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jbalsa2

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Everything posted by jbalsa2

  1. Yeah, but not the visual snow for example - that's still very much there. Before my visuals used to drag me into worse depersonalization if I zoned out on them or noticed them. On keppra I could stare at my visual snow for hours and not suffer a downward spiral of depersonalization.
  2. In the first month of taking keppra, my visual symptoms, although not particularly worse, became harsher in intensity. By the I mean that my visual symptoms felt like they had more of a physical impact on my brain then they normally would. Additionally, I became quite substantially more psychotic - to the point where after day 6 or 7 of treatment I was almost sure I'd have to stop therapy. After about 2 months into treatment is when I noticed the effect (to a measurable extent) that keppra was having. It's improvements are primarily in depersonalization, derealization, and if I had to put it in words - the grip that my hppd has on my concious thought process. My hppd just feels more manageable on keppra, my depressive periods are much more manageable, and my condition is generally more stable. Don't get me wrong I still have hppd - but there's a part of my old self that's returned again.
  3. I had a substantial worsening of my symptoms in the first month of taking keppra; but I rode it out, and now find the improvement I've been seeking. The way I see it, is if the worsening of symptoms you describe is tolerable, it would in my opinion be worth waiting it out for a month or two longer to see if things improve. The way I see it is that person from person, were not all that different - just like LSD gets everyone high, in theory lamotrigine should also give you the improvement that it's given others. The case report done on the lady who did see improvement on lamotrigine was on it for 6 months. If the symptoms remain tolerable, and after 2-4 months has elapsed and you still don't see improvement, I'd say try a different medication at that point.
  4. Yeah that's my point, if your noticing an exacerbation at 125 mg but not 100mg, maybe stay on 100 mg for a couple of months. The only reason I say that is because there's only really two medications out there at this point that present to you an actual cure over time. So if you exhaust both without really knowing for sure then that leaves you with no options right? In the end it's up to you, just my two cents.
  5. @Davidmckeon22 you have only been on it for a month and a half - perhaps try staying on just 100mg for a few months. With my keppra dosing it took at least 2 months for me to feel the positive change, and above that my improvement with keppra seems to be quite gradual - not something you'd notice in a week of dosing. Alternatively if your sure you'd like to stop you can always try taking levetiracetam (keppra)
  6. Acetaminophen, advil, pseudoephedrine. Actually you should be fine as long as you stick to any of the over the counter cold and flu pills. Just don't go hard on a bottle of cough syrup and you'll be okay.
  7. I certainly hope you guys consider otherwise. ? I attempted twice, first ditch being a complete failure and wound me up in a psychiatric unit for over a month. My second attempt I nearly succeeded, waking up 12 hours later after what should have been a fatal dose of heroin. I have to say this, after waking up after that 12 hours... Just opening my eyes and realizing I still had life to live was probably one of the biggest revelations of my life. My life has turned around since then, and I am considering school again and numerous other things which I would have never thought was possible in my situation. I deal with some severe side effects of my hppd, with a concurrent disorder - im diagnosed with borderline personality disorder and schizzoaffective disorder. I used to fly airplanes and had almost achieved my private pilot's license as a kid, and I lost it all to my illnesses. That being said, some times a month or two can change your entire outlook on life. I can't stress this enough; if your feeling suicidal, please go to a hospital, even if you can check yourself into a psychiatric facility or psychosocial rehabilitation centre; the therapy and time spent away from regular life can work wonders for your mindset. All is not lost ?
  8. For me, my HPPD 3 years ago was crippling to the point I had to leave my job, and make allot of sacrifices just to live. Im so very thankful that 3 years later, I can say that I've pretty much completely adapted to living life with this disorder, and that my symptoms aren't half of what they were when I first got HPPD. It cost me some time, but at 23 years old now I look forward to potentially going back to school, and generally continuing to live a life that I once had, that at the time was a life that I thought I had lost. The plus side being im successfully on 3 different medications, two of which have cured hppd on many occasions. Despite that I am already adapted and living a happy life again, I might (*might*) also come home to a surprise one day and find out that my hppd is gone. Either way, you learn to make the most of it ?
  9. I've got muscle twitches too ? my psychiatrist doesn't want to give me any baclofen to treat the condition either. Logically baclofen would be the ideal medication for that symptom as it works on your brain rather then the muscles themselves, decreasing the amount of 'sensory output' to your muscles.
  10. Hey Vladchik, if your noticing improvement with lamotrigine this early on, I would recommend strictly taking it and nothing else. If your noticing an improvement, there's a good chance that over the course of the next 6 months to a year that your hppd could go away completely, especially if you can get yourself up to 200mg daily.
