We Are All On Drugs
Here’s a fun game I’ve been playing. So when I was first diagnosed with depression, my doctor gave me samples of a name-brand antidepressant to try to see if it would work (you probably know it, it’s got annoying commercials with sad music that possibly make you more depressed when you watch them). And it did. Very well. But, of course, it’s not a frontline (read: generic or cheap) drug, so my insurance company will not authorize it unless I try two other frontlines first. I tried one, and I didn’t like it. It made my brain kinda fuzzy and it was not time-released and I’d forget to take both, and they upset my stomach. I am currently weaning myself off that one so I can try the next one.
There are some really awesome side effects of this. I thought that I had the swine flu. At first, I had moderate headaches and nausea. Then (and currently), I constantly feel as though I need to stretch, but stretching doesn’t help. I also feel like every single thing that could crack on my body (like my back and neck) needs to be cracked. I will also twitch randomly. Finally, you know that sorta white noise you hear in your head when you yawn or stretch? Yeah, that comes and goes, unprovoked. This makes me feel restless ALL THE DAMN TIME. I am in for fun like this for another two weeks of weaning, then whatever party this new drug brings to the table. GOOD FUCKING TIMES. And, to top it all off, it makes drinking not very fun. OH, THE HUMANITY!
Woe is me. Thank you for all this, Express Scripts.
Alas, all is not lost. I’ve been listening to some new stuff, namely the new State Radio. the new Avett Brothers, Neko Case (live! Last night! at The Pageant! She was awesome). I got the Ben Gibbard/Jay Farrar Jack Kerouac project on vinyl and will listen to that later tonight. My friend also burned me the new Lucero, but I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet. By the way, word is that Lucero is coming back to Off Broadway, so let’s all go and see if there’s another ladyfight. Also, Jon Stewart’s in the world, which always makes me feel a little saner in a mad world.
Have a great weekend. I’ve got some stuff on tap, including my friends’ baby’s first birthday party tonight (LET THERE BE ROCK), a very cool food thing tomorrow night that I’ll be writing about at Novice Foodie, kickball tourney on Sunday, and HOMEWORK. Fun times.
(On November 6th, 2009 at 4:10 pm)
A very close friend of mine takes anti’s that are horribly addicting…she can’t drink while on them.
Best of luck.
(On November 6th, 2009 at 4:46 pm)
1) I was diagnosed with anxiety recently, and they gave me Lexapro to try. I had a panic attack each time, so now I take Cymbalta – and it works well. All I can really notice is dry mouth in the morning. Oh, and I can drink again without getting paranoid and anxious.
2) Neko Case is nothing short of a siren, and I would want to marry her if she wasn’t so intimidatingly amazing.
(On November 6th, 2009 at 7:41 pm)
Wellbutrin has very few side effects. I used it to quit smoking – very effective for me – and now, 7 yrs later, I use it for depression. Only side effects I’ve had are dry mouth and vivid dreams for the first week or so (or sometimes if I forget I took my 2nd pill and take a 3rd – oops), a few heart palpitations (common) at the beginning which have more or less stopped, and hehe, constipation – solved by a once-a-week “women’s laxative.” But hey, no sexual side effects, to that’s sweet, right? Drinking has not bothered me with it, and oh, yeah, the 10 lbs I put on when I was suffering depression melted away with the Wellbutrin.
And oh, did I mention I’m HAPPY??
Wellbutrin is my miracle drug and I have a fantastic doc.
I tried Zoloft and it was terrible with the sexual side effects.
(On November 6th, 2009 at 7:43 pm)
Oh, and PS, Wellbutrin comes in generic form, it’s what I take, and it really and truly works. My doc loves it because it has few side effects, esp. the sexual ones that made me nervous about trying again. Some people actually report an increase in libido. That may be slightly true for me but I’m still on a relatively low dosage.
(On December 28th, 2009 at 8:27 pm)
Depression is a bitch, I was diagnosed with it for ten years while they were overlooking the fact that I had autoimmune thyroid disease. This is a REALLY common cause of depression. Unfortunately, the test they usually look at (TSH) isn’t very accurate, which is why it took so long.
If you’ve already had a TSH test, make your doc give you the free T3 and free T4 thyroid tests. If those are normal, insist on a antibody tests (anti TPO). If those are all normal…insist on retesting every six months. Sounds like a pain, but that’s what it takes to get a diagnosis if you have low thyroid function. Check out my Facebook site “St. Louis Thyroid Support Group” for more info.
Thyroid drugs are a hell of a lot cheaper than anti-depressants and might be the key to a lot of other things that might seem unconnected to your depression. Oh, by the way…ALWAYS ALWAYS ask for copies of your labs. You wouldn’t believe how often they get misread by docs and lab workers. Your health depends on you keeping track of what they’re doing.