Health Update #352

(In this post I write about specific medications I am taking. I do not endorse any of these drugs for anyone else. You may not have any of the side effects I have if you are taking these medications. What may be a bad drug for you may a good drug for me, and what may be right for you may be wrong for me. My medications are meant for me and may not be the “cocktail” for everyone.)

Today I went to see the nurse practitioner at my behavioral health care facility. I told her that my depression was getting worse. I also told her of the physical issues my blood work done by my Primary Care Physician showed; elevated blood sugar and cholesterol, borderline anemia and low iron absorption. She, like I, wondered where the depression ended and the physical problems began, as both can cause tiredness and fatigue. She even went so far as to suggest I was not in a depression but I assured her I was.

Our plan of attack is to taper me off the mood stabilizer Zyprexa, which can cause weight gain and elevated blood sugar. I’m not going to jump on the “diabetes bandwagon” until I have been off the Zyprexa for a while. The drug she is replacing it with is called Latuda. Latuda is an anti-psychotic drug for schizophrenia at higher doses, and a mood stabilizer at a lower dose. I don’t know much more about it, other than it can cause nausea and should be taken with food. I have given up on reading drug side effects, because if I did I wouldn’t be on any of them.

I am going to increase the mood stabilizer Lamictal, which has helped with my depression, and to stay on Effexor.

The N.P. wanted me to see her within seven to ten days but I could only get an appointment with her 12 days out.

I am always looking for any small sign of my depression lifting and there is some evidence that I am improving. I actually went to my appointment with the N.P. today and my therapy appointment yesterday. I had goals of doing household chores like vacuuming, dusting and washing my sheets. I completed all of my goals and even wrote a blog post. I am a bit tired but am not dying to take a nap. Hopefully I am coming out of it. I don’t have time for depression, you know?

I see my Primary Care Physician July 3rd to discuss the results of my blood work.

Photo Courtesy of happyinternist.blogspot.com

Photo Courtesy of happyinternist.blogspot.com

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About mamasick

Emily Cullen is a pen-name. I suffer from chronic illnesses and diseases which include Bipolar Disorder, Asthma, Diabetes and Fibromyalgia. I had battled Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis but there is no longer evidence of me having these diseases and my Rheumatologist has declared them to be "burnt out" of my system. I am separated from my husband, “Grant”. Our son, “Tyler” was born in September of 2006 and suffers from tics and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and is delayed in fine and gross motor skills. In my blog I seek to let sick moms know that they are not the only ones going through this, and to educate people about what can happens when one becomes catastrophically ill. I also strive to break down stereotypes of what a “Welfare Mom” is like. Anything that I have gone through due to being sick, is written on the pages of Mama Sick.
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