Her meds cause side effects that I cannot handle: nausea or anxiety or both

A. Her solutions are to check with my PCP regarding whether my stomach
is ok or to take another drug to handle the
nausea and stomach aches.
No. If eating some crackers a few days in a row does not help with the nausea, that is it. I'm done.

B. For the anxiety she wants me to take Klonopin or similar.
Klonopin has these problems:
1 causes depression and I feel horrible along with being anxious.
2 interferes with ability to get up in the morning to drive and then to
function at work. Work is hard with the hangover.
3 eventually leads to dependence on higher dose


She says if I stay with the med (HOW???!!!), eventually my body will get used to it.

I had only tiny one dose of Abilify (one mg) last weeknd in the afternoon and had crazy antiety along
with chest and back pain. I was unable to
sleep that night even with the Klonopin and the anxiety continued into the next day.
She also gave me Saphris (2mg) but I am not comfortable taking a drug fairly new on the market.

Saphris (Asenapine Sublingual Tablets): Side Effects, Interactions, Warning, Dosage & Uses



M

I'm so glad you posted, Mari. I've been thinking about you
I'm sorry you are still suffering with all this ****

I don't know what you're taking, and I can understand that you don't want to post that because you are a private person.

I remember you started having a lot of new problems when you started taking risperdal. I don't know if you're still taking it or not, but anxiety, agitation, and the inability to concentrate are very common side effects.

As far as the anxiety, it's hard to know how much of that's a side effect of the med, and how much of it is because of an anxiety disorder/depression, until you d/c the med(s) involved. I know that you're uncomfortable taking klonopin now, but if the anxiety is still there once the med(s) are stopped, you'll need some relief. Ideally a replacement med will treat the anxiety, but have you ever tried Buspar?

I know that your pdoc has chosen to treat you with atypical antipsychotics/antipsychotics because of her theory about your dreamlets, and you have been through a lot of them. They tend to have more side effects than other medications. Have you been sleeping any better? If they haven't been helping you sleep, it may be time to switch to a different class of drugs with less side effects.

I don't know how many psych meds you are on, but I know all my past pdocs were in the habit of tacking on meds without taking any away. You may need more of a clean slate because of possible med interactions, or because you are on a med that is causing an issue, but you don't know which one because you're on a lot. Sometimes more isn't better, especially since you are so sensitive to meds. You could ask your pdoc if trying to taper off some of the meds you are on is an option.

I'm so sorry that you are having to go through all of this. It sounds like you are feeling just awful, and these drug trials must be so frustrating. I have no idea how you've been able to function at work. I hope that your pdoc is able to come up with a plan that respects your needs because only you know what you can and can't tolerate.

Thinking of you today Mari

mari, I will post on psych central boars asking about their experiences with safris. And get back to you in a day or two. It is a busy forum so we could get some good feed back soon.
bizi

so far the doses range from 5mg - 20mg. taken at night, everyone said it helped them sleep.
IT HAS A BAD TASTE.

Here is the link to the thread if you would like to read....
Saphris...any one have experience taking it? - Forums at Psych Central

bizi

about saphris.....

She gave me 2.5 Sublingually. It is still under brand and cost more than my other meds.

I have not taken it yet and might not take it.

I see her on Tuesday. I am going to tell her that I am worn out from taking
new meds and that work is busy now and I do not want to try new stuff for now ---- (cannot afford to miss days because of a reaction -- expected or otherwise)




M

Hi, Kay,

Thanks.

No to the risperdal. It was activating at a tiny liquid dose.
At a slightly larger dose it caused nausea so intense it was painful.

My dear pdoc that I last saw about three or four years ago did not like Buspar when I mentioned it.
I think he did not find it useful.


M

Mari,

I think your decision not to try any new meds right now is a good one. You've been through a lot of meds, and have experienced so many side effects in a short period of time, that you may benefit from a break from that stress alone.

Jumping from drug to drug may also be muddying the waters. If your symptoms change during this period it could give your pdoc a better idea of what you need long term.

Buspar wasn't strong enough for me, but since your tolerance is lower you may benefit from it. It may be worth a try if you continue to have significant problems with your anxiety and you're still uncomfortable taking klonopin.

I have a new sleep neurologist for my sleep apnea.

He said that the current settings on my machine are off and thus disturbing
my sleep throughout the night and causing me to feel tired/ sleepy in the daytime.

His office will schedule a new sleep study for after Thanksgiving.

Kay, the last time I saw her she mentioned Lithium and one of the tricyclics.

I hated the four years I was on Lithium but I was in a different place then. Maybe it would work now.

I hated the several tricyclics I was on then too. (This was before the invention
of Prozac and pdocs had limited options)

=-=-=-=
I am going to try to put off the pdoc for a few weeks when work is less stressful and I can attend to new meds then.

M