Update on Meds (Continued)…
December 10th, 2006 @ 2:35 pm
So, first thanks for your prayers an encouragement from last Saturday’s post. Instead of dropping back to 150mg of Wellbutrin, I stopped taking it all together. (*Note-don’t ever do that unless you’re under supervision from a doctor!) I got switched over to Paxil, which affects a different chemical in the brain. Some friends of mine have had success with it, but more importantly my own brother has been on it for a while and the difference it has made in him his tremendous, without very many side effects.
I haven’t started taking it yet. Wellbutrin has the world’s longest half-life so it is still in my system for a few more days. I’ll probably start next weekend. I know this stuff takes time to work and the side-effects diminish over time, but what Wellbutrin did to me was a little more than a side effect…I’d even say I was literally hysterical. It was so crazy.
On to the next step…
Anxiety/Depression
drlizw said,
December 10, 2006 at 3:47 pm
My only warning on Paxil is that it is very important to remember to take it everyday. I took it for a couple of years before switching to Prozac. It worked very well, but when my routine got shook up (usually when life was already stressful, like when family visits!) I might skip a day or two accidently. The half-life of Paxil is apparently pretty low. Usually I realized I had forgotten to take it because I was over-reacting to something.
I remember one Thanksgiving I had my parents come up to see me. I also flew a couple of states over and helped my sister drive her four kids (now there are five!) to my house in her minivan so her husband could just fly down on Thanksgiving morning and not miss work. Things were going great until I hit my head on the top-compartment freezer. The pain wasn’t that bad, but I started crying and couldn’t stop. I must have cried for at least four hours. I did something similar at least one other time while I was still on Paxil (both times involved travel and family, and forgetting to take my medication in the midst of all the moving around).
But as long as I remembered to take it regularly, it was really helpful. I hope all goes well.
Dustin said,
December 10, 2006 at 5:26 pm
I’m glad your getting what you need, I will continue to pray for wisdom.
Tim said,
December 10, 2006 at 6:14 pm
Anne, I will continue to pray for you.
shari brown said,
December 10, 2006 at 7:58 pm
I love that you are taking care of your health. I was just reading something today that reminded me that we show honor to God by caring for or about what is His… His earth, His creation, His Word.
Kristiapplesauce said,
December 10, 2006 at 10:06 pm
Hey girl.
krisk said,
December 11, 2006 at 9:07 am
sorry to hear about the meds … hope they get it right w/ this one …. also, catching up on your previous posts — very cute pic of you 2!
Hale-Yeah! said,
December 11, 2006 at 10:58 am
What a trip! I can’t believe how much a little pill that you swallow can affect your mind like that. Well, I hope this new one works, have a great week. Just think though, you can say that your in de-tox right now!
West Wheeler said,
December 11, 2006 at 1:20 pm
it sucks that you have to take it at all…..still on my prayer list for all meds to be gone……thanks for being transparent, anne…..that’s huge
Joni said,
December 13, 2006 at 4:06 pm
Anne, new to your blog and have been catching up on your depression category. I also am depressed and medicated. Hang in there, girl! When they find the right med for you it will be such a blessing. Just met with my doc yesterday about my new one and its really done well for me. So he tells me, “well, now that your motivation is returning, you can start exercising again.” Fabulous. Thanks for being so open about it. That’s encouraging. Makes the rest of us feel more normal.
frith said,
December 19, 2006 at 6:53 am
i’m with drlizw on the ‘remember to take it’ thing.. i’ve been on paxil for almost 4 years now, and when i forget to take it (or run out - disaster!) for a day or two, i get these crazy little shock-things, like my brain has little spasms or something. it’s like i’m getting a tiny electric shock. it’s really odd and hard to explain, but quite common. there’s a great forum - paxilprogress.com or something - check that out. good luck!
Aquage said,
January 19, 2007 at 10:04 pm
if meds are needed dont fight it but if you still dont feel right keep asking questions because there are alot of meds out there. I started on Effexor and now am on Cymbalta. hand in there