Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m new to this ng and am learning lots of new info about asthma. Recently mya sthma sent me to the ER and my doctor prescribed singulair for me.  It works really great.  The only problem is the price.  She gave me samples but if I want to continue taking it I need to get it from a pharmacy.  I can apply to get it paid for, which can be a pretty lengthy process, or I could go back to the clinic and get inhaled steroids for free or at least very cheap.  My question is shoul I go to the trouble of trying to get the singulair or go for the steroids.  I have had absolutely no side effects to the singulair and am wondering what side effects come with the steroids. Any info would be very helpful.  Thanks! Cathy

You should most definitely go through the trouble of getting the Singulair, since this medication is good preventive therapy.  It’s supposed to prevent or lessen attacks, not rescue you when you have them.  By the same token, inhaled steroids, while of some use for preventive therapy, are still necessary for rescue, even with Singulair.  My doctor has prescribed both for me during the summer, and during the winter I use Azmacort as well. I’ve long since forgotten what potential side effects come from using inhaled steroids, but I can tell you they’ve never created any problems for me. Sam

Response:

I’m new to this ng and am learning lots of new info about asthma.  Recently mya sthma sent me to the ER and my doctor prescribed singulair for me.  It works really great.  The only problem is the price.  She gave me samples but if I want to continue taking it I need to get it from a pharmacy.  I can apply to get it paid for, which can be a pretty lengthy process, or I could go back to the clinic and get inhaled steroids for free or at least very cheap.  My question is shoul I go to the trouble of trying to get the singulair or go for the steroids.  I have had absolutely no side effects to the singulair and am wondering what side effects come with the steroids. Any info would be very helpful.  Thanks! Cathy

Response:

I’m new to this ng and am learning lots of new info about asthma.  Recently mya sthma sent me to the ER and my doctor prescribed singulair for me.  It works really great.  The only problem is the price.  She gave me samples but if I want to continue taking it I need to get it from a pharmacy.  I can apply to get it paid for, which can be a pretty lengthy process, or I could go back to the clinic and get inhaled steroids for free or at least very cheap.  My question is shoul I go to the trouble of trying to get the singulair or go for the steroids.  I have had absolutely no side effects to the singulair and am wondering what side effects come with the steroids. Any info would be very helpful.  Thanks!

If you have a medicine that works, don’t mess with it; apply for the reimbursement. Chris Owens

Response:

Question:

My mistake.  As from 1/1/2004 the concessional rate is $3.80 and the general rate is $23.70. "." <asspu…@punkass.com

wrote in message

news:MPG.1adf1ed2a3199a6b989740@news.individual.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

Tim Dicinoski wrote… me $2.80 per prescription as a pensioner (it would be $15.60 as a

general

patient. Isn’t it $3.60 and $22.50? — Regards, .

Response:

Yes, I am Australian. "ABroaD" <lhj8…@hanafos.com

wrote in message

news:c52s0m$f10$1@news.hananet.net… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> are you an australian? > "Tim Dicinoski" <timino…@dodo.com.au

wrote in message

> news:407406f8@news.comindico.com.au… > > I was hospitalised on Christmas Eve after taking 100 paracetamol during a

major psychotic episode with paranoid delusions.  (It’s amazing I still have a functioning liver).  I am now taking Zyprexa (olanzapine) 5mg b.d. and Zoloft (sertraline)100mg b.d., and feel better than I have in years.

The

only side effects I have experienced are dry mouth and (slight) sexual dysfunction.  I was previously on Risperdal (risperidone) which caused

an

extremely unpleasant case of tardive dyskinesia & extrapyramidal disorders. I simply cannot recommend these medications (Risperdal & Zoloft) too highly. And thanks to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, they only cost me $2.80 per prescription as a pensioner (it would be $15.60 as a

general

patient. Tim Dicinoski.

Response:

I was hospitalised on Christmas Eve after taking 100 paracetamol during a major psychotic episode with paranoid delusions.  (It’s amazing I still have a functioning liver).  I am now taking Zyprexa (olanzapine) 5mg b.d. and Zoloft (sertraline)100mg b.d., and feel better than I have in years.  The only side effects I have experienced are dry mouth and (slight) sexual dysfunction.  I was previously on Risperdal (risperidone) which caused an extremely unpleasant case of tardive dyskinesia & extrapyramidal disorders. I simply cannot recommend these medications (Risperdal & Zoloft) too highly. And thanks to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, they only cost me $2.80 per prescription as a pensioner (it would be $15.60 as a general patient. Tim Dicinoski.

Response:

Tim Dicinoski wrote…

me $2.80 per prescription as a pensioner (it would be $15.60 as a general patient.

Isn’t it $3.60 and $22.50? — Regards, .

Response:

Paracetamol is also known as acetaminophen. "Tim Dicinoski" <timino…@dodo.com.au

wrote in message

news:407406f8@news.comindico.com.au… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

I was hospitalised on Christmas Eve after taking 100 paracetamol during a major psychotic episode with paranoid delusions.  (It’s amazing I still

have

a functioning liver).  I am now taking Zyprexa (olanzapine) 5mg b.d. and Zoloft (sertraline)100mg b.d., and feel better than I have in years.  The only side effects I have experienced are dry mouth and (slight) sexual dysfunction.  I was previously on Risperdal (risperidone) which caused an extremely unpleasant case of tardive dyskinesia & extrapyramidal

disorders.

I simply cannot recommend these medications (Risperdal & Zoloft) too

highly.

And thanks to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, they only

cost

me $2.80 per prescription as a pensioner (it would be $15.60 as a general patient. Tim Dicinoski.

Response:

How much Risperdal were you taking, that allegedly led to the problems? "Tim Dicinoski" <timino…@dodo.com.au

wrote in message

news:407406f8@news.comindico.com.au… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

I was hospitalised on Christmas Eve after taking 100 paracetamol during a major psychotic episode with paranoid delusions.  (It’s amazing I still

have

a functioning liver).  I am now taking Zyprexa (olanzapine) 5mg b.d. and Zoloft (sertraline)100mg b.d., and feel better than I have in years.  The only side effects I have experienced are dry mouth and (slight) sexual dysfunction.  I was previously on Risperdal (risperidone) which caused an extremely unpleasant case of tardive dyskinesia & extrapyramidal

disorders.

I simply cannot recommend these medications (Risperdal & Zoloft) too

highly.

And thanks to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, they only

cost

me $2.80 per prescription as a pensioner (it would be $15.60 as a general patient. Tim Dicinoski.

Response:

are you an australian? "Tim Dicinoski" <timino…@dodo.com.au

wrote in message

news:407406f8@news.comindico.com.au… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

I was hospitalised on Christmas Eve after taking 100 paracetamol during a major psychotic episode with paranoid delusions.  (It’s amazing I still

have

a functioning liver).  I am now taking Zyprexa (olanzapine) 5mg b.d. and Zoloft (sertraline)100mg b.d., and feel better than I have in years.  The only side effects I have experienced are dry mouth and (slight) sexual dysfunction.  I was previously on Risperdal (risperidone) which caused an extremely unpleasant case of tardive dyskinesia & extrapyramidal

disorders.

I simply cannot recommend these medications (Risperdal & Zoloft) too

highly.

And thanks to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, they only

cost

me $2.80 per prescription as a pensioner (it would be $15.60 as a general patient. Tim Dicinoski.

Response:

Initially 1 mg b.d., increasing to 3 mg b.d. by week 4.  And the dyskinesia was hardly alleged: people thought I was a spastic. "Cubit" <n…@no.not

wrote in message

news:jm3dc.19516$LG5.13631@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> How much Risperdal were you taking, that allegedly led to the problems? > "Tim Dicinoski" <timino…@dodo.com.au

wrote in message

> news:407406f8@news.comindico.com.au… > > I was hospitalised on Christmas Eve after taking 100 paracetamol during a

major psychotic episode with paranoid delusions.  (It’s amazing I still have a functioning liver).  I am now taking Zyprexa (olanzapine) 5mg b.d. and Zoloft (sertraline)100mg b.d., and feel better than I have in years.

The

only side effects I have experienced are dry mouth and (slight) sexual dysfunction.  I was previously on Risperdal (risperidone) which caused

an

extremely unpleasant case of tardive dyskinesia & extrapyramidal disorders. I simply cannot recommend these medications (Risperdal & Zoloft) too highly. And thanks to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, they only cost me $2.80 per prescription as a pensioner (it would be $15.60 as a

general

patient. Tim Dicinoski.

Response:

I am currently on a very low dose of Risperdal, thank God. —– – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Cubit wrote:

How much Risperdal were you taking, that allegedly led to the problems?

Response:

good! join Madites Intelligence Agency! "Tim Dicinoski" <timino…@dodo.com.au

wrote in message

news:4074fc1e@news.comindico.com.au… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Yes, I am Australian. > "ABroaD" <lhj8…@hanafos.com

wrote in message

> news:c52s0m$f10$1@news.hananet.net… > > are you an australian? > > "Tim Dicinoski" <timino…@dodo.com.au

wrote in message

> > news:407406f8@news.comindico.com.au… > > > I was hospitalised on Christmas Eve after taking 100 paracetamol during

a major psychotic episode with paranoid delusions.  (It’s amazing I

still

have a functioning liver).  I am now taking Zyprexa (olanzapine) 5mg b.d.

and

Zoloft (sertraline)100mg b.d., and feel better than I have in years. The only side effects I have experienced are dry mouth and (slight) sexual dysfunction.  I was previously on Risperdal (risperidone) which caused an extremely unpleasant case of tardive dyskinesia & extrapyramidal disorders. I simply cannot recommend these medications (Risperdal & Zoloft) too highly. And thanks to the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, they only cost me $2.80 per prescription as a pensioner (it would be $15.60 as a general patient. Tim Dicinoski.

Response:

Question:

How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

Neurontin and prozac As needed klonopin (for bruxism and occasional panic attacks), but I try not to take it Are they effective?

Somewhat, sometimes.  I’m still in the process of having the Neurontin dosage raised though, so we’ll see. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

I started out with the diagnosis of major depression, dysthymia and PTSD several years ago.  It took over a year to find an AD that would help at all.  I tried Wellbutrin and Serzone and neither one helped my depression. When I got on Prozac I finally felt some relief from the depression but only part of the time.  I would feel better for awhile and then crash very hard. Finally last October my pdoc suggested I was bipolar II and put me on Neurontin.  I am still undecided about it.  There are days I think it helps a lot but not always.  My pdoc says that is because I am not at a high enough dosage so I am raising it slowly. So I guess I still don’t know if I have the right combo or not.  All I know is that it sure is a pain trying to find the right one. Bonnie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

Keep trying Are they effective?

Until they crash or a complication comes up – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Still in that race. Never happened for me. Ditto — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

That would be me, Remeron. Are they effective?

Oh yea! This is most likely the reason, thanks LyndaNP for the reference. http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/2030E2.htm How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

The Remeron was the third. Was given Buspar, didn’t work out. Took Triazolam for sleep, that worked well. I now rarely use the Triazolam and take 45 MG Remeron daily. I have been at this for about 18 months and what a difference! The best advice, if you find something good, stay with it! Never happened for me.

Sorry:( The pioneers usually are the ones with the arrows in their backs.

