Aa
a little help on med/psych
I truly hate to out myself on this, esp. with all that's going on with the board right now (lots of anxiety and bad situations for folks) but I've always valued my mind and i need to know if this has happened to others as well.
Last week I had a sharp turn downward in my state of mind and some depressive symptoms, i.e., paranoia, self recrimination and etc. I spoke with my doc and we went from 10 to 20 of Prozac on last Friday. It's a late presentation, usually depressive symptoms start in first 12 weeks and i'm almost at week 24. I'm also hyperthyroid as of recent testing and I wonder if this adds to it.
This week it's going in the opposite direction, racing thoughts, too many for my taste, not necessarily negative, just kind of weird thinking.
I'm also a psychotherapist so I quickly recognize the thoughts as not my usual pattern but can't seem to control them with the usual cognitive behavioral stuff I do when I need to.
I've read a lot about the effect of interferons/combo treatment on the psyche but i thought i could do better at handling this. I don't have a history of psychiatric disorder, substance use, etc.
I don't know whether i should call my doc again regarding this. Please tell me if anyone else has had these types of symptoms; it is so atypical for me that I don't know what to make of it. but it is somewhat scary.
Deb
Last week I had a sharp turn downward in my state of mind and some depressive symptoms, i.e., paranoia, self recrimination and etc. I spoke with my doc and we went from 10 to 20 of Prozac on last Friday. It's a late presentation, usually depressive symptoms start in first 12 weeks and i'm almost at week 24. I'm also hyperthyroid as of recent testing and I wonder if this adds to it.
This week it's going in the opposite direction, racing thoughts, too many for my taste, not necessarily negative, just kind of weird thinking.
I'm also a psychotherapist so I quickly recognize the thoughts as not my usual pattern but can't seem to control them with the usual cognitive behavioral stuff I do when I need to.
I've read a lot about the effect of interferons/combo treatment on the psyche but i thought i could do better at handling this. I don't have a history of psychiatric disorder, substance use, etc.
I don't know whether i should call my doc again regarding this. Please tell me if anyone else has had these types of symptoms; it is so atypical for me that I don't know what to make of it. but it is somewhat scary.
Deb
Thank you all for your anniversary wishes. I will pass that on to Mafalda.
Meki, yeah she is nuts. Most people wouldn't put up with me for a week.
Meki, yeah she is nuts. Most people wouldn't put up with me for a week.
I started getting a little bummed around week 30 or so and was given Lexapro and it worked like a champ for me but it did take a week or two to kick in. After that, smooth sailing. In fact, I'm still on it a month post tx. I'll probably start weening off here ...
Jeez did I say 30 day's post tx ? It seems like it's been YEARS.
Jeez did I say 30 day's post tx ? It seems like it's been YEARS.
I did the treatment in 2004 and was put on prozac (lovan) at that time, just before tx and during, then 6 months after tx finished, I went off them again.
The treatment was a nightmare, and I thought that prozac was adding to this.
Now, in the last 2 months, I am on Prozac again, and my experience with it is totally different from when I took it on treatment.
I blamed the excess brain fog partly on the prozac, the scalp issues, the excessive depressive issues, and cognitive. I know that interferon does all this but I though the prozac added to it.
I was wrong, I am alright in every sense taking prozac at this time, the only side effect is my sex drive which has diminished.
Anyway this is just my take on this issue and my experience with prozac during treatment and many years later.
We all react different to anti depressants, you may just not have found the right one for you yet, also remember that you dont have to take a full dose of them, people with liver disease should only take half a dose, I am actually down to a quarter of a dose, just to take the edge off the depression and anxiety. You can experiment yourself how much you need, sometimes we follow doctors instructions but from my experience not all of those instructions apply to everyone as we are all different.
The best to you.
Linda
The treatment was a nightmare, and I thought that prozac was adding to this.
Now, in the last 2 months, I am on Prozac again, and my experience with it is totally different from when I took it on treatment.
I blamed the excess brain fog partly on the prozac, the scalp issues, the excessive depressive issues, and cognitive. I know that interferon does all this but I though the prozac added to it.
I was wrong, I am alright in every sense taking prozac at this time, the only side effect is my sex drive which has diminished.
Anyway this is just my take on this issue and my experience with prozac during treatment and many years later.
We all react different to anti depressants, you may just not have found the right one for you yet, also remember that you dont have to take a full dose of them, people with liver disease should only take half a dose, I am actually down to a quarter of a dose, just to take the edge off the depression and anxiety. You can experiment yourself how much you need, sometimes we follow doctors instructions but from my experience not all of those instructions apply to everyone as we are all different.
The best to you.
Linda
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