My Crohn's and Colitis Blog » Bronchial Asthma Treatment » MEDs; Need help regarding – those wonderful cocktails :)

MEDs; Need help regarding – those wonderful cocktails :)

Question:

OK.IMO: d/c beta blockers stay right on Lithium;start thinking about making a move to Depakote instead add i mg Klonopin 3x/day ignore the skin problems for a while,

also related arthritis(well, ok, take some Alleve if you *MUST* lie in a hot tub of water 3-6x/day take a multi vitamin, to include Zinc and Selenium Extra B’s and C’s more water keep bowels regular don’t answer the phone unless you feel like it; you own it, it

doesn’t own you make and eat yoghurt milkshakes (if you cannot stand yoghurt,

increase your knowledge base surrounding this food!) allow for 1-2 hours of *alone time* EVERY day. Do whatever

strikes you at that time:reading to sleeping, etc…. eat 1 piece of"fresh fruit" daily. Wash vigorously before eating.

savor the sweet, delicate juices, then suck on the pit for a while IF you can tolerate it, eat 1-2 oz of cod liver oil daily(ugh)

keep a graph or journal of your moods in an orderly manner; this can "extend" your session by 15 minutes remember, a nap a day keeps the doctor away(and you deserve it!) do not tell even those little ‘white’ lies; they are thin and tiny

fragile strands which break too easily and quickly. Don’t believe that no one will notice. Be good to your SO and children:-)

^^-^^Olivia^^-^^

Response:

This is mainly for anyone who’s had experience with ‘med-coctails’ - who is also in the mood to tollerate a little reading My story is a long one (and I am sure there are a number of them out here) depending on how quick one got diagnosed. As much as I am able in the state I am in I will try to keep the novel as brief and on track as possible -I suffer from Grave’s Disease – an auto-immune disorder which the main side-effect is hyperthyroidism. -I have bronchial asthma – treated w/a bricanyl tubal inhailer which manages to keep the agitation from the beta blockers from flaring up too badly. -I have psorisis and the related arthritis -I have degenerating cartalige in almost all joints but shoulders which accents well with the other form of arthritis that I have. -Oh yes and we must not forget, I am, they tell me, a Rapid Cycling, Mixed Episode Bipolar -kinda tops the brew off nicely don’chya think :) I have not composed this list to complain (I’ve learned to live and love most of my ailes), I just thought it might be a good idea to include the list because of what I am going through at the moment. I was last october taking upwards of 22 pills /day. This I did not like. I have manage to get down to: Thyroid Meds – I no longer need to take the thyroid meds cuz *for the moment* it’s stable (that is a story unto itself – no thanks to the Endo I had at the time) Epival – (2nd line lithium) 500mg – 4/day: Since last October Arthrotek 3/day – sulcrate to counteract side effects Couple of years Prozak 20mg /day since Christmas Beta Blocker (propranalol) 80 mg/day This last one I took from last August to about 3 weeks ago When I first started taking Epival I started with 250mg 2/day it worked for a week at that level, I could literally feel it wear off during the course of the day. Over the course of a few weeks the dosage rapidly increase to what it is at now 500 mg – 4/day. In conjunction with this, once the levels were that high the dr. put me on triazadone (not a good move for me) made me very ill, dopey, and a general all-round unhappy camper. Eventually when I started to go off the wall around Christ- mas he tried the prozak. I had not a bad start with that; managed to live through being in the heart of Ice Storm ‘98 Any ‘Eastern Ontarian’ will know what that was like. Tho I must admit, I don’t really ‘feel’ any different while I’ve been taking the prozak.. . doesn’t seem to do much. I was hypomanic for that storm ..thank goodness ..hehe watched a lot of people round me bumb out, but I managed to keep my rather bored housebound 6 year old pretty stable for 6 days of no power/no heat (just *had* to tout there a little ..sorry for the swerve .. .) anyway back to business, so after seriously screwing up some stuff, my endoctronologist (the moron who was treating my Grave’s) screwed up royally I (god only knows how) managed to get to a ‘normal’ level with my thyroid (if there is such a thing) – no thanks to him, at my self emposed final appointment with him, he wondered why I was taking the beta blockers ..since my medical records clearly state that I have broncial asthma (agitated by b.blockers)-he was trying to get himself out of hot water for almost putting me deep in the bowels of hyp*o*thyroid hehe very bad for a Graves patient. And suggested it was time for me to taper off the beta blockers ..my gp went along w/it when I told him what had been happening with him overdoseing the thyroid meds. So after a few months I got brave and tapered my self off the beta blockers. Here is where the heart of the problem is. I have been off the b.blockers for approx 3 weeks. My pshyciatist and doctor seem to have VERY opposing opinions about what is going on. I am shakey, irratable, tired, hyper, can pop into rages at the slightest inclination, can’t seem to control temper. can’t think straight, headaches (couple being migrains over the last 3 days) my arthritis has flaired through the roof, tho part of that is definintly related to the weather, and feeling very confused, i’ve got a tonne of pressure round my head when the headaches aren’t in control & Basically I feel like I did b4 I lost it and started taking all these meds On the one hand the phyciatrist says that it is the withdrawl symptoms of the beta blockers (I know what missing a few is like but that is usually right away with in 24 hours of missing more than 3 pills your brain is like an elastic band) My GP says that there is no way it is the withdrawl of beta blockers this late in the game. The pharmasist (who I do have a bit of faith in) is sitting on the fence on this one. Ususally I am the one that is helping people out around me I seem to attract people who are low cuz my hypo moods, and the abliity to maintain logic (except while shopping) seems to bring them *up* somehow. But as usual, I’m having to go this one alone and I must be hitting a depressed slump or something cuz I just don’t know what to do. the phy says ‘meditate’ hehe..yeah sure meditate when I am ready to take the world off at the head I am so on edge The gp says ..pretty much nothing cept its probably the prozak/epival. hehe and the pharm ..well ..as usually ‘ask your doctor’ he should be there to help you through this. Short of editing my run on letter; comments, suggestions, related experiences!!??.. .advice would be appricated. Artemis — !Insanity Is Hereditary, You Get It From Your Kids!