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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mouse on July 4, 2002, at 16:18:49
My pdoc has me on Risperdal. I am not schizophrenic as far as my diagnosis. I was started on it because I have PTSD symptoms where I think people will hurt me. (poison the water, crash into my car, beat me up, put me into the hospital etc). The Risperdal doesn't seem to be helping. Any suggestions? I see my pdoc on the 19th of July. I have asked to be taken off the Risperdal. I know that my thoughts are not real. I just keep having them when i get stressed. I'm taking Parnate 30 mgs daily, Xanax .25 mg as needed (about 2 x month), and medroxyprog AC 10 mg the 14th to the 28 day of my cycle. My diagnos is depression, panic disorder, and PTSD.
mouse
Posted by katekite on July 4, 2002, at 17:46:35
In reply to diagnosis, antipsychotics, pdoc suggestions wanted, posted by mouse on July 4, 2002, at 16:18:49
How long have you been on the risperdal? Have you been increasing the dose gradually to see if a higher dose would be more effective? -- kate
Posted by mouse on July 4, 2002, at 18:14:35
In reply to Re: diagnosis, antipsychotics, pdoc suggestions wanted, posted by katekite on July 4, 2002, at 17:46:35
> How long have you been on the risperdal? Have you been increasing the dose gradually to see if a higher dose would be more effective? -- kate
Kate,
I've been on the Risperdal for about 5 years, possibly longer, I was at 1 mg, but the pdoc increased it to 3 mg about 6 months ago. I don't see it as helping with my thoughs. I even went to counseling to learn the CBT to see if it could augument the meds. No dice. Exercise helps with the depression and anxiety, but have no relief for the thoughts. I know they are not real, but they persist. I'm not sure if they are obsessive thoughts or psychotic thoughs. Could be both. 3 mg is not the highest dosage that could be used, but if I'm not getting any relief now would increasing the dosage help. I sure hate to go to something that would give me side-effects. This doesn't seem to bother me.
mouse
Posted by Schuyler on July 5, 2002, at 5:11:46
In reply to Re: diagnosis, antipsychotics, pdoc suggestions wanted, posted by mouse on July 4, 2002, at 18:14:35
It isn't clear to me why you have taken Risperdal for 5 years if it is not helping. Could you explain that?
I can only say that I have been taking Risperdal for 3 weeks now, (currently at 1 mg per day), and it has helped reduce my obsessive, "ruminative" thinking a *lot* (together with 40 mg of Ritalin per day). If Risperdal doesn't work for you, why not try another "anti-psychotic" mood stabilizer?
Schuyler
Posted by katekite on July 5, 2002, at 9:24:16
In reply to Re: diagnosis, antipsychotics, pdoc suggestions wanted, posted by mouse on July 4, 2002, at 18:14:35
If it helped when he raised it six months ago then another increase might be an idea. If it really didn't seem to do anything when it was raised six months ago, then maybe think about not stopping it, but putting it back to 1 mg, and trying another drug too.
If the other drug was really effective then you could most likely stop the risperdal. Xyprexa is a possibility, similar to risperdal but different enough to have some different effects.
Some of your thoughts sound pretty anxious (worrying), that makes me think of neurontin which was helpful for me for anxiety. Or other anxiety meds. If the thoughts just seem weird to you but aren't bothersome then neurontin probably wouldn't be worth trying.
I find it really helpful to take a list of questions with me to my pdoc, otherwise I forget or start feeling like it doesn't matter.
Kate
Posted by cybercafe on July 5, 2002, at 14:50:43
In reply to Re: diagnosis, antipsychotics, pdoc suggestions wanted, posted by katekite on July 5, 2002, at 9:24:16
> Some of your thoughts sound pretty anxious (worrying), that makes me think of neurontin which was helpful for me for anxiety. Or other anxiety meds. If the thoughts just seem weird to you but aren't bothersome then neurontin probably wouldn't be worth trying.
>how well did neurontin work for you Kate? ... I mean is anxiety totally gone or just general rather than situational anxiety? ... and how high a dose did you go?
.... personally i think it's an awesome drug...
... though i would much rather find an antidepressant that would do it all ...
Posted by mouse on July 5, 2002, at 19:31:34
In reply to Re: diagnosis, antipsychotics, pdoc suggestions wanted, posted by Schuyler on July 5, 2002, at 5:11:46
> It isn't clear to me why you have taken Risperdal for 5 years if it is not helping. Could you explain that?
Well, when my old pdoc suggested that I take it i didn't know why I was taking it. I was told for the anxiety and trusted him so left it at that. Then he retired and I switched to a different pdoc. In the process I also went to a different GP and he said something about me having thought disorders. I didn't know what he said but he was talking about the Risperdal and so I did some internet research and realized why I was given it. Duh! So when the first pdoc said is it helping I said sure because my anxiety was not so bad, but I was still having disturbing thoughts. Didn't connect the two. I'm better informed today. That is why I'm here. Trying to find a solution. The new (actually old by now) pdoc doesn't want to mess with it since i don't have side-effects. I want to "know" what to tell him so that I can get something that works either by increasing this or changing. I just don't want to have side-effects either. So I sort of understand his conservative nature.
