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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by nfc on August 16, 2008, at 5:23:42
I'm going back to college this fall which is in a week or so and I'm looking for any info from all of you who had to wake up early despite taking psych meds.
I'm on 5mg abilify and don't have quite the same spunk as I had before being on meds. During the time I was kinda sane and not on meds I mean. So I started taking my abilify recently in the mornin. and notice a slight sluggishness, sleepyness afterwards. My classes run from 7-12am and i go to work thereafter from 1-7pm. Should I take my abilify b4 skool or after? or maybe after work? i dunno. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance.
nfc
Posted by llurpsienoodle on August 16, 2008, at 10:06:59
In reply to Going back to skool - Any tips for waking up early, posted by nfc on August 16, 2008, at 5:23:42
Hey nfc,
I took abilify at bedtime. It made me sleepy, and helped me fall asleep faster. The sedation during the day was minimal. I have found that I function a LOT better with a cup of coffee or half a redbullYou're gonna do great. Maybe the beginning of the semester is a good time to play around with the timing of the dose, since the demands are (relatively) low?
-Ll
Posted by nfc on August 16, 2008, at 17:37:59
In reply to Re: Going back to skool - Any tips for waking up early » nfc, posted by llurpsienoodle on August 16, 2008, at 10:06:59
hey llurps,
hope u don't mind me calling u that. thanks for the info. yeah i will try experimenting during the beginning of the semester to find what works. red bull sounds good too! What do u take abilify for and what dosage are u on? I take it cuz i've been dx'd w/ skits. and do u notice that you're heartrate is a bit low also because of being on abilify?
well i should be off to costco these upcoming days to stock up on some red bull u just mentioned. I've never tried red bull. hows the taste? for my kick i usually drink up costco lattes. them cheap stuff that still tastes quite good. on average i drink 2-3 a day and I calculated that it'll take like a 2 week paycheck to pay for what I drink in a year. If i count my starbucks purchases w/ that, omg i dunno how much more i'm spending. hmmm...I should invest in coffee...my own machine maybe???
thanks and talk to u later,
nfc
Posted by llurpsienoodle on August 17, 2008, at 9:54:31
In reply to Re: Going back to skool - Any tips for waking up early » llurpsienoodle, posted by nfc on August 16, 2008, at 17:37:59
> hey llurps,
>Nope- everyone calls me different things, which I find amusing lol
> hope u don't mind me calling u that. thanks for the info. yeah i will try experimenting during the beginning of the semester to find what works. red bull sounds good too! What do u take abilify for and what dosage are u on? I take it cuz i've been dx'd w/ skits. and do u notice that you're heartrate is a bit low also because of being on abilify?
>I took atypical AP's for about 2 years because of flashbacks and little hallucinations related to post-traumatic stress disorder. I took 5mg of abilify for about 3 mos, and 10mg for about 6 mos. It was BY FAR the best AP I've ever taken-- not fattening, not sedating (except for the first 2 hours). Only side-effect was that I was a big clumsy. oh well. Recently I discontinued abilify, because I haven't had PTSD stuff in a while. I took 3 weeks of 5mg and then quit altogether about 2 weeks ago. My mind has been busy- racing thoughts and stuff, but that is starting to dissipate.
> well i should be off to costco these upcoming days to stock up on some red bull u just mentioned. I've never tried red bull. hows the taste? for my kick i usually drink up costco lattes. them cheap stuff that still tastes quite good. on average i drink 2-3 a day and I calculated that it'll take like a 2 week paycheck to pay for what I drink in a year. If i count my starbucks purchases w/ that, omg i dunno how much more i'm spending. hmmm...I should invest in coffee...my own machine maybe???
>
> thanks and talk to u later,
>
> nfc
>
>try out the redbull before your first class- it might make you feel too revved up. You don't want to feel panicked!
best wishes,
-Lllow heartrate- maybe a little bit, very occasional episodes, but nothing that was alarming. I rarely exercise, so...
Posted by nfc on August 18, 2008, at 6:34:37
In reply to Re: Going back to skool - Any tips for waking up early » nfc, posted by llurpsienoodle on August 17, 2008, at 9:54:31
hey llurps,
yeah abilify's da bomb! but as far as your symptoms its good to hear for you they are dissipating and going away. did they give u an AD for anxiety? or maybe that wasn't necessary?
If u find the racing thoughts coming back maybe thats a symptom of med withdrawal?will try the red bull maybe on sunday the day b4 skool. u heard of the alcholic red bull types of drinks? i heard high school kids on the news were drinking them and getting all buzzed and amped at the same time. funny and crazy at the same time.
but yeah take care and best wishes to you too!
nfc
Posted by llurpsienoodle on August 19, 2008, at 8:04:18
In reply to Re: Going back to skool - Any tips for waking up early » llurpsienoodle, posted by nfc on August 18, 2008, at 6:34:37
> hey llurps,
>
> yeah abilify's da bomb! but as far as your symptoms its good to hear for you they are dissipating and going away. did they give u an AD for anxiety? or maybe that wasn't necessary?
> If u find the racing thoughts coming back maybe thats a symptom of med withdrawal?I have been Dx with bipolar, in addition to PTSD, and have been struggling with depression for about 2.5 years. Since May I've been feeling better (knock on wood!)
I also take
lamictal 300mg
zoloft 100mg
wellbutrin 300mg
and the occasional klonopin or sonataquite the cocktail, huh?
you asked about anxiety- oddly enough the only thing that's working with the anxiety (lately) is wellbutrin. It calms me down. kind of strange, but, there you go. I'll take it!
-Ll
Posted by nfc on August 20, 2008, at 7:53:35
In reply to Re: Going back to skool - Any tips for waking up early » nfc, posted by llurpsienoodle on August 19, 2008, at 8:04:18
wow llurps,
u take 2 AD's? interesting? has your pdoc tried lowering your AD's to see if u still need it? i had flat affect and depression when on risperdal. i suspected but not totally sure risperdal was the cause of it. once i changed to abilify i noticed an uplifting feeling eventually. i asked pdoc if i could quit my lexapro and she said ok. there were quite a few down times but its been 7 months since I quit lex but still on 5mg abilify and i feel really good. I'm just thinking in your case maybe once u stabalize and your depression symptoms are at bay, talk to your pdoc about lowering the AD's and maybe that might help? but again take what I say w/ a grain of salt and talk w/ pdoc cuz they know whats best although funny when one pdoc's regiment is different from another. I've been through different pdocs and the current one always chuckles what my previous one did in treating me. I'm just thinking w/o being so medicated your brain can regulate itself w/o relying on the meds and can work the way its suppose to after med therapy for a certain time.
talk to ya later,
nfc
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