Life w/PMDD/Severe PMS Support... - Page 26

[Surfacing]

Keep us posted. I hope it works for you.

[mystic~mama]

Originally Posted by umami_mommy

hey MM, check out "journey of the heart." i think it will resonate with where you are right now.

I started reading it today, you were so right, I LOVE it!!! thank you for sharing that with me, it is amazingly in line with my journey...I look forward to my partner reading it as well!

[umami_mommy]

it's a great book, i love it.

[mystic~mama]

I decided on Wellbutrin XL....after reading

hopefully I'll get increased libido and weight loss

we shall see...just glad I got this part done...it was anxiety producing for me making the choice to do this,,,I start tomorrow morning on it...

which mama is it that is taking Fluox and Wellbutrin? Surfacing? would love to chat with you about that...

love and light

[mystic~mama]

switching adding new meds sucks!

i'm not enjoying the funky nauseous feeling and I started second guessing that i am doing the right thing...

mamas taking Wellbutrin can we talk???

[Surfacing]

Sorry I have been MIA a little lately with dh working the late shift and me working FT, coming home to do dinner, bath, kids to bed, etc. I have been asleep by 9 p.m. each night the last couple of weeks pretty much. 20 weeks PG so I think that contributes too. Sorry, I'm not keeping up with reading/posting very well.

Mystic~Mama, yes I am taking both Wellbutrin and Fluoxetine. As for side effects with going up and down -- yes, they suck. Only you can decide if it's worth it for you to stick it out. If you can hang in usually it just takes a little time and you feel better again. I don't remember nausea so much with adding Wellbutrin as crazy anger at times. It got better once my dosage stabilized. I needed to keep the fluox for anxiety control as I found Wellbutrin made me anxious a lot at the dose that was high enough for depression control.

Anyway... when I was having side effects it helped me to remind myself of where I was, and what was really happening. I felt afraid or whatever, but I reminded myself that I was safe, this will pass, it's just temporary, etc.

Is it the nausea alone that is uncomfortable?

[mystic~mama]

surfacing so glad you wrote, wow, you are a busy mama!

i had a groggy dizzy slightly funky in the tummy feeling yesterday, better today.


I do have a lot of anxiety and the fluox does help with that a lot, I've been a lot more comfortable socially which I love...so I don't think I should stop it.

and I think I was up for a dosage increase as I was getting really anxious...it is not long till my moon and i'm feeling pretty good...

I want to be in control of my weight again and not have it up to a medication...did you have any experience with this?

Also I want my high libido back...

does this sound like a good approach to you?

my Nurse Practitioner I saw didn't know much and just left it up to me...actually I think I have read more about these meds than she has....

blessings

[Surfacing]

Eeps! Not great to hear that the NP doesn't know what to do WRT dosage. !?!?!? Err, I'm on 250 mg/day Wellbutrin which is just right for me. I think the common therapeutic dose is in the 300-400 mg/day range. And the fluox --it was working well at first but then seemed to poop out on depression control. I had gone up to about 25 mg but that was too high for me (felt disengaged, like I was watching things from afar)... right now I'm on 15 mg/day maintenance. This is good.

Like you, I gained weight on fluoxetine. A good 30 lbs or so. I went on Weight Watchers for awhile which was very effective but after awhile I stopped. I definitely found it affected my sex drive and ability to orgasm. But I remember having come off fluox completely when I first started Wellbutrin and while I was able to have orgasms again with dh, I was COMPLETELY BITCHY!!! So on one hand he enjoyed that I was a kitten in the sack again but I was total hell to live with otherwise. So I just decided that it was more important for me to be "stable" for my family and children than for me to be orgasmic with dh. I do have to say that being pregnant has helped with the drive and sensation though! TMI? Sorry.

Wellbutrin is supposed to be great for not having sexual side effects for women. It may very well be the case, but I'm not totally sure because I still have fluox on board, which dampens it some.

It's not an easy answer. Sometimes I wonder how much of myself I'm giving up by being on these meds, but when I see how much better I am able to function in life, esp. in treating my family well, it's no contest.

Such a personal decision.

Given that we have such small children at home, both work FT, etc. (exhaustion!) we haven't exactly had the best sex life. So it's possible this could be working differently/better during the non-pregnant state when I am more "numb". I dunno. Sometimes I am just trying to put one foot infront of the other, and take it one day at a time. Yk?

Does your dh notice a difference with your sex drive? Does he have any comments?

[mystic~mama]

oh yeah the drive has definitely slowed and DP notices...he misses it,,,get along is most important to him but our physical intimacy is also really important to us...

so, have you had any improvements in your drive since adding the wellbutrin?

[umami_mommy]

my DH is suffering too. he started on effexor, which kicked his ass and made him feel horrible. so he had to wean off it slowly using celexa. he's felt horrible for the last 3 weeks and now is feeling depressed again. i think we are done with meds for him. his nervous system is just too sensitive.

of course when he suffers we all do, since he isn't one to suffer in silence.

[Surfacing]

Mystic~Mama I did have *some* improvement in drive but it was not back to the old way. I have also been nursing since I've been on it, so that might have dampened my drive still some too. What's the plan for you? How much will you wean back on the prozac? What dosage Wellbutrin have you started?

