Dealing with the crazies...

[Laika]

Week 4 and I

[Laika]

I thank everyone for their comments so far.  Perhaps I am using the word "mania" a little loosely.  I have known a bi polar person before, and they seemed to have no control at all if they didn't stay on their meds; they might wake up with a hangover next to a stranger in some hotel somewhere.  Believe me, that's not going to happen.  I guess everyone on treatment struggles with assorted instability, and this is just my particular flavor.

I'm with new sojourn on this one: hating shrinks.  I spent a couple of years a long time ago being someone's prozac experiment and didn't care for it much. Indeed, since beginning treatment, I have been embracing my inner speed freak, enjoying the contrast from the former fatigue.  New Soj:  did you not crash from the speediness?...end up with fatigue & depression or both?  I guess what you're saying is yes, but just speed when you're speeding, crash when you're crashing and don't worry about it.  I'll work on that idea.  I'm a worrier and it gets me into trouble.

I will not quit treatment, that much I know...it's not even a remote consideration.  I'm just feeling my way toward the best way to handle this.  If the Lexapro would level out the extreme highs & lows, I'd move in that direction.  But if it's just going to give me some new issues to deal with, then I guess I'll keep zooming & crashing.

pepman, I loved your advice about reading.  I haven't done it much lately and miss it.  The speediness interferes with reading, but maybe just need some different reading material and don't try to read when I'm speedy, just when I'm slow.

Thank you all for responding & helping with perspective.

Laika

[Laika]

I forgot to say: just looking for patient advice here, how others were affected and how they worked things out, not psych advice.  ...Whether anyone had the speedy reaction as well as depression, whether they took AD's, whether improved situation, if so how.  I understand AD's work differently for everyone.  When I told my dr about the speediness, he said it was sometimes a side of the interferon, and that there would be lows too, so be aware.  I just didn't see that side addressed here, which surprises me.  So thought I'd shake the tree & see what fell out, maybe some good information.

Thank you for your response here, and for your many other posts addressing other concerns.  I always read them with interest.

Laika

[twotells]

To me , you seem too thoughtful and balanced to be in some clinical mania.  There are some bad psychotherapists and some good- they are not all of one stripe.

I'm grateful for my Paxil (taken for anxiety before HCV tx), because the INF/Ribavirin took me into depression beyond the normal blues.  I had always been able to bounce back from occasional blues, but during my 96 weeks of INF I lost that.  How much worse the depression would've been without SSRI's.  I wish all drugs had as few side effects and gave so much as the SSRI's.

I wish you the best,  Dave

[honey1616]

Laika,,,Everything you described seemed pretty normal to be on tx.  Do whatever you need to do to fine tune your tx the best you can.  If that means,,,Getting some AD,,,then try that and see if it helps. Tx for me was just like you stated,,,rollercoaster,,,highs and lows.  There was some days,,I could do so much but like you said,,,,it was a speedy feeling and didn't feel right and then I would crash for a couple of days and feel drained.  If you are in for a year,,,that is a long time,,,,Try to pace yourself and not overdo. I had a tv tray by my bed and it was loaded with remedies,,,,LOL,,,lotions for skin,,,headache medicine,,,etc.  It got so full towards end,,,LOL  I was afraid it might topple over!  Coming here also helped me,,,just knowing others were going through same thing. Hope today is a good one for you!

Pepman,,,Wow,,,you are almost done and the end,,,Great to hear!  I sure do envy you the way you can read on tx.  I love to read! But honestly,,,,on tx,,,,my attention span was so short,,,I could not stay with it long enough and was uninterested.  I'm just now starting to read again!

[missers]

My husband begins second round of tx in a few weeks and he's been trying to decide if he wants to take the Lexapro this time around.  He handled tx pretty well on the first try but said the thoughts that buzzed around in his head were worse than the side effects from the tx drugs.  He did take Lexapro throughout and now he wonders if he can go through tx without it.  He's putting the blame on the Lexapro for his "crazies".  I told him he could always try to go without and if he feels he's "losing it" he can ask the doc for Zoloft again.  

Anyone other than Scruffy go without?

[honey1616]

I chose to wait it out also on the Ads and always about time I would notice that depressed feeling and was thinking about calling the dr the next day,,,,I would feel better so Yes...I made it through tx without that.  Best of Luck to your Hubby!