Medication -

[Jimmy1]

Follow-Up:

Its not that I'm against medication. I've tried several and stopped several - "acting as my own doctor and guide". I've seen what meds have done to my own mother (she carrys a gym bag full of meds when she travels) and then again I've seen the good (my wife takes meds to fight the re occurrence of breast cancer. She was diagnosed in 2008 and is doing well)

So then WTF is wrong with me??? I know I need to be back on meds but can't pull the trigger.......

Hey mate, not long after I was diagnosed and was on a shit load of antidepressants, anti-psychotics, and different pain medication, I too ' acted as my own doctor'. I took myself off everything and substituted it for self medication, alcohol and pot. I had read all about livers failing due to too much medication. A few of the veterans I met told me to get off the medications as soon as possible, and my father had about 16 different medications. He had some to lower his blood pressure, then medication to stabilise his blood pressure. That medication had side effects, so he had others to counteract that.

My Grandmother went to the doctors every week and when she died, they found hundreds of bottles of medications unopened. She just wanted the attention.

As for me, I am on this new medication and was so keen that I started weaning myself off the old ones. 'WRONG', trying to be my own pharmacist again. My shrink yesterday told me off. He said I had to wait at least 6 weeks for the other to build up a sufficient level in my body, even though its not an SSRI. That was why I was having sleep problems, anger outbursts, and feeling like I was jumping out of my skin.

I am back on the Avanza at night and starting to increase the levels of the other.

Last night, I apparently snored for a long time......

So, no more playing with my medications. I will wait for doctors orders.

 

[Jimmy1]

Update - I have now slept well for the last three nights, what I mean by well its that I may get up a couple of times, but I can go back to sleep. I was actually the last out of bed this morning, not counting my son. Normally I am first.

Once again I think it was a case of taking the bull by the horns and trying to do everything on my own without listening to the people who know.

So now, I wait for my psych's directions on when to reduce my medications.

 

[Ned]

Good news Jimmy.

 

[Jimmy1]

Its now been four weeks since starting Valdoxan. I am back on my normal medication too which has calmed me immensely. My sleep though, WOW.

Margaret told me tonight that she has never seen me sleep in and over the last three to four days, I am now the last out of bed.

I see my psychiatrist next week and he will start to gradually wean me off the SSRI's.

Can't wait.

 

[nomedic1]

Great to hear that Jimmy

 

[Jimmy1]

Its week six now of my introduction to Valdoxan. I just had my follow up with my psychiatrist about it.

The only side effects I got were when I tried to get rid of my old medication, not a smart thing to do. Maybe there is a reason why they do six years at medical school then an additional four years of psychiatry. Maybe there is a reason why he is the head of the Mater PTSD Program.

Anyway, I am sleeping well probably 4 nights out of 7. And he reckons that will only get better.

As for the Zoloft and Avanza, well they are going to be a very slow reduction. The Avanza is only a small dose of Solutab at night. I am going to stop taking that after our holidays in September.

As the Zoloft is a high dosage SSRI, we are going to reduce this gradually over 6 months or more. It starts in October by reducing it from the maximum dosage of 200 mg down to 150 mg then two months later down to 100 mg and so forth and so forth. So hopefully in by my wedding in April next year I will only be on Valdoxan.

Once can only hope.

If it does not work though, I will gradually increase back to normal levels again.

 

[deborah l. boylan]

Jimmy, sounds great. Hope it continues to go well for you. Congratulations on the wedding in April!

Deb

 

[nomedic1]

sounds great jimmy hope it keeps on getting better

 

[James McDonald]

Tell me about it, I just want to be myself again without the chemically induced zombie effect! between the seroquel and clinazopam for sleep, then the effexor for my depression, and my atavan for my mood swing, idk if im coming or going most days! Then on top of the oxy i take for my headaches im a fkn mess.

 

[Jimmy1]

Mate, I am hearing you. Then on top of high codeine stuff you have to take fibre or laxatives otherwise its like eating ration pack cheese.

It does get better. I used to be on max dosage of Zoloft, 1000 mg of epilim for mood swings, 20 mg oxconton twice a day for back pain, 60 mg of avanza, I reckon I would have rattled if you had shaken me.

One day, once I have moved out of the city and have a quiet place in the country and very few stressors, I hope to be able to minimize my medication. That is why a lot of veterans isolate to the country.

 

[Jimmy1]

Ok, saw the psychiatrist today. He said I am going through a relapse of the majority of my symptoms. The good news is that it will never be as bad as when I was first diagnosed as I have learned heaps. I still feel like utter shit and don't want to be here sometimes.
I have changed from the SSRI I was taking (Zoloft) to an SNRI (Pristiq), I don't have to wean off, its a straight change over. In a way I am getting a bit desperate for some relief.
The Valdoxan he explained a bit more about. Its an antidepressent, but works totally different. It apparently works on getting your mind into the standard normal sleep rhythm. That accompanied by Immovane will hopefully give me a few more hours.

The one thing about sleep I have come to realise is that I may actually get two lots of four hours, but it never seems enough. Other nights its only two hours. The other thing we have to consider is that it was drilled into us to sleep with one eye open and also when we get older and less active, we need less sleep.

Damn

 

[Sarg]

I'm taking very close notes on all of this, Jimmy. The Benzos are working very well on my anxiety and do have a very slight effect on my depression, but not enough to make me stable. (Had a very bad weekend, won't get into the darkest moments). I'm looking for something that is not an SSRI as well.

I can't remember when I had a decent night's sleep. It's my understanding that if one goes long enough without proper sleep, that in itself can have serious implications on the mind.

Thanks,

Sarg