![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Twinleaf on December 30, 2011, at 0:29:11
I agree with you about the SSRIs. I took Prozac, Paxil and Lexapro for a total of seven years. They all helped some by blunting emotional pain, but I developed suicidal thoughts which I had never had before, and became sexless and sort of indifferent to everything. It took about two years after stopping them before I felt like my old self - depressed but alive. I would personally never take them again. ( I don't mean to undermine anyone else who is getting some real help from them).
I also agree about the APs. I have taken Zyprexa for emotional emergencies, and it has really helped me get grounded fairly quickly. I find that it reduces anxiety very well and hrlps me regain confidence in my ability to cope with stressors effectively. It seems to banish that horrible sense of helplessness that accompanies the crises.. But it's terrible for weight gain! Recently, I have been taking Metformin every day; on average, i take Zyprexa about once a month. How often do you take Risperdal now?
Posted by Twinleaf on December 30, 2011, at 0:39:48
In reply to What helps...Dinah, posted by Twinleaf on December 30, 2011, at 0:29:11
This was supposed to reply to the thread about big pharma in Medications.
Posted by emmanuel98 on December 30, 2011, at 19:23:14
In reply to What helps...Dinah, posted by Twinleaf on December 30, 2011, at 0:29:11
I started taking risperdal prn. I don't dare take it more than once every few weeks because it caused me terrible weight gain in the past. But it does help pull me out of these agitated depressions I get into occasionally. Taken with ativan it puts me to sleep for 12 hours or more and I feel better when I finally get up.
But mostly, working with this social worker on DBT skills has been most helpful in learning to modulate and shorten my depressive episodes.
Posted by Dinah on December 31, 2011, at 11:18:18
In reply to What helps...Dinah, posted by Twinleaf on December 30, 2011, at 0:29:11
Sorry to take so long answering you. I'm past due on a deadline, and am alternating working all night and sleeping day and night.
I started self injuring on Luvox, and since getting off I very very rarely do it. The last time was over five years ago, I think, although I still get urges now and then. I think the Luvox caused some low level agitation even though on a more obvious level it flattened out some of the agitation. I haven't quite figured it out. I also think my brain is different than before I went on it, and rather wish I'd never been on it at all. I bless the pdoc after the pdoc from h*ll who instantly recognized I shouldn't be on Luvox without a mood stabilizer. I was also behaving *very* badly on it, at least with my mental health practitioners. I think it brought out the borderline in me. Or suppressed my ego. Or something.
AP's just seem to suit me. If asked, I always say I probably take 10 Risperdal a month. And if I think about it, that still seems right. But that would mean a prescription would last three months, and it generally lasts more like six months or more. I'm left with the inescapable conclusion that I think I take it more often than I actually take it.
It helps me just to know that I *can* take it. No more anticipatory anxiety. I used to feel that way about Klonopin too. But after having used Risperdal, I find I don't care much for the feel of Klonopin. I now only use Klonopin a few times a year when I need really fast relief.
My diabetes doctor ok'd the occasional use of Risperdal. He realizes that anxiety and stress drive my blood sugar up far faster than Risperdal.
He told me that stress doesn't cause high blood sugar. The reaction to stress causes high blood sugar. He advised me to be like the duck shaking water off its back. Sigh. If only I could.
Yesterday I ventured to put aside boundaries for a few minutes with the therapist I truly do trust. I knew he wouldn't be angry with me, and I wanted to comment on something he'd told me in passing about his own life. He thanked me, in what seemed like a sincere manner. I wasn't scared, and I was glad I said what I did. But my voice was still trembling and I was quaking inside by the time I finished. After a few moments, he took pity on me and asked me a question, probably about my mother. That seems to be his standby.
I wasn't aware of any feelings of anxiety but something was going on with me. So cognitively speaking, I not only was shaking it off, but I wasn't even aware it was raining. Still, I'll bet my body was pumping adrenaline and responding by raising my blood sugar for a bolt from the saber tooth tiger.
Can something aside from anxiety cause internal quavering?
I just really don't understand me sometimes.
