Beth's Keeping Track Post #2

You have been under pressure/stress for a long time.
Beth I bet your crying was cathartic. glad that he was kind to you.
((((HUGS))))))
bizi

med dude appointment today. med dude wins gold ribbon for empathy, gentleness, and kindness. I sincerely hope he stays at the clinic and gains experience with prescribing, and confidence with prescribing, because he will become the most awesome med dude in existence. He just needs the experience of I pushed the envelope, it worked, and now I have the confidence to push the envelope again.

Poor med dude, women must get frustrated with him because he's handsome and so, so sweet and romantic, but then they have to tell him every little thing to do in bed because he's afraid to make a mistake.

Medication Change
Increase Gabapentin to 2700mg.
Take it: 900mg a.m. / 900mg afternoon / 900mg p.m.

That's good Beth. I was on that dose and schedule when I was first on clozaril and going through seroquel withdrawal. It worked great but with the other meds I take I was too sedated. And I usually forgot at least one dose so we moved it all to night and adjusted the dosage. I only take meds at night because I just don't remember to do it in the day time. But I remember in the hospital when I was on that and really agitated it helped so much.

I hope it helps you. I'm glad med dude is helpful and seems a little braver this week.

Glad med dude is starting to work out for you!

Glad that you like the med dude you have to come up with a better name for him. dude sounds weird, especially since you like him.
glad you are happy with him.
bizi

Hey, she's from Cali, give her a break

This struck me as funny! I bet it's true too. : 😂

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow That's good Beth. I was on that dose and schedule when I was first on clozaril and going through seroquel withdrawal. It worked great but with the other meds I take I was too sedated. And I usually forgot at least one dose so we moved it all to night and adjusted the dosage. I only take meds at night because I just don't remember to do it in the day time. But I remember in the hospital when I was on that and really agitated it helped so much. I hope it helps you. I'm glad med dude is helpful and seems a little braver this week.

Thank you, Rainbow, for your input. I hope I can manage that mid-day dose okay and don't forget it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi Glad that you like the med dude you have to come up with a better name for him. dude sounds weird, especially since you like him. glad you are happy with him. bizi

Dude? Weird? It does? Why? Dude is a cool moniker Uh, well, thanks, bizi

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuddyBoots Hey, she's from Cali, give her a break

Yeah ^^^ that. Other people don't say "dude" and mean it in a complimentary way? Ack, help! I feel stupid and contagious...here we are now, entertain us...what?! It...smells like teen spirit!

Hope you feel better soon.

The most common usage here is like when someone does something outrageous people say "dude....wtf?" Not really complimentary. We also use it to just refer to people but it's more neutral.

I’ve always thought of dude as mostly neutral

Nah, it's, like..."Dude! That is SO cool!"

I thought you were calling him a good guy when you came up with med dude. Med jerk would be insulting but dude is just cute and light and funny.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BeyondtheRainbow I thought you were calling him a good guy when you came up with med dude. Med jerk would be insulting but dude is just cute and light and funny.

Yes, that's how I intend it.

Pleeezze forgive me @bizi

hey there,
nothing wrong or needs to be forgiven.
Dude is masculine in my mind and only to be called to another guy.
let me say that I did not mean to sound critical and lets let it drop off your thread.
((((((HUGS)))))
bizi

Quote:

Originally Posted by bizi hey there, nothing wrong or needs to be forgiven. Dude is masculine in my mind and only to be called to another guy. let me say that I did not mean to sound critical and lets let it drop off your thread. ((((((HUGS))))) bizi

It is absolutely 100% all good, bizi. I never took any of it seriously, never hurt, just smiling and thought it all light-hearted. (My med dude is a guy, though.) Big hugs and, as always, thank you for your kindness, input, and friendship
-Beth

I take Gaba to ameliorate akathisia otherwise caused by APs and it also turned out to act as an AD in me even though I did not begin using it for that purpose. I am currently on 900 mg but I have been at 1800 mg. And I have a neurologist who manages my migraines and who uses Gaba in his patients with other neuro conditions. He told me he prescribes as much as 4500 mg without any ill effects (and the FDA-approved max is 3600 mg). Gaba is really a unique medication that does not get metabolized, that does not interact much with anything else. It is a godsend. If it helps you, take more of it.

Beth,

I take Metforming 500 mg three times a day, not two. I think you can increase it. It is currently a super popular med, at that very dosage, in the community of people looking to extend lifespan and "health span" (not how long in chronological years you live, but how long you remain active and well). While I believe, based on what I have read, that they might be misguided and overly optimistic, the safety profile of metformin has been proven and it is one of the oldest meds on the market. I am not super disciplined about three times a day, but if I stay home and have three meals next to my bottles with meds, I do take it 3X. It has not caused any side effects in me and I take the ER version.

@Beth ;Hey how’s it going?

Oh, wow. Thanks Cherry and Nammu! I haven't even updated this thread and I very much need to.

The med increases have been miracles for me. Miracles. Next year, right about October 1st I am going to have a serious sit down with med dude or whoever I am seeing for medication management and be absolutely sure that the person understands the seriousness of the effect this season has on my mood. It is predictable and, apparently, inevitable. This is the 12th year and the worst one.

Thank you @Nammuso much for nudging me. I'm going to post the actual dosage amount in a separate post so I can easily reference it. @Tart Cherry Jam, sounds intriguing about the Metformin. I don't know how to get my GP to prescribe a higher dose, though. My glucose isn't high enough to require more Metformin than he's prescribing. What is your AC...blood glucose reading?

12/21/2022
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Medication Doses
Topamax 200mg twice/day (400 total)
Gabapentin 2700mg/day
Lamictal 200mg/day
Klonopin 3/4mg. a.m./1mg. p.m.
Metformin 1000mg/day
Amlodipine
Seroquel 25mg (sleep)

otc sleep options: ZzzQuil, melatonin, TylenolPM

Side effects:

Topamax - "dopamax" Feels like I'm high, basically. Cognitive distortion, cannot make sense of spelling, adding, I'm zoned out. It's frustrating, but I really don't care because the depression is... see? I can't think of the word. Just, I'm much better. Sad to have to be this way. But it is what it is. I'm having vision problems. Can't see well. Have to go to doctor because lights at the edges of my vision. Don't know what's going on, med? Not?
No other side effects I notice. Yay!