Interesting psychiatrist appointment...come along on my Mr Toads wild Ride!

[DammitJanet]

I had my quarterly appointment with my beloved psychiatrist. I swear the man is a saint. I have been with him since 2001 and he was Cory's psychiatrist too for awhile.

We talked about my cognitive issues that I am having with the word issues. I have no idea what it can be called and neither does any one else. Also because I am so tired all the time and have trouble maintaining concentration, we have decided to take a huge risk...we are putting me on a stimulant.

Yes folks...Im going on Concerta!

If anyone hears a loud boom coming from NC, that will be a large woman attempting to climb the walls but falling down because she cant move...lol.

Our hope here is that by me taking it first thing in the morning before I eat anything it will cause my appetite to be zilch plus my ability to stay awake and concentrate will be better. Right now I am in bed and asleep for at least half my day. Hopefully that stops. Even if I have to sit down and do things like fold clothes or wash dishes on a stool, I will be more able because I am awake and not asleep.

Other than that...medications stay the same.

 

[JJJ]

Good luck!

 

[HaoZi]

Good luck!

 

[klmno]

Wow! I would have thought he might want to increase the MS (I'm assuming you're on) but I guess he knows your medication hx better than anyone except you. Have you warned Tony yet? I hope it works out well- they are trialing difficult child on abilify. He said he concentrates better during the day but is exhausted by 9:00 PM- for him that's a good thing but I tend to think all this with him is primarily psychological- even thinking 5 days on 5 mg of abilify has him concentrating better.

 

[DammitJanet]

K...I am on so many medications that make me tired...including MS's...two or three that could be considered MS'ers. Not to mention xanax xr, the morphine, etc. I take as much as possible at night but I have to take at least one of the morphine pills in the morning.

I am hoping this will not cause a problem but I am smart enough to know if it does. These are fast in and fast out. I also have enough on board to hold me should much arise. Worse comes to worse I have some leftover klonopin I can take to get by. It helps having a pharmacy in your bathroom...lol.

 

[InsaneCdn]

Janet -
Welcome to the world of the Ritalin family!

Not surprised, if they were going to use a stimulant, that they would pick that one..
Seems to have less drug interactions than some.
Definitely works well with adults.

And if you get the desired effect on concentration AND the desired side-effect of appetite suppression... WOW.

Let us know how it goes...
First one tomorrow?

OH - did they tell you to...
1) NOT take it with milk
2) make sure you drink more than "just enough to take the pill" - half-glass at least.

 

[Hound dog]

I hope it helps without taking you too far the opposite direction.

Keeping fingers crossed. Spending half your day asleep isn't a good thing for your body.

Hugs

 

[Liahona]

Good luck.

 

[Steely]

You know Janet - I LIKE this idea. I am wishing only the best for you, and that it doesn't interfere with your bi-polar. But you are on enough mood stabs I am thinking it shouldn't be a problem. Instead it will give you that boost of energy and focus that you so desperately need!! Sending good thoughts your way!!!

 

[susiestar]

I hope this helps. I know how frustrated you are and this may be exactly what you need.

 

[flutterby]

I hope this helps. You'll have to keep us posted. They won't put me on one because of my heart.

 

[buddy]

Janet, 49,BiPolar (BP), Borderline (BPD), Arthritis, Anxiety, Fibro,Post Meningitis syndrome, lamictal, topamax, & xanaxER, Ambien

Being new here I dont know what kind of word problems you are having but I have an auto-immune disease and some say fibro (though it is supposed to be a diagnosis when auto-immune and others are neg. but since my symptoms dont match fully the disease and I have those darn trigger points...anyway I have been doing great for at least 8 years and I can't tell you why, just lucky)

Anyway, I too took Topamax (and Ambien on and off just a few times for about 5 days each, and long ago for a very short time in grad school took xanax) On the Topamax, I lost a lot of weight as many people do...didn't have to try at all. In addition, I had terrible word-finding problems, especially names. And this included ASL name signs in the school for the deaf I was working in. I finally read all of the side effects and talked to dr. and sure enough that is a specific side effect of that medication. I think God game me a taste of what some of my clients suffer with. It is way beyond the "on the tip of my tongue" sometimes forgetting kind of thing. Is that what you mean? Just wondering. I dont take it now (though for the weight loss I wouldn't mind again, smile)

I also took a medication that has a similar effect as Ritalin but has less of the heart palps, headaches, and some of the other nastier side effects some people feel. I have to dig my memory for the name of it because it has been a long time. Doesn't require a monthly written script either but very effective. (It is a schedule drug but not as regulated as Ritalin, etc...you can even transfer the refills to another pharmacy but only once) It is used often with people who take medications that sedate them to help with the side effects....also used for narcolepsy, fatigue in diseases that make you tired like MS..........ummmmm.....Anyone out there ???? Has anyone taken one like that? I just can't remember the name of it (Ironic, huh? but this is just because it has been a long time, true forgetting not word finding, smile)

Anyway, once off the topamax, no more word finding issues--that is, beyond the normal amount we all often have (and no more FREE weight loss!--darn)

Hope the Concerta helps you, it is no fun to have cogntive issues on top of all of your other medical challenges. You deserve a break here.



