# the drug route



## PhoenixDown (Mar 3, 2011)

well. I'm well along the drug route.

I'm on 40 mg of celexa and tapering up on the anti-epileptic Topamax.

I'm sketched as F*&(* about side effects but I have no choice. So far I have gained considerable weight, but I can live with that. Anxiety and depression more or less under control. Topamax may be helping the headaches that accompanied my DP. Anyway, I'm on a fucked up adventure into pharmacology.

Strange how one tiny amount of drugs messed me up... and now I'm using a crap ton to try and restore balance. It makes me believe the initial drug usage couldn't have actually done anything to me. Not sure I understand how DP is set off.


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## Tandem (Oct 20, 2011)

Yea... I hear you. Just remember that the brain is a very sensitive organ. Micrograms of the wrong chemicals can throw it for a loop. I hope you have good luck with the medication. Right now I'm taking Prozac and easing off Lorazepam.


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## Timer (Feb 10, 2011)

Yup,

On 20mg of Celexa, going to see neurologist on Thursday, dont know what he will give me if anything.

Once you start this route its very difficult to stop it in some ways...your trying to recover and you've been offered something which is meant to help so how can you stop?

On the other hand, how long do you just stay on these meds for?

I would suggest if you haven't yet gone down the med route to sit it out and fight it every other way possible first, I felt I had which left me with no choice.

Phoneix - you find 40mg helps any more than lower dosages?


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## huard (Nov 20, 2011)

I'm prescribed 2mg lorazepam up to three times a day for panic attacks. Lorazepam works wonders for anxiety, although it's way too short-lasting to really do much for chronic DP or DR. It was originally thought that I had Panic Disorder only, caused by a combination of SAD and PTSD, but now that the pieces have fallen into place a bit more, it's almost certain that I have DPD, and have indeed been suffering for years.

I'd like to switch to something that isn't so short-lasting. It's a pain having to constantly re-dose and carry pills around all day, not to mention that taking even 6mg lorazepam throughout an entire day only helps up to two-thirds of the time maximum.

Are antidepressants more effective over anxiolytics? What about antipsychotics?

I've been prescribed at various points buspirone, quetiapine, olanzapine, trazodone, and sertraline, all of which either made my anxiety worse, DP/DR worse, both worse, or did nothing at all. However, I was prescribed all of the above medication strictly for treating panic attacks, before being diagnosed as having DPD be the cause.


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## rightwrong99 (Apr 17, 2011)

huard said:


> However, I was prescribed all of the above medication strictly for treating panic attacks, before being diagnosed as having DPD be the cause.


DPD is the "cause" of your panic attacks? That seems unlikely. But, chicken or the egg I guess.


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## Visual (Oct 13, 2010)

huard said:


> I'm prescribed 2mg lorazepam up to three times a day for panic attacks. Lorazepam works wonders for anxiety, although it's way too short-lasting to really do much for chronic DP or DR. It was originally thought that I had Panic Disorder only, caused by a combination of SAD and PTSD, but now that the pieces have fallen into place a bit more, it's almost certain that I have DPD, and have indeed been suffering for years.
> 
> I'd like to switch to something that isn't so short-lasting. It's a pain having to constantly re-dose and carry pills around all day, not to mention that taking even 6mg lorazepam throughout an entire day only helps up to two-thirds of the time maximum.
> 
> ...


Besides anxiety and DP, do you have visual distortions or problems?

Both quetiapine and olanzapine are anti-psychotics (just more modern versions) - how did they affect you?

Which ones made anxiety worse?


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## huard (Nov 20, 2011)

newyork said:


> Besides anxiety and DP, do you have visual distortions or problems?
> 
> Both quetiapine and olanzapine are anti-psychotics (just more modern versions) - how did they affect you?
> 
> Which ones made anxiety worse?


No, I have excellent vision without any kind of distortions. I'll see auras before I have a migraine, but that's common.

Quetiapine was way WAY too sedating. I could do nothing but sleep, literally. But it did that job well... 
Olanzapine worked somewhat for reducing anxiety, but it made the DP/DR so much worse, about 5 times so.


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## kate_edwin (Aug 9, 2009)

As far as we know, no meds have been found to stop dp. A couple of very small studies found a handful of meds to be effective, the problem is these studies have about a dozen people in them, and because meds are so dif person to person, it's all hit or miss right now. Until larger studies are done. Naltrexone was one of the small study drugs. If you've got a good dr I'd have them look into the lit on dp , and what systems and chemicals they think are involved and let them make educated guesses from there.


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## Jayden (Feb 9, 2011)

The only drug I have really tried is clonazepam.

I tried Risperidone and 3 days later I couldn't handle it, tried celexa and 10 days later couldn't handle that either.

Went back to the psych the other week and I decided that I would get a prescription of Risperidone again. Went home did researched and decided not to even try it again. I know it's not going to help DP and I don't want to get fat from it. I dropped 30 pounds after highschool and if I gained it all back not only would I still have DP but I would probably feel worse about myself.

Right now I'm actually just taking l-theanine and GABA instead of my clonazepam, and although it doesnt work like a benzo, its not too bad. From what I've learned and experienced DP isn't a progressive disorder.

If worse comes to worse then yeah I'll have to go on meds but till then I am going to focus dealing with my anxiety and depression as natural as possible and not mask it.


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