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jyearta

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I have had problems with depression for most of my life.

I have been put many of the over the counter meds. of this but I can not take for one reason or another.

I started compound Prozac 1st tried 5mg then 10mg. I also take fish oil 5 to 6 a day.

I have notice the depression building yet again.

I had not ideal that depression and E. we're linked together until I joined this forum.

I called my Neur this AM, asked if I needed to have another depress. med. compounded. She said she can't understand why I'm depressed.

this makes me feel crazy. I have tried everything trying not to up meds. of any kind.

does anyone have the same issue.
 
I've had depression a long time so I was already on citalopram but it really kicked me in the face when I got diagnosed so I went up to 40mg a day.
This was a discussion I had with my specialist nurse actually because I thought I was going nuts. She said with it being a life long condition she sees it a lot and a lot of her patients are also treated for it.
I would push the matter with them.

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I don't have depression, but it runs in my family, as well as bipolar disorder. My neurologist mentioned that lamictal is a mood stabilizer, and tends to make people feel a little upbeat. I know there are other seizure meds that do the opposite. Does she have you on a med that might be exacerbating the depression symptoms? I was horribly depressed and paranoid on Keppra, for example...
 
Thanks for you're reply

I am on Dilantin and Clonazepam (which is for mood)

It seems like I got better when 1st. given the Prozac 10mg. It's as if it get used to my system and it quits working.

I have temporal lobe E. from the right side, which my Neur, knows.

I don't understand how a Neur. doesn't understand the depression.

She made me feel like I just want MORE meds. that is not it, I just want to stop crying.
 
I too fight depression. I also am on citalopram and Clnazepam for anxiety. Have you ever seen a Neuro-psychiatrist? My epileptolgist thought it would be a good idea to see one. It has helped me... I know more meds is a big downer but I have come to terms with the fact that is part of epilepsy.
 
jyearta

You are ok, you are not on your own as far as depression goes or the drugs.
 
pita300 said:
I too fight depression. I also am on citalopram and Clnazepam for anxiety. Have you ever seen a Neuro-psychiatrist? My epileptolgist thought it would be a good idea to see one. It has helped me... I know more meds is a big downer but I have come to terms with the fact that is part of epilepsy.
Click to expand...

My Neur. had me see a psychiatrist, I was in and out of his office so fast. As I sat in the waiting room this was the way was with everyone. I saw him 3 diff. times, I could have gotten the same from talking to a rock.
When I called my Neur., I told her I would not go back to him, thatf she would have to know a better psychiatrist for me to go to.
 
Sorry you had a bad expierence. The psychiartrist I see has done wonders for me plus I also see a therapist. Both are working to help my control my stress and keep me from falling deeper into a depression that I can't climb out of.
 
jyearta said:
I had not ideal that depression and E. we're linked together until I joined this forum.

I called my Neur this AM, asked if I needed to have another depress. med. compounded. She said she can't understand why I'm depressed.

this makes me feel crazy. I have tried everything trying not to up meds. of any kind.

does anyone have the same issue.
Click to expand...

I've had depression (severe) along with E for many years. I cannot understand why your neuro would say something so absurd as to why she can't understand why you're depressed. Maybe she needs to see a shrink, instead!
Mood disorders and TLE often go hand in hand. Here is more info :http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/neurobehav_inter_prob

I saw a neuropsychiatrist and he had me try so many meds to alleviate my depression, he even said I was a complex patient because nothing worked for me. Finally he tried a tricyclic anti-depressant along with an SSRI and added another AED that is also used for bi-polar disorder (now I can't remember which one, as many AED's are also used for bipolar disorder).

Maybe it's time for you to see a new neuro, someone who knows how to deal with these issues that go along with E.

Hang in there.
 
I've always understood 20mg to be regarded as the minimum therapeutic dose of Prozac, although 10mg seems to work well enough for some people. Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of how a higher dose might affect your seizure threshold. Might be worth asking about it though, although your neuro does sound a bit odd x
 
JaneC said:
I've always understood 20mg to be regarded as the minimum therapeutic dose of Prozac, although 10mg seems to work well enough for some people. Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of how a higher dose might affect your seizure threshold. Might be worth asking about it though, although your neuro does sound a bit odd x
Click to expand...

Sometimes therapeutic dosages don't work at all when just an SSRI (like Prozac) is prescribed for depression with TLE. And sometimes, they can make the depression worse. This is why a specialist should be considered, a neuropsychiatrist.
 
I don't want to hijack jyerta's thread but are neuropsychiatrists easy to find in the US? There are none in my part of the world. When we spoke to our epilepsy nurse about my daughter's apparent depression, she told us to see our GP about it. I was quite shocked, I really thought that because the two can be linked, it would would form part of her hospital care.
 
I get so frustrated that one Dr. tells me that I need see another spec. who then tells me I need to see yet another spec.
It's like the Dr. Neur. Pshy. doesn't want to deal with depression.

All the Neur. that I've seen have all made the same remark, " that they don't understand what's with me and my depression. I was thinking I was crazy until I joined this forum and read that depression is a part of E.

I haven't been able to find a neuropsychiatrist where I live.
 
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