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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 socialdeviantjeff on October 27, 2003, at 21:02:45
Hi
Kinda new here. I've been having affective problems since early child hood. At 7 I started Ritalin for ADD (looking back, seems more like Asberger's)and took it until about 14. To cut it short, I was abused by schools and peers my whole childhood. I saw lots of pdocs and lots of therapists. I didn't start taking meds until High School. I took zoloft with no effect. I switched to paxil, it made me too tired and had no effect. A year later, I took Amytriptaline and Desimpramine together. I ended up having a psychotic episode, killed this relationship with a great girl and nearly myself.After that, I stopped any kind of therapy. Life has been extremely painful and if I felt any true happiness I would probably think I was manic.
4 years ago, I tried Wellbutrin and landed in the ER with a severe allergic reaction.
I've lived with my parents for the last three years. I decided to get treatment again after a fainting spell put me in the ER. I was diagnosed with depression and sent on my merry way with a huge bill.I started to see a pdoc, one my parents business is on trade with. One of the most foremost in the state. I was diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized anxiety Disorder.
The first trial was with Prozac and Neurontin. I felt damn near every side effect you could intensly for both drugs for weeks. reducing the dosages didn't help. I started to taper off the Neurontin, and landed in the ER with hives all over and a throat closing up.
The second trial started 2-3 weeks after the meds from the ER were out of my system. A avery conservative dose of Lexapro and a tapered intro of Lithium. After a few weeks, the side effects were soooo bad the meds were stopped. I wasn't even at a theraputic dose with either.
Now I'm on Tegretol and it's not going well. I am exhausted, weak, I shake(not as bad as the lithium and lexapro) I have memory troubles, my anxiety is worse, I have cognitive problems, I'm more irate, I feel hot nall the time, etc.
I'm not making this stuff up. I'm really worried. I have an appt with my pdoc tomorrow. I'm wondering what to talk about. It seems I can't tolerate any drug. The further I fall down the rabbit hole, the more it feels like a get-better-or-die thing. Should I suggest trying an MAOI?
Posted by ramsea on October 28, 2003, at 10:47:19
In reply to A few really bad drug trials, wondering whats next, posted by socialdeviantjeff on October 27, 2003, at 21:02:45
I suspect my childhood freakiness was in Asperger's too, though I'm told bipolar should account for the bundle of joy that I have been. ANyway, I hear you!!! A few thoughts. I read up a lot on AS when it turns out that my father/sister/son have their feet firmly placed in that spectrum, and learned SOOOOOOOOO much that as the Quakers say, "spoke to my condition." I actually regained a certain amount of confidence--it was a relief to understand why I had been like I was, and why everyone else had been like they were...and so on well into adulthood, well into the present moment. I really don't care that my pdocs laugh off the idea of me as Asperger's type---I think I know better, they are just seeing me now and I have made many compensations. But anyway--back to you---one thing I learned is that many high functioning autistics report that they need only a smidgeon of the dosage that neurotypicals need. So Donna Williams, for example, who wrote the famous Nobody Nowhere, and its sequel, Somebody Somewhere (or was it one of the other aspie-biographies?) takes only 30 mgs desipramine and says it changed her life. Someone else wrote that some aspies are helped by only 10 mgs of Prozac, twice A WEEK!!!!! Many aspies (and you see I am very much like this) get paradoxical reactions to medicines, too. So like sleeping pills make us stay awake, anti-anxiety pills make us anxious, anti-depressants depress us, anti-psychotics make us psychotic. A stimulant, meanwhile, may just calm us down. For me, alcohol isn't a depressant so much as it over-activates--it leads me into mania. So if you are at all like this, you may be processing your meds differently than a lot of people because of your non-nuerotypical condition. You may have never had a chance yet to experience the full benefit of appropriate medication due to dosages being set way too high for you, and not enough careful exploration of your life issues and what traumas you have suffered as a result of being a non-neurotypical guy in a world full of typicals. You are sensitive, aware and articulate, and it's not too late. There's every reason to believe that once you get your body detoxified, and find support on-line and in-person to address your trauma issues, your Asperger's, and the depression and anxiety (which often go along with Asperger's), you will find happiness again. I am sorry you lost your girlfriend over a drug-poisoning that wasn't your fault, but there are girls out there looking for wise and kind companions, and once you are in balance again, you will be able to venture out a bit more, with pride. You've nothing to be ashamed of. If you haven't read Tony Attwood's books, or seen his site on line, give it a go. He has a very positive, knowledgeable attitude to Asperger's. Also, OASIS website has lots of links and support forums. ANother book written by a 13-yr-old with AS is Freaks and Geeks, about kids with AS. It's very friendly and informative. Take care--and get back to say how you get on???
