[MickG]

Out of the diagnosed with DID crowd, does anyone make use of medications? Therapy? What suggestions have been made to you in regards to treatment?

Thanks so much for your responses. Peace.

[Korin]

Speaking personally, I manage alone for the most part. I gather lots of information and create coping tools. When younger I was on meds for everything from depression to hearing voices. They didn’t really help. I’m not advocating this to anyone but I found life got easier when I decided to take control of things. No more meds, a lot of reading and creating coping tools helped. I’m still in the system with a very understanding doctor who will get me an appointment with pdoc at the drop of a hat. And will prescribe an antidepressant for when I am experiencing Dissociative Distress - my term for when I become overwhelmed from time to time by it all.

[Newly_diagnosed]

Originally Posted by MickG

Out of the diagnosed with DID crowd, does anyone make use of medications? Therapy? What suggestions have been made to you in regards to treatment?

Thanks so much for your responses. Peace.

I've tried just about everything out there. I know that Medicine doesn't help DID but it makes things manageable for us. The most successful med I've been on (and still take it) is Geodon. I seem to be the most stable I've ever been on that.

But like everything, medicine affects every person differently. Check with your doctor and read about all side affects.

[MickG]

Originally Posted by Newly_diagnosed

I've tried just about everything out there. I know that Medicine doesn't help DID but it makes things manageable for us. The most successful med I've been on (and still take it) is Geodon. I seem to be the most stable I've ever been on that.

But like everything, medicine affects every person differently. Check with your doctor and read about all side affects.

That is interesting. What did you find most helpful about Geodon? What exactly does it do for you?

Thanks.

[Newly_diagnosed]

Originally Posted by MickG

That is interesting. What did you find most helpful about Geodon? What exactly does it do for you?

Thanks.

I take it to stabilize my mood. I have ups and downs and without it it makes me feel like the world is going to fast and I can't keep up. I've tried multiple anti-depressants and such but this one has kept be the most balance.

[Omers]

My DID impacts my meds more than my meds impact my DID. The meds are for depression and anxiety.

[Elysium]

I take anti-depressants to help manage my depression. My T would like to see me get on an anti-psychotic, not for psychosis but for adjunctive treatment of the depression, but I do not like the long term side effects of them. They tend to cause a lot of weight gain and they effect your blood sugars and can encourage Diabetes. Otherwise, I take anti-anxiety meds for my panic/anxiety and I manage with Therapy.

I really don't like taking the meds. I'm not keen on putting chemicals in my body....even though I'm a Nurse, and I think that big Pharma puts a lot of whoo-hah in the medications that only help keep people reliant on them. My general thought is that there is as much poison in medications as there is medicine....but alas, the meds do help and right now the benefits outweigh the negatives.

That, and I have gone through a bit of withdrawal from my anti-depressant and I never want to do that again. For the first time in my life I thought I was dying and needed the toilet for both the upper and lower portion of my digestive tract....at the same time!! It was miserable, and I never want to go through that again!!

I take meds but just for depression/occassional anxiety

[MickG]

Thanks so much everyone. I'm not a fan of anti-psychotics either. They just don't work. Schizophrenia/DID--the docs can't explain the worlds I walk.

I have taken many medications over the years, anti depressants, anti anxiety and sleeping tablets. However, I don't really think any of these really work. The greatest healer has been long term therapy. Now days I only really feel and talk with the others within the therapy room and occasionally at night when it is quiet and the mind tends to go crazy. It has been a long road though and I would say I am more able to "control and cope" rather than be "cured" Good luck.

[Gr3tta]

We don't take any meds for DID, and to our knowledge there are none that are for it, although, as described above, there are some for associated symptoms that sometimes occur. We personally have had some very adverse and weird reactions to meds, and are therefore hesitant in taking them. We do sometimes take something to help us sleep (with mixed results) and we have tried taking things for nerve disorders we have (also with mixed results.) We believe in being open minded about meds, and remain willing to try things, but don't believe in them being an easy fix. Especially with regards to DID, it's so personal, and so different for each of us, as well as for each within us, that it's hard to figure out what helps. It's more of a trial and error process. We just encourage you to stay willing to keep trying, until you can find a mix of meds, therapy, and anything else that helps you. ~ Emma & Julia

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by MickG

Out of the diagnosed with DID crowd, does anyone make use of medications? Therapy? What suggestions have been made to you in regards to treatment?

Thanks so much for your responses. Peace.

