Posted by BarbaraCat on July 31, 2004, at 15:33:11
In reply to Re: Lamenting your losses-BarbaraCat Katia, posted by malthus on July 31, 2004, at 12:17:23
Thanks so much, Malthus, and sorry about your Winston Kitty. It's amazing the pure love these critters inspire. Thanks for the Emily Dickenson quote. I love her. Here's one that I think is by Oscar Wilde:
"Heaven would not a heaven be,
were my cats not there to welcome me".This always gives me great comfort.
Now, as far as your meds, 75mg of Lamictal can be a perfectly fine dose. It sustained me for almost a year. Then my Mom died after being hit by a car while out walking and it unhinged me. Raising the Lam did nothing but make me agitated, something like what Katia experienced. Then I got a pre-rash condition when I raised it to 150mg. That 'therapeutic dose' is just too much for some people. What finally helped more than anything to pull me out of a very dark place was nortryptaline. A great AD, I just wish it didn't have the annoying dry mouth and eyes side effect, which became too much for me. Now I'm just on lithium and St. John's Wort for the depression and it's been pretty effective.
Your pdoc sounds rather anal about sleep meds, but maybe she's had some experiences with patients that have made her cautious. It's always best to go to sleep on your own, so do whatever it takes. But you might truly have a sleep disorder which goes hand in hand with bipolar disorder. If you need a sleeper, then that's the way it is and maybe find a new pdoc. You need to sleep. If you haven't given benedryl (50 or 100mg) a try, consider it. It's over the counter and can be very effective. - Barbara
> I'm so sorry I didn't say anything in my last post but I am sad about the loss of your pets. I know first-hand how difficult this is; had to have my Winston Cat put to sleep in my arms; I couldn't get out of bed for a week and mourned for a long time after.
>
> "Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need of hell." Emily Dickinson
>
> You are both in my thoughts. Best, Malthus
poster:BarbaraCat
thread:238206
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040730/msgs/372693.html