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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by sweetmarie on June 29, 2001, at 13:54:48
I`m sorry - I seem to be all over this site.But, I just want to ask for any feedback on how to `tell` when a med is working or not.
I`ve been on my current combo for 7 weeks now, and over the past week or so, I have had about 3 evenings where I`ve felt a bit better. Prior to this, `good` times were very infrequent, e.g. one good day every 2 months. The depression was pretty much wall-to-wall. The hospital where I am being treated have asked me to keep a chart of how my mood is with ratings out of ten. This is divided into Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Night-time. Last w/end I had a `7/10`, a `8/10` and a `5/10` on 3 consecutive evenings. This is as opposed to straight `0/10`s in the past (maybe a `2` or a `3` if I was particularly lucky).
Could this be the beginning of a response? Obviously no-one knows for sure, but ...
I`d be grateful for any feedback.
Ta,
Anna.
Posted by susan C on June 29, 2001, at 15:20:45
In reply to RESPONSE ?????, posted by sweetmarie on June 29, 2001, at 13:54:48
> Hi, I found it very helpful (being a visual person), instead of using numbers, to make a colored bar chart. Using graph paper and color pen, or the MSword. I use the same numbers 0-10,though at one point I added a couple numbers on each end (11-12 and -1 and -2) 4-5-6 being what I consider OK or even and steady.
I had started this because just doing only the numbers is confusing to me. I could then line up the pictures from one day to the next and compare, did I really feel the same as yesterday, or was it better or worse? And from one month to the next and see right away what the difference was. I even pasted together a whole string of them so I could really see it. I think i did several meds this way and when I started on depakote and ambien for sleep, after a month or so it was very clear that my cycling had evened out. I was more toward the middle not jumping up and down, not as high highs and not as low lows. I still have them.
I still have to control the stress in my life. I am still at home. In some way there is a dullness which I understand is part of depakote, which I don't like,I miss part of the intense manic part,(my creative art part of me is too confusing) I don't miss the deep depression.
I travel 1 1/2 hours to see my pdoc with my husband and he is still investigating as nothing has worked completely. but he listens, he is smart and intuitive and I trust him a lot more than the other doc I had for 12 years.
I check in on this board because I am looking and learning and appreciating how hard everybody is working. I hope this helps.
> I`m sorry - I seem to be all over this site.
>
> But, I just want to ask for any feedback on how to `tell` when a med is working or not.
>
> I`ve been on my current combo for 7 weeks now, and over the past week or so, I have had about 3 evenings where I`ve felt a bit better. Prior to this, `good` times were very infrequent, e.g. one good day every 2 months. The depression was pretty much wall-to-wall. The hospital where I am being treated have asked me to keep a chart of how my mood is with ratings out of ten. This is divided into Morning, Afternoon, Evening and Night-time. Last w/end I had a `7/10`, a `8/10` and a `5/10` on 3 consecutive evenings. This is as opposed to straight `0/10`s in the past (maybe a `2` or a `3` if I was particularly lucky).
>
> Could this be the beginning of a response? Obviously no-one knows for sure, but ...
>
> I`d be grateful for any feedback.
>
> Ta,
>
> Anna.
Posted by sweetmarie on June 30, 2001, at 6:02:59
In reply to Re: RESPONSE ?????, posted by susan C on June 29, 2001, at 15:20:45
> I check in on this board because I am looking and learning and appreciating how hard everybody is working. I hope this helps.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for your reply.
I think that it is a good idea to keep a visual record of mood. On really bad (`0` - `1/10`) days it`s very easy to think that nothing has changed, when really there has been change; just not drastic. When I look at my record for the 3rd week of my admission (to hospital) compared to the latest one, I can see that there has been: no change in my morning mood, a slight improvement in my afternoon mood, and a definite improvement in my evening mood.
Like you, I would be more than satisfied with a constant `5` or 6/10`. `7/10` would be completely brilliant. All I want is a `platform` from which I can function, and get some enjoyment from life instead of wishing myself out of existence.
Unlike you, I`m not bipolar - just plain old unipolar, so I don`t get `highs` at all. The staff at the hospital describe low mood as `flat`. To be honest, `flat` sounds fine by me - it`s the intensely painful severe depression that I can`t deal with.
IF I can get to a constant `6/10`, I will be well satisfied - I have the rest of my life to achieve the remainder. I`m just so far below the level, I can do virtually nothing. I also know that I will have to live a very different life to the one I led when I was younger - stress has played a major part in my illness. This is O.K. though.
I suppose I`m wondering whether the improvement I have seen is `sufficient`, `normal`, or `to be expected` given that I`ve been on the combination for 7 weeks.
??????????????? - anyone
Thanks again for your reply - I hope you achieve `10/10`s before too long.
Regards,
Anna.
Posted by sl on June 30, 2001, at 18:13:04
In reply to Re: RESPONSE ????? » susan C, posted by sweetmarie on June 30, 2001, at 6:02:59
>the latest one, I can see that there has been: no change in my morning mood, a slight improvement in my afternoon mood, and a definite improvement in my evening mood.Sounds like what's called "a partial response".
From what I've read, they usually try supplementing a partial response instead of trying a whole new med.
Not knowing what you're on, that's all I can say.Luck....
sl
Posted by sweetmarie on July 1, 2001, at 4:40:49
In reply to Re: RESPONSE ?????, posted by sl on June 30, 2001, at 18:13:04
> Sounds like what's called "a partial response".
>
> From what I've read, they usually try supplementing a partial response instead of trying a whole new med.
> Not knowing what you're on, that's all I can say.Hello
I`m taking Mirtazapine (Remeron/Zispin) plus Venlafaxine (Efexor). The Mirtazapine dose has remained the same throughout (30 mg), but the Venlafaxine dose started q. low (75 mg), and has gradually increased to 375 mg, which I have been on for 3 weeks.
The next stage will be to decrease the Venlafaxine doseage and to increase the Mirtazapine doseage. I don`t know when that will be.
If what I gather is correct, the point from which the period leading up to (hopeful) response is measured from the beginning of the highest doseage, which means that effectiveley I`ve been on the combination for 3 weeks. I THINK that this is right - I`ve always been confused about this.
?????????
What I was getting at in my original post was WOULD I necessarily have seen an improvement after the period of time that I`ve been taking this combo?
Anyway, thanks for the reply.
Anna.
This is the end of the thread.
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