Well-Ordered Chaos » co-morbid disorders

Blogging at the Lamictal Diaries for awhile

Addy — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 01:30:16 +0000

I learned something important during my bout with psychotic depression: Lexapro is the antichrist.

OK, maybe that’s not fair. Maybe you have ADHD and Lexapro treats you just fine. But for me, it was a complete disaster. I spent most of March and all of April sitting on the couch, staring at the wall. I’d say that it made me a zombie, except that zombies at least are motivated to eat brains. I wouldn’t have been motivated to eat anything except the damn drug made me crave carbs. As it was, making myself go to the store to buy frozen food, and then making myself put it in the microwave, was agonizingly difficult. All this while on 70 mgs of Vyvanse.

Anyway, that’s my excuse for not blogging in forever. I hope to be back soon, but in the mean time, I’ll be keeping a blog of my experiences with Lamictal (lamotrigine). It’s one of those drugs that can be great for treatment-resistant depression, as long as you titrate up slowly and avoid The Dreaded Rash. Since so many other meds have been disastrous for me, I’m keeping a diary of my moods, cognition, attention, etc, as well as any side effects I experience. It’s called The Lamictal Diaries. See you there.

Adult Ear Infections

Addy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:52:08 +0000

Yeah, they’re something you’re supposed to grow out of when you turn 5. But not me. I narrowly avoided having tubes put in my ears as a kid, only to start getting ear infections again when I was fourteen or so. Since then, it seems like every time I get a cold I come down with an ear infection too.

If I’m lucky, it’s a bacterial middle ear infection. There’s some pain, some stuffiness, some temporary hearing loss, and some ringing. Then I get antibiotics and it goes away within a few days.

If I’m not lucky … well, if I’m not lucky it’s a viral infection. It gets into my labyrinth, the organ that controls the body’s sense of balance. I feel dizzy and fatigued. It can’t be treated with medication. And the best part? The best part is that it lasts from two to six weeks. Yeah. Good times.

Since I’ve gotten the house decluttered and organized, there have been fewer things to collect dust. I’ve been able to vacuum more regularly. My dust allergies have been much better controlled. All of this means that the viral ear infections that used to plague me several times a year have been fewer and farther between.

As I discovered last year though, that doesn’t mean they don’t happen; for instance, I spent most of my spare time last fall sick, dizzy, fatigued and lying on the couch. This weekend I came down with a cold, and with it the familiar intermittent ear pain that I dread so much. Here’s hoping it’s bacterial and not viral.

so very tired

Addy — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 05:05:21 +0000

I don’t know what it is, but I’ve been sluggish the last few days, and today I’ve just been exhausted. Maybe it’s the days getting shorter. I definitely felt better when I was working in my studio with my full-spectrum lighting.

Today I was supposed to spend an hour on chores, a few hours doing online stuff, and several hours on music and art. The chores just completely slipped my mind (I was charging my phone, so I didn’t get the SMS reminder and got distracted by a book I was reading). I did get the internet work done, and spent a few hours in the studio, and now I’m off to work on music stuff. And then to bed, at a reasonable hour, hopefully to sleep long and deeply.