[Guest]

Here is a post that I had on another forum. What do you think of that?

Hi Cynthia,

I was doing a search on derealisation treatment and you post came up. Your post made me sign up so i could reply to this post you have submitted. I am male and although this site is not for me i thought maybe you would be interested in hearing what im going through as i am experiencing derealisation which seems to be similar to yours.

Although you didnt really go into alot of detail about it so i cant say if mine is any worse than yours but mine normally consists of things looking like im on some kind of drug or maybe even drunk. I get it everyday 24/7 and have had it for almost a year.

It is very hard to cope with it especially when the medications dont seem to be making it any better anymore. I developed the derealisation through psychosis and i dont want to make you more paranoid by thinking maybe its the case with you but im simply stating this so you know abit of my background before the derealisation. I have been told that derealisation from anxiety is very similar to derealisation which develops through psychosis.

At 1st i had a good response to the anti psychotic medication i was on (Risperdal) however when i got to 4mg's per day i developed side effects and was taken off the medication. Ever since the derealisation has remained and have tried 2 other anti psychotics with no luck. The derealisation look of things has changed alot for me over the last year. It went from things looking like i was on ecstacy, to things looking very blurred and dreamy and now it just looks somewhat like im drunk. The derealisation gets worse when i am under stress also.

My docs want to treat it like a anxiety problem so i have agreed but have said if i have no improvements within the next 90 - 100 days that they continue trying the anti psycotic drugs. The derealisation didnt get really noticable for me until the psychosis had kicked in a fair bit and i could really tell something was wrong. Id say in your case that the derealisation could be from anxiety but sometimes people do have benefit from anti psychotic medication for their treatment of derealisation as it can develop in many forms.

Even though you do not have any psychotic symptoms (which is basically the case for me now) sometimes the derealisation can be cured by anti psycotic medication as from what my docs have told me derealisation isnt a direct symptom of psychosis / schitzophrenia. I am still hopefull that one day it will go away and trust me i know how hard it is to live with it. Having no choice in feeling like your drugged up / drunk is not fun.

I do hope you find a cure for what your experiencing maybe you should talk to your doctor about any other possible treatments for it. Im not sure if hypnotherapy would help but it would be worth talking to your doctor about it my friend with depersonalisation found hypnotherapy a great help and he is almost 100% better now.

Maybe not relying on the medication to solve everything might be a good step for you. In my case i cant try hypnotherapy as no hypnotherapists will attempt to treat anyone whos had a psychotic episode before but in your case i dont see why you shouldnt consider it as something to possibly try.

???? So what? Can I have psychosis w/o knowing it? And do anti-psychotic really can be helpful for some? I really don't care about anti-med people I just want relief. I would do anything to get relief.

Thanks for your opinions

Cynthia xxx

 

[pfpc]

Cynthia,

I was on Abilify (an antipsych) for a couple of months and it gave me a lot of relief. Lowered my dr and got me connected again. Unfortunately, I developed some sort of tolerance to it and it stopped working. I think someone else in the forum is on it and it's doing wonders for him.

Paolo

 

[Guest]

Hi,

Here in Canada we don't have Abilify (yet)

We just have risperdal, zyprexa, seroquel. (and the olders)

Thanks for your post.

Cynthia xxx

 

[Guest]

Hmmmm.......so an anti-psych is for the DR aspect rather than the DP?

I feel like my slight DP came on as a result of my DR and if I could get rid of that i'd probobly dance around for a few weeks. Unless the anti-psych will just zone me out in a different way.

 

[lone wolf]

Hi Cynthia - I don't think you should be afraid of psychosis, as the greatest sign of NOT having a psychosis is the fear of that state of mind itself. I can tell, as I had no idea what was really going on in my head during my psychotic break a few years ago - I was too busy with my mythical imagination/delusions. During psychosis I felt perfectly healthy, even healthier than other people - so I think you can feel peaceful with this issue.

I'm currently on Zyprexa 10 mg, and though it helped me back into normal life again, it hasn't helped me with DR at all. My sex life with Zyprexa is also poor, as I hardly feel any sexual desire nowadays - it is the usual side-effect of this med. When I told about my sex life to my therapist, she introduced me Risperdal, bc it may be better regarding the sex question (thus I will switch my med from Zyprexa to Risperdal soon, let's see what will happen).

