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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by shantie on August 20, 2000, at 0:38:14
> For the past 2 1/2 yrs my life has been a living hell because of multi-nodular goiter. first i was hyper thyroidism then they put me on synthroid to shrink the tumors, which in to say the least has made me nothing short of crazy, no energy and dingy. I have always been a hyper person, never lazy. The last straw was when doc tried me on effexor for 3 months and i gained 16lbs so i stopped it. It made me sick so i had to go back and cut the dosage in 1/2 in a week i was fine, except now i am fat and my clothes are TIGHT!!! seems like these AD just make everything worse.i went to the yearly appt with the Endo Dr and i just got my blood test results back and for once my TSH, t3, t4 are at a normal range. Well does any one know....since i have been on every AD for this, what is the point of continuing taking med, (i am on 60mg of ritalin and 300mgs of WB)when nothing has really helped. if i am better should i stop taking my medicine? doesnt seem like i need it if everything is fine, even though i still feel the same crazy, angry for no reason @all, tired well ya all know. I have Celexa the dr wanted me to start this med. and after reading about here again this is ridiculous. Hair loss, weight gain...what a joke. i get depressed just reading about the side effects. Anyone have any ideas? my doc doesnt seem to have a clue...seems like i have learned more from you guys here than he knows HELP.
Posted by JohnL on August 20, 2000, at 6:03:47
In reply to should i stop taking all medicine?????????, posted by shantie on August 20, 2000, at 0:38:14
Shantie,
Should you stop taking your meds? I don't think so. Should you maybe ween down to lower doses? I think so. Should you be considering other alternatives? I think so.I can sure relate to your frustration. I have many times just wanted to throw the meds in the toilet and forget the whole thing. But the best way to do that is to start weening down to lower doses in preparation of discontinuation and preparation of starting something else. There is a period when you'll feel better at a lower dose, or without the meds at all, but then the depression creeps back in and becomes so bad so fast that meds look pretty attractive again. Sometimes a break is a good thing to re-evaluate, gain new perspectives, gain new ideas, and gain renewed determination to win.
As to the frustrated tone of your post, and the statement "angry for no reason at all", I can easily see how that would be with 60mg Ritalin and 300mg Wellbutrin. Wellbutrin alone is well known for causing those kinds of feelings in a lot of people. The Ritalin is kind of exaggerating the same chemistry on top of what the Wellbutrin is already doing. Double whammy.
As to the 'tired' part, some people actually get more tired on stimulants, or with Wellbutrin. I know with me Wellbutrin made me feel frustrated, angry for no reason, restless, and yet tired and unmotivated. It wouldn't surpirse me if your current meds are more of the problem than the problem you're trying to treat.
Finding a med that will work on depression (not necessarily an antidepressant) and not create weight gain is not easy to do. There just aren't many choices that fit that description. But here are a couple possibilities...
Celexa...no. I don't like this one for you. If you're already tired, Celexa will likely make it even worse. Not to mention the other side effects.
Prozac...maybe. More often than not it causes weight loss instead of weight gain. Some people do instead gain weight, but that is not the norm with Prozac. It is a somewhat stimulating med. While all other SSRIs will likely affect your love life, Prozac can sometimes improve it instead. I had the best lovelife of all when taking Prozac. After being totally destroyed by its cousins (Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, etc). If you haven't tried it yet, you might put down Prozac as a maybe on your list.
Risperdal...maybe. An antipsychotic? Sure. It could cause tiredness and weight gain, but my pdoc normally prescribes it to treat depression when a patient has not responded much to antidepressents, when weight gain is a concern, and when oversedation is a concern. Of course, some people do instead gain weight and get sedated. But generally not. The antipsychotics are great meds for treating depression, esPECially when combine with a stimulant like Ritalin.
Risperdal+Ritalin...strong maybe.
Ritalin alone...might want to try it that way.
Meridia...maybe. A weight loss med that has also had a surprise effect on some people...their depression went away, after years of failing antidepressants. It is sort of like Effexor in a way, sort of, kind of, but not really. They are similar yet completely different.
Naturals...SJW, SAM-e. SAM-e in particular energizes me and causes me to eat less. A little SJW in the background is a nice compliment to it.
Adrafinil...maybe. Might not have any effect on weight one way or the other, but could be good for energy, motivation, interest, and depression.Whew! Choices, choices. I wouldn't stop your current meds just yet, but I would maybe start weening down on them and thinking about these other choices.
Hope this helps in some way.
John
Posted by shantie on August 20, 2000, at 22:21:06
In reply to Re: should i stop taking all medicine?????????, posted by JohnL on August 20, 2000, at 6:03:47
I greatly appreciate this info, i am gonna forward it to my doc since he seems to go off what i say anyway. thanx so much john.
Sandie
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