Umami_mommy I feel badly for your dh. When meds aren't going well it can be very rough. This sounds like it has set him back some. Has he ever used something in the past that worked for him before? I also have a SUPER sensitive system to meds, and my pdoc started me on an infant sized dose of fluoxetine (Prozac) in liquid form that I had to take with a dropper. Like 1/10th of a dose. Even at such a small dose I had side effects but they were manageable -- I could still function in my life by going to work and taking care of my children. We moved up in teensy tiny increments. This was the way that worked for me. With respect to pills (the Wellbutrin) the pharmasist cut the pills so I could go up in teeny doses. It helped. Just sharing this in case it helps now or in the future. No decisions have to be made right now.

[mystic~mama]

Surfacing~

I'm feeling really lost right now...my regular NP was not in my last 2 visits and last time I went in it was Friday afternoon and the NP I saw seemed really rushed and just ready to prescribe whatever

I usually do 20mg fluox and 25mg the week before my moon...but the past week I felt shaky and anxious and I starting thinking I needed a higher dosage (I started at 10 4 months ago) and it is REALLY helping with anxiety and the NP told me to cut my dose in half for week ...

she wasn't very helpful I realize now...I felt lost when I went to get my new med...so the 1st day I took 10 fluox but I feel like I need more I've been taking 15mg the last 2 days but I am pretty anxious...I think I need to go back to 20+

I'm on 150 mg Wellbutrin XL....today is day 3, I am tolerating it very well except for being REALLY hungry and anxious, some dizziness and I'm also having trouble concentrating...that seemed to be happening before I started taking it...

I don't know what I'm doing right now...

I want to feel good but I don't want to keep gaining weight!

[Surfacing]

Mystic~Mama it could be that the anxiety is a temporary side effect of loading the Wellbutrin and will go away when you sit at one dosage for a bit (a few days, a week or two). I hope the NP invited you to call her or someone else to discuss your concerns as you are taking this new med.

[mystic~mama]

I left a message w/ NP that I wanted to talk...haven't heard from her.....

I went on a raw food diet 3 days ago for at least 10 days, I'm feeling really good from that and seem to be losing weight...if I have to be raw to maintain my weight, I will...

[mystic~mama]

Okay so I'm feeling really good now on the WB and Fluox...I've also lost 12 lbs!! The raw food and super probiotics are helping a lot

[Surfacing]

You lost 12 lbs already? In one week? Amazing how much difference a med change can make.

So glad to hear things are moving in the right direction.

[mystic~mama]

In 2 weeks and most of it came off when I started eating only raw foods...

[mystic~mama]

okay, so....

things haven't been all roses for me...

I found myself with really restless feet on the wellbutrin and my NP never returned my call so I've been at it on my own...

I cut down to 75 mg WB then cut that in half and have been taking it every other day or less now...I've up'd my fluox from 25 to 35 then 40.....

this cycle has been rough! I've got a part of me that I am working with in therapy now that has been getting triggered alot...

right now, the pms is super sucky. It is a rollercoaster. I don't know which emotions or feelings are real at this point

I keep feeling like DP and I should live in seperate spaces as I am getting so overwhelmed with it......

I guess I'm going to have to go back to the doctor.......NP I mean......

the pharmacist cut my RX from 60 to 30 and told me I need to call my DR when I told him I 've been taking 40mg........I can't help being independent and doing things my way with out checking in with someone, it is a part of my personality but i do realize i do need a trip to the DR...


maybe the meds are stopping working?

things were going so well i hate to come here and say they are not so great now

i thank god for my counselor she is a lifeline for me.......she is confident that i can do this.......i am soon to turn 33.......from our last session that seems to be an age where a lot of personal growth can happen for people.....I wish I could see her everyday!

how is everyone else doing?

anyone have any experiences with meds to share?

oh, once I started the WB (raw foods helped too and I am still gluten free) I immediately lost 15 lbs...then it stopped and i feel better but am staying the same, my sex drive got real frisky and i can tell it is still in my system since i am able to orgasm a lot easier now......

I am pretty confused

blessings

[mystic~mama]

not to mention DD is being quite a hellraiser........

[Surfacing]

Mystic~Mama - I hope you have the energy to advocate for yourself and persist in trying to see your NP. Finding the optimal dose of a medication requires fine tuning -- it could be that some of what you're feeling now is a signal that your dose is too high (...or not...). I am not a doctor and I'm not dispensing medical advice -- I just wanted to share something my pdoc told me. When I was taking a higher dose of fluox and we upped it, I started to feel very distant and removed from everything... this was a signal that it was too much, so we lowered it a bit, and that's when she started to discuss stacking meds to tweak the positive effects.

I wonder if your therapist could refer you to, or recommend another hcp if you are not satisfied with this one?

Sounds like great progress on the therapy front, but certainly a rough patch.

During healing and getting better we are going to have setbacks. They're not a sign that things have forever been broken and are unfixable -- it's just a bad time right now. Continue to seek help and take care of yourself. This does not sound like the time to make any sudden moves in the relationship front until you are feeling more stable and under control with the meds.

It's a hard place to be.