Posted by Twinleaf on January 1, 2012, at 9:51:31
In reply to Re: What helps...Dinah » Twinleaf, posted by Dinah on December 31, 2011, at 11:18:18
The things you've gradually figured out to do on the medication side seem to be effective. I think many of us here probably have slight physiological changes in our brains due to neglect or excessive interpersonal stress when we were young( or perhaps even when older) that cause us to emotionally dysregulate easily. The example you gave with your therapist - reacting with fear even though you knew you were safe with him - is just what I mean. If you hadn't had unduly stressful incidents in your past, probably now mostly forgotten, you would have remained calm. I don't think therapy can ever take away those interpersonal traumas altogether, but it can give us a new safe, healthy experience which can become a greater part of who we are over time.
For people like me (us?) keeping stress low stops the physiological changes ( HPA over-activity leading to an under-active, impaired hippocampus) which makes me anxious and depressed. Because of this, I think it is wiser for me to use medication indefinitely, although hopefully at quite low dosages. Meanwhile, therapy is slowly but surely putting healthy new information about trustworthy relationships into my brain.
I feel the same way you do: APs are much better at calming me down than the benzodiazepines. The key is occasional use, so as to avoid the weight gain and metabolic changes.
As far as *termination* goes, it absolutely has to be very gradual and as stress- free as possible. If it's stressful, I am just damaging my brain once again!
Posted by Dinah on January 4, 2012, at 9:41:27
In reply to Re: What helps...Dinah, posted by Twinleaf on January 1, 2012, at 9:51:31
I think, in my case, I tend to credit nature more than nurture. Like some dogs, I was born a bit neurotic. There was no real trauma in my life. At least none that would rock a person with a lower center of gravity. :)
My latest dog is more than a bit fearful. I've had him since he was a puppy, and I don't think I'd say that he's had any real trauma in his life. But I'd probably admit that some environments might have done better at instilling more resilience. I do my best at desensitizing, but along comes some new trauma (like New Years fireworks) and he's got an entirely new fear. We both miss my more stable dog, who seemed to help him regulate himself better. At any rate, he didn't seem overly bothered by July 4 or New Years before this. We're working on it, though.
Posted by Raisinb on January 4, 2012, at 19:47:53
In reply to Re: What helps...Dinah » Twinleaf, posted by Dinah on January 4, 2012, at 9:41:27
Dinah, dogs can be given psych meds too. My aunt, a trainer, suggested it for my highly anxious dog (there is an SSRI, I think, for storms and firecrackers.)
Posted by Dinah on January 5, 2012, at 1:17:44
In reply to Re: What helps...Dinah, posted by Raisinb on January 4, 2012, at 19:47:53
I've given it some thought. I guess I was feeling more optimistic before the fireworks problem happened. He had seemed to be getting better. Exposure seems to help. We'll see what happens after a week or so of playing frisbee in the back yard.
I find it a bit embarrassing at times. I know I shouldn't personalize it, but it makes me feel like I've been a bad dog mother.
Posted by Raisinb on January 5, 2012, at 20:26:40
In reply to Re: What helps...Dinah » Raisinb, posted by Dinah on January 5, 2012, at 1:17:44
I feel the same way. My own mother tells me I'm doing something wrong because my dog acts perfectly calm around others. Sheesh, and I haven't even given birth to human children yet.
You can also try those Dog Appeasment Pheromone plugins, but they are expensive. They seemed to help my puppy through severe separation anxiety when she was younger.
Posted by Dinah on January 10, 2012, at 9:14:05
In reply to Re: What helps...Dinah, posted by Raisinb on January 5, 2012, at 20:26:40
I really need to get out more with him. I spend lots of time at home with him, and my husband plays with him in the back yard as well. But with his temperament, he needs constant exposure.
That being said, despite being spooky he is a great little dog. He won't replace my lost one, but I don't know what I'd do without him after losing her.
Animals can be better than therapists sometimes, even if they need therapy themselves. (Hmmm... I wonder if this sentiment could possibly tie into my thread below.)
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Psychology | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.