Response:

I was lucky – I stabilized pretty well fairly quickly on Lithium and Effexor.  With my son, on the other hand, it’s been a two and a half year ride I wouldn’t want to repeat (but unfortunately isn’t over).  He started on Depakote and Risperdal in his first hospital stay.  The next hospitalization added Lithium, which I saw a dramatic change for the better on.  Then he gained 70+ pounds on the Risperdal, so we moved him to Geodon last summer.  In October/November he began having acute anxiety symptoms, so a minimal dose of Risperdal was added to the Geodon.  The anxiety isn’t really falling, and he’s had yet another hospital stay, so his pdoc and i are considering an anti-anxiety med, but we want to wait and see how much of the anxiety was fueled by the holidays before adding another med to his cocktail. Sigh.  All this and weekly therapy outside of school, weekly therapy inside of school, and putting him into a special program at school to remove him from the mainstream (he has a tremendous amount of school phobia). Is it any wonder I’m a bit wacko these days? — CJ ((((((((((((still handing out hugs))))))))))))))))

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

I take Paxil and Seroquel, and rarely a little Ambien to help me sleep. I’m also in therapy. Are they effective?

Not yet 100%, but I am getting better. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

I’ve lost count, it’s been nearly three years so far. Fiona — If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste the adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.      – Anne Bradstreet, Meditations Divine and Moral, 1664

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

I do.  Lots. Are they effective?

For the most part.  My doctor is always tweaking, trying to make things better. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

Countless and I’m not done yet.

Response:

i used to take prozac but now i dont take any meds xxx angel xxx

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

currently, none, but lithium is in my cabinet Are they effective?

yes, when i take it How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

in past have tried prozac, trazadone, klonopin, ativan & lithium. the only thing that helps is the lithium. highly effective from the first few doses.

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

I am currently on Effexor and Gabapentin (Neurontin). Are they effective?

We’re still working on tweaking the dosages, but I am feeling a little improvement from the depression. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med

combo? Prior drugs I’ve taken were lithium (I was a zombie) , sinequan (great sleeps, but not much else), anafranil (excellent for my OCD, but was really shaky). I took anafranil for about 5 years, and then switched to Prozac, which was great for about 10 years, with virtually no side effects. Then it just died on me (went up to 60 mg. a day with no success). I am hoping this current duo will do the trick. Compucat

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? yes they are effective. i take triafon(perphenazine) and wellbutrin

i suffer from both a mood and thought disorder N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? it has evolved. i have been mentally ill for 26 years.in 1981 iwas

stabilized on trilifon. then in 1996 i was hospitalized and went through a few drugs like a pair of shoes. i tried prozac but that gave me akathasia(the feeling of jumping out of your skin) then i tried risperdal for a month or two and then went to wellbutrin which at first made me sleepless but then i cut the pill in half and weened myself on it. so  now i take wellbutrin and trilifon

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. RingerDon’t take meds any more. Pdoc retired, no new one. Business is poor, and I am limited in methods to pick up other cash as my arm is still buggered up. Starting to think of ways to make it look like an accident, as I have insurance for that. Any suggestions?

Don’t take meds any more. Pdoc retired, no new one. Business is poor, and I am limited in methods to pick up other cash as my arm is still buggered up. Starting to think of ways to make it look like an accident, as I have insurance for that. Any suggestions? jodelli The Twenty First Century, you can have it.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. RingerDon’t take meds any more. Pdoc retired, no new one.

Business is poor, and I am limited in methods to pick up other cash as my arm is still buggered up. Starting to think of ways to make it look like an accident, as I have insurance for that. Any suggestions? Don’t take meds any more. Pdoc retired, no new one. Business is poor, and I am limited in methods to pick up other cash as my arm is still buggered up. Starting to think of ways to make it look like an accident, as I have insurance for that. Any suggestions? jodelli The Twenty First Century, you can have it.

Its got to look like an accident!  My podc either will or will not be on Tuesday.  I just don’t know.  But in this province it’s 6 months wait list. And my left hand is a piece of crap too!  I can’t keep the brace on.  The more depressed I get, the less I want to wear it.  I think a little surgery may be required. No meds huh?  I could be singing the same song, too soon. Take Care Carrie

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – x-no-archive:yes How many take meds for their disorder? Three, Trileptal, Depakote and Xanax Are they effective?  My husband says I am a bit better than I was at the beginning of my treatment.  I don’t see or feel it.  The Xanax does help the anxiety sometimes.  But I still swing rapidly. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? I haven’t been under treatment long (6-8 months), but SSRI’s and anti-psychotics did not work.  Trileptal alone doesn’t stabilize, but then so far neither does Depakote and it made me pass out in higher doeses. Shib

You look great! Carrie

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

Five  Are they effective? Partially How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

Five months in the hospital pax Dei, Night Hawk

Response:

It took me three but still the pdocs can not get it right.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? Five  Are they effective? Partially How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Five months in the hospital pax Dei, Night Hawk

Response:

It took me three but still the pdocs can not get it right.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? Five  Are they effective? Partially How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Five months in the hospital pax Dei, Night Hawk

Response:

Really, I take Topamax!  Lowered your IQ?  How do you know?  I’ve never figured out the VCR anyway, but what are we talking about? eirraC

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – ‘Just read someone asking about Topomax.  YIKES!  We are all different in the way we react to meds BUT Topomax lowered my IQ to the point I had trouble working the VCR (really, my wife had to help me)  It’s slow though so anyone who tries it , imo, should titrate VERY slowly to examine all the way their cognition. Celexa had no effect on my mania whatsoever.  ’Different Strokes. Peas, Steve T (remove "puppy" to email) I’ve taken Depakote and Anafranil for ten years (I also have ocd). Depakote helped a lot until 2 years ago and then my manic would burst through every one in a while. Prozac made me more manic. (I’ve heard others say that)  I tend toward Currently, I’ve been taking Zyprexa for a  month and I have never, ever, felt this stable in my life.  I am, however, afraid of the weight gain.  I’ve gained five pounds in a month.  I hear horror stories of 20 to 60 pound gains. As far as I can tell the weight is more psychological than metabolic (like lithium).  It has increase my appetite and I have to talk myself out of not succumbing to eating urges. I’m fat to begin with, so we’ll see.  I’m not scheduled to see my pdoc for 3 months.  I may call before then if things get out of hand weight-wise.   But God, I love this wooonderful respite from mania. Peas, Steve T (remove "puppy" to email) x-no-archive:yes To add to my previous list of meds, they have also previously tried Prozac, Zoloft, Serzone, Paxil and Effexor before it was discovered that I had BP and not simple depression.  Then Risperdone and Seroquel was also added to Effexor prior to the mood stabilizer trials began. For anxiety, I have also been on BuSpar and Xanax.  Several pain killers for migraines which the mood stabilizers aggravate. And don’t even get me started on my heart and digestive problems meds. Shib How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

‘Just read someone asking about Topomax.  YIKES!  We are all different in the way we react to meds BUT Topomax lowered my IQ to the point I had trouble working the VCR (really, my wife had to help me)  It’s slow though so anyone who tries it , imo, should titrate VERY slowly to examine all the way their cognition. Celexa had no effect on my mania whatsoever.  ’Different Strokes. Peas, Steve T (remove "puppy" to email) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I’ve taken Depakote and Anafranil for ten years (I also have ocd). Depakote helped a lot until 2 years ago and then my manic would burst through every one in a while. Prozac made me more manic. (I’ve heard others say that)  I tend toward Currently, I’ve been taking Zyprexa for a  month and I have never, ever, felt this stable in my life.  I am, however, afraid of the weight gain.  I’ve gained five pounds in a month.  I hear horror stories of 20 to 60 pound gains. As far as I can tell the weight is more psychological than metabolic (like lithium).  It has increase my appetite and I have to talk myself out of not succumbing to eating urges. I’m fat to begin with, so we’ll see.  I’m not scheduled to see my pdoc for 3 months.  I may call before then if things get out of hand weight-wise.   But God, I love this wooonderful respite from mania. Peas, Steve T (remove "puppy" to email) x-no-archive:yes To add to my previous list of meds, they have also previously tried Prozac, Zoloft, Serzone, Paxil and Effexor before it was discovered that I had BP and not simple depression.  Then Risperdone and Seroquel was also added to Effexor prior to the mood stabilizer trials began. For anxiety, I have also been on BuSpar and Xanax.  Several pain killers for migraines which the mood stabilizers aggravate. And don’t even get me started on my heart and digestive problems meds. Shib How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

I’ve taken Depakote and Anafranil for ten years (I also have ocd). Depakote helped a lot until 2 years ago and then my manic would burst through every one in a while. Prozac made me more manic. (I’ve heard others say that)  I tend toward Currently, I’ve been taking Zyprexa for a  month and I have never, ever, felt this stable in my life.  I am, however, afraid of the weight gain.  I’ve gained five pounds in a month.  I hear horror stories of 20 to 60 pound gains. As far as I can tell the weight is more psychological than metabolic (like lithium).  It has increase my appetite and I have to talk myself out of not succumbing to eating urges. I’m fat to begin with, so we’ll see.  I’m not scheduled to see my pdoc for 3 months.  I may call before then if things get out of hand weight-wise.   But God, I love this wooonderful respite from mania. Peas, Steve T (remove "puppy" to email) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -x-no-archive:yes To add to my previous list of meds, they have also previously tried Prozac, Zoloft, Serzone, Paxil and Effexor before it was discovered that I had BP and not simple depression.  Then Risperdone and Seroquel was also added to Effexor prior to the mood stabilizer trials began. For anxiety, I have also been on BuSpar and Xanax.  Several pain killers for migraines which the mood stabilizers aggravate. And don’t even get me started on my heart and digestive problems meds. Shib How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

Five  Are they effective? Partially How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

Five months in the hospital pax Dei, Night Hawk

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – x-no-archive:yes How many take meds for their disorder? Three, Trileptal, Depakote and Xanax Are they effective?  My husband says I am a bit better than I was at the beginning of my treatment.  I don’t see or feel it.  The Xanax does help the anxiety sometimes.  But I still swing rapidly. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? I haven’t been under treatment long (6-8 months), but SSRI’s and anti-psychotics did not work.  Trileptal alone doesn’t stabilize, but then so far neither does Depakote and it made me pass out in higher doeses. Shib

You look great! Carrie

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. RingerDon’t take meds any more. Pdoc retired, no new one.

Business is poor, and I am limited in methods to pick up other cash as my arm is still buggered up. Starting to think of ways to make it look like an accident, as I have insurance for that. Any suggestions? Don’t take meds any more. Pdoc retired, no new one. Business is poor, and I am limited in methods to pick up other cash as my arm is still buggered up. Starting to think of ways to make it look like an accident, as I have insurance for that. Any suggestions? jodelli The Twenty First Century, you can have it.

Its got to look like an accident!  My podc either will or will not be on Tuesday.  I just don’t know.  But in this province it’s 6 months wait list. And my left hand is a piece of crap too!  I can’t keep the brace on.  The more depressed I get, the less I want to wear it.  I think a little surgery may be required. No meds huh?  I could be singing the same song, too soon. Take Care Carrie

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. RingerDon’t take meds any more. Pdoc retired, no new one. Business is poor, and I am limited in methods to pick up other cash as my arm is still buggered up. Starting to think of ways to make it look like an accident, as I have insurance for that. Any suggestions?

Don’t take meds any more. Pdoc retired, no new one. Business is poor, and I am limited in methods to pick up other cash as my arm is still buggered up. Starting to think of ways to make it look like an accident, as I have insurance for that. Any suggestions? jodelli The Twenty First Century, you can have it.

