my medication. that can't be a major task of the day.
>
> I am very sympathetic to your plight. My cognitive and memory functions were the most severe of my deficits due to depression.
>
> > i have a work placement in 1 hour.
>
> Good luck.
>
> The most you can do is use all of what little God gives you to work with. I hope you will be pleasantly surprised by your efforts.
>
> A moderate amount of caffeine always helped me to perform better. Just don't use this strategy too often, or it will produce diminishing returns.
>
>
> - Scott
>(sorry, this is more, you don't have to read or answer. typing alone seems to be helping a bit.)
lorazepam may have helped today. i was surprised i even got there, i did pretty okay i think, but the tasks are mainly just walking and looking (for discarded needles, biohazard risks), the 'shifts'/routes are only 2 hours long, and the whole placement is part of the same organization and all workers are literally required to have struggled with mental illness. i only do 6 hours a week and finding other work is essential to the main part of the programme.
do you know the brain regions and chemical activities associated with regret, dwelling, cannot focus your mind off of past humiliation and regrets. i find my unshakable hesitance strongly adds to paralysing me, especially socially.
it seems GABA helps, may be how nardil helps with social anxiety, but i want to avoid any drunkeness, impairing my cognition and reasoning, replacing a helpful amount of positive mental and physical dislodging from my paralysis, with unhelpful impulseiveness and loss of intuition.
i would need to be able to resolve things in my head by being more with it, not less with it.
Posted by undopaminergic on April 21, 2008, at 4:15:32
In reply to Re: morning » SLS, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 18, 2008, at 11:36:43
>
> do you know the brain regions and chemical activities associated with regret, dwelling, cannot focus your mind off of past humiliation and regrets. i find my unshakable hesitance strongly adds to paralysing me, especially socially.
>A good dose of stimulants would solve that temporarily. The question is how to achieve it more consistently. I've taken psychological approaches to dampening the intensity of any pasts regrets, embarrassments, etc., eventually resulting in the total or near-total disarmament of those memories. Rationalisation is one part of it: convince yourself that any action taken by you, or any situation you found yourself in, reflected the person you were then and the realities of that time, and have no bearing on your current status as the centre of the universe, and so on - you need to develop some narcissism. Also, try to identify exactly what you found humiliating or what you regret, and analyse is rationally, and you'll soon find that it's complete folly to let it bug you. Furthermore, remind yourself that what's past is past, and no amount of obsession about it will ever change a thing. Etc...
Posted by Jeroen on April 23, 2008, at 22:24:39
In reply to Re: how long until you noticed effect from amantad, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 17, 2008, at 15:37:55
100 mg i took once a day in the morning
it kicked in about 7 days or week and a half
Posted by Jeroen on April 23, 2008, at 22:29:17
In reply to Re: morning, posted by undopaminergic on April 21, 2008, at 4:15:32
dwelling, cannot focus your mind off of past humiliation and regrets
that sounds some sort of psychosis
try seroquel should kick in 2 weeks
if that doesnt work or get pooped out try clozapine
Posted by Questionmark on April 27, 2008, at 1:15:20
In reply to Re: morning » SLS, posted by iforgotmypassword on April 18, 2008, at 11:36:43
Ah, regret. I know regret. .. although much more of the absence-of-good kind than the humiliation, etc. kind. I think. But i would agree with undopaminergic that a stimulant can help a lot temporarily-- but only temporarily. I entirely disagree with Jeroen that it sounds like "some sort of psychosis." S/He seems intelligent i don't know where that came from (no offense!). In my experience, serotonergic drugs are by far the best for relieving regret and rumination on the past. Nardil in particular is miraculous in that regard because it does so without numbing you nearly as much as SSRIs. I have never been able to shake my regret-- despite (i think) realizing how irrational and counterproductive it may be. The focus on the past never leaves. The painful feelings never leave. I can only filter them with drugs, of the serotonergic kind.
And yeah, GABAergic drugs don't help me with that-- or, at least, they depress me more.> do you know the brain regions and chemical activities associated with regret, dwelling, cannot focus your mind off of past humiliation and regrets. i find my unshakable hesitance strongly adds to paralysing me, especially socially.
>
> it seems GABA helps, may be how nardil helps with social anxiety, but i want to avoid any drunkeness, impairing my cognition and reasoning, replacing a helpful amount of positive mental and physical dislodging from my paralysis, with unhelpful impulseiveness and loss of intuition.
>
> i would need to be able to resolve things in my head by being more with it, not less with it.
