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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by denise528 on September 2, 2002, at 12:39:15
Hi,
Are you still about? How are you getting on with Dr Martin Jenson, have you made any progress?
Denise
Posted by amber_spirit on September 3, 2002, at 11:46:55
In reply to Amber Spirit-Doctor Martin Jenson, how's it going?, posted by denise528 on September 2, 2002, at 12:39:15
Denise,
I've been back home since the end of July. I am a
college professor and had to get ready for classes
and try to pull my life back together.Dr. Jensen helped me immensely in a short period
of time. I am currently on Depakote ER 1000mg (and
not gaining weight yet), Lamictal 18.75mg,
Synthroid 25mg, and Seroquel 100mg. Everything
but the lamictal was there when I left CA.I've been doing fairly good. Things are slowly
getting better, not only the mood but I've stopped
gaining weight, my energy level is better, I'm
not retaining water, and the terrible anxiety and
agitation is gone. I've been playing with the
dosage of the lamictal on my own - it helps with
mood but also causes some increase in agitation
at the same time. So, I'm being very careful.I wish I was closer to someone who uses his
approach - I'm worried about the fact that I
have to find a pdoc here to continue my meds and
worry that she will want to make changes since
some of his approaches are not widely accepted.
I find myself very frustrated by being told that
I just need to accept the side effects and learn
to deal with them. Dr. Jensen tried a number of
different medications to find the best match and
then went from there. So, I usually know that I
am using the med that I responded the best to and
with the least side effects.Anyway, this is probably more than you wanted to
know. Basically, things are going well. I feel
like the meds are definitely under control even
if picking up the pieces of my life isn't! ;-)Amber Spirit
Posted by Ritch on September 3, 2002, at 22:28:41
In reply to Re: Amber Spirit-Doctor Martin Jenson, how's it going? » denise528, posted by amber_spirit on September 3, 2002, at 11:46:55
> Denise,
>
> I've been back home since the end of July. I am a
> college professor and had to get ready for classes
> and try to pull my life back together.
>
> Dr. Jensen helped me immensely in a short period
> of time. I am currently on Depakote ER 1000mg (and
> not gaining weight yet), Lamictal 18.75mg,
> Synthroid 25mg, and Seroquel 100mg. Everything
> but the lamictal was there when I left CA.
>
> I've been doing fairly good. Things are slowly
> getting better, not only the mood but I've stopped
> gaining weight, my energy level is better, I'm
> not retaining water, and the terrible anxiety and
> agitation is gone. I've been playing with the
> dosage of the lamictal on my own - it helps with
> mood but also causes some increase in agitation
> at the same time. So, I'm being very careful.
>
> I wish I was closer to someone who uses his
> approach - I'm worried about the fact that I
> have to find a pdoc here to continue my meds and
> worry that she will want to make changes since
> some of his approaches are not widely accepted.
> I find myself very frustrated by being told that
> I just need to accept the side effects and learn
> to deal with them. Dr. Jensen tried a number of
> different medications to find the best match and
> then went from there. So, I usually know that I
> am using the med that I responded the best to and
> with the least side effects.
>
> Anyway, this is probably more than you wanted to
> know. Basically, things are going well. I feel
> like the meds are definitely under control even
> if picking up the pieces of my life isn't! ;-)
>
> Amber Spirit
>
>
>
>
Amber,Hope you don't mind me asking a question or two. Do you have blood draws for Depakote and Lamictal? The reason I ask is, we know that VPA and LGT tend to increase each other's blood levels when taken together. More importantly (in my mind) is the contribution of the Synthroid to your med combo. Can you comment any on its usefulness?
thanks in advance,
Mitch
Posted by amber_spirit on September 4, 2002, at 16:48:45
In reply to Re: Amber Spirit-Doctor Martin Jenson, how's it going? » amber_spirit, posted by Ritch on September 3, 2002, at 22:28:41
To be honest - right now I'm managing my medications.
Since I'm no longer in CA to see Dr. Jensen and I
don't have an appt with a pdoc here for another 2
weeks I've been playing with things myself.So, I haven't had blood draws since I've been on
the depakote and lamictal but am guessing my new
pdoc may want to see some. I've read that the
depakote will effectively double the lamictal in
my system while lamictal effectively reduces the
depakote by 25%. (Don't remember exactly where but
I could find them if you want...)
If you are asking me how the synthroid chemically
interacts with my other meds - I don't really
know. I had many signs of hypothyroidism but my
blood tests always came back within the "normal"
range of 0.5-5.0. However, some drs now think
that for some people the range may be much reduced
(like 1.0-2.0). Other clinical research I've seen
has looked at using thyroid augmentation to
improve response to anti-depressants (and may use
blood levels between 1.0-1.5 or even below 1.0).
I noticed a improvement in my fatigue, weight
gain, pain, and water retention with synthroid.
I'm not sure what effect it is having on the
depression itself.
Posted by Ritch on September 5, 2002, at 0:39:16
In reply to more info » Ritch, posted by amber_spirit on September 4, 2002, at 16:48:45
>
>
> If you are asking me how the synthroid chemically
> interacts with my other meds - I don't really
> know. I had many signs of hypothyroidism but my
> blood tests always came back within the "normal"
> range of 0.5-5.0. However, some drs now think
> that for some people the range may be much reduced
> (like 1.0-2.0). Other clinical research I've seen
> has looked at using thyroid augmentation to
> improve response to anti-depressants (and may use
> blood levels between 1.0-1.5 or even below 1.0).
> I noticed a improvement in my fatigue, weight
> gain, pain, and water retention with synthroid.
> I'm not sure what effect it is having on the
> depression itself.
>
>
Thanks for responding! I have been taking 500mg of L-tyrosine in the morning on an empty stomach (thanks for that idea Fuscia), and recently discovered that L-tyrosine is the precursor to making thyroid hormone. I have definitely felt better taking the L-tyrosine. I have had thyroid surgery for a tumor (this runs in my family-my Mom had thyroid cancer and epilepsy), and I currently have only half a thyroid left. I understand that Synthroid is also used to shrink thyroid tumors. The bottom line-would I be better off taking Synthroid instead of antidepressants or stimulants? My bipolar depressions are marked by fatigue and tiredness. I have been on stimulants previously, and they have eliminated the fatigue and resulting depression, but tend to make me uptight and panicky. I have read that *hypo*-thyroidism is associated with an increased incidence of panic symptoms. Just wondering if Synthroid augmentation would *solve* the fatigue during bipolar depression. IF the fatigue is solved, I wouldn't be depressed. IF I was more hyperthyroid, I should be *less* prone to panic- based on that logic.any further comments appreciated,
Mitch
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