Posted by socialdeviantjeff on October 29, 2003, at 1:03:26
In reply to Re: A few really bad drug trials, wondering whats next, posted by ramsea on October 28, 2003, at 10:47:19
I really can't thank you enough for your reply. Just as soon as I'm done typing this, I'm looking into everything you said. I talk to my pdoc again soon, and I'll discuss this possibility with him.
It seems that in my early childhood the term high funcioning autistic was tossed aroung in my early childhood. The experiences you related with drugs having unintended or opposite effects reall rings troue to my own experience.
And again, Thyanks for your understanding. In a world of slamming doors, ridicule and misunderstanding it's always good to hear a sympathetic voice. You are a good and empathetic person. I really hope to hear from you again.
> I suspect my childhood freakiness was in Asperger's too, though I'm told bipolar should account for the bundle of joy that I have been. ANyway, I hear you!!! A few thoughts. I read up a lot on AS when it turns out that my father/sister/son have their feet firmly placed in that spectrum, and learned SOOOOOOOOO much that as the Quakers say, "spoke to my condition." I actually regained a certain amount of confidence--it was a relief to understand why I had been like I was, and why everyone else had been like they were...and so on well into adulthood, well into the present moment. I really don't care that my pdocs laugh off the idea of me as Asperger's type---I think I know better, they are just seeing me now and I have made many compensations. But anyway--back to you---one thing I learned is that many high functioning autistics report that they need only a smidgeon of the dosage that neurotypicals need. So Donna Williams, for example, who wrote the famous Nobody Nowhere, and its sequel, Somebody Somewhere (or was it one of the other aspie-biographies?) takes only 30 mgs desipramine and says it changed her life. Someone else wrote that some aspies are helped by only 10 mgs of Prozac, twice A WEEK!!!!! Many aspies (and you see I am very much like this) get paradoxical reactions to medicines, too. So like sleeping pills make us stay awake, anti-anxiety pills make us anxious, anti-depressants depress us, anti-psychotics make us psychotic. A stimulant, meanwhile, may just calm us down. For me, alcohol isn't a depressant so much as it over-activates--it leads me into mania. So if you are at all like this, you may be processing your meds differently than a lot of people because of your non-nuerotypical condition. You may have never had a chance yet to experience the full benefit of appropriate medication due to dosages being set way too high for you, and not enough careful exploration of your life issues and what traumas you have suffered as a result of being a non-neurotypical guy in a world full of typicals. You are sensitive, aware and articulate, and it's not too late. There's every reason to believe that once you get your body detoxified, and find support on-line and in-person to address your trauma issues, your Asperger's, and the depression and anxiety (which often go along with Asperger's), you will find happiness again. I am sorry you lost your girlfriend over a drug-poisoning that wasn't your fault, but there are girls out there looking for wise and kind companions, and once you are in balance again, you will be able to venture out a bit more, with pride. You've nothing to be ashamed of. If you haven't read Tony Attwood's books, or seen his site on line, give it a go. He has a very positive, knowledgeable attitude to Asperger's. Also, OASIS website has lots of links and support forums. ANother book written by a 13-yr-old with AS is Freaks and Geeks, about kids with AS. It's very friendly and informative. Take care--and get back to say how you get on???
Posted by ramsea on October 29, 2003, at 4:20:33
In reply to Thank you » ramsea, posted by socialdeviantjeff on October 29, 2003, at 1:03:26
Your post made me smile, Jeff, and that doesn't happen often enough! I do know all about slamming doors. And windows for that matter. And sometimes I swear ceilings too (lol). Keep in touch. And I hope your search starts looking up from here.
This is the end of the thread.
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