The needles were thin and I could barely feel them go through my skin. She used them on many parts of my body and I had some on my face; above my nose and on my forehead. She was treating my depression symptoms and for pain in my lower back from a herniated disc. I laid quietly listening to the music and completely relaxed. It was a restful, rejuvenating experience. After the half hour quiet time she came in, removed the needles, and rubbed Dragon Balm (an external analgesic) on my skin. The balm was warm and then cool and the scent was invigorating. (Dragon Balm can help relieve a headache. I rub a small amount on my temples and it helps soothe the pain away.)
After my first acupuncture session I felt calm and looked forward to seeing if I would be able to come off antidepressant medication and feel good without it. I had researched treating depression with acupuncture on the Internet and there were many case histories of it being successful. I started lowering the dose of my antidepressant and began taking a combination of herbs called Relaxed Wanderer Formulation.
My first acupuncture appointment was in the month of July. I was lowering my antidepressant dose extremely slowly because I have experienced withdrawal symptoms from every psychiatric medication I have stopped taking. My acupuncture sessions were relaxing and enjoyable for about three months. Then I started to notice my thinking was changing and I wasn't feeling as good. Two more herbs were added to my regimen and I don't even remember what they were. I started to write down how I was feeling and what I was thinking.
I no longer looked forward to my appointments. The half hour quiet time seemed long and I felt anxious for my provider to come back into the room so I could leave. I was hoping these feelings would pass and the acupuncture itself, and the herbs would begin to work. I lost the desire to do things I usually enjoyed, things that were important to me lost their value, I felt tired and irritable, and began feeling I had never accomplished anything in my life. These are depression symptoms for me, and I knew the acupuncture and herbs weren't working. Soon after, thoughts of suicide plagued my mind and I knew I needed to go back on the antidepressant. That is what I did the first part of December.
I was disappointed acupuncture did not help my depression symptoms, but I felt fortunate the antidepressant worked for me after going back on. My doctor had warned me that for some patients the antidepressant doesn't "kick in" after restarting it. Fortunately, acupuncture did work on the pain in my lower back. After 4-5 treatments per month, for 5 months, my back was pain free. It was agile and felt back to normal. That outcome was welcomed!
It was fascinating at first to feel the symptoms of depression returning. I observed my thinking slowly changing. Other things in my life during this time hadn't changed. Without the help of the antidepressant the disease gradually took hold again and within five months the disease was in control. By December the fascination had changed to misery! The results of this experience did not talk me out of trying the amino acid therapy many years later. At this point, I believe I will stay on antidepressant medication long term.
Last Friday morning I made the move up to 150 mg of Effexor XR. The gradual rise of the dosage has seemed slow-paced, but I am still not feeling any side effects that are strong enough to bother me. I was taking Effexor several years ago and the side effect of nausea never went away. The medication was effective on my depression symptoms, but the nausea was constant and irritating so my doctor changed my antidepressant to Zoloft.
My psychiatrist at the Amen Clinic believes I had a problem with nausea because I started on too high of a dose, and increased it too quickly. I am relieved I have not felt nauseated. I am taking approximately 19 mg of Luvox twice per day. The tablets are getting smaller and smaller.
Normal Day, Please Hasten Your Arrival!
No comments:
Post a Comment