Guest guest Posted May 16, 1998 Report Share Posted May 16, 1998 Kate, thanks, I think my husband and I may try the Paxil. He says the Dexidrine is putting him to sleep. I need something more even than the ups and downs of the ritalin. So far is alright with it. I'll go back and reread some on it. S. Re: Zolof\\\\\Paxil >From: Stacimom@... > >In a message dated 5/12/99 2:36:13 PM Pacific Daylight Time, >lfitzger@... writes: > - > I take 10 mg of Paxil a day with no problems. It takes the edge off and I am >less likely to get really upset about things. It makes me more " normal " . Now >that is a scary word for a mitochondriac to use. Laurie > > wrote: >I was just told by a child psychiatrist to try 5mg daily of liquid Paxil for >. >snip>> If any of you know about this med. please share with me. S. >>> > >Dear Laurie, , and anyone else who takes antidepressants, > I have tried about 6 antidepressants over 3 years, and Paxil is the >best for me--best oomph and least drowsy side-effects. By oomph I don't mean >hyperactivity, I mean being able to handle things in a calm, rational manner. > I am sure to take it after eating breakfast, and a few times have forgotten >to take it until later...I certainly can tell the difference in how I feel >and think and even act. > I am trying to clear out my mailbox, so unfortunately cleared out the post >re: why is on the Paxil. For depression and many other psych. info on >the web, I highly recommend www.pendulum.org. It is a lot of fun to surf, is >user friendly, and has many different areas. > Hope this helps. Sincerely, Kate Echert Mom to Staci, RC Complex II > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Looking for a new hobby? Want to make a new friend? >http://www.onelist.com >Come join one of the 145,000 email communities at ONElist! >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Brought to you by www.imdn.org - an on-line support group for those affected by mitochondrial disease. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 16, 1998 Report Share Posted May 16, 1998 Merril, Yest I got on the Paxil Q & A site and told my husband no way would I take Paxil altho we had thought about it. Side effects are substantial weight gain, loss of sexual drive, possible hair thinning... I talked to my 26 yr old daughter about how she did on the Serzone and she did well so we might give that a shot. Thanks for your feedback. That must be so hard for you and your husband. If he has Alz. how do you know he doesn't have mito? Since they feel Alz. is the end effect of undiagnosed milder form of mito and in fact there are studies going on to try and prove that. If other family members have mito then why is that not a possibility? Just sharing what I have learned or heard and wondering. We have quite a bit of Alz. in my family on my dad's side and Parkinson's on my moms. Didn't you mention the depression in your family also? The Alz. is on the family line with the depression and other emotional problems. Love, Re: Zolof\\\\\Paxil > > >Hi, .. >My husband is on Paxil for Alzheimer's. Makes him very sleepy by >mid-afternoon. Strange sort of sleepy though. If he is involved in >some activity, he does not feel sleepy or want to take a nap. But if he >sits down in a chair after about 2-3 PM (he takes it in the morning) he >will almost surely fall into a very very deep sleep. The first time it >happened, I got very worried. It was very hard to wake him and he was >somewhat confused for a few minutes afterwards. The reading I have >done, the nurse practitioner in the doc's office and the AD doc all say >this happens with some people; it has been reported before. They >switched him to serzone and within days his cognitive abilities >deteriorated significantly. Went back to Paxil and now things are >almost OK again.....he is also taking Aricept and Prinivil among other >things, so, while he is not mito at all, it may be a combo of drugs that >produces the sleepiness. >Merril > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Are you hogging all the fun? >http://www.onelist.com >Friends tell friends about ONElist! >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Brought to you by www.imdn.org - an on-line support group for those affected by mitochondrial disease. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 15, 1999 Report Share Posted May 15, 1999 In a message dated 99-05-15 16:15:46 EDT, you write: << Dear Laurie, , and anyone else who takes antidepressants, I have tried about 6 antidepressants over 3 years, and Paxil is the best for me--best oomph and least drowsy side-effects. By oomph I don't mean hyperactivity, I mean being able to handle things in a calm, rational manner. I am sure to take it after eating breakfast, and a few times have forgotten to take it until later...I certainly can tell the difference in how I feel and think and even act. I am trying to clear out my mailbox, so unfortunately cleared out the post re: why is on the Paxil. For depression and many other psych. info on the web, I highly recommend www.pendulum.org. It is a lot of fun to surf, is user friendly, and has many different areas. Hope this helps. Sincerely, Kate Echert Mom to Staci, RC Complex II >> Dear Kate: Can you list other anti-depressants out there? Id Prozac one of them? Lynnie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 15, 1999 Report Share Posted May 15, 1999 In a message dated 99-05-15 16:15:46 EDT, you write: << Dear Laurie, , and anyone else who takes antidepressants, I have tried about 6 antidepressants over 3 years, and Paxil is the best for me--best oomph and least drowsy side-effects. By oomph I don't mean hyperactivity, I mean being able to handle things in a calm, rational manner. I am sure to take it after eating breakfast, and a few times have forgotten to take