I dont take medication for DID. my medication is for anxiety, depression and other things.

there is no medication for DID, sometimes though medication is used to distinguish between whether the person has DID vs other mental disorders because the right medication and dosage can help other mental disorders and other problems not related to DID symptoms and problems.

treatment for DID is individualized. though everyone with DID meets the same diagnostic criteria, their reasons, coping skills and other things for having the disorder is not always the same..

if you are DID talk with your treatment providers and they will help you to build a treatment plan that is right for you and your problems and how DID affects you.

[Wysteria]

I've been taking an anti-depressant and anti-anxiety and mood stabilizer but I depersonalize for long periods of time and am not DID but also have severe depression...

I've also recently started Latuda which is now being used "off-label" for some dissociative disorders to help reduce the depersonalization or derealization times...I'm having some problems, but it does seem to help with daymares and reduce some of the nightmares for me personally. From what I understand, it is about the only thing out there, and it is very new and is only now really being tried in general population. My pdoc is watching me closely on it...I think I'm his first patient taking it for this application. I've asked on the medication forum post section, but so far noone else has responded that they are taking it for dissociative conditions..

I believe strongly in therapy and trauma based emotion reduction therapies to help reduce some of the underlying causes of the disorders and their symptoms..

Don't know if this helps or not?? Good luck on finding the course of action and therapy for your personal needs and healing.

Wysteria Blue

[amandalouise]

Originally Posted by Wysteria

I've been taking an anti-depressant and anti-anxiety and mood stabilizer but I depersonalize for long periods of time and am not DID but also have severe depression...

I've also recently started Latuda which is now being used "off-label" for some dissociative disorders to help reduce the depersonalization or derealization times...I'm having some problems, but it does seem to help with daymares and reduce some of the nightmares for me personally. From what I understand, it is about the only thing out there, and it is very new and is only now really being tried in general population. My pdoc is watching me closely on it...I think I'm his first patient taking it for this application. I've asked on the medication forum post section, but so far noone else has responded that they are taking it for dissociative conditions..

I believe strongly in therapy and trauma based emotion reduction therapies to help reduce some of the underlying causes of the disorders and their symptoms..

Don't know if this helps or not?? Good luck on finding the course of action and therapy for your personal needs and healing.

Wysteria Blue

a couple months ago on another site I read about others on this medication. I was curious and hoped it may help some of my own clients.

what I found out was that Latuda is for treating hallucinations and delusions that come with some disorders such as schizophrenia, schizo affective disorder, schizo typical disorder, and bipolar disorder. it is an anti psychotic.

it is being used more and more in the hospital where I work as the new drug of choice for ruling in or out those mental disorder that contain psychotic features of hallucinations and delusions thereby ruling in or out whether someone has dissociative disorders.

to date here in NY there is no known medication on the market that will lessen dissociative symtoms. this is in part because a certain amount of dissociation is actually a normal thing to have and do.

to date any medications tried on our dissociative clients at the hospital the results have been either that persons dissociative problems escalated or through a plecebo affect of the person being told this will help then their own belief in the medication in turn helped them to remain in control / remain grounded. kind of like when a child falls down and physically they are fine but mentally they are upset and you say kiss it and make it better, or give them a bandage on the non wounded area and then the child goes off to play because their belief in band aids gave them the confidence they needed to go back to playing.

you can do your own 'study or survey" for your area on this medication too. its real easy to do. just call mental health agencies and tell them you heard about the drug and wanted to know if that agency had any statistics or info about it.

[MickG]

Thanks everyone for your info. I greatly appreciate it.

Mick
Since nothing really help with DID, medication wise, I take (or took) antidepressants and antianxiety meds for the fallout of DID. Sometimes along with Abilify as an adjunct.

"Thanks so much everyone. I'm not a fan of anti-psychotics either. They just don't work. Schizophrenia/DID--the docs can't explain the worlds I walk." Posted by Mick

The real difference I've found between schizophrenic voices and DID voices is where they come from. For me (I've experienced both) the schizo ones are external where as the DID ones are internal. You can be dx with schizo if you hear a voice that keeps a running dialog of all you do, which sometimes I find is more dissociative than schizo but that's just me.

Personally, I take meds for the severe, recurrent, treatment resistant depression with psychosis. It's when I get depressed that my angry other comes out and wants to kill us, thinking it would be better than the alternative of continuing to suffer. If the depression is under control I have more peace with the dissociative stuff.

Hope that helps.

Love and hugs,
Tara