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Medication - blaa!! Anyone relate???

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nateboy

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Nice thread topic, huh? That is just the way I feel right now. I am on Lamictal but the doctor wanted to find me a better med to help me sleep than Klonopin as it's started to work less and less. So, she put me on Seoquel as it has helped me two years ago. She told me to still take Klonopin but taper off while taking Seroquel. I did that last night and woke up with the worse "hangover-like" headache. I couldn't get out of bed until 2:30 PM. IT WAS HORRIBLE. I had to cancel my meetings at work, couldn't go to a very important one!! Extremely important. I still can barely type or think. I feel like my brain is mush! It is 1:20 am and I am scared this will happen tomorrow/today. I was told to cut down the Seroquel from 100 to 25 mg. I also heard that Seroquel is a mood stabalizer. Should I be on Lamictal and Seroquel??? Being on two heavy duty meds freaks me out. I am not on the heavier end of the bipolar spectrum as I don't get extremely manic or extremely depressed; actually I don't think I get a little manic or depressed. I have mild bipolar because I am primarily Seasonal Affective Disorder with pretty serious anxiety during the spring and summer months - so I do cycle. During winters, I feel tired and may sometimes get the "blues," but it's not too bad...the fatigue is HORRIBLE and my whole circadium rhythem is out of whack.

I am curious about abilify. Does it help with sleep? If it does, I may just call this quits before it's too late and turn to that one. I don't want to go through any possible withdrawals. God made me the way I am and for this I praise him, but I can't help laugh about the genetic checkmarks against me. Those questionaires you have to fill out regarding medical and mental problems in your family history...why don't they just have a box that says, "All of the above?" Another problem with me is that I also don't EVER reach stage three and four sleep (sleep right before REM), so my body doesn't have a chance to rejuvinate thus having daytime sleepiness with fibromylgia symptoms...stinks! The psychiatrist I am seeing is new (I like her) and finds it amusing that I laugh about it. Well, I have bad genes..it could be worse?? In my opinion, it's what we do with our defective genes and how we use them for God's glory is what's important.

Those darn neurotransmitters, though!! Come on dopamine- get working correctly already (my main difficulty is dopamine (i.e., ADHD, Anxiety, SAD, possible narolepsy with insomnia...). I may not have a Dr. by my name but I have other letters; I feel so special. I am "unique" in that I respond to meds like hardly any person.

First of all, I have been given the Hep. B vaccinee (I think it's Heb B) - the one that has three series. The first time, it didn't work. Ten years later, I had the series again....it didn't work. The nurse in the hospital where I worked at the time stated that for someone not to be immune with the vaccine is very rare...about .01% of the population...lovely.

Here we go - med history; meds underlined!! Relate? Anyone?

When I wake up from anesthesia, I become manic-like..seriously high and active. I have woken (??) up during surgery before and three epiderals didn't work during pregnancy. Yet, I need the lowest dose of Ritalin for it to help my ADHD.

Welbutrin (hangover feeling),
Effexor (almost manic -fast heart beat),
Provigil (just weried feeling - perhaps manic like??),
Zoloft and Lexapro - different times (worked a little for anxiety, not a lot),
Paxil (muscle twitches - good for anxiety but those darn muscle twitches!),
Those addictive anti-anxiety meds like Zanax - loved 'em but as people say, "They're addictive!" -- not to me, they helped me!! They worked but they are not considered a mood stabilizer so they wouldn't help in the winter.
Remeron (good but woke up feeling really really tired - not good for SAD during winter).
Depokote (slept most of the time, felt like a mental patient) on it for two days until the doc said I was not bipolar. Just to find out many years later SAD is a mild form of bipolar II. I feel like a lab rat...actually they may have it better. We are all so different, so there is no other way!!

