I went to the Amen Clinic in Newport Beach, California in March of 2010. It has now been a year since the trip, and I have made all of the medication changes my psychiatrist at the clinic recommended. It took a long time!

Some of you may know that the Amen Clinics use SPECT brain scans to give the doctors more information before diagnosing and treating psychiatric disorders. I had been on 15 different drug combinations, trying to find relief from treatment resistant depression.

I am now taking Neurontin for anxiety, and Luvox & Effexor XR for depression symptoms. For me, Luvox is a little sedating and Effexor XR is more stimulating, so they work well together. The depression symptoms are much better, and I am hoping they will continue to improve now that the doses of my medications are stable.

I started writing a blog about my experiences the past few years. I didn't realize how therapeutic writing could be! I have posted my brain scans on the blog (Chapters 11 & 13) and explained what they show. If you are interested in learning more details about my trip to Newport Beach, the Amen Clinic, or my treatment plan, go to my blog at: http://escapefromdepression.blogspot.com/.

I hope you are making progress in your battle against depression!

Sincerely,
Caramel