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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by BAnxious on July 15, 2002, at 23:42:14
Hello,
I have been lurking on this group for a long time and have finally decided to post. I am 18, male, my diagnoses include major depressive disorder in partial remission, severe generalized social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and ADD, primarily inattentive.After many difficult years and unsuccessful med trials, I have found some relief, particularly from my depression, with a combination of 60mg Remeron qhs and nortriptyline (tapering off of 100mg qhs, currently at 50 mgs qhs). I also use Dexedrine 25 mg/day prn for ADD symptoms. I am in the process of trying Neurontin for anxiety and am at 600mg TID.
I have just finished high school and will be attending university this coming fall. The university I will be going to is four hours away from my home and all of the changes that will be associated with this move and new life and generating a very high degree of acute anxiety. I have clonazepam 0.25-.5mg bid prn available to me, but I fear taking benzodiazepines due to the risk of tolerance/dependence/withdrawal.
However, in light of this newly found stress, I need to add a benzo for at least a brief period of time on a continuous basis. I do not particularly care for the clonazepam because of its slow onset of action and tendency to worsen my depression.
I have tried buspirone 60mg/day with no success. I have also tried Effexor, Prozac and Parnate with little success.My first choice for a benzo would probably be bromazepam (Lectopam here in Canada), 3mg tid. I hope that someone will be able to comment on this drug, or any other anxiolytic that I might find helpful.
Thanks,
Brian
Posted by Shawn. T. on July 16, 2002, at 14:59:31
In reply to Severe Anxiety, posted by BAnxious on July 15, 2002, at 23:42:14
60mg/day of Remeron and 25mg/day of dexedrine isn't going to help much with anxiety. Noradrenaline overload is not a good thing. If I were you, I'd slowly decrease your Remeron dosage down to 15-30mg. Then scrap all that other stuff and get on Wellbutrin. 150mg/day initially, 300mg/day if that doesn't work. Provigil and Remeron is another idea. Start taking DHEA supplements. Add some fish oils (DHA+EPA). Start to exercise more. Take a multivitamin with antioxidants every day. Keep away from those benzo's; they're bad news.
Shawn
Posted by BAnxious on July 16, 2002, at 16:52:10
In reply to Re: Severe Anxiety, posted by Shawn. T. on July 16, 2002, at 14:59:31
I had to increase the Remeron from 30mg to 60mg to counteract weight gain. I only use the Dexedrine occasionally and I don't find it extremely anxiogenic. I would expect Wellbutrin to cause an increase in anxiety. I take multi-vitamins daily and also exercise. DHEA is an illegal controlled substance in Canada.
What I was hoping for was some feedback on bromazepam in particular.
Brian
> 60mg/day of Remeron and 25mg/day of dexedrine isn't going to help much with anxiety. Noradrenaline overload is not a good thing. If I were you, I'd slowly decrease your Remeron dosage down to 15-30mg. Then scrap all that other stuff and get on Wellbutrin. 150mg/day initially, 300mg/day if that doesn't work. Provigil and Remeron is another idea. Start taking DHEA supplements. Add some fish oils (DHA+EPA). Start to exercise more. Take a multivitamin with antioxidants every day. Keep away from those benzo's; they're bad news.
>
> Shawn
Posted by Shawn. T. on July 16, 2002, at 17:24:30
In reply to Re: Severe Anxiety, posted by BAnxious on July 16, 2002, at 16:52:10
Taking that much Remeron will have similar anxiogenic effects to taking Wellbutrin. I was thinking that you might take a low dose (say 100-150mg/day) of Wellbutrin with say 15mg/day of Remeron. You might think about a low carb diet in addition to a lower dose of Remeron as a way to both lose weight and increase DHEA. Your exercising increases DHEA as well. I'm not a big fan of taking a lot of Remeron (above 30mg/day).
