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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ~Alii~ on April 30, 2003, at 22:10:05
Just wondering on the cocktails of meds we all take how many good days one can come to expect from all this? I mean the fuzzy thinking and the total artistic/mathmatical dulling from the meds and the absence of joy....
I'm reaching for the moon and stars, right? Asking too much?
Posted by Dinah on May 1, 2003, at 3:54:42
In reply to How many good days does one strive for?, posted by ~Alii~ on April 30, 2003, at 22:10:05
Hi Alii. Nice to see you again.
I don't know about you, but I just try to optimize. Like my pdoc says, not taking meds has "side effects" too, and it's up to me to choose which side effects are acceptable.
I do remember how awful you felt when your depression wasn't under control. But I also know how frustrating it can be to not feel like you have your normal abilities because of a medication. I wish I had an answer. Have you asked your doctor if there is anything to do?
And how are you doing, Alii? Have they given you any answers with the blood tests?
Posted by fallsfall on May 1, 2003, at 7:32:43
In reply to How many good days does one strive for?, posted by ~Alii~ on April 30, 2003, at 22:10:05
I'm shooting for 1 good day. I did have 1 good day about 4 months ago. Does that mean I'm shooting for 2?
Posted by whiterabbit on May 1, 2003, at 11:26:09
In reply to How many good days does one strive for?, posted by ~Alii~ on April 30, 2003, at 22:10:05
Of course everyone is different but this is how it worked for me - I was taking Seroquel for a couple of years before it really got my bipolar symptoms under control. I think this is partly because it took awhile to determine the right dosage and now I'm good at 400 mg nightly. But it also took such a long time because I wasn't being compliant, I kept fooling around with the dosage
myself (because the stuff was making me so tired) and skipping dosages so I could drink (otherwise it made me sick). Eventually I adjusted to the medication, the side effects went away and I started taking it like I was supposed to, the correct dosage every night without fail. Once the drug had a real chance to kick in, my bipolar symptoms slooowly began to fade. I started going to bed at night and getting up in the morning, and I sleep 8 or 9 hours just like normal people
(that right there is a miracle in itself, since my inner timeclock had been set backwards for pretty most all of my life. I wanted to stay up all night and sleep all day, so I was exhausted much of the time. Later, when I got seriously depressed, I was either sleeping all the time or barely sleeping at all, and the insomnia revved up my anxiety level to an unbearable degree - that's when the self-medication started to get serious).Once I started to sleep well and the mood swings leveled off, I did feel better, much more calm. But I was still depressed - I didn't care much about anything, I didn't want to go out, talking to other people was a real effort. It was hard to concentrate or focus for very long on anything.
That didn't go away until I started taking Paxil
and even then, of course, you have to wait a number of weeks before you notice any improvement.
I did okay on 20 mg and better at 40 mg. I'm taking 60 mg daily right now but I think that's because I started to get depressed again over the separation from my husband. From a clinical standpoint I think that's "okay", because I'm upset about a painful situation and not just because I'm alive.It does take a lot of time and patience and good
old-fashioned endurance to hang on. The "experimental" phase with psychiatric medication is pretty tough. Before Seroquel, I was on Depakote for 6 months. This is an effective mood stabalizer for many people but didn't work for me at all. Before the Paxil I tried Wellbutrin but it made nervous and irritable.Still, look at the alternative to psych meds -
possibly, maybe even probably, a lifetime of misery. Now that I'm taking effective medication, I am no longer depressed. I leave the house to see other people, I've started to paint again -
something I quit doing for years - I no longer think of harming or doing away with myself. I'm
slowly cleaning up the mess I made during the time I was so unwell - not just my environment, but re-connecting with my family. Apparently it's too late for my husband, but I might be better off without him anyway. Sometimes you just have to cut your losses.Please hold on. If you can get through every day, just one day at a time, you will eventually reach the point where there are many good days for you.
I'm the living example ;-)
-Gracie
This is the end of the thread.
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