Posted by undopaminergic on April 27, 2008, at 2:45:12
In reply to Re:gret » iforgotmypassword, posted by Questionmark on April 27, 2008, at 1:15:20
Perhaps serotonergic drugs are effective against compulsive rumination on the past, but it's likely that they only resolve the compulsion, and only temporarily (until you quit the drug). Stimulants instill self-confidence and make those past events seem less threatening, but this is also temporary. The permanent solution is to carefully analyse each recurring instance of destructive thoughts until they no longer seem humiliating, or even significant. There will only be a limited number of past events that are recurrently troublesome, so you just have to defang them one by one. Possibly, some medications can help in this process - if so, it would most likely be stimulants, due to their enhancement of self-confidence. However, the medications won't do the necessary work of thought-analysis for you.
Posted by Questionmark on May 4, 2008, at 21:04:10
In reply to Re:gret, posted by undopaminergic on April 27, 2008, at 2:45:12
Thank you for your comments.
I'm aware that no drug can be a permanent solution to this problem and that the only thing that may is something psychological (e.g., cognitive and behavioral techniques possibly), but i appreciate your psychologically therapeutic (so to speak) suggestions. But i don't know if your suggestion can be effective (for me at least, of course). I feel like i'm already almost constantly analyzing each instance of destructive thoughts, but it only exacerbates the psychological pain. Maybe i misunderstood your exact meaning though.
Shoot, actually the last post seems to have been intended for someone else probably-- namely "iforgotmypassword". Sorry. But in any case i still want to point out that, for me, feelings of humiliation are not as much the problem of regret as is the feelings of eternal loss (unfulfilled desires, experiences and opportunities) and how if i could have done even little things differently it could have had changed things significantly and for the better.
Also, i'm not sure i agree with your second to last sentence, concerning stimulants. They can definitely be helpful for regret, but they are so temporary, and once you come down it's even worse.
Sorry if i shouldn't have responded to this.> Perhaps serotonergic drugs are effective against compulsive rumination on the past, but it's likely that they only resolve the compulsion, and only temporarily (until you quit the drug). Stimulants instill self-confidence and make those past events seem less threatening, but this is also temporary. The permanent solution is to carefully analyse each recurring instance of destructive thoughts until they no longer seem humiliating, or even significant. There will only be a limited number of past events that are recurrently troublesome, so you just have to defang them one by one. Possibly, some medications can help in this process - if so, it would most likely be stimulants, due to their enhancement of self-confidence. However, the medications won't do the necessary work of thought-analysis for you.
Posted by undopaminergic on May 4, 2008, at 23:36:37
In reply to Re:gret » undopaminergic, posted by Questionmark on May 4, 2008, at 21:04:10
I think your problem of dwelling on loss of opportunities and potential is qualitatively different from the issue of recurring memories that provoke unpleasant feelings. In your case, I agree that serotonergic drugs may be appropriate, due to their efficacy against obsessive-compulsive symptoms.
> Thank you for your comments.
> I'm aware that no drug can be a permanent solution to this problem and that the only thing that may is something psychological (e.g., cognitive and behavioral techniques possibly), but i appreciate your psychologically therapeutic (so to speak) suggestions. But i don't know if your suggestion can be effective (for me at least, of course). I feel like i'm already almost constantly analyzing each instance of destructive thoughts, but it only exacerbates the psychological pain. Maybe i misunderstood your exact meaning though.
> Shoot, actually the last post seems to have been intended for someone else probably-- namely "iforgotmypassword". Sorry. But in any case i still want to point out that, for me, feelings of humiliation are not as much the problem of regret as is the feelings of eternal loss (unfulfilled desires, experiences and opportunities) and how if i could have done even little things differently it could have had changed things significantly and for the better.
> Also, i'm not sure i agree with your second to last sentence, concerning stimulants. They can definitely be helpful for regret, but they are so temporary, and once you come down it's even worse.
> Sorry if i shouldn't have responded to this.
>
> > Perhaps serotonergic drugs are effective against compulsive rumination on the past, but it's likely that they only resolve the compulsion, and only temporarily (until you quit the drug). Stimulants instill self-confidence and make those past events seem less threatening, but this is also temporary. The permanent solution is to carefully analyse each recurring instance of destructive thoughts until they no longer seem humiliating, or even significant. There will only be a limited number of past events that are recurrently troublesome, so you just have to defang them one by one. Possibly, some medications can help in this process - if so, it would most likely be stimulants, due to their enhancement of self-confidence. However, the medications won't do the necessary work of thought-analysis for you.
This is the end of the thread.
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