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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 33. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 1, 2014, at 18:09:48
Muira puama. There's some anecdotal evidence that it may help hypersomnia and boost energy, with its GABA-A antagonism.
I'll probably start it Friday, which is when it's supposed to arrive.
Not feeling well now.
If this doesn't work, I don't know what I'm going to do. All of my attempts at treatment have failed in the long run. I'm functioning at a low level right now, and it scares me to think what even a few more days of being like this might be like ... let alone the rest of my life.
Tomatheus
Posted by sigismund on January 1, 2014, at 20:00:06
In reply to Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by Tomatheus on January 1, 2014, at 18:09:48
Well, that caused insomnia with me too, now that you mention it, so who knows?
Posted by sigismund on January 1, 2014, at 21:22:18
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » Tomatheus, posted by sigismund on January 1, 2014, at 20:00:06
The same goes for longjack and horny goat weed.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 1, 2014, at 23:00:35
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by sigismund on January 1, 2014, at 21:22:18
> The same goes for longjack and horny goat weed.
I've tried icariin, which I think is the main active ingredient in horny goat weed. I liked the way I felt on it while its effects lasted, but they didn't seem to last.
I'll have to take a look at longjack. I haven't heard of that one.
Thanks for your posts, Sigismund.
Tomatheus
Posted by Christ_empowered on January 2, 2014, at 12:58:34
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » sigismund, posted by Tomatheus on January 1, 2014, at 23:00:35
Seriously, dude...try it!
www.doctoryourself.com
Taking loads of supplements (many of them quite inexpensive, btw) with my meds has really proven quite helpful to me. Sort of like the world's biggest multi-vitamin, I guess.
Posted by sigismund on January 2, 2014, at 16:31:54
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » sigismund, posted by Tomatheus on January 1, 2014, at 23:00:35
From around Malaysia, I think.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 2, 2014, at 18:08:50
In reply to orthomolecular to the rescue!, posted by Christ_empowered on January 2, 2014, at 12:58:34
Thanks, Christ_empowered. I'll take a look at that site. It is encouraging that you seem to be benefiting from the supplements that you're taking, and maybe I'll try a regimen similar to yours.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on January 2, 2014, at 18:09:20
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » Tomatheus, posted by sigismund on January 2, 2014, at 16:31:54
Thanks, Sigismund.
Tomatheus
Posted by sigismund on January 3, 2014, at 0:29:54
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » sigismund, posted by Tomatheus on January 2, 2014, at 18:09:20
Maca, ginseng. What else?
Posted by Tomatheus on January 3, 2014, at 1:07:39
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » Tomatheus, posted by sigismund on January 3, 2014, at 0:29:54
> Maca, ginseng. What else?
What else have I tried? Quite a bit. Longjack looks interesting. And it will be interesting to see how the muira puama will affect me, considering that I don't think that I've ever tried anything that has what I might call an "anti-GABA effect."
For now, I'm taking some l-lysine. I seemed to notice some short-lived improvement in my energy and concentration the last time I took it, and I think I'm experiencing something similar now.
Tomatheus
Posted by Lamdage22 on January 3, 2014, at 14:15:21
In reply to Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by Tomatheus on January 1, 2014, at 18:09:48
I'm functioning at a low level right now, and it scares me to think what even a few more days of being like this might be like ... let alone the rest of my life.
>
> TomatheusI feel the same way. It makes me want to do serious drugs..
Posted by Tomatheus on January 3, 2014, at 18:44:13
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by Lamdage22 on January 3, 2014, at 14:15:21
> I'm functioning at a low level right now, and it scares me to think what even a few more days of being like this might be like ... let alone the rest of my life.
> >
> > Tomatheus
>
> I feel the same way. It makes me want to do serious drugs..I can understand the desire to use "serious drugs," and I sometimes wonder which illicit drugs I might have used at this point if they were more accessible to me. I think it's probably for the best that I never used them (especially those illicit drugs that are are the most "serious"), given that whatever "benefits" they provide tend to be short lived and that they seem to have a strong potential for long-term harm. Then again, I can't say that prescription psychiatric drugs are necessarily much better for a lot of people who take them.
Having said what I've said about the "serious drugs" that you wish to use, I can't say that I've found a better long-term solution for my affective psychosis. I'm sort of liking my supplements at the moment, but who knows how much they'll still be helping in another 2-3 months.
