Depression Very Bad

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Sleuth
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Location: New York City

Depression Very Bad

Post by Sleuth »

My depression has gotten very bad. I am barely functioning. I called my psychiatrist who wants me to go to a psychiatric ward as an in patient. All they do is medicate you. I am petrified that they will give me anti-depressants that will make my RLS worse. I have been scouring the internet for lists of these drugs. It seems to be just about all of them.

My psychiatrist is sensitive to my RLS and is known at the hospital he wants me to go to, but is not on staff. I fear that he will not have much say in what they give me.

Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. I don't know what to do.

Dale

Neco
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Post by Neco »

Can you contact him again and ask him to call the place and explain the situation, and make sure they give you an RLS friendly medication, like Wellbutrin ?

Sleuth
Posts: 238
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:39 am
Location: New York City

Post by Sleuth »

I am going to talk to him again. These places don't take too kindly to being told what to do. They love to give you new drugs to see how they work. They're not noted for trying old ones.

I find that specialists, including psychiatrists, only care about treating the ailment you came to them about. It's not that easy to find a doctor who treats the whole person. Psychopharmacologists are among the worst of the lot. They have ego to spare and do not like being told what to do.

Dale

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

That is a really tough place to be, Dale.

I am so glad your psych is being careful regarding your well being. That is a great thing.

Per the medications, the ones that are most likely to cause problems are the ones that increase serotonin. Can you get the book called "Clinical Management of RLS"? It has all of the drugs listed in it and info regarding whether they have helped or bothered (or are neutral to) RLS. It might help to get them to agree to abide by that book while they treat you.

One of the major problems is that the depression drugs to NOT bother everyone. The vast majority bother a small group of us, but not all of us. The problem is that because none of them bother us equally, there is almost no way to tell which one will bother you. It's almost certainly trial and error.

I think that the prevailing thought is that if the depression is bad, you treat the depression with the best drug possible even if it bothers the RLS, and then you use stronger meds to resolve the RLS issue, such as methadone or another strong opioid.

That may be your only option; I know it's scary to think of taking these drugs, but it's scarier--to me--to think of you being this depressed and unable to function without being in extreme psychic pain.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

Polar Bear
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Post by Polar Bear »

Dale, I don't really have anything to offer but just wanted to say I'm sorry that you are feeling so bad at the moment. I hope you quickly get the help you need.
Betty
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation

Sleuth
Posts: 238
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:39 am
Location: New York City

Post by Sleuth »

I emailed mjb in CA. He suggested I get a copy of his book, "Restless Leg Syndrome."

He said Abilify usually causes less RLS problems than other drugs in its class. This trial and error stuff is not fun because you can do permanent damage to yourself. With other drugs, if you don't feel good, you just stop taking it and in a matter of days, or weeks, the side effects are gone. With RLS, it seems that once you have a symptom, it's yours for life. That is what frightens me the most and is why I'm so adverse to trying different drugs.

Dale

jy13131
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Post by jy13131 »

I also suffer from severe depression-when I do not take my anti-depressants. For me taking an ssri is the difference between being able to function and have a life vs not functioning. Whether it makes my RLS worse or not, it is not an option for me. Both impact my quality of life and I have learned that I have to manage both with equal importance. Depression is a serious illness and I encourage you to be open to trying some medication management as you may be pleasantly surprised with the outcome :wink:
jy13131

Sleuth
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Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2007 5:39 am
Location: New York City

Post by Sleuth »

jy13131 wrote:I also suffer from severe depression-when I do not take my anti-depressants. For me taking an ssri is the difference between being able to function and have a life vs not functioning. Whether it makes my RLS worse or not, it is not an option for me. Both impact my quality of life and I have learned that I have to manage both with equal importance. Depression is a serious illness and I encourage you to be open to trying some medication management as you may be pleasantly surprised with the outcome :wink:


Thank you for reminding me of that. I needed to hear that. :)

Dale

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