Medication -Advice- anyone?

[mimis]

Hi there,

today my D met with her new psychiatrist- My D22 suffers from Chronic pain as well as depression and anxiety.  She is on a lot of meds and has not been able to sleep very well. Currently she takes Cymbalta for depression , zoplicone (sleeping pill), and other very strong  pain meds. Today her new Pdoc prescribed her Seroquel.  My tendency is to over analyze and research.  It seems like Seroquel is used for insomnia as well as for bipolar and schizophrenia disorders and is very highly addictive.  My concern is that she is on so many opiates now for pain and our plan of attack is to try and detox her off of these, will this new one just make it worse? It just seems like all these drugs make her moods and rages worse. Any advice? many thanks

Our objective is to better understand the struggles our child faces and to learn the skills to improve our relationship and provide a supportive environment and also improve on our own emotional responses, attitudes and effectiveness as a family leaders

[griz]

Hi Mimis:

Keep in mind that every drug effects everyone differently however I can only share my experience with Seroquel.  My daughter was on Lexapro and they added Seroquel and the side effects were impossilbe. First her apetite became enormous, it was like she could not stop eating and constantly craving sweets and carbs. The second side effect she had was it made her very sleepy.  Beyond just regular sleepy the kid could hardly stay awake.  We mentioned this to the P doc and he said she would adjust.  Her teachers would call me and tell me she was falling asleep in class.  Finally one day she she just passed out during a gym and they took her to the ER where it was established it was from the Seroquel.  We subsequently changed Pdocs and the new one called Seroquel a horse tranquilizer and took her off it immediately.  I am sure some people do fine with this drug, just wanted to share what I experienced.

Griz

[HealingSpirit]

Dear Mimis,

Have you looked into any natural, herbal or alternative therapies like acupuncture?   There may also be dietary changes your DD can make too, if she will.  And exercise also helps regulate sleep, as long as she doesn't do it too close to bedtime.

I've had trouble sleeping as well.  Melatonin and 5-HTP really help me.  Recently, I have also made sure my bedroom is very dark because even the small light from the alarm clock can keep me awake.  But check with her Pdoc about the 5-HTP.  It stands for Hydroxy-Triptophan, which is a pre-cursor to Seratonin.  It's great stuff, and has NO side-effects.  BUT, 5-HTP is contraindicated for people who are bi-polar for some reason.  (Don't know why.) 

Also, does she take the antidepressants in the morning?  I take Prozac and I've learned if I forget it in the morning and take it before bed, it keeps me awake. 

For pain, I've just recently read that the Indian spice, Turmeric, is very helpful.  I haven't tried it yet for my pain, but I know people who swear by it and notice their pain increases when they stop taking it.  I do take calcium and high doses of magnesium.  I definitely notice when I run out of magnesium because my muscle cramps flare up.  So, it really helps!  (It also keeps me very regular, and since I also get constipated easily, that isn't a problem anymore.)

High-dose B-vitamins and Omega-3 fish oils are also good mood and hormone regulators.  And those affect pain tolerance.  Again, I've noticed I feel it when I run out and haven't taken them for a few days.  The thing I like about natural therapies is they have very few if any side effects AND they promote good health overall.

My doctor a long time ago told me to avoid food preservatives, processed sugar, grain and dairy.  I find it VERY hard to do, but there is sound science behind it.  The PaleoDiet (Cave man diet) describes the reasons why this helps and how to do it, and has some great recipes and menu plans.  My mom swears by it.

Medication issues are so frustrating though!  My DD clearly needs to be on Xanax for now.  When she stops taking it, she rages.  And I need to be on Prozac because my depression gets worse without it.  I wish I could get my DD17 to stick to using vitamin and herbal supplements.  But for now, I'd be happy if she just took her meds on schedule.  She couldn't be less interested in dietary changes at the moment.  So, I hope your DD22 wants to try other things to help her feel better. 

I know it's hard to face the day when I'm in a pain flare up. (Fibromyalgia)  And I know it's hard to deal with someone who doesn't want to do everything possible to feel better.

Good luck with this !

[HealingSpirit]

I should add, only take melatonin and 5-HTP at night before bedtime. 

[mimis]

Healing spirit, thank you for the terrific advice.  I take 5-htp too but it really upsets my stomach.  My DD takes lots of melatonin. too much in my opinion She also takes lorazapam for anxiety.  She takes her antidepressants Cmybalata in morning as she has figured that it keeps her up. She has tried everything and to tell truth, including acupuncture, massage therapy rekki, dry needling for pain.  I gave her some GABBA to try. it is also a natural sleep agent.  hope it helps.  I have bought her magnesium and fish oils but she doesn't take them.  She also has major problems with constipation because of all the meds she is on for pain which are opiates.  I am sorry to hear you suffer from fibromyalgia.  My D 's Cymbalta is also commonly used to treat fibromyalgia and she feels it does help a little with her pain.  like you said Meds are very frustrating as well as the concern of dependency which I know my D has. I just try to take it day by day.

[theplotthickens]

Are there other answers for chronic pain?  Narcotics are not a good solution for chronic pain, and are highly addictive.  Any chance she is addicted emotionally and physically to the pain meds?

My advice would be to rule out addiction to prescription meds, but I know that is easier said than done!  That is my gut reaction; not sure what you are observing.

It sounds like her meds are being given piecemeal.  Who is prescribing the pain meds?

[mimis]

Hi the plot thickens, I hate to say this but her Doctors are all her prescribers and yes she is addicted which makes her moods worse .  We are willing to offer her assistance to detox which we told her last night but we also told her that it had to be her decision to go through with this.  Its hard on us but we know that we have to detach with love and that it will not work if she does not want it badly enough.  Keep your fingers crossed for us.

[theplotthickens]

Yes!  It is also within your power to notify all the physicians of your concern.  They cannot give you information, but there is nothing stopping you from giving them a ring.  They can refuse to prescribe, if they are better-informed. 

I pray that she finds relief for both her emotional and physical pain!  I hope that it goes well and that you can all find peace.  Keep us updated!