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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SheilaC on July 28, 2010, at 9:00:21
My meds:
AM - 10mg Adderall and 40mg Geodon
PM - 25mg Seroquel and 1mg Klonopin
I sleep great and the Geodon takes away my irritability.
Here's my problem: I feel no motivation. I don't know if I'm depressed or what. I don't feel down, but I don't feel motivated to do anything! Sometimes I don't even take a shower and wash my hair. I don't want to work out (even though I need to lose weight). I don't like the way I look, so you would think I would be motivated to do something about that.
This has been a very stressful year (moved across country - very sad and stressful).
So what the heck is wrong with me? I'm no longer mean and irritable, but I just don't want to do anything.
Am I depressed? Do I need a med? Are my current meds causing this?
Help!
Posted by Phillipa on July 28, 2010, at 10:30:19
In reply to Depression maybe?, posted by SheilaC on July 28, 2010, at 9:00:21
You know I feel the same way attribute mine to againg and no goals in life? I don't think there is a med for this is there? Phillipa
Posted by morgan miller on July 28, 2010, at 11:11:44
In reply to Depression maybe?, posted by SheilaC on July 28, 2010, at 9:00:21
> My meds:
>
> AM - 10mg Adderall and 40mg Geodon
>
> PM - 25mg Seroquel and 1mg Klonopin
>
> I sleep great and the Geodon takes away my irritability.
>
> Here's my problem: I feel no motivation. I don't know if I'm depressed or what. I don't feel down, but I don't feel motivated to do anything! Sometimes I don't even take a shower and wash my hair. I don't want to work out (even though I need to lose weight). I don't like the way I look, so you would think I would be motivated to do something about that.
>
> This has been a very stressful year (moved across country - very sad and stressful).
>
> So what the heck is wrong with me? I'm no longer mean and irritable, but I just don't want to do anything.
>
> Am I depressed? Do I need a med? Are my current meds causing this?
>
> Help!
>You probably always had some underlying depression-your irritability and anxiety may just be manifestations of unpleasant subconscious emotions also at the root of your problems, including underlying depression.
We always need to consider the very good possibility that any symptoms we have are just that, symptoms of a deeper more complex problem.
Plus, the medications you are taking can have depressive effects on your mind, especially klonopin. Geodon and Seroquel are two AP's that are often thought of as having antidepressant effects, but it does not sound like you are benefiting from either in this way.
How have you reacted to SSRIs in the past? I'm thinking of Zoloft. I am definitely biased towards the use of Zoloft but I feel that there are some good reasons to be biased.
Why are you taking Adderall? Have you ever thought about taking an antidepressant instead?
You could do Nortriptyline at night, which might help you sleep, and Zoloft during the day. As I'm sure you have read here on Psycho-Babble, the combination has been very effective. I think Zoloft at the right dose could not only lift your mood, but also alleviated some of your agitation. If you did Zoloft plus Nortriptyline, I would drop the Adderral.I read that your doctor wants you to stop drinking coffee. Have you at least tried this for a month to see how you feel? And if not, why? You can always go back to having your one cup in the morning.
Morgan
Posted by Christ_empowered on July 28, 2010, at 14:41:15
In reply to Re: Depression maybe?, posted by morgan miller on July 28, 2010, at 11:11:44
I think you're stressed out and having a rough time. Antipsychotics can go either way in how they affect your motivation (on the one hand, they can help by treating Bipolar and other problems, on the other hand, they can sometimes make you feel more apathetic and lazy).
I'd personally cut out the seroquel and replace it with a sleep aid that isn't an antipsychotic. You mentioned melatonin in a previous post; that seems like cheap, safe, potentially useful substance that wouldn't even require an Rx to get.
I think there's only so much the meds can do. At this point, if you were to add an antidepressant, you'd complicate things by adding in side-effects and possibly altering blood levels of your current meds (usually antidepressants boost antipsychotic blood levels considerably).
I'm sort of in this vitamin phase right now, and it has helped me a lot, so I'm pushing vitamins on everybody, lol. Seriously, though: B-vitamins in particular can have a good effect on mood. A B-100 would contain more than enough of all the B vitamins to see you through, would support your body during the stressful times, and its CHEAP. Couple that with a vitamin C a couple times daily (I use the buffered kind...much easier on the stomach) and you have antioxidants plus B vitamins for very little money and with almost no side-effects. If you'd prefer something with more data behind it, there's Deplin, an Rx that boosts antidepressants. I would think it would help the built-in antidepressant action of the Geodon, but your doc would know much more about that.
I wish you the best of luck.
Posted by SheilaC on July 28, 2010, at 15:32:00
In reply to Re: Depression maybe?, posted by morgan miller on July 28, 2010, at 11:11:44
I'm not opposed to stopping the nighttime Seroquel and taking Melatonin instead. It does help me sleep. I also wonder about the amount of Klonopin I am taking. I used to take just .5mg at night with Seroquel.
I have found in the past that Klonopin can depress me, so maybe this is why I feel depressed in the morning.
Is it bad to take .5mg of Klonopin and Melatonin to sleep?
I do also wonder how stable Geodon is? I think maybe the Geodon can cause some depression or laziness especially if I have a glass of wine at night (not every night - just every so often).
Posted by morgan miller on July 28, 2010, at 15:43:51
In reply to I think it is situational, posted by Christ_empowered on July 28, 2010, at 14:41:15
One thing to always consider is that our medications may be depleting essential vitamins and minerals from our bodies. I would do as much research as possible and find out what vitamins and minerals are possibly being depleted.
I have recently heard of B5(I think it was B5!?) having an impact on mood.
Posted by Christ_empowered on July 28, 2010, at 15:55:50
In reply to Re: I think it is situational » Christ_empowered, posted by morgan miller on July 28, 2010, at 15:43:51
Yeah, B-vitamins have been linked to mood issues in people. I read somewhere (I really should start referencing these things instead of just paraphrasing off the top of my head) that adequate nutrition+supplements can sometimes help people reduce the number and dosage of meds. That's how the old-school orthomolecular psychiatrists worked; high dose vitamins plus conventional psychiatric treatment (although they tended to use lower doses of neuroleptics than their more conventional peers, from what I've seen in case studies).
I think that's the best of both worlds; rational psychiatric treatment plus optimal health+nutrition.Thanks for your post.
Posted by morgan miller on July 28, 2010, at 16:25:54
In reply to Re: Depression maybe?, posted by SheilaC on July 28, 2010, at 15:32:00
> I'm not opposed to stopping the nighttime Seroquel and taking Melatonin instead. It does help me sleep. I also wonder about the amount of Klonopin I am taking. I used to take just .5mg at night with Seroquel.
>
> I have found in the past that Klonopin can depress me, so maybe this is why I feel depressed in the morning.
>
> Is it bad to take .5mg of Klonopin and Melatonin to sleep?
>
> I do also wonder how stable Geodon is? I think maybe the Geodon can cause some depression or laziness especially if I have a glass of wine at night (not every night - just every so often).
>
>
>
Maybe it's time to take a step back and re-evaluate your medication regimen and find medications that meet your needs and leave you feeling pretty good at the same time.
This is the end of the thread.
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