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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by dragonblack on July 31, 2011, at 11:22:39
Hey All,
Looks like this is the new combo. Doing a rapid taper off Parnate (1 week-ish), then full two-week washout, then starting Wellbutrin XL. At some point I'll add 7.5 mg Remeron and probably go up gradually. So, I've got a good two weeks to try out Abilify on it's own while I deparnatify (with low dose Ativan at night).
Anyone tried this combo? Anyone tried Wellbutrin plus Remeron, aside from whatever else? I know that Effexor plus Remeron is highly touted, but Effexor did little for me, though I wasn't allowed to go over 225 mg.
On a side note, I went on Ativan a while back as a means of getting off Klonopin, which seems to have worked. The biggest thing I notice now, though, is the return of my very pronounced exaggerated startle reflex. Oh well, what's a little panic attack during a good horror flick, right?
Posted by Terry8 on July 31, 2011, at 20:37:58
In reply to Midwest Rocket Fool: Wellbutrin, Remeron, Abilify, posted by dragonblack on July 31, 2011, at 11:22:39
I did Wellbutrin with Remeron and Pristiq (~Effexor). It was a decent combo for me, but not as good as Parnate.
Wellbutrin with Abilify provided no improvement over Wellbutrin alone. But that's just me.
Good luck.
Posted by floatingbridge on August 1, 2011, at 10:44:57
In reply to Midwest Rocket Fool: Wellbutrin, Remeron, Abilify, posted by dragonblack on July 31, 2011, at 11:22:39
Hey, DB good luck with your new combo.
The startle thing might be a wee bit of withdrawal effect. My guess. Unless you are dosed at high enough Ativan to klonopin. Besides, all the benzos are such different beasties.
But heck, if you're watching horror flicks, some of your nerves are intact :-)
Posted by dragonblack on August 1, 2011, at 21:31:19
In reply to Re: Midwest Rocket Fool: Wellbutrin, Remeron, Abilify » dragonblack, posted by Terry8 on July 31, 2011, at 20:37:58
> I did Wellbutrin with Remeron and Pristiq (~Effexor). It was a decent combo for me, but not as good as Parnate.
>
> Wellbutrin with Abilify provided no improvement over Wellbutrin alone. But that's just me.
>
> Good luck.So is Parnate what you are on now?
I saw an abstract the other day that indicated that Abilify brought about remission for people who were resistant to Wellbutrin monotherapy treatment, but it was a small sample size. I wonder if this holds true overall, as with the SSRI's. Everyone's different, sorry it wasn't of benefit for you.
Thanks, and good luck.
DB
Posted by dragonblack on August 1, 2011, at 21:41:00
In reply to Startle response » dragonblack, posted by floatingbridge on August 1, 2011, at 10:44:57
> Hey, DB good luck with your new combo.
>
> The startle thing might be a wee bit of withdrawal effect. My guess. Unless you are dosed at high enough Ativan to klonopin. Besides, all the benzos are such different beasties.
>
> But heck, if you're watching horror flicks, some of your nerves are intact :-)Thanks, FB, : )
Well, I'm on a pretty small dose of Ativan, just .5 mg/day, whereas I was up to 1 mg/day on the K-pin, which seems stronger to me. I've always had that startle reflex, and it gets heightened when my anxiety is up, so I sorta just attributed it to the long half-life of Klonopin, as I didn't notice it until I had been off it for at least a few days. I wish I had a higher dose of Ativan, I take it at night, and I don't have enough to use it during the day PRN, but maybe once I add a low dose of Remeron I can do that and never take it at night. The goal is to get off ALL benzos, after all.
I took .25 mg Klonopin yesterday, after several incidents which made me notice my anxiety becoming prominant (including the start of globus pharyngus, my throat getting tight), which I hated to do, having been off for almost a week. I wrestle with "reaching for a benzo" but in my experience, if I don't intervene in some way when I notice my anxiety kicking up, I'm a fool - it never just passes, or gets better, it only gears up. Like it gains momentum with each additional stressor once it overcomes the initial inertia it needs to start rolling.
This is the end of the thread.
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