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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Denise1966 on May 26, 2005, at 6:25:58
Hi,
What hope is there for people with TRD?
I remember the first time I ever took an antidepressant, I was about 24, the Antidepressant was 75mg prothiaden (dothiapin), I'd never even heard of antidepressants at that time and did not for a moment think it would do anything.. I remember lying on the bed and listening to Blondie (insomnia) as I'd been having problems sleeping, that drug worked within 24 hours I couldn't believe after over a year of relentless swimming, excercise and trying and trying to get myself out of that awful state that one little pill could do so much. So I thought to myself I must have been depressed and thanked my lucky stars that it was so easy to treat. Although when I'd be able to come off them as there was nothing in my situation that caused my depression and so no contributing factors.
Anyway after 5 years the prothiaden seemed to stop working and I came off it but didn't feel nowhere near as bad (suprisingly) as I had done prior to taking anything at all. The Doctor switched me to 20mg of Seroxat and within about 3 days it worked and I felt so much better. I remember thinking how powerful it felt though. I stayed on Seroxat for about 3 years and then decided to go it alone so came off it pretty much cold turkey. After about 3 weeks of touch and go I started to feel ok and carried on that way for about 3 years.
Then 4 years ago (when I was 35) all the symptoms of depression started to appear again, the lethargy, anxiety, lack of motivation etc, after a horrendous holiday in Portugal where I seemed to hit rock bottom. I started trying Antidepressants again, this time with far less success and probably went through about 10 different drugs and different combinations in about 2 years. Two years ago the Doc decided to try me on higher dose of 40mg and it seemed to start helping although nowhere near as much as it had done.
Now two years on I don't feel the Seroxat helping, lately I've felt in a daze with very little motivation and just constantly smoking, yesterday I tried smoking a bit of weed which actually seemed to help. Now I'm wondering what to do next and I'm worried (have been really for the last four years) when I realised that sometimes depression is just not that easy to treat and you start to wonder if you are actually depressed as antidepressants don't even seem to help. Though Anti = against not for. I was supposed to be on 60mg of Seroxat but I held back as I thought if I could just manage on 40mg then I had some leaway to go up incase I ever needed to, maybe now I need to but scared that 60mg won't work or that if it it does where do I go next when that stops working?
All I want is to get to a place where a low dose of Antidepressant works again and I'm wondering whether ECT can do that.
I guess the question is if you do find something that really helps what do you do, just thank your lucky stars stay on them until they quit working and just hope they bring something new out in the future?
I do a lot of research on the net and I'm not sure whether I should be optimistic or pessimistic about it, as they still don't seem to be any closer to finding out what causes it.
In all the time I've been depressed (or whatever it is) I've never had one single brain scan. I really wish they could see inside the brain to see what is happening when something actually works.
Posted by Nickengland on May 26, 2005, at 14:09:14
In reply to What hope is there for TRD, posted by Denise1966 on May 26, 2005, at 6:25:58
Hello Denise
I can very much relate to the questions you put forward in your post, I too have been asking myself the same things in the previouse months. I'm sorry that you seem to be going through a rough time at the moment, I can sense the frustrations in your post...If I remember correctly we spoke a little while back about vagues nerve stimulation?
I wrote this post the other week and this is kind of the conclusion that I have made of todays current treatments:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050516/msgs/499801.html
You mention about a brain scan, there is a psychiatrist in America by the name of Dr Amen who performs SPECT brain scans on some of his patients. Have a look at his site and watch one of the programmes on anxiety and depression (its an american medical programme with him being interviewed, he mainly focues on ADD, but be sure to watch the second pregramme where he talks about depression and anxiety)Its worth bearing in mind though, that although he does brain scans, the end result of the treatment is just the same as any other psychiatrist as in all he has to offer is the same medications that any other psychiatrist uses. And also for the people who are being treated with medications which are working, he doesn't think a bran scan should be performed. Hes no where near finding a cure of these illness, but at least it seems a positive step forward in the right direction with regards to future diagnosis.
Heres a link..
http://www.amenclinic.com/ac/default.asp
Hope this helps.
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by denise1966 on May 28, 2005, at 13:33:01
In reply to Re: What hope is there for TRD, posted by Nickengland on May 26, 2005, at 14:09:14
Hi Nick,
Yes I remember writing to you about the VNS. I checked your thread and a lot of what you say makes sense, although I really hope there will be a cure in our lifetime.
Thanks for the link to Dr Amen's site. I have heard of him, actually bought his book. But what I don't see is how he would be able to explain from scans why SSRI's which used to work no longer work and that's the thing that fustrates me the most.
However, I might just take a holiday to America one year and at least have the scans just out of interest, although it is expensive.
I've been trying to get an MRI scan here in the UK. It's ridiculous really, I contacted this psychiatrist/professor at Oxford and he told me I could easily get some scans as part of the number of trials they are doing on depression. But then apparently because I live in the Midlands am not in the right catchment area so couldn't go on them!
Anyway, I continue to search for something effective. Hope you find something if you haven't already done so.
Denise
Posted by Chairman_MAO on May 30, 2005, at 20:11:58
In reply to Re: What hope is there for TRD, posted by denise1966 on May 28, 2005, at 13:33:01
Buprenorphine + Nardil + cabergoline gives me 100% remission from lifelong dysthymia and social phobia.
This is the end of the thread.
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