StPeteGrad

Hi, I am a recovering alcoholic- 100 days clean now.

My problem is that I was put on Trazadone originally for sleep that worked for about 3 days, then seroquel, lasted about 4 days, then doxipin that worked for 4 days, then Prozac in the morning for depression but it quit working after about 3 months with Ambien for sleep (that worked exactly 3 nights)- my dr. upped the dose of Prozac and I had seritonin syndrome which is just an aweful feeling. I'm now *1 week, on Paxil but the effects seem to be tapering off quickly and I'm afraid to up the dose. I've got this overwhelming crappy feeling and I'm oversenstive and very reactive at work.

Has anyone else heard of people who's bodies just adjust to these medications too quickly? It's so hard to function sometimes. I'm not having alcohol cravings but I'm definately having opiate craving - of which I only know of from taking about 10 Vicatin total in my lifetime after a surgery years ago. I'm not taking anything for sleep now, I'm learning techniques on how to do that on my own finally.


I'm at the end of my rope here and worried that soon I'm not going to be able to stave off the crappiness and return to booze. I go to AA 4-8 times a week, have a sponsor, do service work, have a full time job, a wife, and young kids. I can't afford to get addicted to something else, healthwise or moneywise. I also have a doctor I see about 1-2 times a month who is fully aware of my alcohism and recovery.

I need AA for my recovery, can't cut my hours from work since I'm the sole breadwinner. Most of the business of my life is that of a "normal" person.

nandm

I can relate. Anti-depressants work for short durations with me then it seems they stop working. I also have sleep problems sometimes all I feel like doing is sleeping and then there are times I am up for days on end and have a significant amount of energy. I am not saying that you have the same problem as I do but it might be worth asking your doctor about possibly being bipolar. Once I was diagnosed with that it explained a lot about why the anti-depressants and sleep meds failed to work for me. The anti-depressants would drive me into a hypo-manic state. Which eventually would fall into or be mixed with a severe depression. Mood stabilizers have done a lot to help stabilize this although I am on a low dose anti-depressant for energy levels during my depression periods. I am not completely controlled with the medication regime I am on but it is so much better to at least know what is going on and have a lot more control over it because I am being treated for the right disease. For over 10 years I was treated for depression with out much success before a doctor asked the right questions and figured out I was bipolar.

StPeteGrad

Thanks for the reply. You've summed up much of what I've been reading. Since I'm only recently sober (100 days, hooray!) I've been wondering if it is a result of my alcohol abuse for 15 years or if my abuse was the result of BP II or something like that. It does seem, however, that many doctors have preconceived notions before even seeing you.

MemphisBlues

I am becoming of the school of thought that psychiatric drugs may not be the sole answer for those like us. Then again, it could be the wrong medications for the wrong reasons. I've been prescribed every cocktail of drugs known for major depression and panic disorder.

Funny, since getting sober I haven't had a panic attack. The drug doctors thought was the cure all for me was benzos, a prescription of 20 milligrams of Klonopin a day.

Getting off of it abruptly nearly killed me, complete with seizures and a host of other lingering symptoms.

The one thing that has worked for me -- slowly -- is seeking a psychic and spiritual change. If you're going to meetings, I'll just hit you with this -- keep coming back.

jezzaB

I suggest you consult your physician about it. You might be drug dependent and no use to you.

NYCDoglvr

Is your doctor a psychiarist? You're certainly getting a lot of different meds.... but I'm not a doctor. However I am an alcoholics who also suffers from the disease of depression. My meds are Effexor & Wellbutrin and, for sleep, a low dose of Trazadone. I'd been on Ambien but it stopped working after 7 years, hence the move to Trazadone.

StPeteGrad

Cymbalta finally quit on me this weekend too. I didn't even realize it. I couldn't get off the couch and had nothing but lethargic apathy. My dr (GP) has been researching treatment resistant depression and my background. We're going to try some type of augmentation to the ADs. I felt as sick as I did my last week of drinking. I'm not throwing in the towel but need to start having more good days in a row. I still have good times each day, even on bad days. It's just tougb feeling completely listlessand emotionless. The Cymbalta worked for a good week then it was done. I dosed as prescribed and upping the dose just made me anxious and crazy and disconnected.

defyinggravity

My experience with ADs was also that they quit working pretty quickly - then I was put on Zoloft and the mania came out and I was diagnosed as bipolar. My suggestion would be to see a psychiatrist - GPs don't really know about all the finer points of psychotropic medications and a psychiatrist will likely be able to ask the right questions to pinpoint exactly what's going on. I resisted seeing a psychiatrist for waaayyy too long but once I hit that manic episode after the Zoloft, I had to go because my GP wasn't comfortable prescribing medications anymore since she didn't have the experience with them that a psychiatrist would. Has your GP ever suggested going?

