Posted by pedr on January 10, 2002, at 7:23:17
In reply to Re: fear of depression: drug treatment needed?, posted by Anna Laura on January 10, 2002, at 0:26:14
> > I hold irrational distorted beliefs about becoming severely depressed which my psychologist believes are a fundamental obstruction to me getting better. I often believe that should I be tired, hungover, hungry, bored or have nothing planned to do, I will get severe, life-threatening depression.
> >
>
> Pedro, are you taking meds ?
> I've had CBT for two years but it helped just a little. Later on i found out that the medication i was taking (imipramine, brand name Tofranil)
> caused cognitive impairment. Took me some time to get rid of that : the effect persisted even when i quit the drug. The cognitive/intellectual clouding impaired self-interrogation and stress managing strategies; i thought it was my fault and felt guilty because of that.
> May be you should look for the right drug FIRST of all. Your fear might be a symptom of residual depression also as well as obsessive thinking somehow related with anxiety. If you honestly feel you can't control it, you should get drug treatment first. If i were you i'd look for a drug which doesn't cause cognitive impairment.
>
> Good luck
>
> Anna LauraHi Anna Laura,
I'm currently on Surmontil [Trimipramine] and Reboxetine [Edronax]. I'm reasonably certain that I've incurred cognitive impairment since taking these drugs. Having said that, before taking them I was in a perpetual state of terror which makes "fuzzy thinking" and severely impaired memory a very small price to pay.
It's an interesting point that you have raised that the cognitive impairment may actually reduce someone's capacity to implement CBT techniques. I do often find myself repeating CBT and REBT phrases and beliefs time and time again, only to foget them or simply not be able to understand them.
I am currently weaning off the Surmontil [2 weeks to go] and will then start on Wellbutrin. My fingers, arms, legs, toes and eyes are crossed that this'll help me feel better. A bonus would be if it helps me think more clearly too.Thanks for the post,
pete.
poster:pedr
thread:16440
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20020102/msgs/16596.html