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? yes they are effective. i take triafon(perphenazine) and wellbutrin

i suffer from both a mood and thought disorder N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? it has evolved. i have been mentally ill for 26 years.in 1981 iwas

stabilized on trilifon. then in 1996 i was hospitalized and went through a few drugs like a pair of shoes. i tried prozac but that gave me akathasia(the feeling of jumping out of your skin) then i tried risperdal for a month or two and then went to wellbutrin which at first made me sleepless but then i cut the pill in half and weened myself on it. so  now i take wellbutrin and trilifon

Response:

i used to take prozac but now i dont take any meds xxx angel xxx

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

currently, none, but lithium is in my cabinet Are they effective?

yes, when i take it How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

in past have tried prozac, trazadone, klonopin, ativan & lithium. the only thing that helps is the lithium. highly effective from the first few doses.

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

I am currently on Effexor and Gabapentin (Neurontin). Are they effective?

We’re still working on tweaking the dosages, but I am feeling a little improvement from the depression. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med

combo? Prior drugs I’ve taken were lithium (I was a zombie) , sinequan (great sleeps, but not much else), anafranil (excellent for my OCD, but was really shaky). I took anafranil for about 5 years, and then switched to Prozac, which was great for about 10 years, with virtually no side effects. Then it just died on me (went up to 60 mg. a day with no success). I am hoping this current duo will do the trick. Compucat

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

    Currently, I take three – Zoloft, Depakote, and Risperdal Are they effective?

     I just started Depakote on Wednesday, so I’m not sure, yet. Zoloft has worked great for my depression, though. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

     Neurontin, Tegretol, Topamax, Klonopin, Ativan, BuSpar, Trazodone – in various combinations. I had severe allergic reactions to both Neurontin and Tegretol; Trazodone did nothing; BuSpar helped my anxiety, but what I had really needed was a mood stabilizer; Ativan and Klonopin helped my anxiety, also, but I prefer to use benzos as little as possible; Topamax didn’t really help my mood, and the change in taste and tingling sensations in my hands and feet annoyed me.       I’m considering adding Topamax to my current med combo, because of it’s unique side effects profile(i.e. promoting weight loss). I’m going to talk to my pdoc in a couple weeks, about adding either that, or Meridia. So far, Risperdal and Depakote have not caused weight gain, but I’m seriously overweight as it is, and the thought of more weight gain frightens me.       Any suggestions(Oh, just for the record, I’m 16 years old)? -Jonathan

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

I do.  Lots. Are they effective?

For the most part.  My doctor is always tweaking, trying to make things better. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

Countless and I’m not done yet.

Response:

I started out with Lithium and Tegretol. Within six months I had developed psoraisis from head to toe. My skin turned very gray. I had severe tremors. The doctor took me off the above two drugs and tried many others over the next four years. I can’t remember how many different ones but the list came out to three computer pages long. We finally found the right drugs: Prozac and Xanax. And a year and a half ago I started Depakote. This year we added Vicadan (sp?) for migraine headaches. I avoid the Xanax and Vicadan as much as possible because they are so addictive. I’m usually pretty sick before I take either one. I still see and hear things that are not there. But most of the time I can handle the voices and visions. I still fight the suicide urges every moment of my life. If I was crooked I could con people and start a new religion. But I’m not made that way. And I would have to account for my behavior in the next life. No thanks. Enough of my senseless ramblings. Richard

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

I take Paxil and Seroquel, and rarely a little Ambien to help me sleep. I’m also in therapy. Are they effective?

Not yet 100%, but I am getting better. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

I’ve lost count, it’s been nearly three years so far. Fiona — If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste the adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.      – Anne Bradstreet, Meditations Divine and Moral, 1664

Response:

I was lucky – I stabilized pretty well fairly quickly on Lithium and Effexor.  With my son, on the other hand, it’s been a two and a half year ride I wouldn’t want to repeat (but unfortunately isn’t over).  He started on Depakote and Risperdal in his first hospital stay.  The next hospitalization added Lithium, which I saw a dramatic change for the better on.  Then he gained 70+ pounds on the Risperdal, so we moved him to Geodon last summer.  In October/November he began having acute anxiety symptoms, so a minimal dose of Risperdal was added to the Geodon.  The anxiety isn’t really falling, and he’s had yet another hospital stay, so his pdoc and i are considering an anti-anxiety med, but we want to wait and see how much of the anxiety was fueled by the holidays before adding another med to his cocktail. Sigh.  All this and weekly therapy outside of school, weekly therapy inside of school, and putting him into a special program at school to remove him from the mainstream (he has a tremendous amount of school phobia). Is it any wonder I’m a bit wacko these days? — CJ ((((((((((((still handing out hugs))))))))))))))))

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

Keep trying Are they effective?

Until they crash or a complication comes up – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Still in that race. Never happened for me. Ditto — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

How many take meds for their disorder?

Neurontin and prozac As needed klonopin (for bruxism and occasional panic attacks), but I try not to take it Are they effective?

Somewhat, sometimes.  I’m still in the process of having the Neurontin dosage raised though, so we’ll see. How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo?

I started out with the diagnosis of major depression, dysthymia and PTSD several years ago.  It took over a year to find an AD that would help at all.  I tried Wellbutrin and Serzone and neither one helped my depression. When I got on Prozac I finally felt some relief from the depression but only part of the time.  I would feel better for awhile and then crash very hard. Finally last October my pdoc suggested I was bipolar II and put me on Neurontin.  I am still undecided about it.  There are days I think it helps a lot but not always.  My pdoc says that is because I am not at a high enough dosage so I am raising it slowly. So I guess I still don’t know if I have the right combo or not.  All I know is that it sure is a pain trying to find the right one. Bonnie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How many take meds for their disorder? None Are they effective? N/A How many attempts did it take before you found the most effective med combo? Never happened for me. — LyndaNP Reality isn’t the way you wish things to be, nor the way they appear to be, but the way they actually are. – Robert J. Ringer

Response:

Question:

Hello all, I am an OCD sufferer for two+ decades and have had mixed benefits with non SSRI meds and behavioral therapy.  My question to all of you is what SSRI meds have you tried as I am considering them. What has worked for the OCD and depression and what side effects have you experienced? I understand that SSRIs work differently for each person but I am trying for a general consensus. Please include any commentary on Luvox(Fluvoxamine), Prozac (Fluvoxatine), Paxil(paroxetine), Celexa(citalopram), Zoloft(sertraline) and/or any I have missed Thank you very much for your response!  If you wish to respond personally please e-mail loafofspam@(remove-this)aol.com Brett

Response:

Zoloft – ok I’ll do this in a sorta survey form style to make it easier for you. dosage – optimum dosage when ocd was at worst – 75mg, now it has subsided – 25mg is enough. effects – great, really relieved anxiety and I managed to beat my rituals and a lot of my thoughts permanently whilst on it. side effects – grinding teeth, sleepiness, bad dreams, sweating, weight loss and loss of appetite – but they all faded within a few months. additional problems – coming off it was hard – tremors and stuff but I got there eventually…took a quite a few weeks. Overall I think it’s been a great med for me! ~Am~ xxx Gentility <loafofs…@aol.com

wrote in message

news:u07jjodequ7cd7@corp.supernews.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

Hello all, I am an OCD sufferer for two+ decades and have had mixed benefits with non SSRI meds and behavioral therapy.  My question to all of you is what SSRI meds have you tried as I am considering them. What has worked for the OCD and depression and what side effects have you experienced? I understand that SSRIs work differently for each person but I am trying

for

a general consensus. Please include any commentary on Luvox(Fluvoxamine), Prozac (Fluvoxatine), Paxil(paroxetine), Celexa(citalopram), Zoloft(sertraline) and/or any I

have

missed Thank you very much for your response!  If you wish to respond personally please e-mail loafofspam@(remove-this)aol.com Brett

Response:

On Tue, 27 Nov 2001 12:34:15 -0500, "Gentility" <loafofs…@aol.com

wrote: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

Hello all, I am an OCD sufferer for two+ decades and have had mixed benefits with non SSRI meds and behavioral therapy.  My question to all of you is what SSRI meds have you tried as I am considering them. What has worked for the OCD and depression and what side effects have you experienced? I understand that SSRIs work differently for each person but I am trying for a general consensus. Please include any commentary on Luvox(Fluvoxamine), Prozac (Fluvoxatine), Paxil(paroxetine), Celexa(citalopram), Zoloft(sertraline) and/or any I have missed Thank you very much for your response!  If you wish to respond personally please e-mail loafofspam@(remove-this)aol.com Brett

I’ve been dealing with my OCD for 32 years with mixed results. It’s waxed and waned over the years. A year and a half ago my Dr. put me on Paxil and it has worked wonderfully, both on the OCD and on my anxiety and depression. I seem to be doing well on 20 mg, so no change in dosage is anticipated. The effects of Paxil on the OCD may be somewhat less than on the anxiety and depression, but it makes handling the OCD far easier without them. I had the usual side effects for a couple of weeks – fatigue, shakiness, feeling really spacy – which disappeared after a few weeks. Now I just have a bit of fatigue, but an acceptable level. When I went off it once I weaned off it with only some minor discomfort. I’m back on it now, and glad to be. Idj (back to lurking)

Response:

Hello… Paxil has worked wonders for me, although it has made me gain some weight steadily over a couple of years. But the only side effect I really notice is sexual disfunction (lack of interest, etc.). Luvox was horrible for me, I slept 18+ hours a day, felt horrible, etc. But everything is different for everyone. I’d also recommend anti-psychotics, such as Risperdal or Zyprexa. Both worked great for my obsessive thoughts. Shana shaynuh…@aol.com Visit the web site created for alt.support.ocd! http://members.aol.com/shaynuh512/page1.html I’m so sick of this roller coaster ride…I want my ticket back!!!