UPDATE: Provigil! That's the name of the medication I used to help with sleepiness and brain sluggishness. For me it was related a lot to my other medications, so maybe it is not use for your kinds of issues, but just in case you haven't heard of that class of medications (I doubt it since you have clearly been fighting challenges for along time, sorry)

 

[InsaneCdn]

Janet? You might not know how its going yet, but just want to keep this thread on the first page so you don't forget to tell us...

 

[DDD]

Janet, I think that's great. Don't know if you remember (it's been almost six years ago) but when difficult child#1 was in the Rehabilitation Hospital following his brain surgery he was not functioning well at all. I finally asked his MD to call in a psychiatrist for a consult. The psychiatrist , difficult child#1 and I met alone the next day and when I asked him if he could prescribe a stimulant he readily agreed enthusiastically. The very first day his "foggy" head began to clear and within a couple of days he was focused so much that they began to talk of discharge. It made LOTS of difference. Fingers crossed that you get good results, too. Remember that should you have any problems...there are other stims to try. Hugs. DDD

 

[DammitJanet]

Buddy, thanks for your reply. Is the medication you are talking about provigil? I thought about that one but I have had friends who have taken it and not had very good results on it..if this doesnt work, I may try it.

I have been on the topamax since 1999 I believe. Its hard to remember exact dates anymore.

I do have some of the word retrieval problems where it is tip of the tongue and I simply cant draw it from my memory banks. It is the problem where I know what I want to say but cant say the word so we almost play charades getting the whole thing out sometimes.

Other times its a whole different problem and this is the one that worries me the most and I have no idea what it is. Its almost like I get stuck in a loop. The first two words or first two syllables of a word get stuck in a loop and I cant get them out of that loop for a while. Its like if I want to say "the big brown dog ran down the road." I go "the big, the big, the big, the big, the big, the big" and I cant stop. If someone interrupts me I can finish...sometimes. Other times I forget what I was saying. Or even it may be th th th th. Its not a stutter at all. Definitely different from a stutter. It happens much more often when Im tired or anxious. I also repeat stories when Im telling events to people...happens to me on the phone or when talking in person. I have noticed it since it was pointed out to me.

I have yet to figure out what that is. It has to be some sort of language disorder. It has been getting worse over the years but got MUCH worse since the meningitis. I only had a little bit of trouble of with the word retrieval before then. I could live with that because the topamax has worked so well for me. One of the major things that worries me is that I have a very strong history of alzheimers that runs down my maternal side. I am terrified that this is a sign that it is showing up early.

 

[DammitJanet]

Oh...I couldnt get it filled today, will start it tomorrow. Well....it will be filled today, just cant take it today because it wont be home in time for me to take it.

 

[buddy]

oh wow...so much to deal with. I truly hope the medication helps you. And yes, the Provigil did help me tremendously so it is always an option if you have issues...of course there are many more in both classes so here is hoping!

The first two words or first two syllables of a word get stuck in a loop and I cant get them out of that loop for a while. Its like if I want to say "the big brown dog ran down the road." I go "the big, the big, the big, the big, the big, the big" and I cant stop. If someone interrupts me I can finish...sometimes. Other times I forget what I was saying. Or even it may be th th th th. Its not a stutter at all. Definitely different from a stutter. It happens much more often when Im tired or anxious

of course, obviously not your therapist here...but yeah, good insight, sounds very organic/neurologic to me. I am so sorry you have to worry about the big A but those symptoms go with many conditions and from what you said your history is...why look for trouble for now when you have a good reason right in front of you...other than just having close family and friends help you monitor for that... the worry probably doesn't reduce your stress any, smile. I can't imagine having a strong history of that in my family, so you have my thoughts and prayers. Just know that informally, it sounds very suspicious that your illness did indeed trigger the language issues and speech dysfluencies. I do know what you mean by it not being stuttering...it is more langauge based.

Here is ONE thing to try...if you can... when you feel stuck like that try to take a deep breath and say what you are wanting to say as if you were saying it on a cloud of breath...though it is a different thing from true stuttering, this has helped people with perseverative sound and words as well as general dysfluencies. Just like when someone interrupts you, it can shift your thought to a different brain track. Only a suggestion, may not work at all but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

I will be thinking of you....Buddy

 

[DammitJanet]

buddy...you are a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP)...right? can I pick your brain in PM?

 

[flutterby]

Provigil has a strong side effect profile for psychiatric issues, so if you try it be careful.

 

[DammitJanet]

Oh now I am really ticked off. Insurance wont cover concerta. I have a call into my psychiatrist. I called the insurance company and they will cover Focalin, ritalin and methalyn. Umm...isnt Focalin even newer than Concerta and just a slightly different formulation? Im not entirely sure what methalyn is but the name sounds like something out of the ritalin family so I am guessing it is. And we all know they all have to be a generic I suppose. I assume concerta has a generic by now..its been out since Jamie was in middle school. But oh well. I havent heard of Focalin in generic unless that is what methalyn is. Hell, maybe I will just end up on good old fashioned ritalin which is really not what I wanted but oh well.