Needed: A shoulder to cry on…
Question:
Anne, My name is Nancy. I’m glad your episode is lifting.I’m housebound with agoraphobia and – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi ya’ll – Thanks for letting me piggyback your post, Elliott 
I just wanted to say that I have received, both on the ng and in personal emails, a touching amount of support during my little ‘mini-crisis’. I was truly hanging by the end of my rope the other day (and you *know* how little upper-body strength I have…;)…). To each of you who have posted and emailed – I send you (((hugs))) and warm thanks for your kind thoughts and suggestions. You have each helped more than you can know. All of you fellow ASAPers in your far-flung corners of the nation and the world have become my true friends and allies in this…this…uh…uncompromising wasteland. spoke extensively. I told her about how I felt and told her about the charting I had done. She asked some pertinent questions and told me to quit taking the wellbutrin immediately. She left a box full of samples of serzone in her mailbox, which my hubbie picked up for me and brought home last night. Another class of drug, again, since I was allergic to the SSRI’s and the SNRI either 1 – did nothing for me, or 2 – made me anxious – hard to say. Serzone falls into the class of SSNRI – and is chemically related to trazadone with fewer side effects (we hope…). Another nifty perk is that it tends to enhance the effects of benzos 1-2 fold (no clear studies with regard to the klonopin that I take, but we shall see). On Miriam’s advice, I started a half-dose last night and we’ll see how it goes. I will reserve any comments about this one for a while, as I don’t want to ‘get my hopes up’. Anyway – thanks ya’ll. You have yet to fail me when I needed you – a sterling recommendation of your kindness and humanity. :) Best, Anne.
Response:
Hi ya’ll – Thanks for letting me piggyback your post, Elliott I just wanted to say that I have received, both on the ng and in personal emails, a touching amount of support during my little ‘mini-crisis’. I was truly hanging by the end of my rope the other day (and you *know* how little upper-body strength I have…;)…). To each of you who have posted and emailed – I send you (((hugs))) and warm thanks for your kind thoughts and suggestions. You have each helped more than you can know. All of you fellow ASAPers in your far-flung corners of the nation and the world have become my true friends and allies in this…this…uh…uncompromising wasteland. spoke extensively. I told her about how I felt and told her about the charting I had done. She asked some pertinent questions and told me to quit taking the wellbutrin immediately. She left a box full of samples of serzone in her mailbox, which my hubbie picked up for me and brought home last night. Another class of drug, again, since I was allergic to the SSRI’s and the SNRI either 1 – did nothing for me, or 2 – made me anxious – hard to say. Serzone falls into the class of SSNRI – and is chemically related to trazadone with fewer side effects (we hope…). Another nifty perk is that it tends to enhance the effects of benzos 1-2 fold (no clear studies with regard to the klonopin that I take, but we shall see). On Miriam’s advice, I started a half-dose last night and we’ll see how it goes. I will reserve any comments about this one for a while, as I don’t want to ‘get my hopes up’. Anyway – thanks ya’ll. You have yet to fail me when I needed you – a sterling recommendation of your kindness and humanity. :) Best, Anne.
Response:
Anne…… I had similar problems with depression, couldn’t seem to find an antidepressant that worked worth poop. I was sliding real bad for six months. Making a long story short…..hormones……estrogen, progesterone. The real stuff not the chemically synthesized ones. Knocked that depression in a couple of days. I’ll send big long boring history to you in e-mail. Cindy
Response:
KC Cindy wrote to Anne: <Making a long story short…..hormones……estrogen, <progesterone. The <real stuff not the chemically synthesized ones. Knocked <that depression <in a couple of days. <I’ll send big long boring history to you in e-mail. **It wasn’t boring. It was interesting and helpful. :-) Anne, hope you feel better soon. -Cat
Response:
Sorry I haven’t been posting much in the last couple of weeks, but I’m hermiting – both at home and on the ng.
