Antidepressents

[Mark in Austin]

http://www.amenclinic.com

This clinic does a SPECT imaging of your brain - basically a 3d model of brain activity that can be compared to "normal" brain activity. Different medications help / effect different parts of the brain; so what this does is eliminate some of the guesswork in which medicine to try (if medication is recommended) by identifying which parts of the brain need help.

For years doctors were making a "best guess" on which brain medicine to perscribe. Using this tool they now have a much more scientific diagnostic process.

There's a cool image gallery on the website of how different brain disorders (ADD, Depression, Bipolar, ADHD, etc.) actually effects brain activity.


Here's a brief quote from their website:
"What is SPECT? It is an acronym for Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography. SPECT is a sophisticated nuclear medicine study that looks directly at cerebral blood flow and indirectly at brain activity (or metabolism). In this study, a radioactive isotope (which, as we will see, is akin to a myriad of beacons of energy or light) is bound to a substance that is readily taken up by the cells in the brain.

A small amount of this compound is injected into the patient’s vein where it runs throughout the blood stream and is taken up by certain receptor sites in the brain. The patient then lies on a table for 14-16 minutes while a SPECT "gamma" camera rotates slowly around his head. The camera has special crystals that detect where the compound (signaled by the radioisotope acting like a beacon of light) has gone. A supercomputer then reconstructs 3-D images of brain activity levels. The elegant brain snapshots that result offer a sophisticated blood flow/ metabolism brain map. With these maps, physicians have been able to identify certain patterns of brain activity that correlate with psychiatric and neurological illnesses."

[PuttPutt]

I was officially diagnosed 5 years ago with bipolar type 1 (manic depressive) I had some crazy mood swings & on occasion still do. My 1st doctor in SA gave me prozac for the depression. I was crazy happy when I was on them. Killed the depression, but it was like I was always up. I had to take Ambien to bring me down at night. My second doctor in WA switched me to Lamictal & Geodon. The lamictal didn't seem to do much at first, but it really did. The Geodon is an anti-psychotic, & I didn't like that. You're not supposed to drink with it & it s you up bad if you do. I didn't know what planet I was on. Anyways, I'm off all meds right now. I have had a few episodes, but I really think the Lamictal helped. It takes a little time to get going on it. You start out on a low dose & work your way up. Then you do the opposite to get off it. Make sure you have a therapist to talk too it really helped me. Good luck with getting your depression under control. It's tough, but it just takes time. Other thing I can say is that meds aren't always the answer. They just worked for me.

[Cry Havoc]

I was officially diagnosed 5 years ago with bipolar type 1 (manic depressive) I had some crazy mood swings & on occasion still do. My 1st doctor in SA gave me prozac for the depression. I was crazy happy when I was on them. Killed the depression, but it was like I was always up. I had to take Ambien to bring me down at night. My second doctor in WA switched me to Lamictal & Geodon. The lamictal didn't seem to do much at first, but it really did. The Geodon is an anti-psychotic, & I didn't like that. You're not supposed to drink with it & it s you up bad if you do. I didn't know what planet I was on. Anyways, I'm off all meds right now. I have had a few episodes, but I really think the Lamictal helped. It takes a little time to get going on it. You start out on a low dose & work your way up. Then you do the opposite to get off it. Make sure you have a therapist to talk too it really helped me. Good luck with getting your depression under control. It's tough, but it just takes time. Other thing I can say is that meds aren't always the answer. They just worked for me.

Don't listen to this guy. Wild Cobra's friends know more than doctors. Listen to him instead.

[PuttPutt]

Don't listen to this guy. Wild Cobra's friends know more than doctors. Listen to him instead.

Why? Because I tell the guy meds worked for me & that they are not for everyone. And to talk to a therapist.

WC just said to aviod them at all costs.

But some people do need them.

[Cry Havoc]

Why? Because I tell the guy meds worked for me & that they are not for everyone. And to talk to a therapist.

WC just said to aviod them at all costs.

But some people do need them.

[PuttPutt]

Sorry, I misinterpreted your sarcasm. It doesn't always come across that way on the computer. Plus I'm stressed out & it's not helping.

[Cry Havoc]

Sorry, I misinterpreted your sarcasm. It doesn't always come across that way on the computer. Plus I'm stressed out & it's not helping.

Sorry to hear that. I was hoping for a laugh. =\

[PuttPutt]

Sorry to hear that. I was hoping for a laugh. =\

I laughed at the pic. And how clueless I can be at times.

[Darrin]

Anyone on any?

