# to the curious...Mt. Sinai Seromycin trials begin



## [rula] (Jan 16, 2005)

hi guys,

Well this isn't so much my DP story, but hopefully perhaps my recovery story. I haven't come to this forum in a while by order from my psych. But today I began the Mt. Sinai new drug trials for DP and I wanted to share the story/progress albeit all still new.

I've been generally feeling better lately, but not 100%. the last two *sunny* days had me feeling almost normal. But some of my remaining symtpoms at times: seeing things through a haze, darkened indoors vision, there's something not quite right about the person in the mirror, feel disconnected/unreal, and body parts feel bizarre.

At Mt. Sinai today Dr. Simeon gave me a series of memory and concentration tests, and dp questionnaires. i had lab work done to test my liver and kidney functions and of course to test for toxicity...no reason for her to trust that i'm drug free. it's all good.

starting tomorrow I will be taking 250mg of Seromycin, D-cycloserine for 8 weeks. it's a low enough dose, and apparently no one has yet reported any side effects. Seromycin is used to cure phobias of different kinds, so I'm hopeful and keeping my fingers crossed. I will keep you guys updated with results, if anyone is interested.

peace,
rula


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## dax (Mar 16, 2005)

Please keep us updated, I hope it works out for you, good luck.


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## [rula] (Jan 16, 2005)

i guess i was wondering what the point of all the memory/concentration tests were....well i just found this:



> *March 22nd, 2005*. Psychiatrists are finding indications that a tuberculosis drug may provide a new approach to treatment of phobias and other anxiety disorders. It's an antibiotic called D-cycloserine which increases learning and memory and, therefore speeds up psychotherapy by half to three quarters of the time generally required. People in behavioural therapy for fear of heights improved dramatically, after only two sessions, when the drug was included in their treatment. Researchers are studying its effects on social phobia, panic disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. D-cycloserine acts on the glutamate receptor in the amygdala, the part of the brain that governs emotion. The receptor has a role in learning to adjust to threatening stimuli so that replacing anti-anxiety medication, during exposure-type therapies, with D-cycloserine would speed the learning process rather than just calm the patient during the learning process.


day 4, not much to report. still keeping my fingers crossed for all of us.

-rula


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## [rula] (Jan 16, 2005)

Week 4 of the trial, and i've basically dropped out. The D-cycloserine did nothing for my dp, although it made my jaw clench tight to the point that eating anything solid was too painful. through another msg board i met another participant in the research who confirmed that the drug did nothing for her either, even though she took it for the full 8 weeks period.

she is now in phase II, the anti-histamine cyproheptadine. she's physically feeling worse, drowsy, exhausted and she's only taking 1 of the 4 pill she needs to work up to...but, she reports a slight improvement in her dp symtpoms.

I've come to the decision to stop poppin random pills and concentrate on not concentrating on dp  on a personal note, I felt that Dr. Simeon treats her patients like lab rats, with total lack of empathy and little to no regard to their well being. Her cold and unsympathetic way of dealing with this particular rat had a huge influence on my decison to drop out. but let's hope that she stumbles upon a cure soon.

peace,
rula


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## johncav (May 9, 2005)

Yea i get the same thing when iwalk inside things seem to get darker.


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## [rula] (Jan 16, 2005)

...week 3 of cyproheptadine, Periactin, or whatever. I agreed to finish the research at Mt. Sinia despite my many reservations. I'm now up to 12mg/day which is the highest dose that I will go to, based on my body weight/tolerance...

Improvement in DP symptoms? not yet. but I have 5 more weeks at this dose before a final verdict. on the bright side, my problem with tinnitus seems to have improved a lot. and Dr. Simeon has recommended a Klonopin taper, since the combination of both sleepy pills is too much for my body and she thinks the Periactin is good substitution for an anxiety med. joy! i hate klonopin!

oh, and this pill makes me eat like a pig, which is not a bright side...

and for those who don't know/care, Periactin is being tried out for its anti-LSD-like effects on the brain; bascially it's a serotonin antogonist...the opposite of taking an SSRI.

to be continued...gotta find more food.

-ru


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## goussem (Jul 4, 2006)

Can you give me an update on your medicine trials?


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## Xu (May 6, 2006)

> I've come to the decision to stop poppin random pills and concentrate on not concentrating on dp Smile on a personal note, I felt that Dr. Simeon treats her patients like lab rats, with total lack of empathy and little to no regard to their well being. Her cold and unsympathetic way of dealing with this particular rat had a huge influence on my decison to drop out. but let's hope that she stumbles upon a cure soon.


That sounded pretty serious, but then you went on more drugs, tsk :?

So instead of overdosing on seratonin, that drug tears it away from you? I can't imagine either is beneficial. I still think that SSRIs caused Lemierre's Syndrome in me. I don't wanna fuck with my seratonin again.

[edit]
The whole "hm, if this drug didn't help you, maybe THIS one will!!!" way of dealing with things really pisses me off.

It's obvious that psychiatrists can't fix someone's brain by blasting it with chemicals, at least not yet. I think you should keep to your morals and quit.


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