Posted by pedr on November 25, 2018, at 12:01:05
In reply to Re: Latuda for depression - Anyone? » SLS, posted by bleauberry on August 25, 2018, at 18:17:51
> I think at this point after all these years of trials I would maybe venture away from conventional group-think (SSRIs, Antipsychotics) and instead go with things that are known to improve mood. Like stimulants. Like opioids. Like opioid-lile substances. Like non-politically correct options that your doctor can write a prescription for that he doesn't usually write prescriptions for. Because everything else he could write a prescription for is just more of the same - SSRI and AP. Basically.
> Tell your doctor you want to find some legal drugs that make you feel better. Not antidepressants, necessarily. Because those actually make most people dysphoric not happy. Tell him it's time in life to feel good and do whatever it takes to do that. Think of it not as treating depression, but rather, boosting mood and happiness. It's a different game with different tools.
> Example: For me, Ritalin did more good than any of the dozens of other meds. There is a stimulant that can probably do something similar for you. There are probably supplements to turbocharge them if they aren't strong enough.
...
Vicodin made me feel normal - not high - not drugged - but totally absolutely normal. But the short half life...and the easy addiction....and the worsened depression of withdrawal....and so that's why I had those rules.> Vicadin didn't allow me to feel happy and normal every day, but for at least a few days, and those days were like stepping stones, like life preservers, like gas tanks filled with hope, they gave me the strength and the creativity to figure out my next steps instead of staying stuck. And some of it bled over into the next day - the next day was never a bad day, even though the Vicodin was gone, it hit the chemistry in a way that lasted a while.
> It's hard to make progress when every day sucks. You need at least one or two really decent days here and there. And they are important enough to force with mind altering drugs if necessary.
> So I say tell the doc let's switch gears. Make the focus mood improvement rapidly and directly, versus anti-depression.
> A big factor in my thinking here is age. You and I are at an age now where it's not like we
have forever to keep trying things we've already tried over and over. There isn't enough difference between any of the SSRIS, SNRIs, or APs that after all these years suddenly one of them is going to be magic while none of the others were. That just isn't going to happen, in my opinion, just being real.> Time to switch gears. Time to feel good. Time to throw caution to the wind - a little bit, gently, responsibly - and enjoy some life.
Dear bleauberry,I've replied to 1000's of posts in my life. I've disagreed with some and agreed with others. If there were awards for how much I agreed with posts, your post would - hands down - win the Olympic Gold. All of your points I 100% agree with, after sadly having to learn them the hard way.
Right now I stumble/lumber/clock-watch/plain hang-on between my doses of Adderall. I would sink and drown without these stepping stones, no question. I won't be prescribed any more doses because "rules". So when I awake, I know that 50% of my day is going to be agonising and traumatising and the other 50% will be OK. At best.
I'm 43, have severely TRD (tried most meds 2-3 times, dTMS, ECT etc.) and have felt suicidally depressed and anhedonic for 22 years. It's time to weigh things up and say "you know what? the risks of "addiction", dependence (like we're not dependent on regular AD's FFS), dose-tolerance and potential suicide are HUGELY outweighed by actually having periods of your life when you don't want to be dead.
And like you said, it's not about feeling "high", it's about feeling human. About feeling compassion for others. For being able to converse and care about things that Normals care about, e.g. how good the food was or how long the line at checkout was. Normally I literally couldn't care less about the concerns of Normals. They sound like the complaints of a spoilt child.
Thank you for your post, it makes me feel like I'm not alone with my somewhat unusual situation.
Best,
PeteI love the smell of Abilify in the morning. The smell, you know that chemical smell. Smells like victory. Some day this war's gonna end...
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Atypical Depression, OCD, IBS-C, GERD since '96
poster:pedr
thread:1100502
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20181024/msgs/1102173.html