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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Budgie on October 9, 2003, at 13:14:09
Hi folks,
Just want to whine right now, but also get some advice.
I'm at 40mg Parnate right now, started just over two months ago, and I can't figure out if it's helping or what. I swear a month ago I was almost "high" I felt so good on it- smiling, talking to people, super talkative in class, energetic to the max. For the past three weeks maybe, I've been on this roller-coaster, though. First I thought it was sleep deprivation (got that straightened out). Then I thought it was the caffeine (now I don't necessarily think so). Now- maybe it's the meds or lack thereof.
What's going on with the Parnate? Please don't tell me it's poop-out! When I feel good, I still feel really good. Do I need to up the dose? Do the stimulant effects just plain wear off after time (that's no fun!)? Physical exertion has become very difficult- if I walk up a hill, my muscles start aching and I feel like I could almost pass out sometimes (I *know* this is from the med). Is my mood-shifting (sometimes quite rapid) and generally dampened mood a comedown from the excitement/placebo effect I began with?
Or could it be a still untreated/undiagnosed problem? The daily stress of being around people (I'm not being treated with anything specifically for my SP- is this enough to negate any AD effect?)? Sometimes I wonder if a diagnosis of depression/SP is 100% accurate and gets to the bottom of things.
I don't know. I'm just frustrated right now and my mind is cranking- not a good combination. RRRRGHH.
Thanks for any insight. Thanks for reading my post, completely lacking in clarity as it is.
Budgie
Posted by mattdds on October 9, 2003, at 23:49:58
In reply to Burn-out, Poop-out, What??, posted by Budgie on October 9, 2003, at 13:14:09
Budgie,
Are you sure your mood problems don't come as a result of untreated anxiety (of whatever flavor)?
The reason I ask, is because I cycled through all the antidepressants without much of a response, until I properly diagnosed the problem as anxiety. Doctors would tell me the anxiety would clear up as the depression got better, but now I know the opposite is true. My depression does not get better until my anxiety is whiped out! So I began trying drugs for anxiety, namely, benzos. All of a sudden after a few weeks of no anxiety (and believe me, benzos *will* help anxiety), my depression disappeared.
Viridis, who posts on this board also has posted about this same patter of severe, chronic anxiety which sort of spirals into hopelessness and despair after too long a time period in this state. This describes me perfectly.
I did not get my mood under control until my anxiety was relieved. I know you suffer from a different type of anxiety (although I suffer from a certain degree of SP as well), but I think any anxiety condition that goes unchecked for too long will contribute to rapid mood swings and depression. Attack the primary disorder first!
Perhaps you should consider concentrating more on the anxiety than on the depressed moods. I have a sneaking suspicion they may be more triggered by the chronic anxiety that you suffer rather than a true mood disorder.
In short, it seems to me, you are not addressing the main problem - unchecked chronic anxiety.
I would be really curious to see how you would do on a short trial of Klonopin. I bet you'd see great results. You really sound a lot like me.
Sorry for the rambling. I was mainly addressing your question about the depression diagnosis, and whether there were other problems not being addressed. This was my problem, and I did not get relief until I approached my problems with anxiety as the main target.
Best of luck!
Matt
Posted by MelD on October 9, 2003, at 23:50:23
In reply to Burn-out, Poop-out, What??, posted by Budgie on October 9, 2003, at 13:14:09
The same thing happened to me with Parnate. I was doing great at 40mg and then felt like it was pooping out. Went to 60mg and the magic came back. Hope this works for you, too! Melodie
Posted by Budgie on October 10, 2003, at 8:43:45
In reply to Re: Burn-out, Poop-out, What?? » Budgie, posted by mattdds on October 9, 2003, at 23:49:58
Hey Matt (or should I say future moderator of DentoBabble?),
I can always count on your answering my posts- I really appreciate that.
I agree with you that the anxiety very well could be the major contributor to the depression- not the other way around as most docs seem to think. One problem, however, is that my pdoc, while free since I'm at school, is pretty conservative and not very likely to prescribe Klonopin. Got any other suggestions, medwise?
Found out from some research this morning that the nasal spray I've been using (phenylephrine hydrochloride) is bad news. My BP has been up close to 160, and I think that's a major reason why I've felt so crappy, especially yesterday as I was writing my post. Lovely, but I'll live.
I brought up the diagnosis issue because I'm starting to wonder about bipolar tendencies, especially when I look at the course of my illness over many years, not just how I'm feeling now, and when I look at my extended family. I can't remember the last time I actually felt anywhere close to *stable*, even when not depressed. The hypomania thing starts to make sense. But this is still only a theory that I'm continuing to think about and research (I don't even know how I'd bring this up with my pdoc- I'm sure he already thinks I'm too exposed to these ideas and incomplete information).
How are you doing, by the way? School and the ol' mental health still treating you kindly?
Thanks,
Chris(By the way, to answer an old Q of yours re exercise: I experience anxiety, too, usually when I do things that shoot my heart rate up rapidly and then stop, such as weightlifting. Running, on the other hand, I find has the opposite effect. Sometimes I'm left feeling drained and depressed- but that's probably more from not being in shape! It's interesting how we all have different responses.)
This is the end of the thread.
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