Medication Results - Update

[Guest guest]

It's been quite a while since I checked in, and I'm basically status quo on the meds I'm taking. As a reminder, here's what they are:

valproic acid (generic for Depakote) - 250mg 2x/day (am and pm)

citalopram (generic for Celexa) - 40mg once a day (am)

bupropion SR (generic for Wellbutrin) - 150mg once a day (am)

I'm also taking meds for my asthma, but since my doctor says there are no potential interactions, there's no point in listing those.

I've been on this combination for over a year, and it's still working. For a while I was less compliant (i.e., I got lazy) about taking everything every day, and my 4S sypmtoms got somewhat worse again. I recently got refocused on taking all the meds diligently, and the 4S is improving once again. So that's an indication that this combo really is working for me long-term.

I also had an interesting revelation a month or so ago that I cannot BELIEVE I didn't get sooner. The extreme discomfort is still all there when I hear one of my trigger sounds (basically a squirmy, squishy, "invaded" feeling in my gut, in a way that feels like sexual violation, as some other people have very bravely mentioned experiencing--well, add me to that list). But the RAGE is about 90% gone. If I'm having a bad day, or if I hear too many triggers in a short time, I still need to act out in one of the ways we've all discussed--for me, usually mimicking the offending sound violently--but much of the time I can now hear a trigger sound without feeling the desire to kick through a wall or decapitate the person who has just unwittingly cleared his/her throat, or whatever.

Overall I'd say that I'm 50% better than when I started this medication combo. The 4S still controls way too much of how I live my life, and I'm going to keep searching for ways to improve, but I never imagined I could feel as much better as I do now. The purist in me hates taking medications that affect the central nervous system, but I'm not experiencing any negative side effects, and the 4S sufferer in me says that if I have to take this stuff for the rest of my life to maintain this level of improvement, it's SO worth it.

I know many people here are anti-drug, and with good reason, but I'd be interested to hear if anyone else tries anything close to this combination and gets results, either good or bad.

-Hope