Posted by g_g_g_unit on November 26, 2009, at 4:06:02
In reply to Re: calling all armchair psychs, posted by mtdewcmu on November 26, 2009, at 1:20:18
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> Reading along with this thread, I knew you weren't going to like Ritalin. I think your attention problems are caused by anxiety, rather than the other way around. I have the same issues (except I lean more toward GAD than OCD). Your next move should be to pick one of the best antidepressants (Lexapro, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor) and make sure you get to a sufficient dose. That means 20mg Lexapro, 100-150mg Zoloft, 40mg Celexa, or 150mg Effexor.
>thanks for your advice. the only reason i tried Ritalin was so that i could have a chance to try Dexedrine (which as far as i know has studies backing its use in both OCD and GAD).
i really don't think an SSRI alone is the whole answer at this point, unless i'm basically willing to just cut my losses. SSRI's make me feel schizoid, amplify my social anxiety, and really make writing (what i was doing professionally) a difficult task. i understand it's the only real appointed treatment for my "condition", but i wish i had made more considered decisions about medication management (easy to say now i guess); i've finally accepted that i have an impulse (even addiction) problem, which has come to encompass meds (though never narcotics).
i don't think anxiety is the (whole) source of my concentration difficulties at present. i feel like i have no working memory - like my mind is just always blank, to the point where it's hard to even put a thought together. Low-dose memantine (a D2 agonist) felt like someone had turned a light-switch on in there; Bacopa (an acetylcholine agonist?) enrichened my inner dialogue to the point where i could 'hear' myself thinking again.
the only way i feel i'll overcome my depression is if i can return to writing, and i realise that, for me, most 'cures' are worse than the disease in that respect. i guess if i had chosen any other path in life, i might've been okay, but SSRI's just always dampened by creative drive and the 'buzz' i got off working, which is why i was so conflicted about staying on them. i also think SSRI's suck when it comes to treating dysthymia.
i'm intensely committed to CBT at the moment (i never really invested much energy into it in the past), and am focusing on that while i think about what to do next med-wise. i would really just like to take the simplest approach possible. zoloft sounds appealing because at least it has the modest DRI feature. maybe i should try that in combination with Memantine.
i hope i don't sound stubborn, and possibly even insensitive by complaining in this respect. i often feel a "just take your medicine and shutup" vibe from doctors. what i would like is one who cares as much about my individual needs than just trying to treat me based on the DSM
poster:g_g_g_unit
thread:924919
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/neuro/20091104/msgs/927015.html