Response:

Question:

Best of luck with the new Message board, but I won’t be participating there because I don’t like the idea of moderated groups/boards. I have lived with an ileostomy long enough not to be bothered by idiots who don’t know what they are talking about or by trolls tossing a ‘bomb’ into a discussion group. I can understand that some people are more sensitive to these things, but IMHO it is better to say to yourself "What a JERK  that person is", delete the message and give it the attention it deserves which is ….. none.  I can’t understand why someone would want to cause negative feelings in people, but I admit that some mentally challanged people do want to do that. If you respond to them in any way they get some kind of sick kick. I don’t want to give them that pleasure. Rob PS If you have to reply to a jerk (sometimes it helps to vent your anger) you can do it with an email to them and save the rest of your newsgroup from having to see the subject line over and over. Just a suggestion. Everyone is entitled to do what they need to do to let off the steam an idiot’s message can cause. PPS Regarding SPAM in newsgroups. If everyone reports spammers to their hosting ISPs (you can use spamcop if you want to do this simply) the levels of spam will stay low.   "libbydoo" <libby…@carolina.rr.com

writes:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

I understand what you mean and it may be a great idea for most. I’ll check it out but I think I kinda like deciding who to toss in the kill file for myself.  Sounds so much like censorship… No offense intended at all; I do understand your view.  I guess I just don’t get upset very easily after all these years.  :) Libby "L.A.T." <ltr…@yahoo.com wrote in message news:8r0hpc$t6e$1@nnrp1.deja.com… Hello fellow ostomates, I would like to welcome all the people that have posted to the alt.support.ostomy newsgroup.  I would like to give these people an option of posting to a message board that records IP numbers to discourage spammers.  Not only do we discourage spammers we discourage insulting remarks made to ostomates in general.  That’s right, this message board is monitored for off-color remarks.  If someone tries to demean ostomates with lurid remarks, that posting will simply be deleted.  If you would like to experience an upbeat message board minus off-color remarks made by people that care to disrupt meaningful dialog amongst ostomates in general, surf on over to the -:- Ostomy Forum -:- at: http://www.hostedscripts.com/boards/ltrapp/ Let’s proceed with meaningful dialog without negative interruptions for the good of all ostomates! Sincerely, Larry Trapp / Webmaster / www.ostomy.evansville.net

if man is 5 then the devil is 6, if the devil is 6 then god is 7, this monkeys gone to heaven,  this monkeys gone to heaven…

Response:

Hello fellow ostomates, I would like to welcome all the people that have posted to the alt.support.ostomy newsgroup.  I would like to give these people an option of posting to a message board that records IP numbers to discourage spammers.  Not only do we discourage spammers we discourage insulting remarks made to ostomates in general.  That’s right, this message board is monitored for off-color remarks.  If someone tries to demean ostomates with lurid remarks, that posting will simply be deleted.  If you would like to experience an upbeat message board minus off-color remarks made by people that care to disrupt meaningful dialog amongst ostomates in general, surf on over to the -:- Ostomy Forum -:- at: http://www.hostedscripts.com/boards/ltrapp/ Let’s proceed with meaningful dialog without negative interruptions for the good of all ostomates! Sincerely, Larry Trapp / Webmaster / www.ostomy.evansville.net Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

Response:

I understand what you mean and it may be a great idea for most. I’ll check it out but I think I kinda like deciding who to toss in the kill file for myself.  Sounds so much like censorship… No offense intended at all; I do understand your view.  I guess I just don’t get upset very easily after all these years.  :) Libby "L.A.T." <ltr…@yahoo.com

wrote in message

news:8r0hpc$t6e$1@nnrp1.deja.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

Hello fellow ostomates, I would like to welcome all the people that have posted to the alt.support.ostomy newsgroup.  I would like to give these

people an

option of posting to a message board that records IP numbers to discourage spammers.  Not only do we discourage spammers we

discourage

insulting remarks made to ostomates in general.  That’s right,

this

message board is monitored for off-color remarks.  If someone

tries to

demean ostomates with lurid remarks, that posting will simply

be

deleted.  If you would like to experience an upbeat message

board minus

off-color remarks made by people that care to disrupt

meaningful dialog

amongst ostomates in general, surf on over to the -:- Ostomy

Forum -:-

at: http://www.hostedscripts.com/boards/ltrapp/ Let’s proceed with meaningful dialog without negative

interruptions for

the good of all ostomates! Sincerely, Larry Trapp / Webmaster / www.ostomy.evansville.net Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.

Response:

Question:

Does anyone think taking 300 mg wellbutrin and 225 mg effexor per day (as prescribed) then taking handfuls of klonopin on the weekend to calm down (not prescribed) is a problem?  I have felt better that ever on the effexor and the wellbutrin and viagra takes care of the sexual problems for me, but weekends are still rough.  I just want to be alone and be numbed. Can anyone relate? I feel like I should be so very grateful, cause I feel better than I ever have before, but I like to play with pills. I’d just like to know I’m not alone in this. Thanks… — I can’t think of a single movie that couldn’t be improved by a lesbian sex scene.

Response:

Does anyone think taking 300 mg wellbutrin and 225 mg effexor per day (as prescribed) then taking handfuls of klonopin on the weekend to calm down (not prescribed) is a problem?  I have felt better that ever on the effexor and the wellbutrin and viagra takes care of the sexual problems for me, but weekends are still rough.  I just want to be alone and be numbed. Can anyone relate? I feel like I should be so very grateful, cause I feel better than I ever have before, but I like to play with pills. I’d just like to know I’m not alone in this. Thanks…

When I was taking 300 mg Effexor and 150 mg Wellbutrin, I had to take Klonopin quite often.  I just got so tense and anxious and sometimes I was really irritable or angry.  Lots of Klonopin helped.  I’m not on the Wellbutrin anymore, and I haven’t had to take the Klonopin recently either. No, you’re not alone. Deb

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anyone think taking 300 mg wellbutrin and 225 mg effexor per day (as prescribed) then taking handfuls of klonopin on the weekend to calm down (not prescribed) is a problem?  I have felt better that ever on the effexor and the wellbutrin and viagra takes care of the sexual problems for me, but weekends are still rough.  I just want to be alone and be numbed. Can anyone relate? I feel like I should be so very grateful, cause I feel better than I ever have before, but I like to play with pills. I’d just like to know I’m not alone in this. Thanks… When I was taking 300 mg Effexor and 150 mg Wellbutrin, I had to take Klonopin quite often.  I just got so tense and anxious and sometimes I was really irritable or angry.  Lots of Klonopin helped.  I’m not on the Wellbutrin anymore, and I haven’t had to take the Klonopin recently either. No, you’re not alone. Deb

I just don’t like benzo’s.  I want to take the whole bottle sometimes. I like the tense and anxious feeling better.  I really do. — I can’t think of a single movie that couldn’t be improved by a lesbian sex scene.

Response:

Question:

Hi,   I started taking zoloft 2 months ago (25 mg).  I couldnt handle the side effects when i tried to do 50 (sleepiness, weight gain, diarrhea), so i went to my pd friday.  He put me on 100 mg of Wellbutrin every morning along with the 25 mg of zoloft in the evening.  I’m worried about mixing 2 antidepressants. Are any of you doing this now?

Response:

Hi- Combining two- or sometimes even three- anti-depressants (or sometimes other drugs) is pretty standard psychopharmacology these days. Sometimes, high enough doses of one drug can’t be tolerated or are unsafe, or sometimes the one medication might just not be effective enough for your needs. Combining two can target more specific needs or one might be used to improve the effect of the other. Hope it helps- Susan

: Hi, :   I started taking zoloft 2 months ago (25 mg).  I couldnt handle the side : effects when i tried to do 50 (sleepiness, weight gain, diarrhea), so i went to : my pd friday.  He put me on 100 mg of Wellbutrin every morning along with the : 25 mg of zoloft in the evening.  I’m worried about mixing 2 antidepressants. : Are any of you doing this now? :     —

Response:

Anxiousgrl schreef: Hi,   I started taking zoloft 2 months ago (25 mg).  I couldnt handle the side effects when i tried to do 50 (sleepiness, weight gain, diarrhea), so i went to my pd friday.  He put me on 100 mg of Wellbutrin every morning along with the 25 mg of zoloft in the evening.  I’m worried about mixing 2 antidepressants. Are any of you doing this now?

In principle this can be done. Your doctor probably prescribed the Wellbutrin because it’s sort of *stimulating* and can undo the sleepiness caused by Zoloft. Still, there are better solutions possible IMO which include adding a benzo like Xanax instead of Wellbutrin of which the anti-anxiety effect is highly debatable. OTOH, Xanax can make you drowsly, especially in the beginning, which is not quite what you seem to need right now. So another proposition could be another SSRI like Zoloft but then a more stimulating one which might be Prozac or else switching to a TCA. Still you might want to give the combo Zoloft/Wellbutrin a chance. Stranger combos have worked for people. Philip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

Hi,  I started taking zoloft 2 months ago (25 mg).  I couldnt handle the side effects when i tried to do 50 (sleepiness, weight gain, diarrhea), so i went to my pd friday.  He put me on 100 mg of Wellbutrin every morning along with the 25 mg of zoloft in the evening.  I’m worried about mixing 2 antidepressants.  Are any of you doing this now?

Hi Anxiousgirl, Mixing two or more antidepressants is becoming a routine treatment method. While I’m not totally convinced that its necessary in most cases, it won’t do any harm (there are some ADs, however, which should not be mixed). The proponents of ‘cocktail’ prescribing claim that the wider affect of more than one anti-anxiety med increases the probability of successful treatment. It’s true that each antidepressant tends to affect a slightly different groups of neurotransmitter receptors and it may be that this broader combined mode of action will have a greater affect. However, the same results can often be achieved using just one AD. The difficult being that you need to find the ‘right’ one. The one advantage of the Zoloft/Wellbutin combo is that Wellbutin tends to moderate the sexual dysfunction affect of some ADs, incl Zoloft. If this combination of meds is doing the job, then stick with it, if not see your doc about changing to something else. Ian Phobias:  Catapedaphobia- Fear of jumping from high and low places.

Response:

i was on Zoloft for about a year and1/2.Just like you i had all the same symptom,s as you.then when going of the Zoloft i was sent to a neurologist because the back of my head kept going numb.Then i was off of everything for about 2yrs.Istarted all the dizziness and mass confusion at the time that we had moved ,i then changed to a new dr.He read my chart and he desided to put me on what they call SERZONE,,,,,,,, man I LOVED IT, no side afffects.i took the serzone for a little over a year and then went off of it .I can honestly say i feel great ,i actually wake up in the same mood i went to bed in .for the first time in my LIFE my day;s seem to be as normal as  the next guy;s. SERZONE is a chemical- it replaces the saratonin and prolactin in the brain which are the hormones the the brain and body produce.For me my imbalance was caused by childhood trauma….. i hope you get the help you need see ya later.                        kugoe

Response:

Question:

Boy did this one thing you asked ring a bell.I am tired of hearing a doctor or professional tell me , I couldn’t have felt the affects of the medication because its too early.What a bunch of bull.Too often the real truth is professionals and psychiaitry is practiced so unevenly its truly a sin!.Each time you ask someone else you get a different answer.I too have taken Buspar for a day and instantly felt more relaxed.But I don’t take it too often cause I believe its just a stronger version of valium.at least and at most too strong.You have to determine whats right for you.However incidentally I had a doctor tell me, to take it as needed , no need to take it for weeks.With prozac I didn’t need to take that stuff longer then a week (2 bloody noses) to know what I felt and didn’t need  anyone to tell me what I felt was real or not real. what hogwash.Still glad buspar is around but still waiting for better science. Tell daughter to try exercise, stop smoking and eat healthy .

Response:

I do realize however that some meds do work after getting in blood stream , and some especially anti depressants and mood meds might take a few weeks.Every person is different but more importantly  listen to your body , and incidentally Buspar is not one of the drugs that HAVE to be in your system for weeks.

Response:

My teenage daughter (17 years old)  is taking Buspar for sever anxiety and panic disorder. I was wondering if anyone can help me here. She has just been on this medication for nearly 3 weeks now. Her inital does was 5mg morn 5mg afternoon and 10mg beditime. That was the first 2 weeks. She did show some signs of improvement but not nearly enough. Her dosage has now been increased to 7.5mg morn 7.5mg afternoon and 15mg bedtime. Question here is i understand that it takes weeks for it to take full effectivness, but seems when she feels anxiety now and takes the medication within mins she feels somewhat better. Is this possible, or does it have to reach its full limits before it works? Hope you can understand this question. Thanks in advance!

Hi Dad! BuSpar will *not* block panic attacks. The meds of choice for panic disorder are those that *do* block panic attacks. And these include the benzos (e.g. Xanax, Klonopin, etc) and the SSRIs (e.g. Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, etc.). Sounds like your daughter saw a GP instead of a psychiatrist (who she should see for med advice on panic disorder). Feeling better within minutes of taking a  BuSpar pill is a *placebo* effect (i.e. you have "faith" it will help, and thus it does). Chip Before you buy.

