Posted by JohnL on June 18, 2000, at 7:00:58
In reply to confused, posted by amy18 on June 18, 2000, at 1:32:00
Amy,
I sure am sorry to hear how frustrating things are for you right now. I can sure relate. And how.
Even though this is impossible to believe, hold it close to your heart and remember it...you WILL get better. As sure as the sun rises. All these things shall come to pass. As my mother always told, "the pendulum swings". It can't stay where it is forever.
Based on what you have said about previous medications, can I suggest something to consider? Zyprexa + stimulant. I could spend pages explaining why, but in a nutshell this is it:
* The odds of one medication working are no better than another. Since others have already been tried, the odds of these working has increased. You've narrowed down the field.
* These medications target different chemistries than other medications you've tried. Wellbutrin is sort of like a stimulant, but in no way can predict how you would respond to a real stimulant.
* Stimulants work by increasing norepinephrine and/or dopamine function, both of which are pleasure centers in the brain, and they also increase blood flow to parts of the brain that may be lacking. The best thing is that if they are to work, they will do so in 24 to 72 hours. No long suffering trials to find out. That is a HUGE plus for someone in your shoes.
* Stimulants are ironically appropriate for people susceptible to mania.
* Check out Dr bob's 'Tip' section to see what other doctors have to say about stimulants for depression.
* You won't have that zombiness with a stimulant.
* Zyprexa is turning out to be a wide spectrum medication capable of treating a wide range of symptoms. It is being used to treat depression. It was just approved for controlling mania too. It's far more than the antipsychotic it was first meant to be. Don't let the word antipsychotic scare you. Zyprexa is a good wide spectrum medication.
* Zyprexa will let you sleep like a baby. You can expect a hangover kind of feeling upon waking, which goes away with the morning coffee. At low doses of 2.5mg to 5mg, and especially when combined with a stimulant, daytime zombiness is not likely.In your shoes, knowing what I know now, with the benefit of hindsight, that's what I would do. Zyprexa 2.5mg-5mg plus either Ritalin, Adderall, or Provigil. Which ever works best in comparison trials.
I've found it helpful to print out my research on drugs like these to show my doctor when requesting a trial of this or that. You might find that helpful too. Dr Bob's 'Tips' has been especially helpful in pursuading my doc. It shows the doc what other docs around the world are having success with, and lends credibility to your requests. Stimulants for depression in 'Tips' is very convincing. There's good info on Zyprexa. To find the recent news release on its approval for mania you'll have to search the web. Your doc may already be aware, but just in case...
Zyprexa plus a stimulant is my pdocs favorite strategy for treating frustrating cases like yours. It covers a lot of bases all at once and increases the odds for success, but most especially when other more routine approaches have already failed. Which they have. You qualify.
JohnL
poster:JohnL
thread:37674
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000610/msgs/37683.html