Shawn
Posted by Essence on July 16, 2002, at 18:27:56
In reply to Severe Anxiety, posted by BAnxious on July 15, 2002, at 23:42:14
Hi Brian;
Sorry to hear that your going through a rough time right now. I am a Remerom user (30 mg)and like it, but it does nothing for my anxiety either. I think from what I've read on other posts, your going the right route with Neurontin, I understand people have great success with it for anxiety. If that is the case and it works for you, you may not have to worry about going on a benzo. I don't know anything about Lectopam, but have used xanax (7 yrs) and clonazepam (4 mos). Benzo's are physically addictive with long term use and getting off them can be difficult for some people, but I feel they serve a purpose. I could not have gotten back on my feet without them as my anxiety left me totally debilitated. Some of your anxiety seems to situational to what is going on in your life, perhaps using a benzo prn and over a short period of time might be the answer for you until your settled this fall. If I had to choose, it would be xanax again. I don't find the clonazepam to be as affective for me in controlling anxiety/panic as the Xanax was when I was taking it. I was taking .50 QID. I take .50 BID of Clonazepam. Keep well.
Essence
Posted by jay on July 16, 2002, at 20:21:23
In reply to Severe Anxiety, posted by BAnxious on July 15, 2002, at 23:42:14
Hi:I am in Canada too. Lectopam(bromazepam) is an awesome drug, imho, and works great for anxiety. 3mg is a great dose. Go for it..use it while you need it...and I think you will do well. Best!
Jay
> Hello,
> I have been lurking on this group for a long time and have finally decided to post. I am 18, male, my diagnoses include major depressive disorder in partial remission, severe generalized social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and ADD, primarily inattentive.
>
> After many difficult years and unsuccessful med trials, I have found some relief, particularly from my depression, with a combination of 60mg Remeron qhs and nortriptyline (tapering off of 100mg qhs, currently at 50 mgs qhs). I also use Dexedrine 25 mg/day prn for ADD symptoms. I am in the process of trying Neurontin for anxiety and am at 600mg TID.
>
> I have just finished high school and will be attending university this coming fall. The university I will be going to is four hours away from my home and all of the changes that will be associated with this move and new life and generating a very high degree of acute anxiety. I have clonazepam 0.25-.5mg bid prn available to me, but I fear taking benzodiazepines due to the risk of tolerance/dependence/withdrawal.
> However, in light of this newly found stress, I need to add a benzo for at least a brief period of time on a continuous basis. I do not particularly care for the clonazepam because of its slow onset of action and tendency to worsen my depression.
>
> I have tried buspirone 60mg/day with no success. I have also tried Effexor, Prozac and Parnate with little success.
>
> My first choice for a benzo would probably be bromazepam (Lectopam here in Canada), 3mg tid. I hope that someone will be able to comment on this drug, or any other anxiolytic that I might find helpful.
>
> Thanks,
> Brian
Posted by BAnxious on July 16, 2002, at 20:27:08
In reply to Re: Severe Anxiety » BAnxious, posted by jay on July 16, 2002, at 20:21:23
Hi Jay,
Thanks for replying to my post. I work in a pharmacy and we very rarely dispense bromazepam, so I don't hear much about it. Did you try any other benzos before bromazepam? If so, how did they compare?Thanks,
Brian
>
> Hi:
>
> I am in Canada too. Lectopam(bromazepam) is an awesome drug, imho, and works great for anxiety. 3mg is a great dose. Go for it..use it while you need it...and I think you will do well. Best!
>
> Jay
>
>
> > Hello,
> > I have been lurking on this group for a long time and have finally decided to post. I am 18, male, my diagnoses include major depressive disorder in partial remission, severe generalized social anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder and ADD, primarily inattentive.
> >
> > After many difficult years and unsuccessful med trials, I have found some relief, particularly from my depression, with a combination of 60mg Remeron qhs and nortriptyline (tapering off of 100mg qhs, currently at 50 mgs qhs). I also use Dexedrine 25 mg/day prn for ADD symptoms. I am in the process of trying Neurontin for anxiety and am at 600mg TID.
> >
> > I have just finished high school and will be attending university this coming fall. The university I will be going to is four hours away from my home and all of the changes that will be associated with this move and new life and generating a very high degree of acute anxiety. I have clonazepam 0.25-.5mg bid prn available to me, but I fear taking benzodiazepines due to the risk of tolerance/dependence/withdrawal.
> > However, in light of this newly found stress, I need to add a benzo for at least a brief period of time on a continuous basis. I do not particularly care for the clonazepam because of its slow onset of action and tendency to worsen my depression.
> >
> > I have tried buspirone 60mg/day with no success. I have also tried Effexor, Prozac and Parnate with little success.