Response:

My teenage daughter (17 years old)  is taking Buspar for sever anxiety and panic disorder. I was wondering if anyone can help me here. She has just been on this medication for nearly 3 weeks now. Her inital does was 5mg morn 5mg afternoon and 10mg beditime. That was the first 2 weeks. She did show some signs of improvement but not nearly enough. Her dosage has now been increased to 7.5mg morn 7.5mg afternoon and 15mg bedtime. Question here is i understand that it takes weeks for it to take full effectivness, but seems when she feels anxiety now and takes the medication within mins she feels somewhat better. Is this possible, or does it have to reach its full limits before it works? Hope you can understand this question. Thanks in advance!

Response:

I sympathize, Neal, and oh, Thank You for answering one of my questions! I took the 3 others, for panic/anxiety… Prozac, zoloft, and paxil, and felt worse within a week. When I was prescribed Buspar, I had no high hopes, but I swear within an hour, I felt a heaviness, rather than extreme panic. An almost calmness, maybe sleepy, and it made me feel better immediately. I was given 7.5 mg, in am and again at pm for a week, then 15 mg am and pm, since then, about 2 months now. It hasnt helped completely, but feel a difference. I’m sorry I can’t answer your question, but sometimes, just having someone share an experience helps, a bit. I have been told by therapist that I may need an increase, but I haven’t felt comfortable about it yet. (also, i had been told before that there are no side effects from paxil, zoloft or prozac, and i KNOW that there are!) so go with what feels right, and what seems to be working- even a little bit at a time.

Response:

Hi, I was recently prescribed Buspar for genreral anxiety disorder and after researching it a bit, I find I’m very confused.  I have both depression and GAD, but it’s the anxiety that’s bothering me most at the moment. (It’s hard sometimes to separate these things into categories, btw).  My question is this (I’m a bit of a newbie poster but I’ve read a lot).  Buspar and and SSRI’s appear to do different things.  Anxiety is apparently caused by too much serotonin. According to the www.buspar.com home page (sponsored by Bristol/Myers/Squibb):          "Your symptoms of persistent anxiety may be due to an imbalance of          a chemical called "serotonin" in the brain. It is believed that          an excess of serotonin may be one of the causes of persistent          anxiety. Other anti-anxiety medications work on different          chemicals in the brain.          BuSpar works differently from other anti-anxiety medications –          BuSpar works on the "serotonin system" in the brain to bring          serotonin levels back to normal." But I thought depression was caused by not enough serotonin.  If this is true, how can a person have both GAD and depression? (a common complaint, judging from a.s.d and a.s.p-a).  The SSRI I took several years ago (zoloft) seemed to greatly allieviate both anxiety and depression and I thought the mechanism was by increasing the effectiveness of serotonin (by inhibiting reuptake and leaving it in the synapses longer). Effectively correcting a _deficiency_ of serotonin. I’m confused. Moreover, my pdoc (confirmed by postings here) says that Buspar is sometimes combined with an antidepressant (SSRI or other) to increase the effective relief — either of GAD, depression or both! They seem to be doing opposite things, wouldn’t they cancel each other out? I’m sure I’m confused because I’m oversimplifying things. A quick history – I’ve had depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember and the only medicinal success I’ve had was with Zoloft several years ago.  Zoloft helped tremendously, it seemed to knock out the anxiety and lifted my depression.  There were side effects (drowsiness, sexual dampening, some word finding trouble), but it worked.  I went off it after I decided I was feeling good enough to give it a try.  The depression and anxiety gradually returned. A year later I tried it again but it increased my anxiety so much (like drinking several pots of coffee!) that I was unable to tolerate it even at small doses and I gave up before it gave me any benefit. Right now I’ve been on Buspar for about a week (10mg/day – I’m sensitive to drugs).  I’m not feeling any better, in fact the main effects seem to be dizziness, drowsiness, headache and poor concentration, even worse than before.  And improving concentration is one of the things Buspar is supposed to help!  And as evidenced by this post, my chronic worry doesn’t seem to be getting any better either  :-)  I seem to be getting a bit of the bruxism/jaw clenching that I recall was a side effect of zoloft too. Can anyone out there, either fellow sufferer or pharmacist help me understand the mechanics of these drugs? Anyway, should I should I stick it out with Buspar for a while (it’s been one week) despite the side effects? How long until I know whether it’s doing anything for me? I do recall that I had similar side effects for a couple weeks with zoloft (even worse.. there  was nausea too) before they started to subside and my depression/anxiety started to improve.  This time around, I’m more skeptical (both from the posts here that say Buspar isn’t generally too effective and from my confusion about how this drug is supposed to work.) The doc says that we may try Buspar in combination with a small dose of an antidepressant if it seems to help at all.  Again, this sounds confusing, but I’ve heard people have had some sucess with this. Thanks in advance -Grisha

Response:

(snip) But I thought depression was caused by not enough serotonin.  If this is true, how can a person have both GAD and depression? (a common complaint, judging from a.s.d and a.s.p-a).  The SSRI I took several years ago (zoloft) seemed to greatly allieviate both anxiety and depression and I thought the mechanism was by increasing the effectiveness of serotonin (by inhibiting reuptake and leaving it in the synapses longer). Effectively correcting a _deficiency_ of serotonin.

This is what I understood, too.  I’m on Zoloft. for GAD. I’m confused. Moreover, my pdoc (confirmed by postings here) says that Buspar is sometimes combined with an antidepressant (SSRI or other) to increase the effective relief — either of GAD, depression or both! They seem to be doing opposite things, wouldn’t they cancel each other out? I’m sure I’m confused because I’m oversimplifying things. A quick history – I’ve had depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember and the only medicinal success I’ve had was with Zoloft several years ago.  Zoloft helped tremendously, it seemed to knock out the anxiety and lifted my depression.  There were side effects (drowsiness, sexual dampening, some word finding trouble), but it worked.

Ah, I’ve ben wondering if my "word finding trouble" (<—good description!) is related to the Zoloft.  I guess maybe it is.   I went off it after I decided I was feeling good enough to give it a try.  The depression and anxiety gradually returned. A year later I tried it again but it increased my anxiety so much (like drinking several pots of coffee!) that I was unable to tolerate it even at small doses and I gave up before it gave me any benefit. Right now I’ve been on Buspar for about a week (10mg/day – I’m sensitive to drugs).  I’m not feeling any better, in fact the main effects seem to be dizziness, drowsiness, headache and poor concentration, even worse than before.

(snip) This probably won’t help you much, but I’ve been reading some of the posts from people on Buspar and wondering just how effective this drug is.  Four people I know were prescribed Buspar for anxiety/panic by their GP’s or OBGYN’s, and all 4 said it made them so much worse! They felt totally out of control on the Buspar, and did so much better on a different drug (Zoloft and maybe Prozac, IIRC).   Luckily, my psych. put me on Z from the get-go and I haven’t had any problems.   – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Anyway, should I should I stick it out with Buspar for a while (it’s been one week) despite the side effects? How long until I know whether it’s doing anything for me? I do recall that I had similar side effects for a couple weeks with zoloft (even worse.. there  was nausea too) before they started to subside and my depression/anxiety started to improve.  This time around, I’m more skeptical (both from the posts here that say Buspar isn’t generally too effective and from my confusion about how this drug is supposed to work.) The doc says that we may try Buspar in combination with a small dose of an antidepressant if it seems to help at all.  Again, this sounds confusing, but I’ve heard people have had some sucess with this. Thanks in advance -Grisha

Response:

Hi, I was recently prescribed Buspar for genreral anxiety disorder and after researching it a bit, I find I’m very confused.  I have both depression and GAD, but it’s the anxiety that’s bothering me most at the moment. (It’s hard sometimes to separate these things into categories, btw).  My question is this (I’m a bit of a newbie poster but I’ve read a lot).  Buspar and and SSRI’s appear to do different things.  Anxiety is apparently caused by too much serotonin. According to the www.buspar.com home page (sponsored by Bristol/Myers/Squibb):

Hi, Grisha, good to have you posting <some snipping Bristol/Myers/Squibb were, as one might expect, being a leetle selective with the facts there. As I understand it, no one really knows what causes anxiety disorders. Serotonin is one of the substances impilcated – but just one. It’s important to remember, for example, that a very fair proportion of people on this NG don’t use medications that affect serotonin at all and yet get very effective relief from what they do use – benzodiazepines. Arguably their problem concerns GABA, not serotonin. <more snipping But I thought depression was caused by not enough serotonin.  If this is true, how can a person have both GAD and depression? (a common complaint, judging from a.s.d and a.s.p-a).  The SSRI I took several years ago (zoloft) seemed to greatly allieviate both anxiety and depression and I thought the mechanism was by increasing the effectiveness of serotonin (by inhibiting reuptake and leaving it in the synapses longer). Effectively correcting a _deficiency_ of serotonin.

Exactly right, as I understand it, so possibly a clue why Buspar isn’t widely regarded as an effective medication by the majority of people who’ve posted here? I’m confused. Moreover, my pdoc (confirmed by postings here) says that Buspar is sometimes combined with an antidepressant (SSRI or other) to increase the effective relief — either of GAD, depression or both! They seem to be doing opposite things, wouldn’t they cancel each other out? I’m sure I’m confused because I’m oversimplifying things.

I simply don’t know the answer to this but perhaps one of the wetstuff techies can help us? <yet more snipping Anyway, should I should I stick it out with Buspar for a while (it’s been one week) despite the side effects? How long until I know whether it’s doing anything for me? I do recall that I had similar side effects for a couple weeks with zoloft (even worse.. there  was nausea too) before they started to subside and my depression/anxiety started to improve.  This time around, I’m more skeptical (both from the posts here that say Buspar isn’t generally too effective and from my confusion about how this drug is supposed to work.) The doc says that we may try Buspar in combination with a small dose of an antidepressant if it seems to help at all.  Again, this sounds confusing, but I’ve heard people have had some sucess with this.

Personally, I won’t tolerate side effects lasting more than about ten-14 days, but that’s just me. I worry about Buspar – not because I think it does people harm, but because I sense it is being prescribed as an alternative to benzodiazepines by doctors who have swallowed the myths and propaganda about "addiction" concerning the latter. It’s fair enough to try it, but to persist against the odds seems like bad practice to me. Have you tried the combination of an AD and a benzo? Judging by the posts here, that seems to be the most useful combination for those with coincident depression and I wonder if it might be worth discussing it with your doctor? Just a thought — Gary Cooper

Response:

<snipped some good stuff : I just started takign BuSpar as an enhancer to the Effexor that I’m already taking.   In addition, I take klonopin.  The idea is to get me up to 15 mg/day. I have lots of problems with anxiety, but my main hope for BuSpar is that it will pick up the Effexor…. No longer searching for beauty or love, just some kind of life with the edges taken off. –Jarvis Cocker

Response:

Bristol/Myers/Squibb were, as one might expect, being a leetle selective with the facts there. As I understand it, no one really knows what causes anxiety disorders. Serotonin is one of the substances impilcated – but just one. It’s important to remember, for example, that a very fair proportion of people on this NG don’t use medications that affect serotonin at all and yet get very effective relief from what they do use – benzodiazepines. Arguably their problem concerns GABA, not serotonin.

