Re: Alternatives to Paxil?

[Guest guest]

,

There is a good cfs doctor in Poulsbo just a ferry ride from Seattle.

If you want her contact information email me off list. pj7@...

Otherwise, I would suggest you see as good an endocrinologist as you

can find and get your T3, T4 and TSH levels tested. You may benefit

from Armour thyroid. You could also ask if this endocrinologist

treats ADULTS with growth hormone deficiencies. You may benefit from

synthetic growth hormone if you can find a doctor who knows how to

prescribe it and get your insurance to cover it.

Finally, have you used ImmunoPro? If you can take it that should

raise glutathione levels.

a Carnes

>

> I have had CFIDS for almost 10 years now. About one year after

the onset

> while in the hospital for a few days a neurologist put me on 20mgs

of Paxil.

> Since then (about 9 years) I have gone off it 3 times, the third

time being a

> few months after I saw Dr. Cheney for the third time and he warned

me of the

> dangers of SSRI's. So now I have been off Paxil for 8 months

(which is the

> longest so far out of the 3 periods). The problem is I seem to

crash more

> often now, my hands are almost always cold (I mean ice cold), and

I just don't

> seem to be able to handle as much day to day activity and stress

as I did in

> the past few years....but I am not really " depressed " or having

panic attacks.

> Doctor Dr. Cheney told me because of the CFIDS I basically live

and die by

> my adrenals (hence the crashing that happens from time to time).

So if the

> adrenals have low reserves and are being taxed in CFIDS, then

maybe the Paxil

> was taking the edge off the day to day general anxiety that

without knowing

> is taxing the already overworked adrenal glands. So it's now

getting to the

> point that if I can't recover from this latest crash (crashed from

the trip

> Seattle to North Carolina, actually fell asleep in Cheney's

office), I am

> thinking of maybe going back on a low dose of Paxil to see if it

can help me get

> back to a comfortable functioning level. But before I do that, I

wanted try

> some alternatives because I worked so hard to get off Paxil. So

has anyone

> had any success with any alternatives?....like 5-HTP, Saint 's

Wort,

> SAM-e, Kava Kava, Passion Flower, etc? Dr. Cheney did give me

something made by

> Medi-Herb called " Nevaton " which has St. 's Wort in it, but it

just

> doesn't seem to really be helping. Any suggestions?

>

> Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, .

Don't forget to consider tetrahydrobiopterin or BH4, which is an important

precursor for

turning tyronsine into dopamine and trytophan into serotonin. Dopamine is

often low in

PWCs on neurotransmitter tests along with GABA.

Apparently BH4 helps with detox too according Dr Yasko's experience with it in

autistic

kids. It can get depleted in PWCs with CBS gene upregulations, those with

ammonia

problems and those with MTHFR A1298C mutations, which I suspect I have so am

giving it

a try with good early benefits over the last three weeks.

More benefits are suggested will come by using it over several months. Check

out the

sublist to this one at CFS_Yasko/ for more

information about BH4 in the archives there and leads to getting a hold of some

if you

don't already know how.

ShyGuyHi@... wrote:

>

> I have had CFIDS for almost 10 years now. About one year after the onset

> while in the hospital for a few days a neurologist put me on 20mgs of Paxil.

> Since then (about 9 years) I have gone off it 3 times, the third time being a

> few months after I saw Dr. Cheney for the third time and he warned me of the

> dangers of SSRI's. So now I have been off Paxil for 8 months (which is the

> longest so far out of the 3 periods). The problem is I seem to crash more

> often now, my hands are almost always cold (I mean ice cold), and I just

don't

> seem to be able to handle as much day to day activity and stress as I did in

> the past few years....but I am not really " depressed " or having panic

attacks.

> Doctor Dr. Cheney told me because of the CFIDS I basically live and die by

> my adrenals (hence the crashing that happens from time to time). So if the

> adrenals have low reserves and are being taxed in CFIDS, then maybe the Paxil

> was taking the edge off the day to day general anxiety that without knowing

> is taxing the already overworked adrenal glands. So it's now getting to the

> point that if I can't recover from this latest crash (crashed from the trip

> Seattle to North Carolina, actually fell asleep in Cheney's office), I am

> thinking of maybe going back on a low dose of Paxil to see if it can help me

get

> back to a comfortable functioning level. But before I do that, I wanted try

> some alternatives because I worked so hard to get off Paxil. So has anyone

> had any success with any alternatives?....like 5-HTP, Saint 's Wort,

> SAM-e, Kava Kava, Passion Flower, etc? Dr. Cheney did give me something made

by

> Medi-Herb called " Nevaton " which has St. 's Wort in it, but it just

> doesn't seem to really be helping. Any suggestions?

>

> Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Try licorice root for adrenal support and SAM-e+B complex and fish oil and

Magnesium.

All must be at therapeutic levels for at least a month, but the results can

be quite amazing.

MJH

" The Basil Book "

http://foxhillfarm.us/FireBasil

Doctor Dr. Cheney told me because of the CFIDS I basically live

and die by

> my adrenals (hence the crashing that happens from time to time).