Does any one else have this problem with meds? I feel so alone...like .001% alone as another psychiatrist told me I am an "anigma." A really good neurologist & sleep doctor working alongside with a psychiatrist couldn't figure me out and said I was "unique" and was a difficult case. Where ever I go, the psychiatrist and I joke around that I should adopt my next child because the genes are just not good in my family (so true). My husband and I have one child who is three (child is doing wonderful but already has OCD like symptoms (from hubby) and expressive speech delay (me). I don't want to take chances...I will pray! Writing this I still have to laugh at the genetic strikes against me yet through God I can accomplish whatever task he sets before me! Praise God. Genetics, labels, all that stuff is NOTHING! Let's just laugh it in the face, deal with it (go to the doctor), pray to God everyday for strength, and use it for our ministry if God wills. My biggest prayer for us all right now is that God allows us to find the right medication to help us!! Again, this stinks.


God bless,


 
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Alive again

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Oh yes, I can relate. If something works for 95% of the people I am in the 5% it doesn't work for. Currently I have a side effect from my med that only 3% of the people taking it get. Yes, Side effects are one of the biggest issues with meds. Often they fade over 2-3 weeks, but who wants to feel like that for that long to see if it will go away!!! And I always hate trying to figure out if I feel better or worse due to a med or an underlying mood swing. It is an art form to figure all this out and it helps so much when you truly have a doc that works in partnership with you!!!!:groupray:

But don't give up. It is very frustrating, but when you find the right med combo that works for you, it is worth it all!!!
 
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nateboy

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Yes, ALIVE AGAIN - sorry about your situation but I am thankful I am not alone with the med issue. I will pray for us both in this struggle.

LemonFlavor: I have been there, too. I actually had a family physican state that it's all in my head, when I had fibromylgia symptoms. This is when he didn't refer me to a psychiatrist - before I started seeing one and was giving me all these meds without success. I think he got mad when he wasn't able to help me. One of the meds made my body ache all over and I was practically incapacitated for a month (right out of grad school and starting my first job!! Perfect timing!). I know want to say, "Yes, it was all in my head but not like you think!" It's so frustrating. I am so thankful I have always found a psychiatrist who believes me and really trusts my opinion. I overanalyze everything and understand neurotransmitters and how they work (not at a doctor's level of course), so it may help???? Obviously not very much for me right now.

Mitsey, what do you use for sleep right now??

It seems like most of you can completely relate to this med thing. I took sequol last night again only 25 mg (very low dose) and this morning my brain feels like mush again, I have over anxiety, my fibromyalgia symptoms are back which means it must have interferred with one of the stages of sleep that I already don't get enough of. Also about 30 minutes after taking it - 10 minutes after writing this email, I had a prickly sensation...This stinks....to top it off, I can't find the lamictal I misplaced during my mushy session yesterday. My mind is so gone this morning that I have to ask my husband to be my brain. I am so unusually easily irritated that I ask my husband to step in if our three year old keeps saying, "MOMMY, the train is off, the train is off, mommy the train is off..." He goes in these obsessive cycles for about 20 minutes at a time (OCD strongly on my husbands side of the family and bipolar II, he was undx until he met me - wonderful). So, anyways...I am usually not irritable like this but the dang prickly sensation is still there and I have to force myself not to be irritable, especially during my three year old repetitions (mommy, I want James, mommy I want James - see OCD forums for more info on my child - love him he is so cute, just may have a problem).

Thanks all! I am so thankful for these forums. I feel like I have wonderful support and most of you who are Christians, can pray for me and vice versa. Those who aren't but are still on this forums....I love you, too and will be praying for you. I can just vent on here and not feel judged. It's sad that some Christians and some churches view our plithe as "denomic possession or opression." I have the holy spirit in me and am a God fearing woman (who needs to remember and take up her cross daily - like everyone). I just have a chemical imbalance in my brain. Reminds me how Paul continue to have a "thorn in his flesh" to keep him humble (don't know where it's at in the bible). That is what we have to keep our eyes on him!!!

