Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

[TracyA]

I called Levin's office to make an appointment, and he just happened to be available. I now officially have a psychiatrist, to which many here will be loudly proclaiming: IT'S ABOUT DANG TIME YOU GOT SOME MENTAL HELP. Yeah, I know. :lalala:

My bac schedule looks like this: continue at 80 mg for 5 more days (taking 20 four times per day).

Then up to 100, 35 - 30 - 35 for a week.

Then up to 120, 40 - 40 - 40 for a week (here's where the numbers start scaring me)

Then up to 140, 50 - 40 - 50 for a week.

Then up to 160, 55 - 50 - 55. Then up some more, I imagine.

I'll have an ample supply of bac, and we'll have a session every couple weeks for the psych stuff.

It excited me but scared me to be writing down this schedule because before, I was really one the directing my dosage. Having a regimen prescribed intimidates me (the SE's and stuff - yikes), but I feel released somehow, happy, excited.

I'll come to this thread to whine about SE's, which I'm hoping won't be as bad as I'm afraid they're going to be. But onward.

[TracyA]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Forgot to add: This is my old account which I haven't been able to access. Admin helped me get into it this morning, so I'm leaving the topsy-turvy because I'm hoping to be a more stable presence on the forum than I have been in the past. Also, because someone called me a newbie and kinda annoyed me. Go ahead, call me newbie now. :muahaha:

[Bruunhilde]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

GO TRACY! Best of luck, and congrats for taking this on.

[Isolde]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Good luck on your bac trip this time around Tracy! It's good to see you here again!

[bleep]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Hi Tracy, glad you have decided to go for this. We never met earlier, so it's nice to bump into you here.

One thing to consider is to break your dose up more. I was taking 450mg's a day at one point, but if I took 40mg's in one hit, I turned into a dribbling wreck. It not only helps with the SE's, as you never spike so severely, but it also evens out the baclofen supply in your bloodstream, which I think is important.

Good luck, I look forward to following you on your journey!

[TracyA]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Thanks Bruun and Iso.

I've thought about that, Bleep. I think the doc worked the regimen around the idea that I was working around office hours. I'm not, so I can easily take more doses in smaller amounts. Thanks!

What he was really insistent upon is that I follow the protocol (meaning daily dosage) exactly and don't be titrating up and down if side effects are problem - to call him instead. He said that the goal was to have zero SE's. I don't quite believe that is possible, but minimal would be a good because I am a wuss at heart!

Today the somnolence hit hard after my third dose of 20. I laid down for half an hour (slept a bit, but woke up half a dozen times), and then got up raring to go - tons of energy. The fourth dose barely phased me. It sure would be cool if the rest of this journey felt that good.

[redhead77]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Hi Tracy,

I think you may be referring to me with the newbie comment. I KNEW you weren't a newbie when I mentioned newbie night. I was a lurker here before a poster. I know you've been active. It's just my phone was going to die and I was wondering where Bleep and Ne were. I didn't or wasn't able to elaborate. My computer is infected with a virus and I must use my phone for a few days to post. Can you say headache?

Congrats on getting some help with this. Dr L may not have it all figured out, but I think he's one of the good guys and it's nice to have a prescribing doc here. I think ordering online while a must for many, is troublesome. It's scary to think you might run out of this stuff and go into withdrawal, if a shipment is delayed.

I can't tell you yet if he's a good therapist. I still have lots of questions on bac, and his experience, research, ect. Our conversations tend to go there. I've had tons of hours of therapy and actually have a great psychologist to talk to if need be. I've been staying away at the moment. He will be alarmed and confused by my choice to take bac. My main question yesterday was why he doesn't do a study. I feel he answered me well. I again talked to him about staying on the switch dose and the numerous repercussions of that.
He explained to me his philosophy, again. He's very patient.

If figure if it was I who annoyed you with the newbie thing (I don't know this for certain), it has to be far less annoying than when I said to screw off. Yes, I meant fuck off, but I didn't want to be unlady like. Can't help it. I'm loyal. Officially, it's nice to meet you Tracy. Notice how I spelled your name properly?

[TracyA]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Hey, Red, don't worry about the other stuff - unimportant - but if you can get online with your computer, you might try this:

Go to CNET and get a free trial version of Norton:

Norton 360 - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

Let it run a full scan. If it doesn't get the little bugger, it will give you the option of running their "Power Wash." That program has cleaned up every problem we've ever had, including nasty scareware that infiltrated our registry (kept lying to us that our hard drive wasn't detected).

It's just a trial version of Norton, so you don't have to pay for it. Just uninstall if it works and the trial ends (or even if it doesn't work).

I have a few questions about Dr. L too. Okay if I pm you?

[redhead77]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Absolutely. I'll probably answer you back tomorrow cause I'm working again early and I've gotta hit the sack.

[bleep]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Somnolence in an office setting can be debilitating! I have to get up and walk around every so often, otherwise I WILL fall asleep. I often wonder if my secretary has walked in and seen me sleeping, I hope not! My head hitting my chest with a wallop tends to jerk me awake, thankfully. Doesn't matter how important the thing I'm working on is either.

A quick walk, then it passes for a short while.

[Otter]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Hello,

Welcome back.

I sent you some information about dosage by email. It might be something you want to share with your doctor.

I agree with Bleep. You may find it is better to divide your doses up more over the day. Imagine you are trying to replicate a chemical released by your own body to keep your brain calm. You want to give an even dose over the course of the day, and night, as much as possible, rather than having spikes and lows. 50 mg doses are quite high individual doses and will give you heavy side effects and then withdrawals rather than a smooth ride. It is not the total daily dose which is important but that the brain receives the right amount constantly and consistently through the day so it is good to take an extra dose before you go to bed and a dose as soon as you wake up in the morning.

Bac is used in MS and is administered via a pump directly into the spinal cord at an even and constant level.

Think smooth and remember...its all in the amygdala!

Best wishes and good luck.

[TracyA]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Thanks, Otter.

Bad breathing night, dang it. But sinus stuff is playing a big part. I think I might have inhaled some super-phosphate while gardening yesterday. If so, I'm going to resent it if I don't have some monster carrots.



That's what I want (the veggies, not the guy).

Speaking of guys, my husband and I talked about what to expect for the next couple/few months. We conjured some plans so that I wouldn't be in a position of having to drive (short of emergencies) on higher doses, and decided that this would be a bad time to re-roof the garage. Likewise, no learning to juggle knives or bungie-jumping for a while. I'll put off ballet lessons for another time, and also postpone flying lessons and learning to twirl fire.

Short of that, I think we're good to go.

[bleep]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Funny you should say that, I was twirling fire last night, and juggling for my son this morning!

You seem set up nicely, cue the music and get this show up and running!

[Murphyx]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Wow, weird you should say that. I was juggling fire clubs and breathing fire last night. Odd coincidence.

BTW if you ever try fire breathing, whatever you do don't drink any of the paraffin. It is the most extreme laxative you can imagine. :flush:

[TracyA]

Wheeee! or Yikes! Progress thread for Tracy

Noted: do not swallow paraffin. Murph, have you actually tried fire breathing?

I feel kinda crappy today. Doesn't seem fair since I didn't have much to drink. I was reluctant to take my second dose and put it off, but actually feel a little better having taken it. Maybe my body likes the stuff. I think I'll bump up to 100 a day early and see how it feels.