Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
General Discussions
The Watercooler
I'm about ready to give up
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="GoingNorth" data-source="post: 660424" data-attributes="member: 1963"><p>I think the best way to compare what CB might be experiencing with SNRIs is to compare them to what I experience with opiates and benzos.</p><p></p><p>I am frightfully sensitive to opiates. For many years I thought I could only take them in a hospital setting. Working very carefully with a nurse practitioner of all things, I discovered that I CAN take them, in tiny doses with medications to counter the accompanying nausea and with the caveat that even tiny doses make me higher than a kite. Oddly, codeine, the weakest of the commonly prescribed opiates, makes me higher than the stronger synthetics. Morphine, even in tiny doses, makes me hallucinate violently.</p><p></p><p>Once we figured out how to dose me with opiates, we found that I can benefit from the pain relieving benefits of these drugs when needed, though I still can only take them when I do not have to be functional in any way because of their psychoactive properties in my case.</p><p></p><p>At the same time, I do not experience psychoactive effects,euphoria, drowsiness, or any of the usual side effects from benzos. I take a huge dose of an old fashioned benzo for sleep ahd have for years. I have not increased the dose of that medication since the working dose was found.</p><p></p><p>Twilight sleep for surgicial procedures does not work on me because it takes such high doses of Versed that my breathing is suppressed before the altered consciousness kicks in.</p><p></p><p>It's all about metabolism and enzymes. I'ms ure that if my enzymes pathways were analysed, it would b efound that I don't manufacture the enzymes that metabolize these medications in the normal fashion.</p><p></p><p>I think that CBs problem with the SNRI medications might be something similar. That said, I cannot recommend therapy highly enough. Therapy isn't a magic fix and I know in my case that I needed to be properly medicated before therapy was helpful. But the medications enabled me to be open to therapy. Prior to that I was so anxious and so fearful that I was closed off Occupational Therapist (OT) any outside input and therapy was impossible as a result.</p><p></p><p>The ONLY SSRI I have found that I can tolerate is Celexa. NOT Lexapro despite the close similarities betweent the two drugs.Had to go off of Rememeron as it started to make me climb the walls. Effexor was horrible and going off of it was a nightmare.</p><p></p><p>I also cannot tolerate atypical APs due to dystonic reactions to the three drugs in that class I have tried. I apparently can't metabolize them properly and they build up to toxic levels in my system precipitating sx of overdose,which is basically what happens in opiates in my case as well.</p><p></p><p>I am currently somewhat stable on a whopping 600 mg of Trileptal (can't go higher due to dangerously low serum sodium levels), 200 mg of Topomax, 50mg loxapine, 30mg of Temazapam, 1mg of Ativan 2x daily. Old drugs, weird drugs, but they work, and I'm dreading some hotshot Milwaukee psychiatrist wanting to pull me off put me on the medication merry go round again.</p><p></p><p>My point to all of this CB, is that this is your body and the fact that you are bipolar doesn't mean that you've given up your ownership over what goes into your body. learn about your medications. learn about your body, and become and educated consumer. learn to assert y ourself with your psychiatrists and therapists.</p><p></p><p>Meanwhile, be good to your body. That means giving your body the nutrients and foods it needs to keep mind and body and soul as healthy as possible. expand your food horizons to take in a greater variety of fruits vegetables. No alcohol. It's empty calories, increases anxieity in the long term, destroys normal sleep, and totally screws with medications.</p><p></p><p>Minimize the stressors you can. You've got your daughter and your job. You're sort of stuck with those, though I think with the help of good counselling you could learn some better tools for dealing with both. If you are still with the boyfriend, think very carefully about what good is to bed of that.</p><p></p><p>I wish you the best. take what you can use and leave the rest.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="GoingNorth, post: 660424, member: 1963"] I think the best way to compare what CB might be experiencing with SNRIs is to compare them to what I experience with opiates and benzos. I am frightfully sensitive to opiates. For many years I thought I could only take them in a hospital setting. Working very carefully with a nurse practitioner of all things, I discovered that I CAN take them, in tiny doses with medications to counter the accompanying nausea and with the caveat that even tiny doses make me higher than a kite. Oddly, codeine, the weakest of the commonly prescribed opiates, makes me higher than the stronger synthetics. Morphine, even in tiny doses, makes me hallucinate violently. Once we figured out how to dose me with opiates, we found that I can benefit from the pain relieving benefits of these drugs when needed, though I still can only take them when I do not have to be functional in any way because of their psychoactive properties in my case. At the same time, I do not experience psychoactive effects,euphoria, drowsiness, or any of the usual side effects from benzos. I take a huge dose of an old fashioned benzo for sleep ahd have for years. I have not increased the dose of that medication since the working dose was found. Twilight sleep for surgicial procedures does not work on me because it takes such high doses of Versed that my breathing is suppressed before the altered consciousness kicks in. It's all about metabolism and enzymes. I'ms ure that if my enzymes pathways were analysed, it would b efound that I don't manufacture the enzymes that metabolize these medications in the normal fashion. I think that CBs problem with the SNRI medications might be something similar. That said, I cannot recommend therapy highly enough. Therapy isn't a magic fix and I know in my case that I needed to be properly medicated before therapy was helpful. But the medications enabled me to be open to therapy. Prior to that I was so anxious and so fearful that I was closed off Occupational Therapist (OT) any outside input and therapy was impossible as a result. The ONLY SSRI I have found that I can tolerate is Celexa. NOT Lexapro despite the close similarities betweent the two drugs.Had to go off of Rememeron as it started to make me climb the walls. Effexor was horrible and going off of it was a nightmare. I also cannot tolerate atypical APs due to dystonic reactions to the three drugs in that class I have tried. I apparently can't metabolize them properly and they build up to toxic levels in my system precipitating sx of overdose,which is basically what happens in opiates in my case as well. I am currently somewhat stable on a whopping 600 mg of Trileptal (can't go higher due to dangerously low serum sodium levels), 200 mg of Topomax, 50mg loxapine, 30mg of Temazapam, 1mg of Ativan 2x daily. Old drugs, weird drugs, but they work, and I'm dreading some hotshot Milwaukee psychiatrist wanting to pull me off put me on the medication merry go round again. My point to all of this CB, is that this is your body and the fact that you are bipolar doesn't mean that you've given up your ownership over what goes into your body. learn about your medications. learn about your body, and become and educated consumer. learn to assert y ourself with your psychiatrists and therapists. Meanwhile, be good to your body. That means giving your body the nutrients and foods it needs to keep mind and body and soul as healthy as possible. expand your food horizons to take in a greater variety of fruits vegetables. No alcohol. It's empty calories, increases anxieity in the long term, destroys normal sleep, and totally screws with medications. Minimize the stressors you can. You've got your daughter and your job. You're sort of stuck with those, though I think with the help of good counselling you could learn some better tools for dealing with both. If you are still with the boyfriend, think very carefully about what good is to bed of that. I wish you the best. take what you can use and leave the rest. [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
General Discussions
The Watercooler
I'm about ready to give up
Top