Posted by Vincent_QC on March 8, 2010, at 7:24:44
In reply to Re: Medication Phobia (pharmacophobia), posted by Dr. Bob on March 8, 2010, at 0:56:05
> > Also I think you can still follow up in this thread if its not about alternative treatments.
>
> Definitely, thanks for reminding everyone,
>
> Bob
>
>Well, for me the thread about med phobia is over.
Will not start any kind of antidepressants before I see my Family Doctor, who are a specialist in the treatment of the anxiety diseases.. The PDoc is more involve into depression treatments...and don't seem to know how to deal with anxiety disorder, since you never give up and told a patient that their is no hope, in a med way of view... Maybe i'm sensitive to antidepressants meds now, but that's doesn't mean that I will be sensitive to another type of medication...
I also having BAD chronic tension headache since 4 months now. I had some previous periods of my life where I got those chronic tension headache type... each episode was trigger by overstress, especially after an university trimister or any kind of new stress environnement (new job)...Normally, I deal well with that kind of headache, pop up once in a while an Advil...but not too much to prevent rebound headache... but this time it's reaching a higher peak of pain and the headache last severals days... normally it's 3-4 days in a row, now I reach the 6-7 days in a row without a break... of course, that adding anxiety on me...
My tension headache are chronic, I mean that when I start having a headache, it's last 3-4 days, the pain stop for 1-2 days and start again... it can last 4-6 months... and seem to fade away when i'm starting a new project in my life, like start school again or just change my minds or having new anxiety symptoms, who will make me forgetting the headache and focus on the new anxiety symptoms...
The pain comming from that type of headache is located always on each side of the head, near the temple and behind the eyes. The pain is always higher in one side of the head, switching from the left to the right. On a scale of 10, the pain reach a peak of 8-9 in the evening.
I consider maybe to ask my Family Doctor to start the Lyrica, who will prevent another episode of chronic tension headache and will decrease the anxiety.
Well, it's a theory... I know that the Lyrica have a lof of pros and cons, because of the side-effects... but overall, it's having more side-effects than the Neurontin, but seem to be stronger also. The neurontin never work on me, the pins and needles effect was not tolerable and not helpfull for the anxiety... just adding more stress... after a 3600 mg day trail for 2 months... I hated that med a lot... was not helpfull at all...
I only try the Lyrica two times in my life, the first time was before I start the Rivotril back in 2005. I remember that one 75mg pill send me to the bed for almost 12 hours in a row... At the time, I had only social anxiety, so the sedation was not welcome. I stop it after that one dose...
In the spring of 2009, I start having chronic tension headache, as well as panic disorder again. Trigger by too much anxiety and pressure from the gym and exercises... So the Family Doc decide to give some samples box of the true brand name Lyrica...75 mg capsules... he said that it will be good for anxiety and headache... I say ok, why not... I took one 75mg pill before bedtime and had a really bad night... this time, I never felt the sedative effect or the anxiolytic effect, probably because of my addiction to the benzos meds and the fact that my brains are used now to their hyptnotic and sedative effects...
I remember that I spend the night dealing with face flushing, hot neck and shoulder.. It was like I had a really hot sensation on my skin and a flow of blood rushing into my head... I hated that effect so much that I just stop it again after one dose...
I never give up so I call the Family Doc and he put me on the Sabril (Vigabatrin), who is not avaible in the USA and act as an irreversible suicide inhibitor of the GABA-T, the enzyme responsible for the catabolism of GABA, which in theory increases the level of GABA in the brain...
I had the same flushing reaction on that med... I barely stay one week on 500 mg, where the target dose was 1500mg a day... I never reach that state... the facial flushing and strange numbless effect in the head was again too much for me...
Yeah, i'm med sensitive... I know... lol
I return to see my Family Doc and he put me on the Neurontin again... Strangely, I had the same facial flushing effect, is it my anxiety who do tricks on me????
Anyway it was less powerfull than the Lyrica effect or the Sabril... I stay 1 weeks on the Neurontin, start at 300mg day 1, increase at 600 mg day 2 and stay at 900 mg for 5 days. The low doses divided in 3 doses daily, was by far lower than my previous trail in 2005, where I was at 3600 mg day... What I can say is that at 900 mg day, I had the facial flushing effect and the old and boring pins and needles effect in the head...
I never had the pins and needles on the Lyrica or the Sabril... but I remember that I had it on the Topamax...
I know those kind of meds are not killing the headache right away.. they take time to build up in the system and work more as preventive treatment for chronic tension headache... but in a period of high pain and chronic tension headache, a lot of people, like me, want the pain to stop right now!!! Who is normal... I think...
Anyway, I call my Family Doc office today, will ask to be see as an emergency case...i'm planning to ask for the Lyrica for the headache... I will try to forget the flushing effect...and last more than 2 days on it...The main problem is the additive sedation than the Lyrica can add to my 6 mg of Rivotril I already take each day... I just hope it will be ok... I'm already a lot dizzi and have a double vision problem...
It's about time that I start a CBT soon... I need to learn new tricks to manage my stress and control it... A schema therapy or a PNL will be very welcome for me...
Will also ask my Family Doc to give me some references about private clinics and private PDoc... I'm tired of the free services offer by the public healt system... and the fact that I cannot have another PDoc...
Anyway, end of the story...
Thanks everyone!
poster:Vincent_QC
thread:938472
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100305/msgs/938903.html