Beth's Keeping Track Post

bizi · Oct 16, 2022, 10:20 AM

I have heard that welbutrin was the safest anti depressant for us. That is if you don't take an AP. Lamictal is my only "anti depressant". It is my main stabilizer. I also take a small dose of haldol 5mg twice a day.

take care of yourself. and good luck tapering off of the klonipin.
bizi

*Beth* · Oct 16, 2022, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi

I have heard that welbutrin was the safest anti depressant for us. That is if you don't take an AP. Lamictal is my only "anti depressant". It is my main stabilizer. I also take a small dose of haldol 5mg twice a day.

take care of yourself. and good luck tapering off of the klonipin.
bizi

Thank you, bizi. As always, I deeply appreciate your support and friendship.

bizi · Oct 16, 2022, 10:51 PM

I take 1mg of klonipin to sleep at night...have tried a lot of other options nothing worked my pdoc wanted me to take 20mg of melatonin it was crazy!
I took generic benadryl for 2 years and it worked great. Then it just stopped working.
good luck with the tapers...
bizi

*Beth* · Oct 17, 2022, 03:31 PM

That IS a crazy amount of melatonin @bizi! Geez, 10mg is considered high - 5mg is the general recommendation.

I take melatonin now and then. I think it does help me sleep, but the stuff has a strange effect on me...gives me freaky dreams and sometimes I find myself tossing and turning and talking, as though I am "awake while asleep." Perhaps the melatonin reacts with other meds I take, I don't know.

~Christina · Oct 17, 2022, 09:14 PM

I take 20mg of Melatonin per my Pdoc

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

bizi · Oct 17, 2022, 09:22 PM

How are you sleeping @~Christina

bizi

*Beth* · Oct 18, 2022, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi

How are you sleeping @~Christina

bizi

Yeah, do you find the 20mg helpful @~Christina?

Fuzzybear · Oct 19, 2022, 12:09 PM

I'm taking zopiclone right now for sleep.

Fuzzybear · Oct 19, 2022, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by downandlonely

I take Cymbalta, which is an SNRI. I find they work better for me than SSRIs. I also take Wellbutrin, which works on dopamine and neurepinephrine.

All of these caused that very severe rash on my face..

except for wellbutrin which I don't think is available here

Sorry for the ''downer''..... I ''should'' be able to ...... deleted

*Beth* · Oct 19, 2022, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuzzybear

I'm taking zopiclone right now for sleep.

Hello, my friend Fuzzy, is Zopiclone an AP? How is it working for your sleep, does it help?

Fuzzybear · Oct 19, 2022, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Beth*

Hello, my friend Fuzzy, is Zopiclone an AP? How is it working for your sleep, does it help?

Hi Beth, it's not an AP. It is helping for my sleep.

I deleted a long post.

*Beth* · Oct 20, 2022, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fuzzybear

Hi Beth, it's not an AP. It is helping for my sleep.

I deleted a long post.

I read about Zopiclone and it sounds like a very good med for sleep. I guess the pharmaceutical companies here don't make enough money on it, though, because it's "illegal" here .

Fuzzybear · Oct 20, 2022, 09:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Beth*

I read about Zopiclone and it sounds like a very good med for sleep. I guess the pharmaceutical companies here don't make enough money on it, though, because it's "illegal" here .

I suspect that was partly why that younger doctor was so keen to prescribe a certain med to me.., a while ago. To further her career, not to actually improve my quality of life...

*Beth* · Oct 24, 2022, 05:48 PM

I had a phone appt. with med dude. He said just leave my meds as they are. I'm good with that.

BeyondtheRainbow · Oct 24, 2022, 06:10 PM

That's great Beth. Since I started on Clozapine we rarely change more than my PRNs but prior to that it seemed there was always some change. A month (or however long) without a change is a joyous occasion.

*Beth* · Oct 24, 2022, 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

That's great Beth. Since I started on Clozapine we rarely change more than my PRNs but prior to that it seemed there was always some change. A month (or however long) without a change is a joyous occasion.

Yeah, I hear you there, Rainbow. It's been decades of changing, changing, changing meds. The list of meds I've been on at one time or another is frightening to me. And they just don't work effectively anymore. That is kind-of scary to me, but I think my receptors are blown out or something.

*Beth* · Oct 30, 2022, 12:09 AM

Been having struggles with the "spookies" since night falls earlier. I don't exactly know what to call it. Depression/anxiety and feeling irrationally afraid of things. For example, afraid of going to bed and sleeping.

Anyway. I realized that when I dropped my Gabapentin dose way down in August, when I was so extremely sick, I never did increase it back to where it had been. I'd stopped at 1200mg. Yeah, I can be a bit slow sometimes. So I've added in the extra 600mg/day, starting last night. Today I have felt so much better! Fingers crossed that this will work out, be helpful.

Also- my blood pressure, since stopping all SSRI's for the first time in about 30 years, is GOOD. Not high anymore! IBS symptoms have returned (interesting that the SSRI's stopped working for depression, but kept helping with IBS), but I'll take the mild IBS over the other health probs.

Tart Cherry Jam · Oct 30, 2022, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by *Beth*

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2][B]Been having struggles with the "spookies" since night falls earlier. I don't exactly know what to call it. Depression/anxiety and feeling irrationally afraid of things. For example, afraid of going to bed and sleeping.

Anyway. I realized that when I dropped my Gabapentin dose way down in August, when I was so extremely sick, I never did increase it back to where it had been. I'd stopped at 1200mg. Yeah, I can be a bit slow sometimes. So I've added in the extra 600mg/day, starting last night. Today I have felt so much better! Fingers crossed that this will work out, be helpful.

Beth,

I know it is not an on-label use of Gabapentin, but for me it works as an AD. I tried going off of it as it is considered weight-gaining, although not as hugely as Zyprexa or Depakote, and also because I do not like swallowing many large capsules each night, but I had to go back. It is reassuring that my neurologist, who sees me for headaches, prescribes up to 4500 mg of Gabapentin (above the FDA approved max) to some of his neuro patients and they are doing fine. So 1800 mg is not a high dose, in comparison.

*Beth* · Oct 30, 2022, 08:55 AM

Thank you for your excellent info @Tart Cherry Jam. I've wondered about Gabapentin having AD properties. It seems to me that when it decreases my anxiety/feeling of fear & doom, it also helps to elevate my mood. I wish my med dude would increase my dose. It's not likely he will, be he is flexible, so I'm going to ask him.This time of year is especially difficult for me.

Oh - yes...I so wish Gaba came in pill form! The capsules are terrible.

bizi · Oct 31, 2022, 09:35 AM

When do you see your pdoc again?maybe you could call in and ask for the increase.?????Or would he want to see you in order to do that.
bizi

Fuzzybear · Oct 31, 2022, 12:23 PM

Hugs and love!

*Beth* · Oct 31, 2022, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi

When do you see your pdoc again?maybe you could call in and ask for the increase.?????Or would he want to see you in order to do that.
bizi

I have a phone appointment with med dude next week. I will ask him then.