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Mms

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in Introductions - Who The Hell Are You?

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Mms

Mms

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14 hours ago, SKC said:

Hey!

Heya! :)

14 hours ago, SKC said:

What have you been on in the past? Do you have an idea of what meds you want now?

Oh boy.. 

Well, I've been on a healthy variety of medication, the problem is that I tried the majority of them in at a really confusing time in my life (aka: puberty) and all of it is kind of a mess for me.

I can tell you more about the ones I "tried/ re-tried" more recently, but I stopped most of them prematurely (because med changes mid-semester are near impossible)

Medications I took as a teen/young(er) adult:

Vyvanse, Concerta, Strattera, Klonopin, Xanax, Lexapro, Zoloft, Lamictal, Celexa

Medications I "tried/re-tried" more recently:

Lexapro - Stopped after a couple weeks because of trouble sleeping / anxiety that I was talking too much (excitability?)

Strattera - Stopped after a couple weeks because of trouble sleeping.

Lamictal - Stopped at 75 mg, because I was anxious about the possible cognitive side effects and also not feeling any better (I know now that the dose was too low.)

Vybriid - Actually helped a lot with my anxiety/mood, but I was having trouble sleeping and binge+purging more for some reason (increased appetite? increased impulsivity?)

Prozac - HORRIBLE, cried/slept for 5 days, then stopped.

Currently:

Started Buspar on Saturday (5 mg twice daily.)

So far I am having more side effects than benefits.. but I'm trying to stick with it..

(Also take Xanax PRN, but even 0.25 mg puts me to sleep)

 

Sorry for the rap.

Feel free to message me with any questions/suggestions.. or you know.. run the other way :ninja:

 

1 hour ago, Gearhead said:

Hi. Welcome to CB.You’ve come to the right place.

If you need any help navigating the site, please don’t hesitate to PM me or one of the other mods.

Gearhead

Thank you so much :)

58 minutes ago, Rabbit37 said:

We’re all on the journey. Yay meds. Welcome.

Thank you! Yay, indeed.

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Mms

Mms

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16 minutes ago, Iceberg said:

Welcome! What exact condition are you trying to treat? 

Hey, thank you :)

Anxiety, bulimia, whatever is going on with my mood (depression vs BP2 vs who knows), and shitty executive functioning (ADHD vs processing vs who knows again)

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Iceberg

Iceberg

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Hmm anxiety and ADHD is a tough one cuz treating one can make the other worse (as I'm sure u might know). What about trying an  SNRI? Effexor pristiq fetzima cymbalta. Some people who fail multiple SSRIs have more success with an SNRI. Also good for thought ...they make a 2mg Valium pill which is weaker than .25 Xanax (so they say)...you could ask your doc about that or other weaker benzos that would help without knocking u out 

Also have u heard of Intuniv? It's a non stim med forADHD so wouldn't hurt anxiety

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SKC

SKC

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7 hours ago, Mms said:

Medications I "tried/re-tried" more recently:

Lexapro - Stopped after a couple weeks because of trouble sleeping / anxiety that I was talking too much (excitability?)

Strattera - Stopped after a couple weeks because of trouble sleeping.

Lamictal - Stopped at 75 mg, because I was anxious about the possible cognitive side effects and also not feeling any better (I know now that the dose was too low.)

Vybriid - Actually helped a lot with my anxiety/mood, but I was having trouble sleeping and binge+purging more for some reason (increased appetite? increased impulsivity?)

Prozac - HORRIBLE, cried/slept for 5 days, then stopped.

Currently:

Started Buspar on Saturday (5 mg twice daily.)

So far I am having more side effects than benefits.. but I'm trying to stick with it..

(Also take Xanax PRN, but even 0.25 mg puts me to sleep)

 

Lexapro - made me feel so tired and mentally fatigued yet I couldn't sleep at night, even when tripling the dose of my trazodone (oops). 

Strattera - Would you consider Adderall? I'm on the XR and it does make sleeping harder until you figure out when you have to take it and what not to also use while on it i.e caffeine. It also curbs your appetite and, while some people think adderall should be avoided by people who have eating disorders, Vyvanse is in the same class and is FDA approved for Binge Eating and Bulimia. Since you tried Vyvanse before (and I have a friend who doesn't like it...plus it's starting to be linked highly to long term liver damage) I think Adderall might be an interesting thought not only for bulimia but for your possible adhd. It's helped a lot for both my SA and ADD. If you actually need it, it doesn't get you high. It just makes you feel normal.

Lamictal - I REALLY think you should try Lamictal again. I was on it for 8 months and it was my absolute life changer. Sadly I had to discontinue due to developing the rash. You have to decide which is worse: possible cognitive impairment or the unstable/depressive moods you have. I can tell you that I experienced some memory decline when I initially hit my target dose of 200 mg but I noticed it slowly went away after about 2 months. 

Viibryd - If this one was the wonder drug, it may be worth asking your Psych to create a cocktail with Vybriid as a part of it. Maybe if you can add a low dose of Adderall (10 mg) and then Trazodone 50-100 mg for insomnia. It may be worth a shot. Or you could try another SSRI like Paxil or Zoloft. 

Prozac - Yeah it made me feel void of all emotions. Fuck that drug.

Buspar - Is your doc planning on Buspar being used for monotherapy? It's almost always used as an adjunct.

 

Obviously I'm not a doctor but I think a cocktail would be the best bet because you have contradictory symptoms. Either Adderall or Vyvanse for Bulimia and ADHD. And then add in Viibryd since it worked so well for you and then top it off with a garnish of Trazodone for insomnia. Since you're prescribed Xanax already and it makes you sleepy, you could rely a bit more heavily on that (along with the Trazodone) while your body gets introduced and used to the stimulant. 

