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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by LindaAnn on May 29, 2003, at 13:45:26
Well first I would like to say hello. I found this site by accident curious about dopomanine.
Right now I am experiencing a lot of mental dizziness and I am trying to keep a chart because I believe it is after I take my AM meds which are Effexor 150mg and Wellbutrin 150mg. First I was having problems with sleeping so doc gave me Xanax and I wake up like a drunkard and if I take during day I feel drunk. My meds for Bi-Polar are Effexor 150mg AM, Wellbutrin 150mg, Depakote 1000 mg p.m., and Trilifaun 8 mg P.M. I also recently lost 69 lbs with a gastric bypass. I was reading a whole lot of interesting things on the net and learned a lot about how nutrition such as protein effects your norepinephrine and dopamine. One, I can't stand this mental fuzziness, lack of focus, irritability, short term memory loss. Secondly, how do psychiatrists know whether we need serotonic, norepinephrine or dopemine. How do we know if one med is too much?
What causes this mental confusion and fuzziness. I hope someone has experienced this or maybe Dr. Bob can shed some light. I am going to see my clinical doctor on Monday. I am discouraged.Thanks for any support you could give me.
Posted by Ted on May 29, 2003, at 15:30:08
In reply to Mental fuzziness, posted by LindaAnn on May 29, 2003, at 13:45:26
Hi LindaAnn,
First, welcome. This is (usually) a nice place if you stick around a while. I've been here for 4 years now.
> Right now I am experiencing a lot of mental dizziness and I am trying to keep a chart because I believe it is after I take my AM meds which are Effexor 150mg and Wellbutrin 150mg. First I was having problems with sleeping so doc gave me Xanax and I wake up like a drunkard and if I take during day I feel drunk. My meds for Bi-Polar are Effexor 150mg AM, Wellbutrin 150mg, Depakote 1000 mg p.m., and Trilifaun 8 mg P.M.
You mental fuzziness/confusion is pretty normal. I take depakote, zoloft, and wellbutrin. When I started my meds, it was fully 6 months before I could think clearly, and another 18 months until I felt I was getting back to "normal" whatever that is. I think it is the depakote.
Here are some recommendations that should help:
1. Take half your depakote a lunch-time and the other half at bed-time. Dividing the dose will lessen the side effects, and taking it late will affect your day less as well and help you sleep.
2. Skip the xanax altogether. If you have trouble sleeping, take ambien. It works great with virtually no side effects. Keep the dose low (< 5 mg to start, never more than 10 mg if possible). I find it also helps if I stop taking it for a while (a couple of weeks) then re-start it at a low dose again. It keeps dependence & resistance both under control.
3. Try to take your wellbutrin as early in the day as possible. You can do 2 doses (early am and mid-afternooon). Wellbutrin tends to make sleep difficult in some people, so it will help you be awake in the morning and the relatively early dose in the afternoon shouldn't affect sleep much.
4. I know nothing about trilofan. I thought it was an antipsychotic used only for schizophrenia....??
5. Remember with many meds like xanax and ambien, you don't *have* to take the recommended dose. You can take less if it works. If you ask your doctor, you might get approval for taking a little more if needed also.
> Secondly, how do psychiatrists know whether we need serotonic, norepinephrine or dopemine. How do we know if one med is too much?Try one med. If it doesn't work, try another. If none seem to work, try some combinations. Kinda like throwing darts.
Good luck. I had all the same symptoms as you for many, many months. I still get fatigued easily, but I am coping much better now. Mostly it just takes time to get used to the meds.Ted
Posted by paxvox on May 29, 2003, at 19:02:29
In reply to Mental fuzziness, posted by LindaAnn on May 29, 2003, at 13:45:26
Do you mean Trilafon (perphenazine)? That is generally used as an antipsychotic med. You say you are bipolar, is that why you are taking it (if that is what you are taking)? Wellbutrin and Effexor! Ugghhhh..... I have heard that Effexor is either heaven or hell depending upon the individual, but combining it with Depakote and Trilafon and Xanax would, IMHO CLEARLY cause you some mental cloudieness. Wellbutrin (which I have been taking for 6 years now) helps with concentration and lack of energy. It is not an SSRI antidepressant, but works (supposedly) upon dopamine and norepinephrine to affect mood. Personally, I think it is an excellent med for MOST people. Your questions are important, but you REALLY need to have a dialogue with your Pdoc about what he/she gives you and WHY. Don't be afraid or embarassed to ask those kind of questions, that is what you pay these docs to do. It's your RIGHT to know how and why you are receiving certain meds, and any doc who won't tell you these things....well....there are plenty of other docs out there. I have found two major things: shop around until you find a doc that you are comfortable with, and KNOW what you are given and WHAT it is supposed to do (and its side effects, etc). A good doc will have to work with many combinations over a period of months, perhaps, in order to find out what works best for YOU. No two people react exactly the same to the same meds. As they say here "your mileage may vary". This is a good site. May I suggest that you search the archives to look for specifics that interest you. BTW, Dr. Bob does very little advising on meds or treatments, as that is not what he's about (probably in his policy statement). The GROUP here is where the information (that is most useful) comes from. Good luck, and don't be afraid to ask questions here, none of us is totally "OK" here.
PAX
Posted by Dinah on May 29, 2003, at 19:16:27
In reply to Mental fuzziness, posted by LindaAnn on May 29, 2003, at 13:45:26
Hello LindaAnn, and welcome.
Since your question has a lot to do with medications, I copied your question onto the medication board on this site, Psycho-Babble. Here's a link.
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030525/msgs/230042.html
But for support, I hope you stick around here on Psycho-Social Babble. It's a great group of people.
It is discouraging to have to deal with all the medication questions, and interactions, and side effects. But there are a lot of knowledgeable people on Babble, and maybe you can get some information to help you feel a bit more in control when you next see your pdoc.
Good luck.
Dinah
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