it until later...I certainly can tell the difference in how I feel and think and even act. I am trying to clear out my mailbox, so unfortunately cleared out the post re: why is on the Paxil. For depression and many other psych. info on the web, I highly recommend www.pendulum.org. It is a lot of fun to surf, is user friendly, and has many different areas. Hope this helps. Sincerely, Kate Echert Mom to Staci, RC Complex II >> Dear Kate: Can you list other anti-depressants out there? Id Prozac one of them? Lynnie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 16, 1999 Report Share Posted May 16, 1999 Kathy, With all I've read now and heard from other Paxil users I think we will continue on 2 & 1/2mg of the Paxil (I have to call his mom every morning and remind her to give it to him with his other nutrients and medicine) and get hold of Ron at the ADHD Clinic in Aberdeen, WA for an appt. with him for . I don't like the sounds of the Paxil side effects. I wish we could not give him any anti-dep. until the brain scan, but think that would be dangerous. Ron has to have seen children like and treated them so he will have a better idea what to try until the scan and probably be a better help thereafter than any of the Dr.s we can find locally. It is a 3 hr drive. Kathy, when you say your sons show no signs of mito, you are talking about other than emotional? I think with the type of mito we have coming down my dad's side it is more emotional than physical. Kids with AD(H)D seem to have all the problems in the head and in fact keep us so busy with the severity of that we sometimes don't notice the subtle mito like other physical problems. Have you ever noticed that some of your son's emotional outbursts are tied to reactions to any foods or chemicals? This is a metabolic disturbance. Remember it is not just lowly ol me trying to claim ADD is perhaps a mito disorder, it is the mito specialists. Most of our ADHD symptoms are treated by taking anti-oxidants and anti-histamines, what does that say? I like your grasp on the anti-dep. /real medical physical problem thing. Isn't that the hardest thing to come to grips with? Society tells us pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and get on with it! So we suffer not only from the illness but are made to feel like failures for even having it and not being able to cure ourselves! I'm surprised with the amt. of people on this list with ADD or kids with ADD no one has ever responded to my infor. on the Feingold diet or food and chemical reactions. Maybe they are all too overwhelmed with the kids who have such severe other mito symptoms the ADD ones are in the background like bees buzzing around. I guess with all the overactivity they just seem like they will be OK while inability to move seems so frightening and in need of immed. help.?? Maybe no one else's kids are as severe with the ADHD as my family because if Kody had a sibling on tubes etc. I think in one of his rages he would dump the wheelchair or pull out a tube or some other horrifying thing. Going to the net to search infor. on several anti-dep you mentioned my husband and I never heard of, thanks. S. Re: Zolof\\\\\Paxil > > >> >>Dear Kate: >> >>Can you list other anti-depressants out there? Id Prozac one of them? >> >>Lynnie > > >There are three main Seratonin drugs: Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft. Paxil has >some pretty rough withdrawal if you stop it cold turkey and sometimes they >give you Prozac to get off Paxil. There are three other anti-depressants >that are pretty common - Wellbutrin, Seroquil and Celexa (the cheapest of >them all). There are also tricyclic antidepressants that also work on >compulsion and obsession (tend to dwell on things) - Anafranil >(clomipramine) and Pamelor (nortriptaline). Lithium and Depakote are used >for bipolar too. (Depakote is one you don't want to take if you suspect >mito). > >I have been on Lithium/Paxil and Lithium/Prozac and was switched to a >tricyclic when I changed doctors. I really believe it has been the best >solution. I originally thought that my depression was due to circumstance >since it became difficult for me to control when my mom died, but I've since >noticed that there are days when everything was going ok that I just felt >sad > with really no focus to it. The lithium numbed me, and clouded my thinking >I think, and the Paxil and Prozac were part of that. When I felt like it >wasn't doing the job, I went and got the others and have been feeling normal >since. No more outbursts, no more irrational anger, no rage. And no >sadness unless there was something to really be sad about (like a sad >movie). > >There are two things I would really stress about antidepressants: first, >you have to take them religiously. The right amount, every day. >Fluctuations in the levels hurt their effectiveness. It sometimes takes >several weeks to get fully up to theraputic levels, so you can't tryi it for >a week and expect results. And second: if one doesn't work that doesn't >mean none will. If you took it for the right time without good results, get >a different one. Change the dose (let the doctor change it that is). > >In Colorado and many other states, depression and many other disorders have >been classified medical disorders, not mental health disorders. What that >means is that if your insurance pays for an office call, it doesn't have to >be a GP but can be a psychiatrist for the same amount of copay. Many many >more insurances cover mental health now since it's such a cause of real >medical problems. Also, the old idea that you do psychotherapy is not >really the case. Psychologists and psychotherapists *do* that if it truly >is something you need and want but most psychiatrists just determine your >medical (medicinal) needs and manage