<snipped for space Hi, Anne – *so* sorry to hear this rotten news 
The waiting period before getting that right med. can be sheer, unadulterated *hell* as I remember only too well. I hope when you spoke with your doctor, you didn’t minimise how horrible you’ve been feeling? Sometimes you seem to need to use an electric cattle prod to get through to them… <FX: Fade to consulting room… cue Dr. Kildare theme The Quack: "So… how have we been feeling today Mr. uhhhh.. Ms… ummm… eerrrr… better I hope?" Victim: (suspecting some lack of attention at work here) "Well, one foot fell off last night and I think I’m leaking oil from the gaskets in my left elbow. And, I should tell you, I’m getting terrified of water and my mouth keeps going all foamy." The Quack: (nodding, eyes closed, just as he was taught in med. school) "Well, that’s not uncommon with depressive illn…. Owowowowowowowowowo!!!!! OOHOOHOOHOOHOOHOHH! That HURTS" Victim: (with best Nicholson grin, brandishing arcing catle prod) "Now…. how about some XANAX, doctor…?" Glad Dr. Sheehan’s helped. He seems a rock of sanity in among some of the twits who opine about anxiety disorder. But, you’re right about Fear and Loathing – any bookshop that doesn’t have that masterpiece of gonzo journalism in stock doesn’t deserve to be in business. What a shambles! Hang on in there, Anne and remember there are *always* shoulders here – lots of ‘em 
— Gary Cooper
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Everybody, Sorry I haven’t been posting much in the last couple of weeks, but I’m hermiting – both at home and on the ng. I’m going through a really rough patch – it seems that since my doctor switched me from zoloft to wellbutrin, my overall improvement has been sliding week by week. I have a call in to her this morning. We upped the doseage of wellbutrin two weeks ago, and also was switched to a different generic of klonopin – regardless of which was who, or who was what, I’ve been trying desperately (operative word, sadly) to cope with anxiety that I had all but forgotten about, panic attacks and the depression monster is starting to crowd in now, as well. I think 17 weeks (and 5 different meds) of trial and error is getting to me – will it ever get figured out? Thanks to Gary and ‘the gang’ for continually recommending ‘The Anxiety Disease’ – on one of my better days this week, I forced (kicking, screaming and hyperventilating) to go to the bookstore and stay long enough to ride out the PA and find the book. (Note to Gary: They *didn’t* have a copy of ‘Fear and Loathing’…and they call themselves a bookstore! Pah!! Hex and fie upon them…but at least they had Sheehan’s work, which I had not seen elsewhere.) It was after reading this excellent tome that I decided to make myself up an Excel and a Word document for the charts of overall improvement and the weekly global improvement scale (with some personal modifications). It was only after going through my diary and datebook since last Dec. 18 and cataloguing, that I realized that since Wellbutrin things have really taken a nosedive…IOW, I’ve been ‘gutting it out’ for about 7 weeks now. I’m to tired to do it anymore. I needed a shoulder to cry on, ya’ll — thanks. Best, Anne. :~(
Anne, Sorry you are having a tough time, you have personally provided much help to me and in some small way, I hope this is a bit of payback. BTW, it looks like youre getting lots of support. You are really a blessed person (no religous intent!). This situation is particularly dismaying,since I was hoping to move from Paxil to Wellbutrin particularly after our chats earlier this month and the successes you were feeling. My Psych appt went well, he halved my dosage of Paxil to 10mg/day. He said that it is all too common for Dr.s to over perscribe SSRIs to PA folks. We as a class are very sensitive to meds. Side effects from SSRIs typically mean that one is being overdosed. We’ll see. Today is my first day on the reduced dose. BTW I’m using generic Klonopin and it seems to work fine. One month the pills were yellow, the next month blue. It was all the same to me…wonderful. I actually cut my dose in the evening to half of my 0.5mg am dose, allowing me to feel better in the morning (less drugged). Best wishes on a speedy recovery. Pay lots of attention to the "observer" in you who is recording the pain and panic and note that whatever you are thinking or feeling, there is a calm center watching it all from within the eye of the hurricane. Start identifying more with that calm center. Maybe that will help, you tell me. Best regards, Jeff Kahn
Response:
Hi Everybody, Sorry I haven’t been posting much in the last couple of weeks, but I’m hermiting – both at home and on the ng. I’m going through a really rough patch – it seems that since my doctor switched me from zoloft to wellbutrin, my overall improvement has been sliding week by week. I have a call in to her this morning. We upped the doseage of wellbutrin two weeks ago, and also was switched to a different generic of klonopin – regardless of which was who, or who was what, I’ve been trying desperately (operative word, sadly) to cope with anxiety that I had all but forgotten about, panic attacks and the depression monster is starting to crowd in now, as well. I think 17 weeks (and 5 different meds) of trial and error is getting to me – will it ever get figured out? Thanks to Gary and ‘the gang’ for continually recommending ‘The Anxiety Disease’ – on one of my better days this week, I forced (kicking, screaming and hyperventilating) to go to the bookstore and stay long enough to ride out the PA and find the book. (Note to Gary: They *didn’t* have a copy of ‘Fear and Loathing’…and they call themselves a bookstore! Pah!! Hex and fie upon them…but at least they had Sheehan’s work, which I had not seen elsewhere.) It was after reading this excellent tome that I decided to make myself up an Excel and a Word document for the charts of overall improvement and the weekly global improvement scale (with some personal modifications). It was only after going through my diary and datebook since last Dec. 18 and cataloguing, that I realized that since Wellbutrin things have really taken a nosedive…IOW, I’ve been ‘gutting it out’ for about 7 weeks now. I’m to tired to do it anymore. I needed a shoulder to cry on, ya’ll — thanks. Best, Anne. :~(
Response:
: Hi Everybody, Hi Anne, Sorry to hear you’re having such a rough time with the med changes. Sounds like you were doing better with the zoloft. Have you and your doctor considered trying other SRIs? Just wondering. : … It was only after : going through my diary and datebook since last Dec. 18 and cataloguing, : that I realized that since Wellbutrin things have really taken a : nosedive…IOW, I’ve been ‘gutting it out’ for about 7 weeks now. I’m : to tired to do it anymore. Sounds like you’re really dragging. Try to take things easy and don’t push yourself too hard. Remember, it’s your biochemistry that’s in a funk, not you. : I needed a shoulder to cry on, ya’ll No problem. My shoulder was wet anyway (darn cat). — thanks. Best, Anne. :~( {{{{{{Anne}}}}}} Keep in touch and let us know how you’re doing. Best Wishes, Arthur