  11. Hey there vladchik, If I were you I would try one or the other before combining them, they work somewhat on the same systems in the body so by combining them you may (or may not be) compromising some of their individual effects. Levetiracetam can be taken simultaneously with SSRI's, although to be honest I've found SSRI's to have a negative impact on my hppd. That's just me however, really it's about finding what works for you, for example I take Abilify with levetiracetam. This combination doesn't cause my symptoms to become worse, although I've heard other people curse abilify's effect on their HPPD.
  12. Im not sure I would touch any of those except for depakote. I have terrible side effects from any antidepressants, and invega is actually a derivative of risperidone. Im glad I found a combination that works for me, a low dose of Abilify along with some keppra.
  13. Hey guys, Have made this thread for the purpose of educating either newcomers, or people who don’t have the resources yet on the medications that are available and most commonly used to treat and augment the symptoms of HPPD. Feel free as well to post here and ask questions. Lamotrigine (Lamictal): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamotrigine Lamotrigine, sold under the brand name Lamictal, among others, is an anticonvulsant medication used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder. This medication can reduce the symptoms of HPPD, and in many instances have even cured HPPD completely. Dosing: Lamotrigine should be titrated up slowly, starting at 25mg per day, and increased roughly every week until a typical dose of 100-200mg per day is reached. Starting lamotrigine too quickly can result in a skin condition called Stevens-Johnson syndrome, which is a condition that affects the skin on your body. It’s important to follow this titration process as this skin reaction can be deadly. Common Side Effects: Common side effects of Lamotrigine include sleepiness, headache, vomiting, trouble with coordination, and rash. Speak to your doctor about which side effects to look out for, and make sure to report all side effects to your doctor in a timely basis. Resources: Here’s the link for the NCBI case study that was done on Lamotrigine and HPPD - this can come in particular handy if you’re looking for some support in getting your doctor to prescribe you lamotrigine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3736944/ Levetiracetam (Keppra): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levetiracetam Levetiracetam, sold under the brand name Keppra, among others, is an anticonvulsant medication used to treat epilepsy. This medication can reduce some of the symptoms of HPPD, primarily symptoms of depersonalizations and derealization, and in many instances has even cured HPPD completely. Dosing: Levetiracetam can carry with it some initial onset symptoms, such as increased irritability, and in some cases an increase in psychosis like symptoms. It should be started at the smallest dose - 250mg twice daily, and increased at a bi-weekly or monthly rate until the desired effect is reached. Most commonly effective doses of levetiracetam in patients with HPPD range from 500mg twice daily to 750 mg twice daily. Common Side Effects: The most common adverse side effects of levetiracetam include central nervous system effects such as somnolence, decreased energy, headache, dizziness, mood swings, and coordination difficulties. These symptoms often wear off within the first week to two weeks of therapy, but it is important to report all side effects to your doctor. It should also be noted that vitamin B supplements have been shown to augment some of these side effects effectively as well. Resources: Here’s the link for the cover and results page of the case study that was done on Levetiracetam and HPPD - this can come in particular handy if you’re looking for some support in getting your doctor to prescribe you levetiracetam. https://www.scribd.com/document/138316970/keppra-evidencias-curativas Clonazepam (Klonopin): https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clonazepam Clonazepam, sold under the brand name Klonopin, among others, is a medication used to prevent and treat seizures, panic disorder, and other movement disorders. It is a tranquilizer of the benzodiazepine class. Clonazepam is by far the most effective treatment for HPPD sufferers, especially in the short term. Caution should be used when using this medication, as daily or recurrent use can lead to tolerance and dependency. Dosing: Clonazepam dosages should typically be started at about a half milligram (0.5mg) and adjusted as necessary. It’s typically not recommended for someone to take more than 2.0 mg of clonazepam a day. Dosing, if done daily, should not be continued for a period of longer than 3 weeks, as tolerance can build up in this time frame. Some doctors prescribe doses of clonazepam to be used in a “per as needed” basis, meaning that the user can take a dosage of clonazepam 1-3 times per week to provide them with some relief while averting tolerance and dependency. Common Side Effects: Common adverse side effects from clonazepam can include a feeling of sedation, motor impairment, confusion, lack of motivation, and memory impairment. These side effects are typically rare if the dosage regime is started properly - at around 0.5 mg per day, with the risk of these side effects occurring increasing as the dosage of clonazepam is increased. Thanks for reading guys, and as always, if you have any questions comments or concerns, please comment.
  14. Sure thing, i’ll Keep and eye out for it, if a couple of weeks goes by and nothing comes up I’ll make one up. I certainly think it would be a great resource to see pinned for newcomers browsing the medications centre.