Tomatheus
Posted by Lamdage22 on January 4, 2014, at 4:54:58
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on January 3, 2014, at 18:44:13
> > I'm functioning at a low level right now, and it scares me to think what even a few more days of being like this might be like ... let alone the rest of my life.
> > >
> > > Tomatheus
> >
> > I feel the same way. It makes me want to do serious drugs..
>
> I can understand the desire to use "serious drugs," and I sometimes wonder which illicit drugs I might have used at this point if they were more accessible to me. I think it's probably for the best that I never used them (especially those illicit drugs that are are the most "serious"), given that whatever "benefits" they provide tend to be short lived and that they seem to have a strong potential for long-term harm. Then again, I can't say that prescription psychiatric drugs are necessarily much better for a lot of people who take them.
>
> Having said what I've said about the "serious drugs" that you wish to use, I can't say that I've found a better long-term solution for my affective psychosis. I'm sort of liking my supplements at the moment, but who knows how much they'll still be helping in another 2-3 months.
>
> TomatheusDo you still have psychosis or are you battling primarily the affective part/ negative symptoms?
Posted by Tomatheus on January 4, 2014, at 18:22:05
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by Lamdage22 on January 4, 2014, at 4:54:58
> Do you still have psychosis or are you battling primarily the affective part/ negative symptoms?
I still get some mild hallucinatory phenomena (mostly sound hallucinations, what I call "pseudohallucinations," and some visual stuff), but as far as I can tell, I'm not believing in all of the delusions that I believed in when my psychosis was at its peak, nor do I experience much in the way of ideas of reference like I was before I was taking Abilify.
So, right now, with the Abilify that I'm taking, the main problems that I'm struggling with are difficulty concentrating and other cognitive problems, fatigue (although this isn't nearly as bad as it used to be before my psychosis), and hypersomnia.
I've basically spent much of the past five years trying to augment my Abilify, mostly with supplements, in hopes that I might see some long-term relief from my symptoms. That long-term relief hasn't come, and I'm starting to think that it never will come for as long as I continue to take Abilify. It might not even come if I discontinue Abilify, but continuing to add supplements to Abilify in hopes of long-term relief from any of my symptoms isn't producing the results that I would like to see. I also think that the Abilify that I'm taking might be part of the reason why my concentration is as bad as it is and that if Abilify is part of the problem that the only solution to that part of the problem is to remove the Abilify.
Of course, discontinuing my Abilify will likely worsen my psychosis. Given the frustration and lack of productivity that have characterized the last five years of my life, I think that enduring worse psychotic symptoms in hopes that maybe at least my concentration will improve might not be such a bad thing.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on January 4, 2014, at 22:27:51
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on January 4, 2014, at 18:22:05
> > Do you still have psychosis or are you battling primarily the affective part/ negative symptoms?
>
> I still get some mild hallucinatory phenomena (mostly sound hallucinations, what I call "pseudohallucinations," and some visual stuff), but as far as I can tell, I'm not believing in all of the delusions that I believed in when my psychosis was at its peak, nor do I experience much in the way of ideas of reference like I was before I was taking Abilify.
>
> So, right now, with the Abilify that I'm taking, the main problems that I'm struggling with are difficulty concentrating and other cognitive problems, fatigue (although this isn't nearly as bad as it used to be before my psychosis), and hypersomnia.
>
> I've basically spent much of the past five years trying to augment my Abilify, mostly with supplements, in hopes that I might see some long-term relief from my symptoms. That long-term relief hasn't come, and I'm starting to think that it never will come for as long as I continue to take Abilify. It might not even come if I discontinue Abilify, but continuing to add supplements to Abilify in hopes of long-term relief from any of my symptoms isn't producing the results that I would like to see. I also think that the Abilify that I'm taking might be part of the reason why my concentration is as bad as it is and that if Abilify is part of the problem that the only solution to that part of the problem is to remove the Abilify.
>
> Of course, discontinuing my Abilify will likely worsen my psychosis. Given the frustration and lack of productivity that have characterized the last five years of my life, I think that enduring worse psychotic symptoms in hopes that maybe at least my concentration will improve might not be such a bad thing.