I’ve heard this theory several times before.  I take it that it is possible that people have a problem with levels of serotonin, and this is causing the anxiety, but the increase in the strength of binding of GABA (which is what the benzos do) has an effect that offsets the effects of the serotonin problem.  This might explain why people get relief from anxiety from both serotoninigic and GABA-related treatments.  (Or, maybe the reverse is the case, for that matter.) People like, e.g. Peter Kramer (and many other people I’ve run across in print) move from the fact that drug x increases y and drug x cures depression that depression is caused by (in part, at least) too little y. I just think that this is a bit quick.  It’s certainly one potential explanation, and perhaps the best one.  But it’s not the only one.  Again, it might be that the depression is caused by some other factor, z, whose effects are overridden by the effects of the increase in y. (Gary–not directed at you personally, and please don’t take me as being pedantic; I don’t mean to be.  Just a question I have about an inference that I see made all over.) <more snipping But I thought depression was caused by not enough serotonin.  If this is true, how can a person have both GAD and depression? (a common complaint, judging from a.s.d and a.s.p-a).  The SSRI I took several years ago (zoloft) seemed to greatly allieviate both anxiety and depression and I thought the mechanism was by increasing the effectiveness of serotonin (by inhibiting reuptake and leaving it in the synapses longer). Effectively correcting a _deficiency_ of serotonin.

Though BuSpar does work for some (just not many, it seems).  I think that this just shows that we’re a long way from understanding how these drugs cure depression and anxiety. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m confused. Moreover, my pdoc (confirmed by postings here) says that Buspar is sometimes combined with an antidepressant (SSRI or other) to increase the effective relief — either of GAD, depression or both! They seem to be doing opposite things, wouldn’t they cancel each other out? I’m sure I’m confused because I’m oversimplifying things. I simply don’t know the answer to this but perhaps one of the wetstuff techies can help us? Anyway, should I should I stick it out with Buspar for a while (it’s been one week) despite the side effects? How long until I know whether it’s doing anything for me? I do recall that I had similar side effects for a couple weeks with zoloft (even worse.. there  was nausea too) before they started to subside and my depression/anxiety started to improve.  This time around, I’m more skeptical (both from the posts here that say Buspar isn’t generally too effective and from my confusion about how this drug is supposed to work.) The doc says that we may try Buspar in combination with a small dose of an antidepressant if it seems to help at all.  Again, this sounds confusing, but I’ve heard people have had some sucess with this.

It depends on how bad the side effects are–BuSpar, like SSRIs, takes 2-4 weeks to really start working (if it does at all). snip  I worry about Buspar – not because I think it does people harm, but because I sense it is being prescribed as an alternative to benzodiazepines by doctors who have swallowed the myths and propaganda about "addiction" concerning the latter. It’s fair enough to try it, but to persist against the odds seems like bad practice to me.

I totally agree. Have you tried the combination of an AD and a benzo? Judging by the posts here, that seems to be the most useful combination for those with coincident depression and I wonder if it might be worth discussing it with your doctor? Just a thought

And, IMHO, the right thought.  I second the motion. Matt

Response:

<some snipping for space People like, e.g. Peter Kramer (and many other people I’ve run across in print) move from the fact that drug x increases y and drug x cures depression that depression is caused by (in part, at least) too little y. I just think that this is a bit quick.  It’s certainly one potential explanation, and perhaps the best one.  But it’s not the only one.  Again, it might be that the depression is caused by some other factor, z, whose effects are overridden by the effects of the increase in y. (Gary–not directed at you personally, and please don’t take me as being pedantic; I don’t mean to be.  Just a question I have about an inference that I see made all over.)

<rest snipped Oh, I certainly don’t Matt. But, personally, I long ago realised that I hadn’t the dedication to go into the minuteae of the neuro-chemistry of this – particularly as it’s such a conjectural field anyway. To do so to any level that might satisfy me intellectually, I’d effectively have to take a DIY med. degree and even then I’d be banging heads with the experts, who seem hopelessly confused themselves – blown around the map of the brain like pre-chronometer navigators I almost hate admitting this to a philosopher but I trust my intuition and that tells me that Clarke’s Law applies here. Too many eminent pshrinks are talking about serotonin for that to possibly be the answer Maybe it is? Maybe it’s CCK? Maybe it’s dopamine? None of us knows so, for now, all we can be is engineers, rather than theoretical physicists. Sometimes I’m not sure that’s a bad thing, either — Gary Cooper

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – <some snipping for space People like, e.g. Peter Kramer (and many other people I’ve run across in print) move from the fact that drug x increases y and drug x cures depression that depression is caused by (in part, at least) too little y. I just think that this is a bit quick.  It’s certainly one potential explanation, and perhaps the best one.  But it’s not the only one.  Again, it might be that the depression is caused by some other factor, z, whose effects are overridden by the effects of the increase in y. (Gary–not directed at you personally, and please don’t take me as being pedantic; I don’t mean to be.  Just a question I have about an inference that I see made all over.) <rest snipped

snip I almost hate admitting this to a philosopher but I trust my intuition and that tells me that Clarke’s Law applies here. Too many eminent pshrinks are talking about serotonin for that to possibly be the answer

Maybe it is? Maybe it’s CCK? Maybe it’s dopamine? None of us knows so, for now, all we can be is engineers, rather than theoretical physicists.

Yah, I’m certainly not claiming to know either –just looking at an inference Matt

Response:

[...] But I thought depression was caused by not enough serotonin.  If this is true, how can a person have both GAD and depression?

There’s no conflict there. Psychiatric diagnoses are made on the basis of symptoms not pathophysiology. It’s not like having both diabetes and hypoglycemia. (a common complaint, judging from a.s.d and a.s.p-a).  The SSRI I took several years ago (zoloft) seemed to greatly allieviate both anxiety and depression and I thought the mechanism was by increasing the effectiveness of serotonin (by inhibiting reuptake and leaving it in the synapses longer). Effectively correcting a _deficiency_ of serotonin. I’m confused. Moreover, my pdoc (confirmed by postings here) says that Buspar is sometimes combined with an antidepressant (SSRI or other) to increase the effective relief — either of GAD, depression or both! They seem to be doing opposite things, wouldn’t they cancel each other out? I’m sure I’m confused because I’m oversimplifying things.

[...] _You’re_ confused? Think of the people doing the research. They’re making careers out of their confusion. If anything, you’re confused because you’re approaching the matter as though the antidepressant mechanism of SSRI’s were a settled question. (Come to think of it, this probably screws up the researchers’ heads too). Yes, SSRI’s increase synaptic serotonin — that’s known. What isn’t fully understood is what happens next and how it improves mood. Is it 5HT-receptor upregulation? How significant are the well-known ‘downstream’ effects on dopamine and norepinephrine? Three neurotransmitter systems have been implicated in the doings of buspirone. It is a high-affinity 5HT1A partial agonist. Already a pain in the ass, since it’s not always clear whether a partial agonist acts primarily as an agonist or an antagonist. It may be one or the other depending on many factors. So already you wonder: is the anxiolytic effect based on agonist or antagonist activity? Those who attribute the anxiolytic effect to 5HT activity seem to think of it as an agonist (shutting off of 5HT release), but if it is the other way ’round, antagonizing 5HT1A and preventing natural 5HT shutdown, is anything any less (or more) clear? Next, it appears to be a a2-adrenergic antagonist. Some researchers attribute the anxiolytic effect to this. But this also seems odd in light of the fact that the a2-adrenergic _agonist_ clonidine is famed for its ability to reduce anxiety, particularly in drug withdrawal. And a2-adrenergic antagonists promote norepinephrine production. A sympathomimetic anxiolytic? And then there’s its D2-antagonist activity. This has been dismissed as clinically insignificant, though it does appear prominently in the early research. It’s at least more consistent with what one would expect from a non-GABAergic anxiolytic. But it’s probably not the answer. There is no reason not to be confused. In fact, if you’re not confused, you are either delusional or a marketing executive at Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Response:

  How does BuSpar work? It doesn’t.  BuSpar has no effect at all.

Response:

… Exactly right, as I understand it, so possibly a clue why Buspar isn’t widely regarded as an effective medication by the majority of people who’ve posted here?

I have what might be a simpler clue…the doses commonly used (15-30mg/day) may not be high enough!  I think that if you can tolerate it (start low, go slow), it might be worthwhile to try going up to 90mg/day – especially if you have GAD and depression and no history of panic attacks (BuSpar really isn’t for panic).  30-90mg/day is the dose range for major depression (including melancholic depression).  (The original trials for schizophrenia used doses up to, get this, 2400mg/day, with an average dose around 1500mg/day.) -elizabeth

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I was recently prescribed Buspar for genreral anxiety disorder and after researching it a bit, I find I’m very confused.  I have both depression and GAD, but it’s the anxiety that’s bothering me most at the moment. (It’s hard sometimes to separate these things into categories, btw).  My question is this (I’m a bit of a newbie poster but I’ve read a lot).  Buspar and and SSRI’s appear to do different things.  Anxiety is apparently caused by too much serotonin. According to the www.buspar.com home page (sponsored by Bristol/Myers/Squibb):          "Your symptoms of persistent anxiety may be due to an imbalance of          a chemical called "serotonin" in the brain. It is believed that          an excess of serotonin may be one of the causes of persistent          anxiety. Other anti-anxiety medications work on different          chemicals in the brain.          BuSpar works differently from other anti-anxiety medications –          BuSpar works on the "serotonin system" in the brain to bring          serotonin levels back to normal." But I thought depression was caused by not enough serotonin.  If this is true, how can a person have both GAD and depression? (a common complaint, judging from a.s.d and a.s.p-a).  The SSRI I took several years ago (zoloft) seemed to greatly allieviate both anxiety and depression and I thought the mechanism was by increasing the effectiveness of serotonin (by inhibiting reuptake and leaving it in the synapses longer). Effectively correcting a _deficiency_ of serotonin. I’m confused. Moreover, my pdoc (confirmed by postings here) says that Buspar is sometimes combined with an antidepressant (SSRI or other) to increase the effective relief — either of GAD, depression or both! They seem to be doing opposite things, wouldn’t they cancel each other out? I’m sure I’m confused because I’m oversimplifying things. A quick history – I’ve had depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember and the only medicinal success I’ve had was with Zoloft several years ago.  Zoloft helped tremendously, it seemed to knock out the anxiety and lifted my depression.  There were side effects (drowsiness, sexual dampening, some word finding trouble), but it worked.  I went off it after I decided I was feeling good enough to give it a try.  The depression and anxiety gradually returned. A year later I tried it again but it increased my anxiety so much (like drinking several pots of coffee!) that I was unable to tolerate it even at small doses and I gave up before it gave me any benefit. Right now I’ve been on Buspar for about a week (10mg/day – I’m sensitive to drugs).  I’m not feeling any better, in fact the main effects seem to be dizziness, drowsiness, headache and poor concentration, even worse than before.  And improving concentration is one of the things Buspar is supposed to help!  And as evidenced by this post, my chronic worry doesn’t seem to be getting any better either  :-)  I seem to be getting a bit of the bruxism/jaw clenching that I recall was a side effect of zoloft too. Can anyone out there, either fellow sufferer or pharmacist help me understand the mechanics of these drugs? Anyway, should I should I stick it out with Buspar for a while (it’s been one week) despite the side effects? How long until I know whether it’s doing anything for me? I do recall that I had similar side effects for a couple weeks with zoloft (even worse.. there  was nausea too) before they started to subside and my depression/anxiety started to improve.  This time around, I’m more skeptical (both from the posts here that say Buspar isn’t generally too effective and from my confusion about how this drug is supposed to work.) The doc says that we may try Buspar in combination with a small dose of an antidepressant if it seems to help at all.  Again, this sounds confusing, but I’ve heard people have had some sucess with this. Thanks in advance -Grisha

Grisha — That’s a long message!  I’ve posted on alt.support.anxiety.panic how SSRIs work to the best of my knowledge (someone already corrected me on a mistake I made).  But I’m not sure how Buspar works.  I don’t the the docs really know either.  Someone read it to me in a counseling book, and the authors weren’t too sure either. my advice:  If the shoe fits, wear it.  If it don’t, throw it out. — Geoff

Response:

  How does BuSpar work? It doesn’t.  BuSpar has no effect at all.

