![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Dave1 on June 29, 2002, at 19:31:08
HI,
I was just wondering how many drugs or drug combinations different people have tried before they get something that works. Also, do they work completely (complete remission) or only partially? Also, do they work indefinetly or only for a short period?
I have tried about 10, and finally had partial success with a TCA and lithium. But, now I'm getting frustrated because I still haven't found anything really successful.
Thanks.
Dave
Posted by janejj on June 29, 2002, at 20:10:12
In reply to How many drugs until success?, posted by Dave1 on June 29, 2002, at 19:31:08
Hi Dave,
I guess that i am pretty lucky. I tried Effexor XR for a week gave it up and tried Prozac which has worked really well. Most of the time I feel that I am in complete recovery, although sometimes I seem to regress back, sometimes severly, only to bounce back again. I guess you can't expect to be happy all the time!
Its annoying that you have had to go through so many, best of luck,
Janejj
Posted by allisonm on June 29, 2002, at 22:18:39
In reply to How many drugs until success?, posted by Dave1 on June 29, 2002, at 19:31:08
Good question. Wish I had an answer. I've taken 9 or 10 different drugs in different combos. Nothing has worked 100%, but most have gotten me somewhat out of the hole, for which I am thankful. I wish I could find something that fixes everything, but think in reality that this will not be possible. All I can hope for is something to level out most of the problems, and therapy (hopefully) will help me deal with the rest of the shit. Good luck to you. I wish you well.
Posted by henryO on June 30, 2002, at 3:51:21
In reply to Re: How many drugs until success?, posted by allisonm on June 29, 2002, at 22:18:39
Don't give up. That is the secret. Just keep trying meds and in combinations too. You will eventually find something that works. It will take longer than you want it to and it will only be a medication but I belive you can find substantial relief. Don't stop looking.
Posted by Tap on June 30, 2002, at 6:35:24
In reply to How many drugs until success?, posted by Dave1 on June 29, 2002, at 19:31:08
I was lucky.... I found early on that Buspar works, then it was just to go through the list to figure out that Wellbutrin was the other half.
It did take three years, though... I started with Serzone, and the buzz at the time was that Serzone WILL kick in if you give it time... Prozac and Effexor were so bad that I stayed on Busbar alone after the bad experiences.
Finally I had to face that I need something else to cope, and the sexual effexts of Effexor and Prozac in mind I insisted on Wellbutrin, and hit the Jackpot!!!
Irony of it is that almost as soon as I started living again (I took one weekend trip from New York, the first in six years, to Boston) I had to leave the US, and move to a country where wellbutrin is not abailable!
So here we go again ... Starting with Remeron, and ending who knows where!
I still consider myself lucky. Considering how hard it is to find a right combo, I have two things on my side: 1) I still take Buspar, that is 50% of a working combo. 2) If nothing else works, there is always a possibility to travel abroad to get Well[butrin].
Given the amount of preparates out there, the possible combinations astronomical. Keep trying. And don't forget to be kind to yourself even as you are on the road. (I used to, and still sometimes do, beat myself up for things not working)
Concluding with a cliche:
Success is nothing but going from failure to failure with undiminished enthusiasm.
Tap
Posted by suji on June 30, 2002, at 13:29:48
In reply to How many drugs until success?, posted by Dave1 on June 29, 2002, at 19:31:08
I definitely agree with everyone who says don't give up--keep trying...however, I really understand your frustration...Not so briefly, my own history in search of relief from depression, anxiety (Bipolar II?), etc. includes (in various dosages and combinations):
Marplan**Nardil**Prozac**Zoloft**Effexor**
Wellbutrin**Parnate**Celexa**Remeron**Klonopin**
Xanax**Ativan**Valium*Oxazepam**Lithium**Tegretol*
Depakote**Lamictal**Topamax**Sulperide**Dexadrine*
Paxil** (and probably a few I've forgotten!)Then there are the herbs, vitamins, fish oils, minerals and food combos I've tried...
At the moment, I'm coming off Paxil (20mg/day) which has made me incredibly tired and apathetic....
I'm sticking with Dexadrine 30-40mg/day and Ativan (2 mg/day)
The AD that works best for me is Marplan (which was has been re-introduced to the US market in the last couple of years and is now under patent--again!); the problem with Marplan is always the muscle toxicity--I find my legs just give out trying to go up stairs and so on....and I eventually just get so fed up with that and the fact that even leftovers or slightly less than fresh food can sometimes bring on nausea....
Still, though, I keep on keeping on...I've recently joined this site hoping to share my own experiences and learn from what other people have been through....
Good Luck,
suji
Posted by tabitha on June 30, 2002, at 16:45:03
In reply to How many drugs until success?, posted by Dave1 on June 29, 2002, at 19:31:08
Hi,
I don't mean to be discouraging, but I've been on various combinations since about 1994 and have come to think there's never really permanent "success"-- it's more just an ongoing process of symptom and side effect management. When I find an acceptable combo (effective and with tolerable side effects) it seems to wear out after a couple years, or else I start to get tired of the more subtle side effects that seemed acceptable when I was in a crisis state.
You just have to keep working it. Therapy is also a big part of coping and managing things for me.
Posted by cbh on July 1, 2002, at 17:54:20
In reply to How many drugs until success?, posted by Dave1 on June 29, 2002, at 19:31:08
In my case, many! I've now lost count of the
total number of medications I've tried, probably
about 40 when I add the various augmentation
agents such as anxiolytics, hypnotics, antipsychotics
etc and seemingly countless combinations of those.My experience suggests that a if partial response to
one of these has been noticed then there's probably
a good chance that a sustainable solution is out
there. However, hindsight shows that in my case
I've had zero response to the numerous combinations
I've tried, the closest to a positive being the
relative absence or remission of side-effects from
any particular medication. I suspect that this is
because all of the usual drugs are much of a muchness
when it comes to their method of action, either
increasing serotonin and/or noradrenaline activity
(which makes me anxious) or reducing dopamine
activity (which makes me anxious), both of which
usually result in a list of side-effects as long
as my arm. Well, truth be told, I did have two
partial remissions with probable dopaminergic
combinations, measured in single-figure days and
hours respectively, but they probably ultimately
failed as that effect was secondary to one of the
above actions.I couldn't say whether or not this is good/useful
advice, but the way I feel is that if any response
is found after trying up to half a dozen of the
standard medications on offer then it's worth
pursuing other combinations, but if not it probably
requires looking elsewhere for more unconventional
solutions. Whether or not any are actually available
probably mostly depends on local demographics, eg
whether legislature permits anything outside the
usual scope, whether the prescribing doctor is
willing or able (insurance companies or their
workplace policies tend to dictate the latter) to
look further afield. I'm still looking, but find
myself increasingly pessimistic that a solution
can be found; not because it isn't there, but
because getting past the various levels of
bureaucracy is probably a lost cause.Chris.
Posted by oracle on July 2, 2002, at 18:17:57
In reply to How many drugs until success?, posted by Dave1 on June 29, 2002, at 19:31:08
But the side effects were too much. The second one
did not have these side effects.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.