Beth's Keeping Track Post

Glad something is finally helping

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Last week:

Zoloft increased to 200mg.
Stopped the useless Visteril.
Added gabapentin 900mg/day
Dropped Wellbutrin to 150mg. (pdoc is thinking it may be too activating.)

So far the anxiety is down substantially. It's actually at "manageable."

Just wanted to stop by and give you loads of hugs

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Glad you are feeling better.

That pdoc seems very odd to me. I've never heard of one that refuses to prescribe APs. Tardive dyskinesia is a possible side effect, but it's really rare.

I too, am glad that you are feeling better. Hope it lasts for you.
wanted to also leave some hugs for you:
((((((HUGS))))))
bizi

Thanks for all the support!!! It means so much to me

Hey @BethRags how are you dosing your gaba? I’m prescribed 100mgX3 for restlessness (not rls) menopausal symptoms and possible initiation of sleep.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by sarahsweets Hey @BethRags how are you dosing your gaba? I’m prescribed 100mgX3 for restlessness (not rls) menopausal symptoms and possible initiation of sleep. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I take 300mg., three times per day. So total of 900mg/day.

I feel like the Zoloft 200mg/Gabapentin 900mg combination is a miracle. My anxiety is remarkably lower. I have a very minimal anxiety break-through now and then, but nothing like it used to be.

I will see my pdoc tomorrow (online). I'm interested in hearing what she has to say.

I am so glad that this mix seems to help your anxiety.
YAY!
bizi

How are you doing beth?
bizi

Thanks so much for checking, bizi. I'm feeling pretty stable. Very little high-anxiety breakthrough. I'll see Judge Judy (i.e., my pdoc) on 2/8. I won't complain if she ups the Zoloft and Gabapentin doses a bit. The main problem I'm having these days (for the past few months) is with sleep. If pdoc prescribes a sleep med my jaw will drop.

I hope she prescribes something for sleep.
bizi

Okay, the appointment today went well enough.

Keep Lamictal, Klonopin, Zoloft, Gabapentin the same.

Stop the Wellbutrin.

Add Doxepin 10mg. to help me fall asleep. I'll start it tomorrow night.
x Fingers crossed x

Thanks for the update.
I hope you get some sleep.
hubby takes good quality CBD to sleep.
it seems to help him. though they are expensive.
I take 1mg of klonipin to sleep.
a cheap fix for me. Have been on it for years. old pdoc took me off of it and could not sleep. she kept trying different things eventually after I was hospitalized I switch providers. She doesn't know my history and I guess I am happy about that.
bizi

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi Thanks for the update. I hope you get some sleep. hubby takes good quality CBD to sleep. it seems to help him. though they are expensive. I take 1mg of klonipin to sleep. a cheap fix for me. Have been on it for years. old pdoc took me off of it and could not sleep. she kept trying different things eventually after I was hospitalized I switch providers. She doesn't know my history and I guess I am happy about that. bizi

I just messaged you, bizi.

Thank you, as always, for your friendship.


I've been on 2mgs./day of Klonopin for over 20 years. I guess it just doesn't do anything for my sleep anymore. It's good that it helps you. I swear, not sleeping will drag me down faster than anything. It seems that Doxepin has good reviews.

Thinking of you tonight. I know the loss has to hurt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow Thinking of you tonight. I know the loss has to hurt.

How kind of you, Rainbow

Current Gabapentin dose is 1,200mg/day. I think the other meds are the same as they were in early February. No - the Doxepin was absolutely useless. So I sometimes take a tiny dose of Seroquel for sleep. It's somewhat helpful. The otc sleep meds and melatonin don't do much anymore...maybe a tiny bit helpful, sometimes.

So my sleep has been poor; never a good thing for me.

Sidney had a hypo episode 2 1/2 weeks ago and that really shook me up. A very, very scary day. She did come through it okay, though. Required a decreased insulin dose.

Then the war in Ukraine escalated.

Then the time changed. These long, long afternoons.

So my anxiety (and a degree of depression) level has risen. I would like to increase the Gabapentin and see if that helps, but I don't have a pdoc appointment until April 5th - and I'm betting she won't agree to raise the dose.

Feeling run down, in general.

I take my 1200 mg of gabapentin all at once which I know is different but it helps me sleep. During this entire breast cancer thing sleep got really bad again so my pdoc suggested taking 300 mg at 11 pm, 2.5 hours after my big dose. That really helps when I'm laying awake thinking about things I shouldn't be. Would she consider adding a little bit extra late at night like that? I know she's unreasoanble but it's a harmless addition.

Gotta get trash out. It's going to storm. Running....

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow I take my 1200 mg of gabapentin all at once which I know is different but it helps me sleep. During this entire breast cancer thing sleep got really bad again so my pdoc suggested taking 300 mg at 11 pm, 2.5 hours after my big dose. That really helps when I'm laying awake thinking about things I shouldn't be. Would she consider adding a little bit extra late at night like that? I know she's unreasoanble but it's a harmless addition. Gotta get trash out. It's going to storm. Running....

Weirdly, the Gabapentin doesn't cause me to feel sleepy. Taking the entire dose at once sounds like an interesting possibility, though. So you take the entire 1200, then 2.5 hours later you take an additional 300, to total 1500?

Yes. I was initially on the usual 3x/day but eventually discovered that with the whole dose at once I slept better. I have 200 mg PRN if I still need it to get to sleep but am getting tired (if I'm not getting tired I take PRN klonopin). It's weird but it works for me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow Yes. I was initially on the usual 3x/day but eventually discovered that with the whole dose at once I slept better. I have 200 mg PRN if I still need it to get to sleep but am getting tired (if I'm not getting tired I take PRN klonopin). It's weird but it works for me.

Thank you for sharing that with me. I'm definitely keeping it in mind.

Are you getting any sleep?
I think one of the meds we tried during the time that mypdoc d/c my klonipin was atarax.I think it helped some back then.New provider lets me have klonipin again and now I sleep. 1mg does the trick.
bizi

Frankly, I'm taking whatever I can get my hands on to fall asleep. Nothing dangerous - just ZzzQuil, Tylenol PM, melatonin, 12.5mg. Seroquel. I never mix them, but I have to admit that there are times when I'm tempted to take the Seroquel with ZzzQuil or with melatonin. Once I finally fall asleep I usually stay asleep okay.