Please share your experience, it would really help me out.

I've been on anti-depressants, without interruption, since October of 2008. I was forced to be on them by Kevin's Law, a law in Michigan that mandates out-patient care, after I was off my medication for 5 consecutive months. Outside those five months, I have been on some form of anti-depressant (Wellbutrin or Zoloft) since August of 2007. I've been off Kevin's Law since May and have continued to take a dose of Prozac and a small dose of Abilify every morning to help treat my depression. All is well on my current dosage, which is a bit mild for my size.

I've been suicidal and at times psychotic while treating it since 2007. In my case the Zoloft never stopped the suicidal ideations. Wellbutrin was effective, but it had side-effects despite its claim as one of the milder anti-depressants. I experienced fatigue and light-headedness on the combination of Invega (for voices) and Wellbutrin.

I don't have co-occuring disorders like depression and drug addiction. I have been officially diagnosed as Bipolar despite my assertions to the contrary. But the doctors know more than me and that's the at ude I take.

[Summers]

Sorry to hear that. I was hoping for a laugh. =\

I laughed.

[mrsmaalox]

Obla Di Obla Da, Life goes on Brah! Not all of us are biochemistry majors!!!

But didn't you sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night??

[ploto]

I actually understand both sides of what is expressed here. Some people have need of medication but we also know that AD are over-prescribed. Just inform yourself and be honest with both yourself and your physician. Know that there won't be a quick fix. No one here lives your life except you, and no one else knows with what you have been dealing. You do not have to explain yourself to anyone. Good luck.

[mrsmaalox]

+1

If you're depressed, you're suffering due to letting some external triggering event get you down. Most likely it's something you can't control like bad traffic, etc. If you get anxiety it can be from a traumatic event that therapy can help with. Something like this usually takes a bit of reprogramming to get out of your system so when the stimulus comes again you don't react in a negative way.

Not all depression is a manifestation of a post traumatic disorder. In most cases of PTSD, the trauma is simply the trigger for an underlying depressive disorder. There are many. Dealing with the trigger only doesn't solve the problem of a chronic misfire.

[ashbeeigh]

I have family on ADs and they've been successful and unsuccessful on several.

Both were on Cymbalta for a bit. One went off it just because it numbed her to no end...like she couldn't cry....at all. And for a woman...at any age...crying is a good thing. Even at movies she couldn't cry.

So, she talked to the doctor and switched over to Welbutrin and that stuff gives her some pretty messed up side effects too...like she sweats and gets hot when it's freezing. I'm pretty sure I live in my sweater at home now. But, she's not depressed anyomr.e So that's good...right?

I've heard great things about Lamcital and Tegretol and all the other antiepiletic medications that can be used as antidepressants as well.

I don't condone drugging someone up to the point where they cannot move, but like maalox said...doing biofeedback and mind body spirit (psychonueroimmunology) type of stuff is a good idea too. It's surprisingly effective after you train yourself.

[Slydragon]

That's it no more GtG for me. Spurs games have highs and lows so I don't wanna be present when someone can't handle the lows.*















*
Yes it was a joke. Since in this thread it has to be made clear

[Supergirl]

I appreciate people being so candid about their personal experiences.

I think both these things are true: Psychiatric medications are overprescribed, and psychiatric medications save lives. The key is to be talking (with the doc, with a therapist, with other people) about what helps, doesn't help, what alternatives there are)

For many mild to moderate cases of depression and anxiety it is absolutely worth trying just therapy (individual and group), St John's wort, as well as Chinese medicine (herbs, acupuncture, etc) - they have all shown to be effective at times.

However, for more severe depression and anxiety, as well as for Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia, there is a clear biochemical deficiency which can be lethal if not treated with psychiatric medication. As in, not taking medication can lead to someone taking their own life, or doing something so reckless or dangerous that they get themselves killed.

[Leetonidas]

Well if you have bad anxiety and panic attacks, then you probably need to be taking Xanax. It will definitely do the trick.

[mrsmaalox]

http://www.amenclinic.com

This clinic does a SPECT imaging of your brain - basically a 3d model of brain activity that can be compared to "normal" brain activity. Different medications help / effect different parts of the brain; so what this does is eliminate some of the guesswork in which medicine to try (if medication is recommended) by identifying which parts of the brain need help.

For years doctors were making a "best guess" on which brain medicine to perscribe. Using this tool they now have a much more scientific diagnostic process.

There's a cool image gallery on the website of how different brain disorders (ADD, Depression, Bipolar, ADHD, etc.) actually effects brain activity.