that and refer you to the others if >that's what you need/want. > >I believe that everyone needs mental health support at sometime in their >lives. It's just that some of us realize it sooner than the others and get >help. Everyone I ever talked to about it in depth said the hardest thing >was going for help because they knew they should be able to deal with things >and knew how to....and just didn't. It's like being overweight - you know >what to do, it's just a matter of doing it. Well, this group more than any >other should understand just how untrue that is. Just as mito is a *real* >thing and can be treated or supported by knowing what it is, so is clinical >depression very real and controlable. It's *not* just in your head, or just >something you haven't " handled " that you need to work through, but can be a >real chemical deficit that can be corrected with proper treatment. > >I'm not a doctor. Just a mom with a really screwed up physiology. My sons >show no signs of mito but they do show signs of having problems with anger >control, outbursts of frustration beyond what the rest of the world has, and >moodiness like I had as a younger person. I hope they don't try to " suffer >through it " like I did for 30+ years. There is no need to do that. > >Good luck to all of you who are going through this, or have children going >through it - help is easy to find and makes all the difference in the world. > >With love, >Kathy > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Where do some of the Internet's largest email lists reside? >http://www.onelist.com >At ONElist - the most scalable and reliable service on the Internet. >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Brought to you by www.imdn.org - an on-line support group for those affected by mitochondrial disease. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 16, 1999 Report Share Posted May 16, 1999 Kathy, With all I've read now and heard from other Paxil users I think we will continue on 2 & 1/2mg of the Paxil (I have to call his mom every morning and remind her to give it to him with his other nutrients and medicine) and get hold of Ron at the ADHD Clinic in Aberdeen, WA for an appt. with him for . I don't like the sounds of the Paxil side effects. I wish we could not give him any anti-dep. until the brain scan, but think that would be dangerous. Ron has to have seen children like and treated them so he will have a better idea what to try until the scan and probably be a better help thereafter than any of the Dr.s we can find locally. It is a 3 hr drive. Kathy, when you say your sons show no signs of mito, you are talking about other than emotional? I think with the type of mito we have coming down my dad's side it is more emotional than physical. Kids with AD(H)D seem to have all the problems in the head and in fact keep us so busy with the severity of that we sometimes don't notice the subtle mito like other physical problems. Have you ever noticed that some of your son's emotional outbursts are tied to reactions to any foods or chemicals? This is a metabolic disturbance. Remember it is not just lowly ol me trying to claim ADD is perhaps a mito disorder, it is the mito specialists. Most of our ADHD symptoms are treated by taking anti-oxidants and anti-histamines, what does that say? I like your grasp on the anti-dep. /real medical physical problem thing. Isn't that the hardest thing to come to grips with? Society tells us pull yourself up by your own bootstraps and get on with it! So we suffer not only from the illness but are made to feel like failures for even having it and not being able to cure ourselves! I'm surprised with the amt. of people on this list with ADD or kids with ADD no one has ever responded to my infor. on the Feingold diet or food and chemical reactions. Maybe they are all too overwhelmed with the kids who have such severe other mito symptoms the ADD ones are in the background like bees buzzing around. I guess with all the overactivity they just seem like they will be OK while inability to move seems so frightening and in need of immed. help.?? Maybe no one else's kids are as severe with the ADHD as my family because if Kody had a sibling on tubes etc. I think in one of his rages he would dump the wheelchair or pull out a tube or some other horrifying thing. Going to the net to search infor. on several anti-dep you mentioned my husband and I never heard of, thanks. S. Re: Zolof\\\\\Paxil > > >> >>Dear Kate: >> >>Can you list other anti-depressants out there? Id Prozac one of them? >> >>Lynnie > > >There are three main Seratonin drugs: Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft. Paxil has >some pretty rough withdrawal if you stop it cold turkey and sometimes they >give you Prozac to get off Paxil. There are three other anti-depressants >that are pretty common - Wellbutrin, Seroquil and Celexa (the cheapest of >them all). There are also tricyclic antidepressants that also work on >compulsion and obsession (tend to dwell on things) - Anafranil >(clomipramine) and Pamelor (nortriptaline). Lithium and Depakote are used >for bipolar too. (Depakote is one you don't want to take if you suspect >mito). > >I have been on Lithium/Paxil and Lithium/Prozac and was switched to a >tricyclic when I changed doctors. I really believe it has been the best >solution. I originally thought that my depression was due to circumstance >since it became difficult for me to control when my mom died, but I've since >noticed that there are days when everything was going ok that I just felt >sad > with really no focus to it. The lithium numbed me, and clouded my thinking >I think, and the Paxil and Prozac were part of that. When I felt like it >wasn't doing the job, I went and got the others and have been feeling normal >since. No more