So if the

> adrenals have low reserves and are being taxed in CFIDS, then

maybe the Paxil

> was taking the edge off the day to day general anxiety that

without knowing

> is taxing the already overworked adrenal glands. So it's now

getting to the

> point that if I can't recover from this latest crash (crashed from

the trip

> Seattle to North Carolina, actually fell asleep in Cheney's

office), I am

> thinking of maybe going back on a low dose of Paxil to see if it

can help me get

> back to a comfortable functioning level. But before I do that, I

wanted try

> some alternatives because I worked so hard to get off Paxil. So

has anyone

> had any success with any alternatives?....like 5-HTP, Saint 's

Wort,

> SAM-e, Kava Kava, Passion Flower, etc? Dr. Cheney did give me

something made by

> Medi-Herb called " Nevaton " which has St. 's Wort in it, but it

just

> doesn't seem to really be helping. Any suggestions?

>

> Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Can you please share what Dr. Cheney said about the dangers of

SSRI's for people with CFS? Thanks in advance,

Janice

> >

> > I have had CFIDS for almost 10 years now. About one year after

the onset

> > while in the hospital for a few days a neurologist put me on

20mgs of Paxil.

> > Since then (about 9 years) I have gone off it 3 times, the

third time being a

> > few months after I saw Dr. Cheney for the third time and he

warned me of the

> > dangers of SSRI's. So now I have been off Paxil for 8 months

(which is the

> > longest so far out of the 3 periods). The problem is I seem to

crash more

> > often now, my hands are almost always cold (I mean ice cold),

and I just don't

> > seem to be able to handle as much day to day activity and

stress as I did in

> > the past few years....but I am not really " depressed " or having

panic attacks.

> > Doctor Dr. Cheney told me because of the CFIDS I basically

live and die by

> > my adrenals (hence the crashing that happens from time to

time). So if the

> > adrenals have low reserves and are being taxed in CFIDS, then

maybe the Paxil

> > was taking the edge off the day to day general anxiety that

without knowing

> > is taxing the already overworked adrenal glands. So it's now

getting to the

> > point that if I can't recover from this latest crash (crashed

from the trip

> > Seattle to North Carolina, actually fell asleep in Cheney's

office), I am

> > thinking of maybe going back on a low dose of Paxil to see if

it can help me get

> > back to a comfortable functioning level. But before I do that,

I wanted try

> > some alternatives because I worked so hard to get off Paxil.

So has anyone

> > had any success with any alternatives?....like 5-HTP, Saint

's Wort,

> > SAM-e, Kava Kava, Passion Flower, etc? Dr. Cheney did give me

something made by

> > Medi-Herb called " Nevaton " which has St. 's Wort in it, but

it just

> > doesn't seem to really be helping. Any suggestions?

> >

> > Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

>

> Can you please share what Dr. Cheney said about the dangers of

> SSRI's for people with CFS? Thanks in advance,

>

> Janice

>

Janice,

For what patient experience is worth I will share mine and my

husband's.

I took Prozac for 3 months the year my 46 yr old brother was dying of

lung cancer. At that time I was still healthy and had no trouble

taking Prozac.

About 6 years later I came down with cfs (actually Lyme but no one

knew). I was given Paxil, took one pill and had a severe reaction

that felt like I had to consciously push the air out of my lungs for

about 12 hours - lasted all night in which I did not sleep at all. I

can only describe it as muscles feeling like molasses. It was a

sickening and terrifying experience which I have learned later is

actually a very bad reaction to SSRIs which some people have. I did

not have this reaction when I was healthy.

My husband got mono, but the doc missed the diagnosis and gave him

Paxil. He took it dutifully and proceeded to hallucinate all night.

(We know now that my husband also has Lyme although at that time his

predominant illness tested out to be Epstein Barr, an accute

infection that cleared up.

All of this to say that when you are infected with a virus or

bacteria as in cfs it is not a good time to be taking SSRIs, in my

opinion, based on my experience.

Take this for what it is worth - two patients' experience.

a Carnes

[Guest guest]

I get really good results w. St 's and very very good effect from Siberian

ginsing, (Eleuthero).

I take L tryptophan at bed time, which allows me to utilize a moderate amount of

excitatory stuff during the day.

Adrienne

My naturopath doen't like Kava.

Alternatives to Paxil?

I have had CFIDS for almost 10 years now. About one year after the onset

while in the hospital for a few days a neurologist put me on 20mgs of Paxil.

Since then (about 9 years) I have gone off it 3 times, the third time being a

few months after I saw Dr. Cheney for the third time and he warned me of the

dangers of SSRI's. So now I have been off Paxil for 8 months (which is the

longest so far out of the 3 periods). The problem is I seem to crash more

often now, my hands are almost always cold (I mean ice cold), and I just

don't

seem to be able to handle as much day to day activity and stress as I did in

the past few years....but I am not really " depressed " or having panic

attacks.

Doctor Dr. Cheney told me because of the CFIDS I basically live and die by

my adrenals (hence the crashing that happens from time to time). So if the

adrenals have low reserves and are being taxed in CFIDS, then maybe the Paxil

was taking the edge off the day to day general anxiety that without knowing

is taxing the already overworked adrenal glands. So it's now getting to the

point that if I can't recover from this latest crash (crashed from the trip

Seattle to North Carolina, actually fell asleep in Cheney's office), I am

thinking of maybe going back on a low dose of Paxil to see if it can help me

get

back to a comfortable functioning level. But before I do that, I wanted try

some alternatives because I worked so hard to get off Paxil. So has anyone

had any success with any alternatives?....like 5-HTP, Saint 's Wort,

SAM-e, Kava Kava, Passion Flower, etc? Dr. Cheney did give me something made

by

Medi-Herb called " Nevaton " which has St. 's Wort in it, but it just

doesn't seem to really be helping. Any suggestions?

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.