[*Beth*]

It's a lovely, almost chilly night. I have a new blanket on my bed, a book to read, and 5 cats to snuggle with. Night-night

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Originally Posted by BethRags

I strongly suggest that you try the Seroquel. Different meds have different ways of reacting, even if the dose appears to be less.

For example, a low dose of Seroquel is sleep-inducing, whereas a larger dose ofSeroquel is not, necessarily. He might have a solid idea of what he's prescribing.

]



He might also be titrating your dose up. I know I did when I was on Seroquel, especially at lower doses like the early hundreds. My pdoc would never have jumped to 500 mg. (Others might, I'm sensitive to meds, but I don't think it would have come up quite that fast for most people).

[Coolbreeze74]

It's a straight stop the zyprexa and start the seroquel. Thanks for your opinions but I'm not willing to try it. He only prescribed 60. That's enough at 200 a night. So he didn't even prescribe enough to equal 300...

Edit, I might be willing to try it. I'll think about it....

[Coolbreeze74]

But it looks like I'm not having a panic attack again. Yay!

[Coolbreeze74]

I just realized that it wont have the same antipsychotic effect and I'm not willing to risk it...

[BeyondtheRainbow]

Originally Posted by Coolbreeze74

I just realized that it wont have the same antipsychotic effect and I'm not willing to risk it...

Why won't it have the antipsychotic effect? I'm confused, sorry.

[Coolbreeze74]

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow

Why won't it have the antipsychotic effect? I'm confused, sorry.

Bc it's only 300 mgs of seroquel. The equivalency of stopping 7.5 of zyprexa and replacing it with seroquel is 500 mgs... I called my pharmacist about it.

Still around. Just wanted to pop in.

[Soupe du jour]

Originally Posted by Coolbreeze74

Bc it's only 300 mgs of seroquel. The equivalency of stopping 7.5 of zyprexa and replacing it with seroquel is 500 mgs... I called my pharmacist about it.

If you Google "average dose of Seroquel" 300 mg is considered the recommended dose for many for bipolar depression. Bipolar mania dose ranges are between 400 MG and 800 mg. The Seroquel manufacturer recommends starting patients at 300 mg and titrating up, as necessary. Really, Google and you'll find this info. I believe most people take lower doses than 300 mg more as a sleep aid or anxiety control, or PRN add-on for all mentioned above. I would have been surprised if your psychiatrist started you on as high as 500 mg from the very start, except MAYBE if you were in the psychiatric hospital in crisis.

I agree with the others that the goal is to take the lowest dose needed. I also think that "equivalencies" aren't always the same for everyone. Some meds work great, so-so, or not at all at various doses, for some people. For example, 600 mg Lithium can be one person's miracle drug, while 1200 mg was a sugar pill for me that did little more than than give me multiple side effects. One person may need 400 MG Lamictal for help with depression, while 100 MG Lamictal more than did the trick for me, in fact it was overly activating.

I have read of people who claimed that 25 MG Seroquel did them much good, even though that dose isn't considered high enough for moodstabilization. But they said it helped, so... it helped. The usual dose I have read is the start of Seroquel moodstabilization is 300 mg. Again, that's also a recommended starter dose for possible titration upwards.

Some people, if started on too high of a Seroquel dose, may experience very negative side effects. Once my husband accidentally took my evening medications, which included high dose Seroquel and Geodon, and he slept for 16 hours straight...during the daytime.

Most psychiatrists know what they are doing.

[*Beth*]

Soupe is correct. Coolbreeze, since you're having a rough time, why not try Seroquel? I understand that you're frustrated with your pdoc (I've certainly been there), but he probably has the education and experience to know how to prescribe. If you don't at least try Seroquel, he may consider you to be non-compliant, then...good luck.

[*Beth*]

I'm awake too early, but not complaining because I slept 5 hours and will go back to sleep for more hours.

Feeling more irritable than I like to lately. I have a friend who I love very much; we've been friends for 52 years. But she calls me and goes on and on about how depressed she is and how hard her life is, but refuses to assert herself and be prescribed an antidepressant and cancels appointments with a therapist.


Sometimes I just get weary of her whining, but refusing help. I feel like saying, "So choose to be miserable, but don't expect me to be your support person whenever you need to vent".

[MuddyBoots]

Cool, I agree with what the others said about switching to Seroquel, and remember that Seroquel is typically more sedating at lower doses. For me at least, it works fast so maybe try the 200 for a couple days and call your pdoc to adjust the dosage or at least get enough to take 300mg. If you really want to, you can give yourself a slower taper off Zyprexa by cutting the pills into halfs/quarters (depending on how you get the 7.5),and 7.5 isn't that high of a dose for zyprexa, I remember being on 30mg at one point.
Try it out. I wouldn't worry that much about insomnia especially just starting Seroquel.

