Dr. Orazio,


Was thinking about my last session with you and why I was feeling so overwhelmed. I told you that I felt like you were blaming me for becoming hypomanic. I was unable to bring up this history for you, especially about the events of the past 6 months.

I would like to remind you of some of my past:
In 1994 My first manic/psychotic episode was following a depoprevara birth control shot, and the reason why I was so leery of taking hormones and sought your advice. I have decided against using black kohosh like my GP suggested when I told her I was having menopausal symptoms.

In 1999 My next episode was after taking paxil, I was not on a mood stabilizer at that time, I was in the military.

In 2003 Dr. Salama prescribed prozac for compulsive picking even though I told him I was afraid to take that and he let me go manic, that was when I started seeing you.
So this is why I have SSRI's/antidepressants as an allergy.
I have not had any true mania/psychosis until this past year and it started after taking trazadone( an antidepressant). I was manic 2-3 weeks while taking it. I had visual impairment like an ADD person where I could not focus on the road when driving. I was compulsively looking at every sign/ad anything on the side of the road. I had to force myself to pay attention to driving. During those 3 weeks, jJeff and I watched a scary movie and I was so frightened that I was unable to control myself, I had physically attached myself to jeff which is not like me. I took some 10 year old zyprexa that you prescribed for me, and that settled me down. I switched back to klonipin for sleep and the mania subsided.

Hind sight is 20/20.

I don't think it was a good idea to reduce the geodon to 40mg bid.

After 22 years of antipsychotics I was anxious to see if a reduced amount would help with my memory. Unfortunately it did not.

As you said it lowered my threshold for hypomania.
I was having some hypomania 3 months ago and asked you to increase the geodon back up to 80mg bid. And you said I did not need that but agreed to go up to 40mg once a day then 80mg at night. After continued hypomania symptoms, (obsession about naltrexone, I was going to order it on-line from canada where it is available with out an RX) and for the most part: compulsive drinking,

I took the geodon back up to 80mg bid. (I had extra 80mg capsules)

It took a while but my sanity returned 3-20-16 when I had my first alcohol free day after 5 weeks of daily drinking and I discontinued seeking naltrexone.

Thank goodness for geodon!

As I told you, I am now able to control my drinking (one of my hypomania symptoms)

no drinking and driving, not even one drink!
Abstaining=AF monday thru thursday.
Drinking on the weekend.
Happily, I have been able to follow these goals since 3-20-16, (5 weeks).

Wanted to reiterate that I have been sleeping well.

And am thinking of my drinking plan for our trip.


Hoping you read this before our next visit in 2 months and call me if you have any questions.
I will see you right when we get back.


Thank you for writing the letter and the scripts for zyprexa and a z-pack.


Elizabeth