Not exactly true.  Current thought is that BuSpar is ineffective for panic, although it may be better for GAD.  My doc refuses to prescribe it for panic.  However, I have recently spoken to a top anxiety specialist who uses it as a second-line med, and has had some positive results with panic disorder patients.  Not all, but some.  He admits he has been too lazy to write this up and get it into the literature So, while there are many meds that are more effective than BuSpar for panic, it is an option for those who have problems with other meds. YMMV hugely. Hirsch

Response:

My pdoc seems to be down on benzos, he called them tranquilizers and seemed to regard them as masking rather than dealing with the problem.  He also said they’re addictive and sedating like alcohol (though this Buspar is having a sedating/groggy inducing effect)  This seems to be a common story. So I doubt I’ll have luck with him giving me the AD/benzo combination that you’ve recommended.  Shopping for another doctor seems just beyond me at this point. Obviously, I should probably be patient and see if the Buspar does anything for me besides side effects.  But if nothing (as seems likely from the consensus here) then what?  Find an AD I can tolerate, perhaps and see if I can suggest he prescribe a benzo?

If the BuSpar doesn’t work, I’d be firm with him.  It’s your body, after all.  Benzos are called "minor tranquilizers," though the connotations of that word probably are such that tehy shouldn’t be called that.  As to their addictiveness–this amounts to the fact that you need to taper off slowly if you’re going to stop taking them if you’ve taken them for a while.  They’re seldom abused by patients, and they almost never are such that you develop a tolerance to their anti-anxiety properties.  Plus, side effect-wise, they’re good drugs.  Most of the side effects go away after a few weeks (the grogginess, sleepiness, etc.) for most people.  Then the anti-anxiety properties remain. You also could go to your gp and talk to her about your situation.  Maybe she’ll be more rational about benzos. Good luck, Matt

Response:

[...] But I thought depression was caused by not enough serotonin.  If this is true, how can a person have both GAD and depression? There’s no conflict there. Psychiatric diagnoses are made on the basis of symptoms not pathophysiology. It’s not like having both diabetes and hypoglycemia.

Thanks everyone for all the information.  You’re all great! I’m glad to know I’m not the only one confused here (I think I’m glad). The mechanism of buspar must be similar in some ways to zoloft, because my side effect profile is similar.  I’m getting jaw clenching and increased tension in my neck and shoulders (where I carry my stress anyway)  (is this norepinephrine?) similar to when I was starting on zoloft.  I’ve got a constant headache (listed as a common side effect) and am sweating like a pig.  Drowsy, dizzy no concentration, still anxious as ever.  No actual _beneficial_ effects yet (after one week) it seems.  It’s very frustrating to say the least because I’m told to be patient and wait for 2-4 weeks to notice anything.  Just my luck I’ll get the sexual side effects too (not that it matters at the moment . Some people have no side effects whatsoever to this drug (or to many of the others), so obviously this neurochemistry thing is extremely complex. I’ve never been on a benzo, so I have no idea what it would feel like to get immediate relief to this chronic worry, tension and anxiety.  I don’t have true Panic Attacks, I don’t think, where I’m paralyzed with panic and have chest pains and everything, but I do hyperventilate and get the tingly face and hands feeling, particularly in traffic, but sometimes for no apparent reason, it just seems like a slightly more intense version of the anxiety I feel all the time. It’s pretty clearly GAD with depression, now, I just need to find something that will take care of it. My pdoc seems to be down on benzos, he called them tranquilizers and seemed to regard them as masking rather than dealing with the problem.  He also said they’re addictive and sedating like alcohol (though this Buspar is having a sedating/groggy inducing effect)  This seems to be a common story. So I doubt I’ll have luck with him giving me the AD/benzo combination that you’ve recommended.  Shopping for another doctor seems just beyond me at this point. Obviously, I should probably be patient and see if the Buspar does anything for me besides side effects.  But if nothing (as seems likely from the consensus here) then what?  Find an AD I can tolerate, perhaps and see if I can suggest he prescribe a benzo? Thanks again everyone for your continued support and explanations (or approximations) of the chemistry behind these drugs. -Grisha

Response:

Yeh Gary, I asked my Doc here in Australia about Buspar long ago – he laughed and said: "I don’t even prescribe that crap for *minor* anxiety, it’s basically useless for panic disorder. Benzodiazapine’s are safer and *much* more effective" He then wrote me a script for Xanax – and asked *me* to tell him how much worked – then asked that I ring his surgery for repeats as needed….

Blimey, Mike – that’s the second good reason I’ve seen for emigration to Oz in the past few weeks! I wish we had a few doctors like that, over here. — Gary Cooper

Response:

<much interesting commentary snipped There is no reason not to be confused. In fact, if you’re not confused, you are either delusional or a marketing executive at Bristol-Myers Squibb.

And ain’t *that* the truth! — Gary Cooper

Response:

<Good Stuff Snipped Exactly right, as I understand it, so possibly a clue why Buspar isn’t widely regarded as an effective medication by the majority of people who’ve posted here?

<More Good Stuff Snipped Yeh Gary, I asked my Doc here in Australia about Buspar long ago – he laughed and said: "I don’t even prescribe that crap for *minor* anxiety, it’s basically useless for panic disorder. Benzodiazapine’s are safer and *much* more effective" He then wrote me a script for Xanax – and asked *me* to tell him how much worked – then asked that I ring his surgery for repeats as needed…. Cheers, Mike from OZ

Response:

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -kmaze…@aol.com (Kmaze001) wrote:

In article <4ra1ft$3…@usenetz1.news.prodigy.com, BWHM…@prodigy.com (Kathryn Taubert) writes: I’m not trying to be contentious here, but virtually none of the people with TS that I know well enough to ask have EVER had a problem with bedwetting. And I know a lot of ‘em. That may be so.  Sometimes the bedwetting isn’t with the person who has TS, but somewhere else in the family. Two of my three children have TS;

my

mom has had bouts of eneuresis (albeit infrequently) throughout her

life

(also a history of migraines).  I have myself have experienced none of these (nor do I have TS). Regards, Kim

That makes sense. Bedwetting is not uncommon in the population at large, so it would follow suit that it would be found elsewhere in the family. Like brown eyes in lefties, as mentioned before. KAT

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

  kmaze…@aol.com (Kmaze001) writes:  In article <4ra1ft$3…@usenetz1.news.prodigy.com, BWHM…@prodigy.com  (Kathryn Taubert) writes:  I’m not trying to be contentious here, but virtually none of the people  with TS that I know well enough to ask have EVER had a problem with  bedwetting.  And I know a lot of ‘em.  That may be so.  Sometimes the bedwetting isn’t with the person who has  TS, but somewhere else in the family. Two of my three children have TS; my  mom has had bouts of eneuresis (albeit infrequently) throughout her life  (also a history of migraines).  I have myself have experienced none of  these (nor do I have TS).  Regards,  Kim

I’ve heard of the problems with both encopresis and eneuresis in a couple of children, seemingly related to meds taken for TS.  In a child who already has eneuresis AND attention deficit, I would think Impramine would be a good choice, since it’s used in ADD but was first used for bedwetting. Jeanne

Response:

Sorry, but your neurologist does not know what he is talking about.  These kids have _huge_ problems with both bedwetting and insomnia.  The big purple book mentions insomnia as part of TS, and I don’t recall about the wetting or not.   We used DDAVP for a while–but it is terribly expensive.  It is a nasal spray about, $115 for a 3 week supply, depends on how many squirts you have to give a night.  But it quit working for us after about 2 1/2 months.   We have had better luck with some of the tricyclic antidepressants.   Desipramine and Anafranil both helped with this for us.  My son is on anafranil now and the bedwetting is nearly gone. We are giving Melatonin for sleeping right now.  Garret takes about 2mg at bedtime.  He sleeps pretty well, but still wakes up around 4:00!!!!  On tv I saw something advertised called Melatrex (or something like that).  They said it was a long-acting Melatonin, so it would have a night-long effect.  It sounded _great_ to me, but our health food store is small and doesn’t carry much.  The only thing with Melatonin is it is a bit controversial because the jury is still out on long-term health affects from taking it.  And because it is a nutritional supplement, it is not tested by the FDA.

Response:

There are 2 things that you might look into: 1.  Dr. David Cummings wrote a book called "Tourette Syndrome and Human Behavior" .   In this book, he mentions bed wetting as part of the

overall

big picture with people with TS bedwetting or relatives within the

family

tree having this problem.

Comings is wrong here. There is no data to support this assertion. Bed wetting is COMMON amongst children under stress. And those NOT under any particular stress as well. It usually passes after a time, in the great majority of cases. I don’t know where the H… he gets this stuff. It’s like saying that people who are left-handed have brown eyes somewhere in their family tree. Brown eyes are the most common ones. Of COURSE there will be brown eyes somewhere in the family of a left-handed person. jeezzzzz I have TS. I have a male cousin with un DXed TS. I have a sister with bi- polar and a slew of other things. I have another sister with probably OCD and ADD. Dysthymia runs in my family. And so on. NONE of us ever had a problem with bed wetting. Were it so, believe me, I’d have known about it. KAT in CT

Response:

Sorry, but your neurologist does not know what he is talking about.  

These

kids have _huge_ problems with both bedwetting and insomnia.  The big purple book mentions insomnia as part of TS, and I don’t recall about

the

wetting or not.  

No, again. ‘Us Kids" do NOT necessarily have a problem with bedwetting that is DIRECTLY related to the TS gene or genes. And if by the "big purple book" you mean the DSRM-IV, you won’t see bedwetting listed as a symptom of TS because it ISN"T a symptom of TS. KAT in CT

Response:

Don’t you think this is like so many other parts of TS.  Some people have just TS.  Some people have TS and OCD.  Some people have just OCD.  Some people have TS and bi-polar.  My son has TS, OCD, and Asperger’s.  Some people with TS have bedwetting, and some do not. All the people I know with TS also had bedwetting problems as children. Darcie

Response:

In article <31D547D2.2…@innet.be

, Tamara Foubert <pub00…@innet.be

writes:

The neurologist says there is no connection between TS and bedwetting and that the fact that he is taking Orap is of no influence. He says that stress is the major cause of bedwetting. But since he’s in a LD school, we managed to reduce stress considerably.