[Gabyunbound]

My mother ended up in the ER because she 'couldn't breathe' but what no one seemed to pick on was that she was having a huge panic attack and was hyperventilating. They were going to do nothing for her, because her oxygen was fine, but I called and managed to get her seen by a behavioral health nurse (she lives in a small town and they have no pdocs at the hospital). She was nice and supportive and gave my mother a list of therapists. She's had referrals before from her PCP and not called.

This time, when she got home, she called, but they haven't gotten back to her. Per her PCP's office, it is very hard to get appts to see therapists over there. She desperately needs one. She has a history of depression and anxiety, both of which are getting much much worse. I do breathing exercises with her on the phone to try and get her to slow her breathing, but she says it doesn't help much.

She also has MS, COPD and a mess of lesser disabilities, but will now hardly ever get out of bed and into her wheelchair, which is only making her weaker.

So she's agreed to go to a sub-acute facility for about 3 weeks. I left a message yesterday, they didn't get back to me, will call today. I had been speaking with the admissions coordinator for an acute care facility, but she wasn't accepted there, so now I need to start all over with another facility. Still, I think this place would be best. It's less intensive, but longer.

It's been a rollercoaster ride and I've been very stressed. I had a couple of drinks two times this last week, which is very unusual and NOT helping.

I'm very worried. I feel like this is her last chance. She needs to get out of bed and do the hard work of PT/OT to get better at this place and I think her depression and anxiety are telling her to give up.

[Gabyunbound]

I actually wanted to add something else. I had written before here how abusive my brother is and that I had emailed him that I wanted no contact with him except when absolutely necessary regarding my mother.

So I've actually been in touch with my sister-in-law about what has been going on and she sent this nice text to me yesterday, supportive, etc., but included this gem (when I told her that my mother had jumped down my throat about something): "Her jumping down your throat is bizarrely a compliment, just means she can be fully herself even if it is not a nice version!"

Coming from a person caught in an abusive relationship... If that's the message she's sending to my brother regarding his behavior, then I'm afraid he'll never get better...

[Nammu]

Originally Posted by Gabyunbound

My mother ended up in the ER because she 'couldn't breathe' but what no one seemed to pick on was that she was having a huge panic attack and was hyperventilating. They were going to do nothing for her, because her oxygen was fine, but I called and managed to get her seen by a behavioral health nurse (she lives in a small town and they have no pdocs at the hospital). She was nice and supportive and gave my mother a list of therapists. She's had referrals before from her PCP and not called.

This time, when she got home, she called, but they haven't gotten back to her. Per her PCP's office, it is very hard to get appts to see therapists over there. She desperately needs one. She has a history of depression and anxiety, both of which are getting much much worse. I do breathing exercises with her on the phone to try and get her to slow her breathing, but she says it doesn't help much.

She also has MS, COPD and a mess of lesser disabilities, but will now hardly ever get out of bed and into her wheelchair, which is only making her weaker.

So she's agreed to go to a sub-acute facility for about 3 weeks. I left a message yesterday, they didn't get back to me, will call today. I had been speaking with the admissions coordinator for an acute care facility, but she wasn't accepted there, so now I need to start all over with another facility. Still, I think this place would be best. It's less intensive, but longer.

It's been a rollercoaster ride and I've been very stressed. I had a couple of drinks two times this last week, which is very unusual and NOT helping.

I'm very worried. I feel like this is her last chance. She needs to get out of bed and do the hard work of PT/OT to get better at this place and I think her depression and anxiety are telling her to give up.

Oh I’m so sorry. Yes it does sound like depression is making it hard for her to get out of bed. And that just feeds itself as well as makes her physically weaker. I hope you are able to help her get in to a care home. That could really help.

[MuddyBoots]

Thinking of you, your mother, and the rest of your family, Gaby. I hope she gets the help she needs. Please stay away from the drinks

[bpcyclist]

Doing good. Going for a ride and working on my erird science project. Hugs and love to all. Stay sober. Be strong!!!

[Daonnachd]

I had an ECT treatment yesterday. They gave me Zofran instead of the usual med and it left me more confused than normal.

In the interest of continuity I will leave my original post but I have learnt that Zofran is for nausea. So it didn't likely contribute to my confusion.

[MuddyBoots]

I hate that I've been shunned by multiple people.