Let's just keep praying for meds!! Any one have suggestions for meds to help sleep??? Look at my list. Should I just stick with something like Klonopin? This stinks. I know you are not a psychiatrist but you probably understand me more.

God bless you!
 
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lemonflavor

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If I could intrude, what's the best way to help a doctor to trust and believe you? I'm going to be seeing a new doc and feel like telling him I'm an honest person, I know my body well, and I'm not making this stuff up. But then I'm afraid this is what people who lie say to get people to believe them. So I'm not sure how to approach it.
 
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Alive again

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Yes, ALIVE AGAIN - sorry about your situation but I am thankful I am not alone with the med issue. I will pray for us both in this struggle.

LemonFlavor: I have been there, too. I actually had a family physican state that it's all in my head, when I had fibromylgia symptoms. This is when he didn't refer me to a psychiatrist - before I started seeing one and was giving me all these meds without success. I think he got mad when he wasn't able to help me. One of the meds made my body ache all over and I was practically incapacitated for a month (right out of grad school and starting my first job!! Perfect timing!). I know want to say, "Yes, it was all in my head but not like you think!" It's so frustrating. I am so thankful I have always found a psychiatrist who believes me and really trusts my opinion. I overanalyze everything and understand neurotransmitters and how they work (not at a doctor's level of course), so it may help???? Obviously not very much for me right now.

Mitsey, what do you use for sleep right now??

It seems like most of you can completely relate to this med thing. I took sequol last night again only 25 mg (very low dose) and this morning my brain feels like mush again, I have over anxiety, my fibromyalgia symptoms are back which means it must have interferred with one of the stages of sleep that I already don't get enough of. Also about 30 minutes after taking it - 10 minutes after writing this email, I had a prickly sensation...This stinks....to top it off, I can't find the lamictal I misplaced during my mushy session yesterday. My mind is so gone this morning that I have to ask my husband to be my brain. I am so unusually easily irritated that I ask my husband to step in if our three year old keeps saying, "MOMMY, the train is off, the train is off, mommy the train is off..." He goes in these obsessive cycles for about 20 minutes at a time (OCD strongly on my husbands side of the family and bipolar II, he was undx until he met me - wonderful). So, anyways...I am usually not irritable like this but the dang prickly sensation is still there and I have to force myself not to be irritable, especially during my three year old repetitions (mommy, I want James, mommy I want James - see OCD forums for more info on my child - love him he is so cute, just may have a problem).

Thanks all! I am so thankful for these forums. I feel like I have wonderful support and most of you who are Christians, can pray for me and vice versa. Those who aren't but are still on this forums....I love you, too and will be praying for you. I can just vent on here and not feel judged. It's sad that some Christians and some churches view our plithe as "denomic possession or opression." I have the holy spirit in me and am a God fearing woman (who needs to remember and take up her cross daily - like everyone). I just have a chemical imbalance in my brain. Reminds me how Paul continue to have a "thorn in his flesh" to keep him humble (don't know where it's at in the bible). That is what we have to keep our eyes on him!!!

Let's just keep praying for meds!! Any one have suggestions for meds to help sleep??? Look at my list. Should I just stick with something like Klonopin? This stinks. I know you are not a psychiatrist but you probably understand me more.

God bless you!
Nateboy, I can relate to the overanalyzing things, mayhap this is a trait common to bp? I also tend to be a perfectionist and can get weirdly obessive about little things when I am irritable and have that creepy crawly feeling you are talking about. As an ex-rn (hoping to be one again soon) I also get the neurotransmitter thing and it does help when trying to understand why one med will work and another not, or why another med change might be worth it.

lemonflavor, just try telling them that in the past you have felt like doctors have not believed you about your symptoms, med side effects and the things you are experiencing. That you are looking for a doctor the you feel is listening to what you have to say is happening to your body, but that you know they have the experience and expertise in meds and acces to info on new meds and research, that you are wanting to work together to find the best meds and treatment for yourself. If a doc is offended by that type of approach. . .well, I wouldn't want them for my doc.
 
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