Posted by mtdewcmu on December 20, 2009, at 21:23:15
I thought I'd share my current meds and what knowledge I've gained recently.
Prozac 20mg
Remeron 30mg
Wellbutrin (Aplenzin) 150mg (equivalent)
Abilify 2-4mg
Zoloft 50mg
Neurontin 300mg prn
Fish oil 4800mgI am in the process of transitioning from Zoloft to Prozac -- that's the reason for the small amount of Zoloft. I have been cutting the Aplenzins (348mg each) in half, which probably makes them instant release. I don't take a whole pill, because I was having trouble sleeping, probably as a result of the double norpepinephrine effect from the Aplenzin and Remeron combined. I take the Remeron in the morning, because it does not make me sleepy and I'd just rather take all of my pills at once. I was taking more Abilify until recently (as much as 7.5mg/day), but I didn't really see a benefit, and it seemed to be causing tachycardia and heart palpitations, probably from the alpha adrenergic blockade. I have 2mg pills, 5mg pills, and 15mg pills, so my daily dose varies based on what I can make out of that. Abilify has a long half-life, so it probably would be fine even if I took it once every other day or every few days. Prozac has the tendency to cause me to feel an annoying restlessness, which may be akathisia. It's pretty mild, but I found that Neurontin is effective at preventing it. So I have been taking Neurontin 300mg t.i.d. as needed for agitation. The fish oil was a recommendation from my pdoc. I am not personally a big believer in "alternative" medicine, but I decided that it can't hurt. It's not even expensive; I figured out that it's cheaper calorie for calorie than the Boost that I drink. So at the very least it's a source of food.
So there is my medication regimen, arrived at through months of blood, sweat, and tears. I am pretty happy with it. It is also pretty affordable, even in cash. The only checkbook-buster is Abilify, and my pdoc gives me free samples; also I am not sure that I really need it. At worst, I can buy it in Tijuana for on the order of $40 a month. (I get a large dose and cut it into smaller pieces, and it can be made even smaller by taking some every other day, as mentioned previously.)
poster:mtdewcmu
thread:930071
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091217/msgs/930071.html