Posted by JEdwin on November 25, 2000, at 3:08:39
In reply to Re: Switching from Risperdal, posted by JohnL on November 24, 2000, at 6:39:05
John,
My doctor said that Topomax may reduce the weight gain associated with taking Zyprexa. I've also seen that in another thread here on this board.
Thanks for explaining the difference between positive and negative. I have both "positive" and negative ranging from mild to moderate. I just thought that something that was positive would be helpful. I have already looked a little on the internet but haven't seen that distinction yet.
My very first diagnosis was ADD since I am so disorganized and sometimes agitated and I took first dexedrine and then ritalin and they are what brought out my psychotic symptoms originally, so I'm totally aware of that side of things. I am wary about taking ritalin again since I was very sensitive to it last time. Besides, my negative symptoms are a lot better with light therapy and Wellbutrin than ever.
Also, about Amisulpride, I'm not sure what my doctor would think, but it's worth a try. I'll look around and see what I can find.
> JEdwin,
> Negative symptoms include anhedonia (lack of pleasure in normal activities), lack of drive, social withdrawal, apathy, and emotional blunting. Positive symptoms include delusions, psychosis, visual or auditory hallucinations, disorganized thinking, bizzareness, and possible agitation. You could do a net search on 'schizophrenia' to learn more about your symptoms and the various subtypes. A good place to start is http://www.mhsource.com/schizophrenia/diag.html.
>
> In his book "Dysthymia, the Spectrum of Chronic Depression", a world renowned psychiatrist/researcher makes the case that all the psychiatric disorders have considerable overlap and are not as neatly diagnosable as we would like. I agree with that because I think my subtype of depression actually fits the description of the negative side of schizophrenia closer than it does depression. Clearly though there is some overlap and a lot of gray areas between schizophrenia, depression, psychosis, and bipolar disorder.
>
> You might want to do a search on Amisulpride and print out everything you find and take it to your doctor. I know of two European pharmacies that can mail it to your doorstep in less than a week. One needs a faxed prescription, the other doesn't. It's a wonderful antipsychotic, with a dosing pattern that can be tailored to your specific symptoms, and has far fewer side effects than other antipsychotics. A good article to read is called "Focus on Amisulpride". Just do a net search on Amisulpride and you'll find it, as well as lots of other good info for your doctor to read. Even though it's a European medicine, I was surprised to discover that the University of Maryland is studying it.
>
> Most likely though Zyprexa will be your doctor's favorite choice. You could ask him about adding Ritalin or Adderall to your Risperdal or Zyprexa. That's because psychostimulants can clear up residual negative symptoms, decrease appetite, increase metabolism, and they are dirt cheap. Alone they can cause psychosis. But the antipsychotic will normally block that from happening.
>
> Why is Topamax being considered?
> John
poster:JEdwin
thread:49274
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/49390.html