Orrrrrr you could use the above cocktail but substitute Viibryd with Lamictal (I cannot stop talking about how amazing this medication is once you get to 150-200 mg). You can request another benzo like Valium to use to control anxiety if it gets that bad while titrating up. I know it's awkward to use medication to counter the side effects of medications, but the ultimate goal is to get you to a mentally stable state. 

Just don't give up. People go years before finding their perfect medication/s. 

And, of course, never rule out therapy. Since coming off of Lamictal I've been in therapy and I can actually see how it can be beneficial. 

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Blahblah

Blahblah

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welcome to CB! Here would be my suggestions:

You've tried a good amount of SSRIs and they haven't been a good fit (I haven't had luck with them either) you have the option of SNRIs (like Cymbalta or Effexor) I think they are good for anxiety and also not as "lethargy inducing" as SSRIs. Could cause a bit of sleep disturbance in the beginning.

Wellbutrin: Is a bit different/unique, I think it is good for decreasing addictions (like smoking, alcohol, eating?)

Since you are dealing with: anxiety, depression, and restlessness to give Lamictal a solid try. I have been on the range 100mg for over a year now (tried up to 400mg) and I find that if you are in the 100-200mg range you are way less likely to deal with cognitive-type side effects. It is a very gentle med that is not known for being too activating or sedating. A solid mood-stabilizer that plays well with other meds!

Stimulants: Have you ever tried Ritalin? IMO, out of the stimulants, it really helps with focus without causing mania, insomnia or extreme restlessness. What I like to do, is take the extended in the morning, and then add-on the IR immediate release in afternoons when sluggish and need a mental/concentration boost. The IR wears off by dinner time and I always feel more tired at night going to bed and sleep like a baby!

Adderall seems like a heavier-hitter compared to ritalin. I haven't tried other stims, so I can't comment on Vyvnase, etc. But those seem more apt to keep you up at night, which further intensifies depression & anxiety, and Bipolar swings.

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Iceberg

Iceberg

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Yeah if anxiety is your primary issue you'd have to be very careful with adderall. Plus it seems like you've had several meds make you not sleep and adderall can cause issues there. For me it works great but I also get huge sedation from clozaril. Typically I say diagnosis doesn't matter so much but In your case it might because lamictal is great for BP 2 but probably not a first line option for just depression

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SKC

SKC

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8 hours ago, Blahblah said:

You've tried a good amount of SSRIs and they haven't been a good fit (I haven't had luck with them either) you have the option of SNRIs (like Cymbalta or Effexor) I think they are good for anxiety and also not as "lethargy inducing" as SSRIs. Could cause a bit of sleep disturbance in the beginning.

Wellbutrin: Is a bit different/unique, I think it is good for decreasing addictions (like smoking, alcohol, eating?)

Since you are dealing with: anxiety, depression, and restlessness to give Lamictal a solid try. I have been on the range 100mg for over a year now (tried up to 400mg) and I find that if you are in the 100-200mg range you are way less likely to deal with cognitive-type side effects. It is a very gentle med that is not known for being too activating or sedating. A solid mood-stabilizer that plays well with other meds!

Stimulants: Have you ever tried Ritalin? IMO, out of the stimulants, it really helps with focus without causing mania, insomnia or extreme restlessness. What I like to do, is take the extended in the morning, and then add-on the IR immediate release in afternoons when sluggish and need a mental/concentration boost. The IR wears off by dinner time and I always feel more tired at night going to bed and sleep like a baby!

Adderall seems like a heavier-hitter compared to ritalin. I haven't tried other stims, so I can't comment on Vyvnase, etc. But those seem more apt to keep you up at night, which further intensifies depression & anxiety, and Bipolar swings.

Strattera is an SNRI so she has tried one. I personally tried Cymbalta and it was hell and my mom was on Effexor and that was terrible for her. Obviously every drug has bad reactions to some people, so this is just a personal anecdote.

Wellbutrin is considered a stimulant as well and can increase anxiety and insomnia but it is definitely worth a try as it's stimulant effect isn't anywhere near amphetamines. 

LAMICTAL :D

I've never tried Ritalin but I've heard from other people that it's harsher than Adderall. What makes you say that Adderall hits harder? 

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Iceberg

Iceberg

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SNRI for strattera is selective norepinephrine uptake inhibitor as opposed to serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (Effexor etc) 

I never tried Ritalin but I've focalin which is part of the methylphenadate family and adderall had way more impact 

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saoirse

saoirse

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I'm currently on Adderall and I find it to be the "strongest" of the stims I've taken (though, weirdly, it was Nuvigil that threw me into a manic state. Doctors told me that wouldn't happen. Whoops.) Dexedrine also feels very strong to me, when I have taken it in the past. Ritalin feels weaker. I take stimulants for an organic sleep disorder, though, so the effects I get from them are different from what someone with ADD/ADHD would get, I'm assuming. They really ramp me up. Make me wide awake and euphoric and scattered, not focused and intent.

Buspar made me irritable and angry as all hell. The doctor took me off of it because he thought it was making me manic. 

I was blissful on Lamictal, probably tipped a little bit to the side of manic. It never stopped any manic episodes but I was so damn happy. Effectively kept any depression at bay, for sure. It's a good med.

 

edit:// also, I tend towards psychotic or depressed rather than manic, so the fact that any of these meds caused manic symptoms were signs to be cautious, in my case.

Edited by saoirse
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SKC

SKC

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19 hours ago, Iceberg said:

SNRI for strattera is selective norepinephrine uptake inhibitor as opposed to serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (Effexor etc) 

I never tried Ritalin but I've focalin which is part of the methylphenadate family and adderall had way more impact 

Sorry Iceberg but there's no such thing as an uptake inhibitor. Strattera inhibits the reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine just like the two others 

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