StPeteGrad

@Defy: I'm ready to head to a shrink. I haven't been avoiding it and not against it, it's just one more thing to try to fit into a schedule that is already bookended from 5:30AM to 9:30PM with work, commuting, AA, errands, dr appts (I have a hematologist I have to see every 2 weeks too). I took the weekend off from AA because I was exhausted. I'm the single earner in our family so it's not like I can scale back my work hours.

I didn't have time for recovery either, but here I am. I'll update if we figure something out that works.

KellyToronto

Good luck, maybe the psychiatrist can do CBT on you...cognitive behaviour therapy...plus try some med(s).

defyinggravity

I hear you, I work a lot too and feel bad about taking time out to go to a dr but it's necessary for me lest I go off the deep end - then I have to take a week off instead of an afternoon...I hope you can squeeze in a visit sometime soon! Seeing a psychiatrist was one of the best decisions I ever made. Good luck getting it all straightened out!

SweetB

I went the opposite way...when a cocktail of Paxil, deprekot, clonazapam, and risperdal stopped working ...I self medicated with crystal meth to take up the slack... That has brought me to where I am now.

ClayTheScribe

I'm a recovering alcoholic with major depression and anxiety. I've been on a cocktail of meds for a long time and got on even more when I was an active addict because my psychiatrist at the time thought I was bi-polar. Once I got off alcohol and pot, I was still in a deep depression, but taking about 4-5 medications including Effexor, Geodon and Lithium. I discovered this supplement called l-methylfolate (I buy it as l-methionine) and about after two weeks of taking it I had a major lift out of my depression. The supplement, as I've read, increases the effectiveness of my medications. I'm not sure quite how it works, but an herbalist or psychiatrist could explain it to you. On the other hand, you might have treatment-resistant depression and require ECT, but that's a pretty drastic treatment. Still, I wouldn't rely on a GP to treat your depression fully, you need to see a psychiatrist. That being said, you're only winning half the war against depression if you're only using anti-depressants and not seeking talk therapy of some kind. Without doing talk therapy, I would be a lot farther behind with my depression and anxiety. If you can't afford therapy or the time for therapy, I'd recommend the book Feeling Good by David Burns. It has a lot of great cognitive behavioral therapy exercises in it to help you out. Good luck.

jbr1971

Hi, StPeteGrad, and well done on the 100 days!

I suffer with Bipolar II, and over the last twenty years, have been prescribed Paxil, Zoloft, Prozac, Symbyax, Wellbutrin, Lithium, and finally Trileptil. All of these have stopped working rather quickly. I think the longest any of these medications worked was Paxil - ten years.

Once they quit working, of course I self-medicated. I think the important thing is to not let your treatment fall by the wayside. I'm working with a psychiatrist who specializes in addiction now, where before I was seeing my regular doctor. When one thing stops working, it's on to the next one.

I truly feel that if I give up on my quest for mental health, like I have so many times in the past, I'm endangering my recovery and sobriety.

Yes, I do feel that there are many people who experience the same issues with their medications. Not all of them are addicts/alcoholics, but for us, it's really almost a matter of life or death.

I understand that you have a busy schedule, but I hope that you decide - and can make time - to see a specialist.

SweetB

I totally agree. I have a psychiatrist and a therapist. I am bipolar, but the amounts of my meds as well as certain choices had to be adjusted. When my insurance changed and I began to see a different doctor, she recognized the need to adjust everything. Unfortunately by then I had been self medicating with meth 3 to 4 days a week for a long while. Even though not using daily, it supplemented my meds and I was was addicted . I am more comfortable now with staying away from meth because I am no longer rapid cycling every day, my mind has stopped racing....still have mild periods of mania and depression....but the depression can get real bad when situational rather than chemical.