Here's a brief quote from their website:
"What is SPECT? It is an acronym for Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography. SPECT is a sophisticated nuclear medicine study that looks directly at cerebral blood flow and indirectly at brain activity (or metabolism). In this study, a radioactive isotope (which, as we will see, is akin to a myriad of beacons of energy or light) is bound to a substance that is readily taken up by the cells in the brain.

A small amount of this compound is injected into the patient’s vein where it runs throughout the blood stream and is taken up by certain receptor sites in the brain. The patient then lies on a table for 14-16 minutes while a SPECT "gamma" camera rotates slowly around his head. The camera has special crystals that detect where the compound (signaled by the radioisotope acting like a beacon of light) has gone. A supercomputer then reconstructs 3-D images of brain activity levels. The elegant brain snapshots that result offer a sophisticated blood flow/ metabolism brain map. With these maps, physicians have been able to identify certain patterns of brain activity that correlate with psychiatric and neurological illnesses."

Thanks M-I-A, I love this kind of stuff I'm a nurse (and a total biomed science geek) and I wish everyone could experience this technology firsthand, because it would do so much to halt the utter ignorance and judgemental misinformation that prevails in the public about psychiatry and neuropsychology. A few years ago I helped a psychiatrist friend of mine (basically I just do ented health histories) in a study using PET scans to examine links between specific psychological processes/disorders and brain activity. Depression was not included. And as valuable of a tool as it was, I felt bad because the enormous cost (a PET scan must be used in conjunction with a CAT scan or MRI--all very pricey) it meant not too many patients would benefit. But these SPECT scans just open the door to a whole other population to recieve the care they deserve.

[David Bowie]

I actually understand both sides of what is expressed here. Some people have need of medication but we also know that AD are over-prescribed. Just inform yourself and be honest with both yourself and your physician. Know that there won't be a quick fix. No one here lives your life except you, and no one else knows with what you have been dealing. You do not have to explain yourself to anyone. Good luck.

I have been desperatly searching for the right med for a couple of years now. Because I have been feeling anxious everyday for the last few years. I have tried many meds, but haven't found the "right one" yet.

I have also tried therapy for a year (I never liked any of the therapists I saw, except for one in college, when I wasn't doing too bad.) I have tried excersising every day and meditation, talking things out etc.

I also find that you have to be very vigilant with the meds that psychoitrists prescribe.

My Psych prescribed me 600 mg of Trazadone (it was the first time I was trying Trazadone.) He said that Trazadone was a benign med and I should worry about it.

I looked it up online. And saw that you should never take more then 400 ml of Trazadone unless you are living in a hospital setting.

I took 150 ml, thinking that dose would be ok. (I just stopped taking seroquel , so that was still in my system as well.) After taking the pills, I honestly thought I would die. I was pale as a sheet. My pupils were dilated to almost the size of my eyes, I had a migrane and an allergy attack, I was very cold, my blood pressure was very low, and I couldnt stop shaking, and in all I felt just horrible.

I should have gone to the hospital, but I didn't because I didn't have health insurance at the time. But that was a really stupid reason I now realize. When I called my doc to tell him about it, he told me he couldn't really talk to me on the phone because it wasn't the way he did business.

Anyway, just do some research before you pop the pill, that's all I want to say.

[Darrin]

I have been desperatly searching for the right med for a couple of years now. Because I have been feeling anxious everyday for the last few years. I have tried many meds, but haven't found the "right one" yet.

I have also tried therapy for a year (I never liked any of the therapists I saw, except for one in college, when I wasn't doing too bad.) I have tried excersising every day and meditation, talking things out etc.

Don't make my mistake. Despite your need to stay independant and your troubles with psychologists, it is important not to leave your symptoms untreated. I left my depression unchecked and it led to three hospitalizations and a lifetime of psychological trauma. It's better to stay on a plan and tinker with it, fight with your psychologist if you have to, but stay under care until your symptoms subside. Remember what it was like without the symptoms and try and get as close to that life as possible.

That's what I have learned through years of untreated care.

My Psych prescribed me 600 mg of Trazadone (it was the first time I was trying Trazadone.) He said that Trazadone was a benign med and I should worry about it.

I looked it up online. And saw that you should never take more then 400 ml of Trazadone unless you are living in a hospital setting.

