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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Abby on October 6, 2000, at 15:30:59
I posted this message a few weeks ago, but nobody answered. I guess I'm sort of a prodigal daughter. Right now I am in that terrible stage which is not morbid depression, but where your horizons seems to narrow, and it's hard to find out how to get what I need. Any knowledge you guys have means a lot right now.
Thanks,
AbbyI just saw ---after getting passed around a bunch--the one full-time psychiatrist at my new University's
student health.
He seems okay, and he was thorough, but I don't know.Anyway, though he doesn't want to tamper with my meds, I get the feeling he's of the: "you should go off
medications at some point" school.He was surprised that I'd experienced withdrawal--which he politely called SSRI discontinuation
syndrome---when I tried to go off Zoloft even when I tapered.
He pulled off a compiled study comparing symptoms and rates of problems when withdrawing from
different SSRIs and one trycylic. Prozac was supposed to be easiest, and zoloft was second best. In the
small sample of zoloft patients (N=45) only one experienced any withdrawal.
I know that others here have experienced problems, but I'd love to be able to bring a study in rather than
saying I got something from a message board.
Law school is going pretty well for me, but I'm busy trying to set up my apartment. Yesterday I really
crashed. I was dragging myself around and couldn't study or concentrate at all. I woke up three times in the
night and got a terrible headache. My focus is better now, but it's not great. My lazy eye is getting lazy
again, and that's starting to distract me. I don't have time to go through all the posts, but I'll try to check in
again soon.
Posted by noa on October 8, 2000, at 10:07:21
In reply to Need some help, research for me-any experience Cam, posted by Abby on October 6, 2000, at 15:30:59
HEy Abby, good to "see" you.
Wow, law school. Talk about stress.
Are you not on anything now? I forget what you have tried, what experiences were like on meds, etc. Maybe if you remind us, someone here can make suggestions.
Also, keep in mind you have been and continue to be in TRANSITION in a big way. College ending, moving across the country, starting law school, etc. etc. plus all the family stuff you have talked about. When I moved 8 years ago, after being in one city for 10.5 years, a friend who had moved away a year before me wrote me a great letter telling me it takes time, longer than you expect, to adjust to a big move. That was so helpful for her to tell me that. I guess my point is, perhaps the "narrow" living is a coping strategy that you need right now. If you can be patient with yourself and generous with yourself, and don't get caught up in expecting too much too fast, and try not to get self-critical, perhaps the added layers of depression, etc. won't be added to how you are feeling.
Another thought--I have found that a kind of narrow, restricted scope of living is my way to avoid feeling too much, because of some really difficult stuff deep inside. This stilted living was so noticeable after my depression improved a lot. When I felt strong enough, I started being able to deal with this stuff in therapy, although haltingly, and not continuously because sometimes I need to seal up again for self-protection.
I don't know if your experience has any similarities, just thought it might help to share it with you. I would urge caution, though, in pushing yourself into too much self-exploration in therapy right now, because you are in transition, and like I said, perhaps the narrowness of living you are feeling is a coping strategy you need for the moment.
Posted by Abby on October 9, 2000, at 0:53:23
In reply to Re: Need some help, research for me-any experience Cam » Abby, posted by noa on October 8, 2000, at 10:07:21
> HEy Abby, good to "see" you.
>
> Wow, law school. Talk about stress.
>
> Are you not on anything now? I forget what you have tried, what experiences were like on meds, etc. Maybe if you remind us, someone here can make suggestions.
>
> Also, keep in mind you have been and continue to be in TRANSITION in a big way. College ending, moving across the country, starting law school, etc. etc. plus all the family stuff you have talked about. When I moved 8 years ago, after being in one city for 10.5 years, a friend who had moved away a year before me wrote me a great letter telling me it takes time, longer than you expect, to adjust to a big move. That was so helpful for her to tell me that. I guess my point is, perhaps the "narrow" living is a coping strategy that you need right now. If you can be patient with yourself and generous with yourself, and don't get caught up in expecting too much too fast, and try not to get self-critical, perhaps the added layers of depression, etc. won't be added to how you are feeling.
>
> Another thought--I have found that a kind of narrow, restricted scope of living is my way to avoid feeling too much, because of some really difficult stuff deep inside. This stilted living was so noticeable after my depression improved a lot. When I felt strong enough, I started being able to deal with this stuff in therapy, although haltingly, and not continuously because sometimes I need to seal up again for self-protection.
>
> I don't know if your experience has any similarities, just thought it might help to share it with you. I would urge caution, though, in pushing yourself into too much self-exploration in therapy right now, because you are in transition, and like I said, perhaps the narrowness of living you are feeling is a coping strategy you need for the moment.Hey Noa,
Thanks for the reply. I really felt like a persona non grata. Law school itself is not that stressful. They make a real effort to balance out our courseload and to give helpful pointers along the way.
I am definitely depressed at the moment---want to cry and am dragging myself around, barely eating right, and I really don't trust the one and only shrink available to me.
I talked to a regular doctor about possible thyroid problems. She said that my dizziness was caused by low blood pressure (90/60). I've spent 5 hours staring at the computer trying to do something which was supposed to take a maximum of 3, and my shoulders ache. Law school may be stressful, but I know that headaches and dry heaves mean I'm getting depressed.---Abby
Posted by noa on October 10, 2000, at 8:06:42
In reply to Re: Need some help, thanks for the lifevest » noa, posted by Abby on October 9, 2000, at 0:53:23
Can you find a different doc? It is important.
This is the end of the thread.
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