I have read and heard from a psychologist very knowledgeable about TS that the two are very much related.  Sleep disorders, bedwetting, and night terrors are all disorders of arousal that are somehow connected to TS.  In fact, when she was taking a history to see if  my two children had TS, one of her first questions was whether there was a history of bedwetting in our family (there was, as it happened).  Good luck; I’d get another opinion if I were you. Regards, Kim

Response:

My 8 year old son with TS and ADD wet his bed every night until last summer.  We got an alarm that clips to his pajama top, and has wires connected to a kind of snap that attached to his underwear.  As soon as he started wetting the alarm would sound.  I would get him up and take him to the bathroom, then together we would change the sheets on his bed.  After about a month, the bedwetting stopped!  It came back again a couple months ago when he was taking Risperdal.  As soon as we stopped the Risperdal, the bedwetting stopped again. I don’t know about whether there is a link between bedwetting and TS/ADD. He hadn’t been diagnosed yet when we consulted the pediatrician about the bedwetting.  The doctor did say bedwetting seems to run in families, and there was a history of it in both my husband’s and my family. Good luck! Mary

Response:

I have read and heard from a psychologist very knowledgeable about TS

that

the two are very much related.  Sleep disorders, bedwetting, and night terrors are all disorders of arousal that are somehow connected to TS.  

In

fact, when she was taking a history to see if  my two children had TS,

one

of her first questions was whether there was a history of bedwetting in our family (there was, as it happened).  Good luck; I’d get another opinion if I were you.

Kim, ask your psychologist where she got this information, that you’d like to see the data. I suspect she’ll dig up the Comings book. I personally would like VERY much to know what hard data she has to support this assertion re: TS and bedwetting. Ask her to provide you, if she will,  with her source of information. I’ll look it up myself. KAT in CT

Response:

All the people I know with TS also had bedwetting problems as children.

Darcie

I’m not trying to be contentious here, but virtually none of the people with TS that I know well enough to ask have EVER had a problem with bedwetting. And I know a lot of ‘em. KAT in CT

Response:

In article <4r627v$1…@usenetz1.news.prodigy.com

, BWHM…@prodigy.com

(Kathryn Taubert) writes:

No, again. ‘Us Kids" do NOT necessarily have a problem with bedwetting that is DIRECTLY related to the TS gene or genes. And if by the "big purple book" you mean the DSRM-IV, you won’t see bedwetting listed as a symptom of TS because it ISN"T a symptom of TS.

Kat, Please look at the original post.  The question posed was *whether* there’s a connection.  It was not whether bedwetting is a symptom of TS or whether bedwetting is *directly* related to the gene.  Maybe the connection is as simple as some folks with TS are under more stress and thus have a higher incidence of enueresis (sp?).  In any case, I have heard about this through a local psychologist who is highly respected for her work with TS.  That doesn’t mean she’s right either, but let’s keep an open mind here.  Other related problems (the so-called disorders of arousal) include migraines, sleepwalking, bruxism, and night terrors. Regards, Kim

Response:

In article <4r8rp6$…@newsbf02.news.aol.com

, kmaze…@aol.com (Kmaze001)

writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

I have read and heard from a psychologist very knowledgeable about TS

that

the two are very much related.  Sleep disorders, bedwetting, and night terrors are all disorders of arousal that are somehow connected to TS.

In

fact, when she was taking a history to see if  my two children had TS,

one

of her first questions was whether there was a history of bedwetting in our family (there was, as it happened).  Good luck; I’d get another opinion if I were you. Regards, Kim

The problem is that there is no research that has been done on this subject – just a few docs that have tried to find a connection.  What needs to be done is for a data base to be formed with sleep disorders, bedwetting and TS.  Research studies will then need to be done to substantiate this theory.  There may very well be a relationship, but bed wetting isn’t found in any people with TS that I know.  I do know many people without TS that are perfectly normal in every other way that are bed wetters, and have no history of TS in their families. Sleep disorders, on the other hand, seem to be present in a significant number of people with TS, so bed wetting in that respect, could be a result of a sleep problem.  Melatonin has helped many with TS, and Dr. Roger Freeman has touted it as effective in helping the sleep problems in TS.  This makes sense since melatonin is formed from serotonin, and serotonin has been found to be low in a significant number of people with TS.  It is very interesting that antidepressants are used for bed wetters.  They may help by raising serotonin, or maybe they stimulate the body not to go into a deep sleep.  It is my understanding that melatonin just helps the body fall asleep, and doesn’t effect the deepness of the sleep, so that the person feels refreshed and not groggy upon waking.  Too much melatonin is not good, however, and there is some speculation that it may delay puberty.  My son wears earplugs to bed to screen out noises to aid him in going to sleep. Others have equally ingenious techniques in falling asleep – it is highly individual.   Bonnie Grimaldi  in Columbus, Ohio

Response:

Tamara My son is also 8 and wets his bed, but he does not have insomnia. In fact he sleeps so deeply we have trouble waking him. We had always attributed the wetting to his inability to wake himself in time to get to the batrhroom. The diapers will not help him stop. They will reinforce your expectation that he WILL wet the bed every night. David Grupper David Grupper, Brooklyn, NY

Response:

In article <4ra1ft$3…@usenetz1.news.prodigy.com

, BWHM…@prodigy.com

(Kathryn Taubert) writes:

I’m not trying to be contentious here, but virtually none of the people with TS that I know well enough to ask have EVER had a problem with bedwetting. And I know a lot of ‘em. KAT in CT

 Kat,  I have TS and wet the bed up to the age of 14 although with less frequency as I reached that age. It may not be TS but related to some comorbid disorder. I always was a deep sleeper and I’m sure that had a lot to do with it. Now I wonder (and should have asked the doc) if at 41 my enlarged prostrate has any connection with my bedwetting and my bodies attempts at stopping it by overworking the prostrate.  There is no known history of bedwetting in my family but then again I never asked . There is also no known TS in my family but other movement disorders tend to run in our family. Things like essential tremor and spastic torticollis (part of the Dystonia family of disorders).      Wize

Response:

It has been my experience (re-inforced by research) that bed-wetting of this type is physiological.  The child has virtually no control over the problem.  It seems to me that to take any action that puts the responsibility of control on the child can only lead to fear or rebellion or (worst of all) damaged self-esteem.  My daughter was a bed-wetter, as were many of her relatives in past generations (going quite far back) and all in the same pattern, with the last episodes around age 12.  In my daughter’s case, I tried a homeopathic treatment combined with control of her food allergies.  No more bed-wetting.  My son would go into a frighteningly deep sleep occasionally and lose control of his bowels (still not waking up) and I would clean him, his bed, change both, and sstill he would not really wake up.  Obviously,this is not normal.  I tracked that one down to dairy products, especially late in the day.  He still sleep-walks tho’.  How could these poor sweeties ever be held responsible for controlling these symptoms without damaging their self-image, their self-esteem, their self-confidence, or creating an anxiety pproblem?  Thank God and the companies,for the large and adult size diapers. We did stop needing them, although during my pregnancies, I had flare ups of my bowelproblems and felt a desire to have the diapers around!

Response:

In article <4ra1ft$3…@usenetz1.news.prodigy.com

, BWHM…@prodigy.com

(Kathryn Taubert) writes:

I’m not trying to be contentious here, but virtually none of the people with TS that I know well enough to ask have EVER had a problem with bedwetting. And I know a lot of ‘em.

That may be so.  Sometimes the bedwetting isn’t with the person who has TS, but somewhere else in the family. Two of my three children have TS; my mom has had bouts of eneuresis (albeit infrequently) throughout her life (also a history of migraines).  I have myself have experienced none of these (nor do I have TS). Regards, Kim

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

Kat, Please look at the original post.  The question posed was *whether* there’s a connection.  It was not whether bedwetting is a symptom of TS

or

whether bedwetting is *directly* related to the gene.  Maybe the connection is as simple as some folks with TS are under more stress and thus have a higher incidence of enueresis (sp?).  In any case, I have heard about this through a local psychologist who is highly respected

for

her work with TS.  That doesn’t mean she’s right either, but let’s keep

an

open mind here.  Other related problems (the so-called disorders of arousal) include migraines, sleepwalking, bruxism, and night terrors. Regards, Kim

Kim, I did look at the original posts, and it was evident in what I saw there that this "connection" was being, if not engraved in stone, assumed to a disturbing degree. I’ve no doubt the the psychologist who has said this to you is reputable. But even reputable people can be wrong. And without caution, these kinds of posts end up making "fact" which is, at present, no more than speculation on the parts of a relatively few individuals, most of whom have read a book with assertions that have NOT been substantiated by the hard data. The comment on the order of "These kids have lots of problems with bedwetting" is suggestive of a direct connection between TS and bedwetting. And, in my personal experience, that’s NOT the case. Phrases such as "these kids" are a bit misleading. They suggest a commonality that has to do with "their disorders."  And, on line, suggestions have a way of becoming fact without further elucidation, and careful wordsmithing. My mind is, and always has been open. So much so, in fact, that I don’t hold as fact the words of any clinician who suggests something that may be either wrong or misleading, no matter how much I like him/her. KAT in CT

Response:

My son is 8 and is dx’d with ADD and TS. Beside tics, mild ocd and echolalia, he also has severe insomnia and wets his bed every night. The neurologist says there is no connection between TS and bedwetting and that the fact that he is taking Orap is of no influence. He says that stress is the major cause of bedwetting. But since he’s in a LD school, we managed to reduce stress considerably.

Does anyone have experience with the combination of TS, insomnia and bedwetting ? There are 2 things that you might look into: 1.  Dr. David Cummings wrote a book called "Tourette Syndrome and Human Behavior" .   In this book, he mentions bed wetting as part of the overall big picture with people with TS bedwetting or relatives within the family tree having this problem. 2.  Is your neurologist knowledgable about TS?  Have you checked his/her Cirriculum Vitae(professional resume) to see how well versed he/she is on the subject.  There are neurologists out there that will still give a TS patient Haldol because that is the only medication that the neurologist knows to perscribe to someone with TS.  Good luck.   Fred in denver

Response:

My son is 8 and is dx’d with ADD and TS. Beside tics, mild ocd and echolalia, he also has severe insomnia and wets his bed every night. He sometimes stays awake till 2 AM and when he finally falls asleep, he wets his bed and wakes up again ! The neurologist says there is no connection between TS and bedwetting and that the fact that he is taking Orap is of no influence. He says that stress is the major cause of bedwetting. But since he’s in a LD school, we managed to reduce stress considerably. Does anyone have experience with the combination of TS, insomnia and bedwetting ? We tried every possible method, but nothing helps. We are now so desperate that we make him wear diapers again, just to have some sleep. I know that is not recommended, but life is hard enough for him trying to cope with TS… Tamara

Response:

Question:

(I crossposted this to alt.eating-disord–those people might prefer to skip to the bottom) The way *I* got checked for sleeping disorders was in the Sleeping Disorders unit at our University Hospital (since we have a college of medicine, we are fortunate enought to have all these latest, greatest, forward-thinking research physicians).  I would suggest a) checking for a doctor or clinic in your area or as far as you’re willing to travel; and b) discussing it further with your primary care physician.  If he still doesn’t refer you, you might consider the cost of one visit–and discuss it thoroughly with the doctor or secretary on the phone FIRST, before you just go in and blah blah.  It might even help to have the doctors who HAVE seen you forward your charts FIRST. The first thing he did was put me on Zoloft. (like Prozac, or any other antidepressant)  THE VERY FIRST NIGHT, I slept through.  I still have trouble FALLING to sleep, but once asleep, I don’t wake more than once or twice until morning.  He is still going to get me into the sleep disorder lab one night to check apnea; I will let you all know what happens. Incidentally, the other side-effects of zoloft were a jackpot to me:  I am much calmer, lessened appetite, smoke less, and can even concentrate better. Donna

Response:

I have been cured of sleep apnea by the use of a machine that helps me sleep. my life has transformed and i will tell my story to anyone interested. — "The rule which forbids ending a sentence with a preposition is the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put."         -Winston Churchill

Response: