[Teri_Odegaard]

#1060384

The last time I saw my doctor he wanted me to take abilify and see a psychiatrist to evaluate me. I saw the clinics psychiatrist a year and a half ago. According to him I was not crazy, I was having trouble dealing with GD (diagnosed 2010) and he suggested taking abilify also.

I was asking myself “who is this doctor?” Previously he would do anything to help me find answers. Now my take is he thinks all my symptoms are psychosomatic. Boy, sure made me feel like a freak.

Anyway, these are the medications I take: Etodolac 400mg (2 daily), Trazodone 100mg, Zolpidem 10mg, Effexor XR 150mg (2 daily) and Methimazole 5mg (3 times a week).

I looked on a reliable web site for abilify; what it was and what were the side effects. I am just wanting to know if any one has/is taking this and if it helps.

Thanks

[snelsen]

#1182336

Wow. And gosh.
Hi Teri, I have forgotten some of your prior history, if it on the site. First of all, of COURSE you had trouble dealing with a GD diagnosis!! Everything is working against us when we are diagnosed. That means you are entirely normal!

Presume you have read enough on this wonderful forum to know that without exception, this diagnosis is upsetting, and we get it, we are usually having anxiety, tremors, feel crazy, weight loss, fast heart rate, high blood pressure, tremors, and on and on. And usually we have not been diagnosed right away, cause it is too frequent that many docs just decided to throw some other pill at this crazy lady, and don’t even think of Graves’ or do the labs to find out. It’s too frequent, unfortunately , to be prescribed an antidepressant or antipsychotic, when the Graves’ diagnosis is missed completely. This is a service to none, and could be dangerous for that person to continue with untreated Graves’.

Ok I am off that soapbox now.

None of us do a great job dealing with Graves’. It makes us crazy. THen we take an ATD, and frequently a beta blocker to slow our fast heart rate, and we begin to feel a bit like ourselves again. Then we move ahead to treatments, ATD, RAI or surgery, a thyroidectomy. Is the methimazole three times a week giving your normal labs? Do you have a TSH, T3 and T4 drawn for your labs?

Just the usual reminder that we are doctors, but fellow patients, I do have a couple thoughts for you to consider.

For your arthritis-have some of the lesser big guns helped your arthritis at all? Like ibuprofen?
Here’s some reliable info about your drug, which you may already know:
http://www.rxlist.com/lodine-drug/indications-dosage.htm

Ask yourself. Has the Effexor helped, made a good difference in your life, or was how you were feeling related to Graves’.

And. Abilfy is big drug. Here’s a website about it. My grandchild is on it, and he is carefully monitored every month.
Here’s a reliable website about it.
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/mental-health-medications/nimh-mental-health-medications.pdf

I am wondering if you really need a caring and concerned doctor, who will look at you as a total person. Depending on the degree of arthritis, you may need to be followed by a rheumatologist for that. But they all should be communicating with each other. And they should carefully consider what you are already taking, before prescribing more drugs. It seems more appropriate for a visit to a psychiatrist to review the mental health meds and the indications there might be for you to take both of them.

Now, these are just thoughts, kinda thinking out loud, thinking what I would want and deserve if I were in your shoes. Feel good about writing back and saying your thoughts about these thoughts.

Maybe Kimberly will chime in here, I have never heard of taking an ATD a few days a week, but this not an area I know about at all.
Shirley

[brondack]

#1182337

snelsen wrote:

Just the usual reminder that we are doctors, but fellow patients, I do have a couple thoughts for you to consider.

Just to point out – and I know that Shirley would agree – there is a missing word in the statement above and that word is “NOT” – as in “we are NOT doctors, but fellow patients”

[snelsen]

#1182338

DUH!!!!
Yep, brondack!! Three little letters makes a lot of difference! Of course, the word “NOT” BELONGS IN THAT SENTENCE! Thank you so much.
Shirley

[Teri_Odegaard]

#1182339

snelsen, thank you for your reply. I take the etodolac for bursitis; both knees and elbows. As long as the inflammation stays down I can move without pain or stiffness. Tried a lower dosage once, it wasn’t enough.

