Q. I have Borderline Personality Disorder & Bipolar Disorder Type II, with transient psychotic episodes. I was prescribed a brand new anti-psychotic, Invega (3 mgs.) about two & a half weeks ago for: distorted thinking, amplified emotions, & daily crying spells. As opposed to the same class of more recent anti-psychotics, such as Seroquel, I am tolerating this one very well — with the exception of weight gain. I have been dieting & exercising in an effort to eliminate or decrease this side effect, but have still already gained 5 pounds! I'd like to know if this side effect will subside as my body gets acclimated to it, or with time. I discontinued the others because this is the one side effect which I will ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

Q. I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder and co morbid panic disorder 2 years ago and was treated with paxil CR, clonazepam and trazadone. This was a perfect medication combination. I found out that I was pregnant and had to stop these medications for the first trimester. I was fine for those 3 months. At the start of the second trimester I was having horrible anxiety which led to depression and was sent to a different psychologist who re evaluated me and diagnosed me with Bipolar 2. I was on zoloft at the time of diagnosis and the zoloft made me agitataed and amplified my panic which led to more depression. I was taken off of the zoloft and put on seroquel and have ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

Q. My son has bipolar and was on zyprexa. he makes too much money for free clinic or drug programs but cannot afford zyprexa. plus there are too many side effects. he was having blood sugar trouble and 60-70 pound weight gain. has been off medication for 6 months but recently had a couple of anger outbursts that are similar to what he had before medication. Does he need medication or any suggestions? A. I cannot know for sure if he needs medication but if he is having anger outbursts then he should at least be addressing these symptoms with his doctor or clinician. He should strive to maintain a close connection with the professionals who are treating his condition. With regard to medication, ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

Q. SSRI and Wellbutrin are not s working. Hi there, just need support and re-assurance more than anything. I am battling to find an anti-depressent that works for me. Have tried various SSRI ie. Cipramil, Cipralex, Aropax, Prozac and Cymbalta. Cipralex and Cipramel were given two weeks for me to adjust, was assured that the side effects would deminish after this time. They didn't. Cymbalta lasted 3 days (a totally different Hell on Earth), Prozac just made me supper spaced out, couldn't really function at all, would watch dinner burn with no interest at all. Wellbutrin (150mg) worked like a bomb for a few weeks, thought I had found the answer. And then it made the depression worse, much ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

I have been going to a clinic to find out about some health problems that I have been having, and was seen by three different doctors with three different diagnosis. I have been having trouble concentrating, remembering things and keep zoning out when I am driving to work. I am always tired and although I always get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, have trouble staying awake. I get frequent headaches and dizziness accompanied by nausea. Last Saturday, I was dizzy for the entire day and had numbness and pins and needles feelings in my face. I have been going to the clinic trying to figure out what is wrong and each time I see a different doctor. ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

Hi, I was on Lexapro 20 mg for about 3 years for anxiety/panic/depression and did great. So great, that in Sept 07 I decided to quit taking it. Big mistake! I was fine for several months, but now that I look back I can see that the anxiety was building up again. Finally, in Feb 08 I started getting severe anxiety with occasional panic attacks. I began taking lexapro at 10 mg in Jan. and bumped it to 20 mg when my attacks started. I've been at Lexapro 20 mg for 4 weeks now. I was taking the Lexapro once a day in conjunction with xanax .25 2x day. I've been trying to be positive waiting ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

Q. Hi, about 3 years ago I became ill. It took the doctors months and they never really found anything wrong with me other than that I have mitral valve prolapse. I became depressed/anxious during this time because I was worried about myself. I seeked counseling and began taking Lexapro. After awhile I started to get back to the normal routine and was doing great. In Sept 07, I quit taking my meds. I slowly weened of the Lexapro and was doing fairly well; however, I could feel a little bit of anxiety brewing back up inside of me. I went to DC on a work trip in early Jan. 08 and started to have a worse anxiety so I began taking the Lexapro again ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

Q. When I was 13 years old I was prescribed paxil to help with my depression over the lost of my father. When I was 20 I was prescribed Zoloft for depression after having my son. I am a cutter and have actually not cut myself for 3 months. I am beginning to think I am bipolar because I just want to cry most of the time and have turned to drinking to help me deal with my issues. I don’t want to have to go back and forth to see therapist again, because I really dont want my family to know, because the last time I relapsed I was hospitalize. I was wondering if there is an over the counted drug I can ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

Q. My son has been recently diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and is taking medicine for this problem. about eight weeks ago his eyes began rapidly blinking a few times a day, particularly when he was under stress. I brought this to the attention of the doctor who was treating him. but was told it would go away and was likely caused by depression and not medication. His meds and dosages were changed several times but the eye problem only got worse.As of this week he can no longer open his eyes at all!.In the weeks leading up to this, he was able to open them only for a few seconds at a time when he needed to eat or walk, etc. He saw an opthamologist ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

Q. I have 3 children. My oldest in DX with ADHD at age 5 he is currently 7 and doing well. I took my 2nd son to the doctor are age 3 because he was doing some strange things. At age 3 he killed our dog. He hit him in the head with a baby sledge hammer, painted him and cut his ear off with scissors. That was when it all started tumbling down. Since then he has cut his on toe to the point of stitches. He has cut my oldest sons hair while he (my oldest son) was sleeping, because he got made because he cheated while on the trampoline the day before. He tears up anything that belongs to my oldest ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

Q. My wife has delusional disorder but believes there is nothing wrong with her even though several doctors have diagnosed her with this disorder. When she is medicated she acts pretty good but unfortunately she manages to somehow not take her meds even with me watching her. If we cannot find a medicine that we can guarantee she is taking we will have to send our children away to live with family or risk losing them to foster care. I have heard that there is a extended release injectible medicine called Depakote used in the treatment of delusional disorder that lasts three or four weeks long. Does anybody know anything about this? She is afraid of needles but has agreed to take a shot as ...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »

Q. I am a mother of a 17-months-old and have been married since last year. I am originally from Europe and my husband is in the US Military. Four months ago we moved from Europe here to the States. My husband works and I stay at home.

Shortly before leaving Europe I experienced what I now know were anxiety symptoms. I felt like I couldn't get enough air and my mind was foggy. I was generally scared and apprehensive, and went to see a doctor for my physical symptoms. The doc ran tests which were okay and assumed I was suffering from anxiety. She prescribed Xanax to take as needed to fend of a panic attack. I only once took it. My symptoms disappeared once

...  
Read the rest of this question and answer... »