drug resistant depression

[migrainehell]

I am currently taking 200 mg Zoloft per day. 5mg Abilify. 300 mg Doxipin, 12-1800 mg Nurontin and 10 to 20 mg of Ambien, and 1-2 mg of somethinf to relax me.  I have 2 questions. 1st, with all this antidepressent medication why am I still walking on the edge of life and death.  I have way more dark days than light onesl  2nd.  i feel like I am drowning when I take all this medication.  I feel like I have fluid on my lungs and I get really short of breath.  My breathing and HR increase above nromal.  Can you suggest some other meds that dont's have weight gain as a side effect. I also need tons of help sleeping..  The Nurontin is for my Fibromyalgia so I don;t know if there is something else I can talk. .Again I don't want weight gain as a side effece.  I have already gained 80 lbs in the last 15 months and need to find a way to get it off.
Thank you for your help!
Julie

[LeftCoastChick]

What is/are your formal diagnoses?  the meds you are on are commonly used for folks with bipolar disorder. If you don't have a psychiatrist, at this point with the amount of drugs you are on, should be addressed.  If you have multiple doctors working with you, you are going to have to get them "all on the same page". Bring your records with you to your dr's appt's. If you don't tell one doctor what drugs you're taking, it could be pretty serious.  Bring you bottles of meds to each app't.

"12-1800 mg Nurontin and 10 to 20 mg of Ambien, and 1-2 mg of somethinf to relax me"

You are on a huge dosage of meds, so no wonder your are feeling like you are drowning. Too much of a benzo or in your case sounds like two, can make you feel worse NOT better.  It's important to speak to your psychiatrist right away, and bring every single med you take.  I have to let you know that the meds themselves don't cause weight gain, it's because your cravings have increased as well, no physical activity. It's hard with chronic pain, but you still have to move. I was 6+blocks everyday regardless of how the arthritis in my spine feels.

I hope you see your doctors soon,
LCC

[LZFreedom]

Wow! 2 great posts... I related to both of you very much!! Zoloft was effective for me for the first 5 years; it was the first med I'd ever taken. The past five years have been a rollercoaster trying to get my depression treated properly, with the last year being major depressive/severe. It's hard to get hopeful after the merri-go-round of ineffective treatments so NeedHelp, I appreciate your honesty and optimism; also thanks for mentioning the Ambien effects. I took Neurontin through a (back) pain program and it knocked my lights out @ a 300 mg dose so I wouldn't need the Ambien after that... but I've not had regular sleep, more than 5 hrs a night two nights in a row, for over two years so this is really becoming debilitative. I've been very frustrated and have returned to this site for support myself. I've heard good results for many with the Abilify..
Also thanks for sharing your optimism "today is a happy day and so was last week. i've have'nt let my guard down, but i don't go looking for depressive feelings or thoughts"
I've had a hard time implementing any cognitive/behavioral changes... and need to get back on the horse, so to speak. Best wishes to you both ~ W.

[needhelp4me434]

what helped me. you're taking a high dose of ambiem. i was on this drug almost a year. worse year of my life with depression.

i just recently stopped taking it just to see if it was the culprit. i was also started on abilify 2mgs.

it took 2 weeks to come out of a very sever depression.

today is a happy day and so was last week. i've have'nt let my guard down, but i don't go looking for depressive feelings or thoughts.

i also made myself work out. every day i pulled myself out of bed and went to work out.

i'm thin by nature so for me i had to force myself to eat, so i made sure i at least ate healthy

i will never take another ambiem.

reasearch it, it causes breathing problems, weight gain, grogginess the next day and depression

i don't know much about your other drugs. maybe ssome of them can cause the way you feel.

i did'nt quit the ambiem cold turkey and i don't recommend doing that. i was on 12.5mgs. i had to cut it in half for 1 week then a forth the next then 1/4 every other day for a week . then suffered some of the usual problems. nausa, headache flu like feelings.


but today is good.

i forgot i also had the lexapro increased to 30 mgs.

ever so, i believe and always will that ambiem played a big part in all this.

hope i helped you a little