>
> TomatheusNever mind what I wrote above about Abilify. I think that I'm going to keep taking it and see if I can get in to see a general practitioner to see if my chronic fatigue and hypersomnia might be related to some sort of infection (which might be why my white blood cells are elevated).
I think that that will be my next attempt at treatment.
Tomatheus
Posted by Lamdage22 on January 5, 2014, at 4:49:05
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by Tomatheus on January 4, 2014, at 22:27:51
Have you tried Sam-E or Gastrodin yet? I ordered me some Sam-E and i also take Fishoil which is an investment in the future i believe.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 5, 2014, at 9:28:50
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by Lamdage22 on January 5, 2014, at 4:49:05
Hi Lamdage22,
Thanks for your post. I have taken SAM-e. I was actually taking it with Parnate (both at low doses) and experiencing what seemed to be a partial response to the combination as far as my fatigue and hypersomnia were concerned when I went into my psychosis. I think it's hard to say whether my combination of SAM-e and Parnate might have played a role in bringing out my psychosis, but it's not a combination that I'd recommend.
I had never heard of gastrodin until you mentioned it, but I looked at some information on the supplement, and it looks interesting. I might very well try it.
At the moment, I'm feeling somewhat better than how I feel at baseline when I'm just taking Abilify and niacin (I'm also taking l-lysine right now). I don't know if I can attribute what I'm noticing to the l-lysine or not, but I plan on continuing on with the amino acid supplement to see how I respond to it in the longer run. I'm having second thoughts about the muira puama.
How have you been doing?
Tomatheus
Posted by Lamdage22 on January 5, 2014, at 10:36:26
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on January 5, 2014, at 9:28:50
Tomatheus,
today im better with 300mg Moclobemide. Might be working.
I never heard of Gastrodin either until couple days ago. I ordered it.Funny, my psychosis came AFTER dopaminergic treatment, not during
Posted by Lamdage22 on January 5, 2014, at 10:38:46
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by Lamdage22 on January 5, 2014, at 10:36:26
Have you had Moclobemide yet?
Its an Maoi minus most of the dopaminergic effect of Nardil or Parnate.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 5, 2014, at 10:57:09
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by Lamdage22 on January 5, 2014, at 10:38:46
Yeah, I took moclobemide. I live in the U.S., but I ordered it from an online pharmacy that I think ships from Europe. I recall noticing a bit of a short-lived boost from the medication. I hope that for you, the benefits of moclobemide will last longer than they did for me.
Tomatheus
Posted by Lamdage22 on January 5, 2014, at 12:30:21
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on January 5, 2014, at 10:57:09
Me too.. im only at 300mgs so maybe it will stick.
Posted by Lamdage22 on January 5, 2014, at 13:25:27
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by Lamdage22 on January 5, 2014, at 12:30:21
Good thing, i can probably afford to go outpatient. I could have someone live in my place and take care of me.
At least i can avoid hospital in the future. I cant tell you how much i hate hospital.
Posted by Tomatheus on January 5, 2014, at 14:10:02
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by Lamdage22 on January 5, 2014, at 13:25:27
> Good thing, i can probably afford to go outpatient. I could have someone live in my place and take care of me.
>
> At least i can avoid hospital in the future. I cant tell you how much i hate hospital.Yeah, I've had some bad experiences in the hospital, so I don't blame you for hating hospitals. I think that the psychiatrists in the hospitals have a tendency to prescribe higher doses of antipsychotics (and probably mood stabilizers, too) than psychiatrists who work with patients on an outpatient basis. The psychiatrists in the hospitals are basically more focused on "stabilizing" patients so they're not regarded as being dangerous, whereas outpatient doctors seem to work with patients more to make sure that medications are both effective and tolerable.
Do you think that you'll see a therapist in addition to a psychiatrist as an outpatient? I've seen a few therapists, and although I'm not seeing one now, I'm considering getting back into therapy.
Tomatheus
Posted by sigismund on January 5, 2014, at 17:12:40
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on January 5, 2014, at 10:57:09
I found moclobemide pretty rough....I had to lie down. A lot of NE?
Posted by Tomatheus on January 5, 2014, at 20:11:21
In reply to Re: Perhaps my last attempt at treatment, posted by sigismund on January 5, 2014, at 17:12:40
Sigismund,
Did you end up lying down due to fatigue, or for a different reason?
Tomatheus
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