Although I have had no success with antipsychotics regarding DR, I can say this is only my case. People are different and thus antipsychotic medication may help someone else with DR/DP, I dunno. I'll say you may give it a try and quit taking the med, if you don't feel any better on it? These are my little thoughts on this subject, you're welcome to ask me anything if you'd like to.

 

[Guest]

thanks Ninnu,

I feel so sad and helpless. I have suicidal thought in the night, and I just want to go to bed, because I feel there is no issue for me, and too much problems, that even my psy can't resolve. I feel so much not myself that I can't even live with my botfriend, I feel bad around him. It's not a life. By goint out of the society (in a hospital for delivery, then not working ofr over a year), I retired myself from the society, and now I feel even more disconnected. And sad is to say that I don't know how to reintegrate this society because I am stuck with all my fears. I am so afraid. And much more depressed than in the beginning.

I would like peace of mind and I just have it when I sleep with the aid of meds. But I would like to see the sun again. Not in a dreamlike state, but feel good about myself, strong and lucid, and feel intelligent. I am afraid of all, I know I should work, I am too afraid to do so.

Sorry for my post, I am very depressed, and I asked to see another psychiatrist, and he didn't answer to me yet. So I am stressed.

Sorry again.

Cynthia

 

[lone wolf]

Hi Cynthia,

no need to feel sorry... I know how you are feeling, as I suffered from severe depression for ten years' time, and at that time I felt the sleep was the only relief for me too. My depression was cured altogether by antidepressant Remeron (mirtazapine) 30 mg combined with an antipsychotic med (Zyprexa 10 mg, which lifted me from psychosis). Before Remeron I had tried antidepressants Aurorix (moclobemide) and Fluoxetin Generics (fluoxetine), but they were of no help.

My boyfriend also suffered from depression a couple of years ago, and he used to drink alcohol in the evenings to lift himself from misery. Finally he went to see a psychiatrist, as I couldn't consider living with him, if he was drinking alcohol every night. He tried Remeron too, with very good results and thus he needn't drink anymore (but only for special occasions) and still he can enjoy life without depression, like me now. The only side-effect of Remeron we have experienced is a slight weight gain, but it is nothing compared to the absence of depression. I have also been able to lose some of my weight by controlling what I eat even while being on Remeron.

My boyfriend has read that for some people - for an unknown reason - Remeron, i.e. mirtazapine is a truely wondrous med, and it has definitely been like that in my and my boyfriend's case. So if you haven't tried Remeron yet, I guess you might give it a try - if it could work for you as it has worked for me (and for my boyfriend), it could be a really wonderful thing. And if it doesn't work, you can always try something else...

I wish you sunny days in the future, hopefully you'll find your way through the dark sea of depression...

(((hugs)))

Ninnu

 

[Guest]

I tried Remeron, 3 days, I had dilated pupils, nervosity and extreme fatigue, and also, I felt soooo bizarre when my boyfriend talked to me, it seems he was always waking me up, so I was surprises all the time (hard to explain), like when youjust fall asleep and someone talk yo tou. Like my heart was beating faster or skipping beats.



Cynthia

 

[lone wolf]

I tried Remeron, 3 days, I had dilated pupils, nervosity and extreme fatigue, and also, I felt soooo bizarre when my boyfriend talked to me, it seems he was always waking me up, so I was surprises all the time (hard to explain), like when youjust fall asleep and someone talk yo tou. Like my heart was beating faster or skipping beats.

I'm sorry to hear that Remeron didn't work for you I wish you'll find something that will help you, a med or something else... I know how difficult it is to live while being depressed. But I wish you will find your way out of depression too, it must be possible. Don't lose your hope...

 

[Guest]

thanks Ninnu,

you are fine. I just called my doc, because I can't be like that, I must got more helped.

thnaks for being there

Cynthia

 

[g-funk]

Hi Cynthia

I feel for you, it's horrible when you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. You will feel better. Don't lose hope because there will be relief.

A lot of people find that Effexor, despite all the negative stories, can pull people up out of severe depression. Yes, there side effects but none that compare to how I felt in the abyss. But you have to expect to feel the drug working, try your hardest to just say to yourself that it is just the effect of the drug, it is not going to drive you mad and it is to be expected.
Hope you feel better soon, just remember you are not alone in this, we are all there with you, and just remember there are many of us who are actually recovering, so know that it is possible.
G xxxxx

 

[Guest]

Thanks.

I will see, I may try Anafranil, Effexor..... I don't know, last time it was too much anxiety for me.

Anyway. I'll let you know.

Cynthia xxx