outbursts, no more irrational anger, no rage. And no >sadness unless there was something to really be sad about (like a sad >movie). > >There are two things I would really stress about antidepressants: first, >you have to take them religiously. The right amount, every day. >Fluctuations in the levels hurt their effectiveness. It sometimes takes >several weeks to get fully up to theraputic levels, so you can't tryi it for >a week and expect results. And second: if one doesn't work that doesn't >mean none will. If you took it for the right time without good results, get >a different one. Change the dose (let the doctor change it that is). > >In Colorado and many other states, depression and many other disorders have >been classified medical disorders, not mental health disorders. What that >means is that if your insurance pays for an office call, it doesn't have to >be a GP but can be a psychiatrist for the same amount of copay. Many many >more insurances cover mental health now since it's such a cause of real >medical problems. Also, the old idea that you do psychotherapy is not >really the case. Psychologists and psychotherapists *do* that if it truly >is something you need and want but most psychiatrists just determine your >medical (medicinal) needs and manage that and refer you to the others if >that's what you need/want. > >I believe that everyone needs mental health support at sometime in their >lives. It's just that some of us realize it sooner than the others and get >help. Everyone I ever talked to about it in depth said the hardest thing >was going for help because they knew they should be able to deal with things >and knew how to....and just didn't. It's like being overweight - you know >what to do, it's just a matter of doing it. Well, this group more than any >other should understand just how untrue that is. Just as mito is a *real* >thing and can be treated or supported by knowing what it is, so is clinical >depression very real and controlable. It's *not* just in your head, or just >something you haven't " handled " that you need to work through, but can be a >real chemical deficit that can be corrected with proper treatment. > >I'm not a doctor. Just a mom with a really screwed up physiology. My sons >show no signs of mito but they do show signs of having problems with anger >control, outbursts of frustration beyond what the rest of the world has, and >moodiness like I had as a younger person. I hope they don't try to " suffer >through it " like I did for 30+ years. There is no need to do that. > >Good luck to all of you who are going through this, or have children going >through it - help is easy to find and makes all the difference in the world. > >With love, >Kathy > > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Where do some of the Internet's largest email lists reside? >http://www.onelist.com >At ONElist - the most scalable and reliable service on the Internet. >------------------------------------------------------------------------ >Brought to you by www.imdn.org - an on-line support group for those affected by mitochondrial disease. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 1999 Report Share Posted May 17, 1999 .... No, no depression in family. Paxil was prescribed for Bill as an adjunct to the Aricept that he takes for the Alzheimer's (AD). It enhances cognition by acting on serotonin. I doubt that there is mito in his family, although both he and one of his birth sons are dyslexic. I read the info on Mito and AD and thought about that, so thanks for passing your concern on. He experienced not only the extreme sleepiness, but also some sexual dysfunction on Paxil and that is why we tried the switch to Serzone. Unfortunately, his cognitive abilities dropped very abruptly within a few days after the switch. We waited several days to see if it was a matter of achieving a level, but things got worse. So we (with the doc's permission) switched back to the Paxil. It took more than a week before he seemed to regain some of the ground we had lost and I am not sure that he is back to where he was before we tried the Serzone. But again, this was done to enhance cognitive abilities, not as a treatment for depression. And we always have to remember that, even in non-mito people, individual metabolism reigns. Good luck with Serzone. It must work very well for many people or it would not be out there!!! Merril Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 1999 Report Share Posted May 17, 1999 .... No, no depression in family. Paxil was prescribed for Bill as an adjunct to the Aricept that he takes for the Alzheimer's (AD). It enhances cognition by acting on serotonin. I doubt that there is mito in his family, although both he and one of his birth sons are dyslexic. I read the info on Mito and AD and thought about that, so thanks for passing your concern on. He experienced not only the extreme sleepiness, but also some sexual dysfunction on Paxil and that is why we tried the switch to Serzone. Unfortunately, his cognitive abilities dropped very abruptly within a few days after the switch. We waited several days to see if it was a matter of achieving a level, but things got worse. So we (with the doc's permission) switched back to the Paxil. It took more than a week before he seemed to regain some of the ground we had lost and I am not sure that he is back to where he was before we tried the Serzone. But again, this was done to enhance cognitive abilities, not as a treatment for depression. And we always have to remember that, even in non-mito people, individual metabolism reigns. Good luck with Serzone. It must work very well for many people or it would not be out there!!! Merril Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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