I was reading this online and had to log in. Take his medical license. I am 6-4, 350 lbs and have never, EVER been on more than 150 mg of this stuff (and that was in the hospital!). My doctor prescribed it for me to bring me down at night. HE COULD'VE KILLED YOU!!! WHY DOESN'T HE JUST SUGGEST YOU DOWN IT WITH A BOTTLE OF VODKA!!!

I took 150 ml, thinking that dose would be ok. (I just stopped taking seroquel , so that was still in my system as well.) After taking the pills, I honestly thought I would die. I was pale as a sheet. My pupils were dilated to almost the size of my eyes, I had a migrane and an allergy attack, I was very cold, my blood pressure was very low, and I couldnt stop shaking, and in all I felt just horrible.

How did you keep from sleeping? At 150, I would sleep for 8-10 hours. My heart would race before my head would get all fuzzy, and I'd sleep like a baby. It was like being on street drugs. Mild, my ass. It's a mild anti-depressant, but it isn't mild in terms of side-effects.

[Cry Havoc]

I have been desperatly searching for the right med for a couple of years now. Because I have been feeling anxious everyday for the last few years. I have tried many meds, but haven't found the "right one" yet.

I have also tried therapy for a year (I never liked any of the therapists I saw, except for one in college, when I wasn't doing too bad.) I have tried excersising every day and meditation, talking things out etc.

I also find that you have to be very vigilant with the meds that psychoitrists prescribe.

My Psych prescribed me 600 mg of Trazadone (it was the first time I was trying Trazadone.) He said that Trazadone was a benign med and I should worry about it.

I looked it up online. And saw that you should never take more then 400 ml of Trazadone unless you are living in a hospital setting.

I took 150 ml, thinking that dose would be ok. (I just stopped taking seroquel , so that was still in my system as well.) After taking the pills, I honestly thought I would die. I was pale as a sheet. My pupils were dilated to almost the size of my eyes, I had a migrane and an allergy attack, I was very cold, my blood pressure was very low, and I couldnt stop shaking, and in all I felt just horrible.

I should have gone to the hospital, but I didn't because I didn't have health insurance at the time. But that was a really stupid reason I now realize. When I called my doc to tell him about it, he told me he couldn't really talk to me on the phone because it wasn't the way he did business.

Anyway, just do some research before you pop the pill, that's all I want to say.

Trazodone is a relatively potent sleeping aid. I'm in relative disbelief that he -- or any psych/med student -- would state that it's a benign med. It's the complete opposite of that. I think I took 15 mg for my first dose and promptly slept for 12 hours.

[David Bowie]

[QUOTE=



How did you keep from sleeping? At 150, I would sleep for 8-10 hours. My heart would race before my head would get all fuzzy, and I'd sleep like a baby. It was like being on street drugs. Mild, my ass. It's a mild anti-depressant, but it isn't mild in terms of side-effects.[/QUOTE]




I probably didn't go to sleep becuase I've been taking a high amount of benzos for a few years. I was also addicted to sleeping pills for a few months (it was the best thing to control my symptoms, and I felt I couldn't work without them.) I could function pretty normally on 50 ml of ambien a day , some benzos and a few over the counter sleep aids. Thank God I don't do that anymore.

Even the pharmacist was surprised when she saw the 600 ml/day. But she still gave it to me without saying anything. And my phycisian backed him saying that I "probably needed it." . I have a very hard time trusting psychologists in general right now. The one I'm seeing right now is not better to be honest.

[boutons_deux]

Get sufficient sleep at regular/same hours, 7-8 hrs

Don't drink alcohol before bed

No caffeine after midday.

Sleep in complete darkness.

Stay from the high GI carbs that jerk your glucose up and down.

Get daily exercise, at least 30 minutes walking, as much more as you can manage.

Don't take anti-depressants. Mostly a $cam with lots of placebo effect.

[sook]

Well if you have bad anxiety and panic attacks, then you probably need to be taking Xanax. It will definitely do the trick.

xanax puts you in a new realm. can't describe it but the withdrawals would certianly kill or badly harm the guy if his anxiety is that bad, its a short term drug

[Cry Havoc]

Get sufficient sleep at regular/same hours, 7-8 hrs

Don't drink alcohol before bed

No caffeine after midday.

Sleep in complete darkness.

Stay from the high GI carbs that jerk your glucose up and down.

All good advice.

Get daily exercise, at least 30 minutes walking, as much more as you can manage.

You need to have your heart rate increase. Just walking won't increase your aerobic threshold unless you're really out of shape.

Don't take anti-depressants. Mostly a $cam with lots of placebo effect.

This is where you are totally out of your depth.