> I can only say that I have been taking Risperdal for 3 weeks now, (currently at 1 mg per day), and it has helped reduce my obsessive, "ruminative" thinking a *lot* (together with 40 mg of Ritalin per day). If Risperdal doesn't work for you, why not try another "anti-psychotic" mood stabilizer?I am looking at that as an option, just don't know which one to look at yet.
mouse
> Schuyler
Posted by mouse on July 5, 2002, at 19:37:48
In reply to Re: diagnosis, antipsychotics, pdoc suggestions wanted, posted by katekite on July 5, 2002, at 9:24:16
> If it helped when he raised it six months ago then another increase might be an idea. If it really didn't seem to do anything when it was raised six months ago, then maybe think about not stopping it, but putting it back to 1 mg, and trying another drug too.
I didn't notice a difference. I was so depressed it seemed to overshadow everything. Now that i'm not depressed I thought I could deal with this now.
>
> If the other drug was really effective then you could most likely stop the risperdal. Xyprexa is a possibility, similar to risperdal but different enough to have some different effects.Thanks for the suggestion. I'll look it up online and see what it looks like. I definatly need some sort of change.
>
> Some of your thoughts sound pretty anxious (worrying), that makes me think of neurontin which was helpful for me for anxiety. Or other anxiety meds. If the thoughts just seem weird to you but aren't bothersome then neurontin probably wouldn't be worth trying.Usually they are how I have pre-anxiety before having a panic attack. Annoying at the least. I do want them to stop but don't want to be a zombie to get the desired effect.
>
> I find it really helpful to take a list of questions with me to my pdoc, otherwise I forget or start feeling like it doesn't matter.
>
> KateThanks for the suggestion. This pdoc does well when I come in organized. He listens better though he listens in general so that is good, but it goes by faster (less appointments to make the change) if I look like I've done my homework.
mouse
Posted by katekite on July 7, 2002, at 9:41:14
In reply to Re: gnosis, antipsychotics, pdoc suggestions wanted, posted by cybercafe on July 5, 2002, at 14:50:43
At the time I had sort of a moderate general anxiety and severe social anxiety. The neurontin, for me, took away the general anxiety completely and reduced the social anxiety to the point where I could work on it with therapy type tips. I also felt like I was more able to work on particular goals. I was much happier, but this was probably secondary to the amazing improvement in anxiety.
So, out of, lets see, the 20 or so meds I've tried I found it the most helpful for anxiety. Better for me than benzos because (for me) less sedation and less interference with rational thought at a dose that produces calmness. Better than buspar, which actually for me made anxiety worse. Better than paxil which made only a slight improvement. This is speaking for anxiety only, though.
The only thing negative I have to say about it was that in retrospect I think I viewed life over-simply on it, I think I was more naive than usual. I'm not sure how much -- just when I read stuff I wrote then it seems I had turned into a disney version of someone on a self help binge. I got distracted by working on my social anxiety to the point I didn't do other things I needed to. A little weird. I'm generally cynical and my personality shifted to being an optomist (no one in my family is an optomist, it's genetically screened for in potential mates and any optomists are discarded.) But, at the time, it felt good.
kate
Posted by wcfrench on July 7, 2002, at 22:33:57
In reply to neurontin » cybercafe, posted by katekite on July 7, 2002, at 9:41:14
I'm no doc, but I would suggest an anti-psychotic such as Geodon or Zyprexa.. the Geodon made me feel very "at peace" with odd fears and psychotic fears I would get, such as seeing negativity in things that aren't really negative. (Like pictures of houses, road signs, etc... I know, it's wierd) Stronger meds, but more targeted.
Keep us posted.
-Charlie
Posted by cybercafe on July 8, 2002, at 2:48:29
In reply to Re: neurontin, posted by wcfrench on July 7, 2002, at 22:33:57
> I'm no doc, but I would suggest an anti-psychotic such as Geodon or Zyprexa.. the Geodon made me feel very "at peace" with odd fears and psychotic fears I would get, such as seeing negativity in things that aren't really negative. (Like pictures of houses, road signs, etc... I know, it's wierd) Stronger meds, but more targeted.
Yeah I have considered antipsychotics, ... I would probably be more likely to use them for depression than anxiety.
I have spoken to a few people who took antipsychotics, and said they still had to take benzos for anxiety. I don't know how typical that is....Really I am just afraid of movement disorders...
I hear those without psychosis are much more at risk ... i would like to find out exactly how much more :)i appreciate the info anyways :)
take care
Posted by MomO3 on July 10, 2002, at 0:41:06
In reply to Re: neurontin, posted by cybercafe on July 8, 2002, at 2:48:29
May I ask what you mean by odd psychotic fears? I can recall time where I was probably delusional.. out of body experiences that sort of thing...my thinking was pretty irrational...
What kinds of symptoms precipitate a script for an anti-psychotic??
> > I'm no doc, but I would suggest an anti-psychotic such as Geodon or Zyprexa.. the Geodon made me feel very "at peace" with odd fears and psychotic fears I would get, such as seeing negativity in things that aren't really negative. (Like pictures of houses, road signs, etc... I know, it's wierd) Stronger meds, but more targeted.
>
> Yeah I have considered antipsychotics, ... I would probably be more likely to use them for depression than anxiety.
> I have spoken to a few people who took antipsychotics, and said they still had to take benzos for anxiety. I don't know how typical that is....
>
> Really I am just afraid of movement disorders...
> I hear those without psychosis are much more at risk ... i would like to find out exactly how much more :)
>
> i appreciate the info anyways :)
>
> take care
This is the end of the thread.
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