Possible trigger:

want to use but I can't so I want to kill myself, can do that...

I get it. I'm too much for my therapist and previous pdoc, let alone "regular" people.

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by Sapien

I hate that I've been shunned by multiple people.

Possible trigger:

want to use but I can't so I want to kill myself, can do that...

I get it. I'm too much for my therapist and previous pdoc, let alone "regular" people.

Don't. And don't.

I promise you that you're not "too much" - and I'm not just being nice by pointing that out. Most people think we are too much for mental health professionals when in fact, there are bunches of others just like us. I used to have a terrific psychologist who said, "No one gets to be special". Meaning, we're all basically the same.

[*Beth*]

Attempting to change my user name to just ~Beth~. If that's been taken I'll use cyclist's name "Bethers" - that cannot possibly be taken. My sister used to call me Bethers.

[*Beth*]

Originally Posted by Coolbreeze74

.....

Have you made a decision, Cool? I'm thinking back...when I was started on Seroquel I was started at 300mg. We went up some from there.

[MuddyBoots]

Originally Posted by BethRags

Don't. And don't.


I promise you that you're not "too much" - and I'm not being nice by pointing that out. Most people think we are too much for mental health professionals when in fact, there are bunches of others just like us. I used to have a terrific psychologist who said, "No one gets to be special". Meaning, we're all basically the same.

Thanks. Just wondering why my past two pdocs and several beforehand just dropped me as their patient/switched me to someone else when they weren't leaving the practice... and why a couple flat out said they couldn't help me... I guess if they can't help me, they can't help anybody, and they shouldn't be a psychiatrist, psychologist, or nurse practitioner.

[Fuzzybear]

Originally Posted by Sapien

I hate that I've been shunned by multiple people.

Possible trigger:

want to use but I can't so I want to kill myself, can do that...

I get it. I'm too much for my therapist and previous pdoc, let alone "regular" people.

I completely relate to a lot of this. I hate it that I've been shunned by multiple people. I am not sure what conclusion to draw from this (I know what I concluded from it when I was a cub )

I have been...

Possible trigger:

close to su multiple times. I am not sure why I did not... It was not because everyone loved me. Sometimes nobody did...

I have been told I am too much for the professionals so they help people who are more deserving. As for regular people, they usually completely ignore me. Sometimes they insult me. Most of the time, for regular people, It's as if I don't exist.

[Soupe du jour]

Gabyunbound, your mom is lucky that she has you advocating for her. I'm sorry she has so many health challenges and that it is harder than it should be to get her the proper help. My family has been there with my dad. My dad is in an assisted living facility, and has been for a while. I hope that you can find a safe place for you mom to get the care she needs. I understand some of the challenges. I say "some" because my sister did most of the work to get our father set up. My dad has multiple challenges like your mom. He has emphysema, severe anxiety/depression (probably bipolar disorder), fear of aging and loss of his independence, and addiction issues. I'm sorry you have relationship issues with your brother. It always makes it extra hard having them when a shared parent is in distress. Hugs to you.

Sapien, please please stay safe. I understand your pain, but I assure you that life will become easier. As for feeling rejected by healthcare professionals. I've been there! I was rejected by a few therapists in the past, and one of those times also the psychiatrist at the same time. That was their way to force me into staying at the Partial Hospitalization Program. In the end, I think they were just not up to the task of helping me. It was for the best because I then found a great psychiatrist. If they can't do their job for a person with serious mental health issues, they are lacking in some way. Another time a therapist "suspended" me when I was manic, and called my psychiatrist and told her I "scared her". That sure surprised my psychiatrist (the good one). When I went back to her (she demanded my psychiatrist tell her when I was well enough) she asked to only see me once per month. I was still a bit ill. Once per month was basically her way of quitting me without having the guts to tell me she couldn't handle my case. Then I had another psychologist I went to for an intake. At the end of the first session, she told me she couldn't take me on because she "didn't have a team". and I needed "a team". Boy, that sounded odd and I remember going to my car and laughing about it. It wasn't like I didn't have a psychiatrist. I did. She just was not up to the task, either. I think she only took on clients with marital issues, or some other very minor stuff. Bad fit. Then I had another that just sat staring at me like a deer in the headlights. I eventually quit her after maybe 8 sessions. Another I saw maybe 4 times. She seemed to just think I was a fun comedienne of a client and sat laughing at my jokes. That's an issue I have with therapists that make me nervous, or just sit there, again...not knowing what to say to me.

Beth, we'll all keep our eyes out for your new moniker.