Posted by Crotale on August 11, 2008, at 17:50:25
In reply to Re: ECT cognitive side FX » Crotale, posted by okydoky on August 8, 2008, at 9:05:24
> Meant to get to this a few days ago.
I sympathize, I seldom answer these things immediately.
> > You seem to me like a perfectly intelligent person, and I think your sentences are just fine. I'm just guessing, but I think you may be underestimating your intellectual abilities.
>
> Thanks. I realize my ability to be subjective about this topic is directly related to my depression.Well, I'm certainly familiar with the whole low self-esteem thing!
> I sent you a rather long babble with the Summery of Results of Neurological testing I had in 2007 in an attempt to try and explain myself.
Will check that out & write back. If there's one thing I'm pretty terrible about, it's keeping on top of my email. (Need to get off a couple mailing lists that fill my inbox with a lot of rather empty messages.)
> The ECT did not help me in the past. Parnate was miraculous but pooped out.
Nardil felt miraculous (enough that I was willing to put up with the massive weight gain), but pooped out for me. In retrospect, I think I was hypomanic on it. (I'm not bipolar, nor do I usually have this problem with ADs, but a couple of ADs might have caused this side effect for me.)
> I wanted to try buprenorphine with Parnate or Amineptine but cannot find a doctor who will prescribe buprenorphine. I continue to search. It would take care of my pain I am hoping also.
I think it would be a good med for chronic pain - you might ask your mdoc about prescribing it for that, rather than trying to find a pdoc to prescribe it. I used to get really dreadful menstrual cramps and upper back/neck pain, and I don't have problems with either of these anymore (and haven't for the last 9 years, since I've been on buprenorphine). My experience is, as far as tolerance goes, there is some, but I'm still way better off with it than without.
I'm not sure I'd recommend Parnate for you, since it pooped out in the past. A lot of people find it a good med, but I actually tried Nardil twice and it pooped out both times.
I don't know a whole lot about amineptine, although it sounds like an intriguing med, based on its mechanism of action and its chemical similarity to tricyclics, and it's supposed to be faster-acting. I would expect it to be rather stimulating, so since you've had problems with jitters from stimulants in the past, you might want to "start low, go slow" (i.e., start with a low dose and increase it gradually). Especially if you do want to use it in combination with a MAO inhibitor, as the combination could cause elevated BP (although probably they can be used together with caution, as can MAOIs and amphetamine).
> So glad for you and your sharing gives me some hope.
Well, thanks! That makes me feel really good.
> I was thinking of trying Namenda. Perhaps first give the above combination try?
Whatever you do try, I will be interested to hear how it goes. I very much hope you find something that works for you!
> I tried modafinil and was extremely agitated but perhaps I needed to stay on it longer. I have been on Ritalin for years. I am unable to take other amphetamines because they "flare" my interstitial cystitis.
Maybe a lower dose? I find that when I take too high a dose of a mu-opioid agonist (including buprenorphine, but also full agonists like hydrocodone and morphine) I get overly jittery (not to mention sick to my stomach). Had the same problem with amphetamine and related stuff, too, including selegiline/l-deprenyl. (Selegiline is metabolized into l-amphetamine and l-methamphetamine. I recall being hospitalized once when I was on selegiline - this was before Emsam - and getting accused of abusing speed (they always do a tox screen when you're admitted to the phospital, at least in my experience)).
> Thanks for being concerned. I was not going to post here for a while but I find there are loose ends most especially people caring about me and willing to be involved. I am not used to it.
Well, I can't help feeling for someone who seems to have a lot in common with me, including a lot of the same problems. The more I learn about you, the more I empathize.
Take care! You are in my thoughts!
Best wishes always,
-Crotale
poster:Crotale
thread:842385
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/neuro/20080706/msgs/845570.html