Posted by Racer on September 22, 1998, at 13:27:36
Hi, me again. I wonder if anyone out there, preferabley a doctor, could offer some advice?
My appetite, while still not good, is better. (And damn it, how could I gain weight when I didn't eat for days? It's not fair.) To start with, I was getting the pre-migraine "aura" with no headache, now I'm having excrutiating headaches daily. I'm also not sleeping. I can't get to sleep, and then can't stay asleep all night. I'm miserable. I'm also starting to feel as though I may as well be dead, which isn't necessarily a good thing. (Maybe it is having some effect on the depression? At least I think that maybe it's bad that I want to kill myself?)
If you remember my first post, you may remember that I really don't trust my doctor, but don't have any alternatives. Can anyone out there throw out a few suggestions of drugs for me to look into and then discuss with my doctor? I'll tell you a few specifics that may or may not help.
I've been on nortriptyline and Paxil in the past. Both were effective against the depression, but the nortriptyline required L-tryptophan to work, had bad effects on my sleeping, and also put 70# on me. Weight gain like that would be devastating right now, since I'd have to join a Naturists camp, since I wouldn't have any clothes.
The Paxil was effective, but it made me too sleepy to get through an entire day without a nap, which is not great if you are trying to work. It also put weight on me, about 50# (better than the nortriptyline, but not by much), and destroyed my sex life.
Most drugs list hypotension as a possible side effect, my blood pressure is low to start with, and lowering it further leads to fainting, falling, and problems with proprioception. Weight gain is a problem not only from a practical standpoint, but also because I'm a former anorexic, and any weight gain still can make me frantic. Sleep is a problem for me anyway, but there must be something that can hit the line between not able to sleep and not able to stay awake. I really want to have orgasms, that might be too much to ask, but I really want them. The frustration of Paxil, where I could get aroused, but couldn't DO anything about it, was worse than I can say. (I also know that I'm not nearly as responsive today, 4 years after stopping the medicine, as I was before I started it.)
Thanks for any suggestions of directions for me to explore.
poster:Racer
thread:668
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19991028/msgs/668.html