  15. @billy feel free to post back here with new developments and how things are going, know you’re not an island with this condition. ?
  16. Hey guys, Just wanted to report on what my experience with dosing with both Abilify and Levetiracetam (Keppra) has been like for me. I know most people have had bad experiences with Abilify. What I began noticing back when I was in the hospital, was that after they started me on keppra, the antipsychotics I would take (primarily Seroquel or Olanzapine at the time) would no longer cause adverse reactions to my hppd. They began having what I felt like was their intended effect - sedation. This was strange to me because for example, every time I took Seroquel prior to being on keppra, it would cause an exacerbation in my visual symptoms. With all of that being said; im one of the unlucky ones with HPPD, who upon getting HPPD developed a psychotic concurrent disorder somewhat on par with schizzoaffective disorder. Because I had HPPD I wasnt able to effectively use any antipsychotics to quell these symptoms. So then I remembered that after being on keppra, I was able to dabble with antipsychotics. So I figured I'd talk to my doctor about trying out Abilify. (Aripiprazole) The first 3 days, it made me feel really good and calm, then for the next two weeks it kind of made my HPPD a little but worse. I figured I'd try it out for at least a month before making a final decision. Anyways, that whole hypothesis about keppra enabling the use of antipsychotics proved true for me with Abilify as well. It's been about a month, and basically what happened was that the visual symptoms of HPPD basically got worse for a little while, but then returned to baseline after about two weeks. This is great for me, because IMO Abilify is one of the best antipsychotics out there. What's great is after my hppd returned to baseline, I've been able to keep the antipsychotic properties that Abilify has to offer - which so far is working really well for my psychotic/schizzoaffective symptoms. Just thought I'd post this little blurb, as maybe this could prove useful to those out there who suffer from *just a little bit more than hppd* TL;DR - keppra has allowed me to use Abilify effectively without causing my hppd to become worse, and has been helping my schizzoaffective symptoms while the keppra helps my hppd along side it. ?
  17. Visuals become saturated, but not necessarily worse. Wouldn't recommend going overboard, as withdrawals or rebound effects make hppd worse.
  18. Honestly my family doctor was willing to prescribe it to me, try your doctor, if not, you can google “Keppra evidencias curativas” and the first result that comes up is a good resource to show a psychiatrist, neurologist etc.
  19. @billy if DP/DR are your worst symptom, I would consider speaking to a doctor about giving levetiracetam a try, it's the best for reducing symptoms of DP/DR. You said your visuals are already mild, levetiracetam will also aid in the visuals department a little bit. Don't expect absolute miracles, but an improvement is what I noticed after about a week on the med. Start with 250 mg twice daily and see how you feel.
  20. @Jay1 or any other admins? Could any of you guys shed some light on this?
  21. @billy in curious to know how long you've been dealing with your symptoms; from what you've been saying in your post, keppra (levetiracetam) might be a good option to help you with your symptoms. There's a good chance i'tl reduce some of your depersonalization and derealization symptoms and help you focus on reality a little bit easier. ?
  22. There's us, here. For me I think what wound up being a rewarding feeling for me was learning how to cope with the symptoms and make the best of it. Especially if you're still succeeding at school, use that as a little internal Pat on the back; your pulling double time compared to others. How long have you had your HPPD? For what it's worth, with time, your visuals will get better. I've had this condition for 2 and a half years, and my visuals rarely bother anymore. Whereas in the first year, my visuals were painfully abarent.
  23. This is more so aimed at some of the mods on here, I found that a couple of years ago when I first got HPPD, i was more so finding information on levetiracetam and lamotrigine on google or other sources, such as the NCBI case study. Why are the lamotrigine and levetiracetam threads not pinned in the medications section? I think these two resources should be bright, visible, and easily accessible on this forum, especially when the medications subsection of the forum can be so vague and convoluted sometimes with various experimental medications, that most first timers would typically want to stay clear from.
  24. Although I can’t comment on lamotrigine specifically - because it caused me to have severe reactions to the medication (Muscle movement disorder and such) I’ve never been able to take it. That being said it took me a solid month to month and a half on keppra to begin to feel it. What i’ve Read the most about lamotrigine is that most people who take it and notice improvement notice that improvement over a period of months, not weeks. Stick with it, I think lamictal is mild enough that unless it’s causing severe agitation of symptoms, it typically won’t be non-reversible. My symptoms got better over like two weeks, and they were unbearable.
  25. This medication costs $28000 per year. Just a heads up. Good luck getting any form of financial funding unless you've been specifically diagnosed with psychosis due to Parkinson's.
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