> >
> > My first choice for a benzo would probably be bromazepam (Lectopam here in Canada), 3mg tid. I hope that someone will be able to comment on this drug, or any other anxiolytic that I might find helpful.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Brian
Posted by jay on July 16, 2002, at 23:23:44
In reply to Re: Severe Anxiety » jay, posted by BAnxious on July 16, 2002, at 20:27:08
> Hi Jay,
> Thanks for replying to my post. I work in a pharmacy and we very rarely dispense bromazepam, so I don't hear much about it. Did you try any other benzos before bromazepam? If so, how did they compare?
>
> Thanks,
> Brian
> >
Brian, bromazepam seems longer lasting then lorazepam, with just as good a 'punch'. I have some scientific info on that, but can't recall where to dig up the facts. It seems to be the great in-between from alprazolam/lorazepam to clonazepam. I can't honestly suggest it more...and I have used it, at the same 3mg dose, on and off for almost 8 years. I hope that helps! Anymore questions..please fire away!Best wishes,
Jay
Posted by timmy4 on July 17, 2002, at 13:56:57
In reply to Severe Anxiety, posted by BAnxious on July 15, 2002, at 23:42:14
Hey BAnxious,
Ive had a prolonged bout of anxiety as well, and it sure isnt any fun. You dont seem to enjoy anything!
But, over the past week or 2, I have seen considerably positive signs from that Paxil CR. I feel more confident and apt to get out and do things, and the side effects have been virtually none. I am going to bump up to 37.5 mg tomorrow though and will keep you posted.
I like how it releases over 4 or 5 hours.
Good luckTimmy
Posted by GreatDaneBoy on July 17, 2002, at 17:01:26
In reply to Severe Anxiety, posted by BAnxious on July 15, 2002, at 23:42:14
Hi Brian!
I have Bipolar II with *HORRIBLE* and incredibly agitated anxiety. I have tried Prozac, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Klonopin, Remeron (gave me a seizure and I almost lost my drivers license--not to scare anyone), Vistaril, Propranolol, and Mirapex all in various combinations and I can tell you that none of them really did me any good at all-even at inpatient doses (I'm over 200 lbs so I usually have a low sensitivity to any drug). However, when I had my stinkin' rotten Remeron seizure, my doc took me off of everything and gave me a little sample bottle of 2.5 mg Zyprexa. She changed my life! Z keeps me stable, eliminates my irritability, and, to the surprise of my pdoc, calms my horrible agitation (mostly restless legs/akithisia). And, it's great because I take 5 mg every day and am not at all sedated , and I can take up to 40 mg at night if I need it for sleep. I like the fact that I don't have to take my pm dose if I don't feel like I need it. Also, I have done alot of internet research on it and feel that it is a very safe drug (there are alot of folks on this board who are terrified of any drug classified as an anti-psychotic, but the new "atypicals" like Zyprexa, Seroquel, and Risperdal are ***MUCH*** safer than their predecessors Haldol and Thorazine). The only drawback for me is the price, and thank goddess my HMO pays for it! Otherwise, I would be really screwed! I know that each of us is different, but I just wanted to share my experience with my "Vitamin Z".
Sorry I don't know anything about bromazepam, good luck to you on your quest for knowledge! Let us all know what you come up with.
Take care,
Dane =)
Posted by BAnxious on July 18, 2002, at 11:48:30
In reply to Re: Severe Anxiety » BAnxious, posted by jay on July 16, 2002, at 23:23:44
Thank you everyone for your replies. My psychiatrist ended up prescribing 6mg of bromazepam BID, I may end up changing it to 3mg TID depending on my response. I'll post further after I've given it a try.
Brian
> > Hi Jay,
> > Thanks for replying to my post. I work in a pharmacy and we very rarely dispense bromazepam, so I don't hear much about it. Did you try any other benzos before bromazepam? If so, how did they compare?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Brian
> > >
>
>
> Brian, bromazepam seems longer lasting then lorazepam, with just as good a 'punch'. I have some scientific info on that, but can't recall where to dig up the facts. It seems to be the great in-between from alprazolam/lorazepam to clonazepam. I can't honestly suggest it more...and I have used it, at the same 3mg dose, on and off for almost 8 years. I hope that helps! Anymore questions..please fire away!
>
> Best wishes,
> Jay
This is the end of the thread.
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