Yeah, this is why it took about eight years for us to figure out that I was bipolar instead of just depressed because it took me that long to realize that I was having hypomanic episodes so I could go in and say, "You know, I think I'm having these episodes..." And since it wasn't mania, it was just a series of pleasantly productive periods, it didn't register as something worth mentioning for a long time.
That Zoloft just no longer works for you. That you had been on it for so long that it lost its effectiveness.
You know, it's funny--it's always hard to describe what medication feels like, but I really get this feeling that the Zoloft isn't working any differently or less efficiently. It's still doing the "inhibiting," "mellowing" thing. I'm just really getting the feeling that my chemistry has changed, and that my own anxiety has a different quality now--it's still very much there, but it's a lot less hysterical, and so Zoloft that still works the way it always did is overkill. I don't know, though.
Just make sure to stay into close contact with your provider to ensure that everybody's on the same page. It's true; stopping your Zoloft cold-turkey could lead to detrimental side effects, so kudos to you for talking about it with your providers first.
Yeah, I see her every three months when everything's fine (with an understanding that I should call immediately if I need anything or take any turn for the worse), and so right now I'm going to be calling her when I get through my current scrip of Lamictal (not sure when that'll be--less than a month, I think) and we're going to discuss what to do from there. I think the longterm plan she was suggesting was get up to 200 mg Lamictal and then, if I wanted to, get off Zoloft and possibly Wellbutrin as well completely.
(I don't know if you've read other entries where I've talked about this, but we increased my Zoloft a couple of years ago, then dropped it back down and started Lamictal--all of this with close supervision, obviously--and it was bad. It was REALLY bad. Too much Zoloft in the first case, and moving too quickly with the Lamictal on the other hand [we were actually moving really slowly, and then we just stepped up a little too quickly midway through]. So I'm very scrupulous about having her supervision, reporting any negative effects, and putting on the brakes the moment I feel we need to.)
Re: It's possible...
psychiatrists prescribe pills for symptoms
Yeah, this is why it took about eight years for us to figure out that I was bipolar instead of just depressed because it took me that long to realize that I was having hypomanic episodes so I could go in and say, "You know, I think I'm having these episodes..." And since it wasn't mania, it was just a series of pleasantly productive periods, it didn't register as something worth mentioning for a long time.
That Zoloft just no longer works for you. That you had been on it for so long that it lost its effectiveness.
You know, it's funny--it's always hard to describe what medication feels like, but I really get this feeling that the Zoloft isn't working any differently or less efficiently. It's still doing the "inhibiting," "mellowing" thing. I'm just really getting the feeling that my chemistry has changed, and that my own anxiety has a different quality now--it's still very much there, but it's a lot less hysterical, and so Zoloft that still works the way it always did is overkill. I don't know, though.
Just make sure to stay into close contact with your provider to ensure that everybody's on the same page. It's true; stopping your Zoloft cold-turkey could lead to detrimental side effects, so kudos to you for talking about it with your providers first.
Yeah, I see her every three months when everything's fine (with an understanding that I should call immediately if I need anything or take any turn for the worse), and so right now I'm going to be calling her when I get through my current scrip of Lamictal (not sure when that'll be--less than a month, I think) and we're going to discuss what to do from there. I think the longterm plan she was suggesting was get up to 200 mg Lamictal and then, if I wanted to, get off Zoloft and possibly Wellbutrin as well completely.
(I don't know if you've read other entries where I've talked about this, but we increased my Zoloft a couple of years ago, then dropped it back down and started Lamictal--all of this with close supervision, obviously--and it was bad. It was REALLY bad. Too much Zoloft in the first case, and moving too quickly with the Lamictal on the other hand [we were actually moving really slowly, and then we just stepped up a little too quickly midway through]. So I'm very scrupulous about having her supervision, reporting any negative effects, and putting on the brakes the moment I feel we need to.)