The Effexor is a big help. Started that in 2012. Others I was taking just didn’t do what I needed. I have depression. I am an adult child of an alcoholic and just recently sought help through Al-anon. I never dealt with it until just last year.

Egads…GD! Diagnosed in 2010. At first I was taking 10-12 pills a day of methimazole. As I stated before I take 3 a week; Monday, Wednesday and Friday. My doctor has taken me off them twice. Within 3-5 days my symptoms are excessive; can’t keep a single thought, stuttering, walking as though I am driving on a washboard road, you name it it happens. I can’t take anymore or any less than what I am. GD with hyperthyroidism stinks to say the least.

You ask about my labs. Went in on Tuesday to have blood drawn. There is a standing order to draw my blood every 3 months. If you were to draw a line from here X

---

to

---

X here my levels have always been on the low side. I take vitamin D3 also.

Can’t do more, can’t do less and can’t “not” take them. I am not a pill taker until GD, not even for a headache. Am so sick of them.

It just ticks me off after my doctor doing everything he can to help me find answers to suddenly think every symptom is in my head and that none of it has anything to with GD.

My stuttering isn’t as bad as it was at first. I’ve noticed that when I am more comfortable (anywhere) that I don’t stutter, but if I talk to much it just pops right in there.

Back to topic. I tried to remember everything you posted so I could respond back to it all, memory isn’t what it used to be.

I’m willing to talk with a psychiatrist again, even try the abilify, but I need my life in my control (even though to some it may not look like it) since GD took over.

One more thing — I am on SSD. I don’t know when my symptoms will go haywire and I should have just stayed in bed. I still miss my old life where I knew what “normal” was. Normal now is always expecting the unexpected.

[Raspberry]

#1182340

Hi Teri, someone gave me the hard sell for Abilify not so long ago! Turns out it is a major “add on” drug to antidepressants these days. The trend is now to add it in a low dose to an antidepressant you are already taking. Nevermind that it’s an antipsychotic. In my research on it I read some really wonderful things and awful things about this use of it. I guess it’s up to you if you feel the Effexor isn’t enough.

I’m torn myself because I’ve been having a hard time but am resisting getting on a psych drug. I feel like I have very real and rational reactions to my circumstances and I’m unsure whether taking something to make that go away is right for me. Anyway, talking about you here….yes it sucks to have someone act like you just need a pill rather than them helping you with your actual problems. Even if the pill might help. Are you on SSD for Graves?

[Teri_Odegaard]

#1182341

raspberry, now I can’t even remember if that’s right.

I take enough pills. Instead of Abilify why can’t they find a drug to make the symptoms more bareable?

And yes, I am on SSD for GD. I kept re-applying, 4 times if I remember right. The last time they asked if I wanted a hearing and I said yes. Last year April I won. My symptoms come and go when it is convenient for “them” not me.

A month after I checked SSD’s web site and they had put GD on it.

At my hearing …. sorry, my fingers want to stutter like my mind right now … I couldn’t keep any straight thoughts, stuttered so bad said said some words 2-3 times and the tremors were bad. The tinnitus was so loud had had toto ask if they would mind speaking louder. Talk about embarrassing, one of my worst days ever.

Thanks for the reply

[Kimberly]

#1182342

Hello – Agree with Shirley that it would be helpful to get a doctor to look at all of your meds and health concerns as a whole.

As for taking ATDs only certain days a week, I do that, but I am taking a very tiny dose (currently 1/4 of a pill twice a week). When we first started reducing the dose, my doc had me taking 1/2 pill daily. I haven’t seen any specific guidance on this, but methimazole has a fairly short “shelf life” within the body, so it might be worth asking your doctor if it’s better to take in a small amount every day – especially if you can identify a change in your symptoms on the “on” vs. “off” days.

[Teri_Odegaard]

#1182343

Kimberly, thank you for the response.

We did try half a pill a day, which left 1 day no pill. I couldn’t do it. My body said “what are you doing?” I was way worse than I am on the 3 days per week.

I have an appointment next month with my doc and already have a list of questions and concerns.

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