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What Causes Weakness After Having Macorate And Lamez?
Question: I have been taking macorate cr 500, lamez 25 and amixide for over 2 years now for borderline personality disorder. I feel like a zombie. Is it due to the medication? Can I reduce and stop these?
Brief Answer:
shift amitryptaline & macorate- night; stop lamez
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
You are taking two medicines which have significant sedation- amitryptaline and macorate.
You have not mentioned the doasage of amitryptaline. Earlier you were on escitalopram - which was a better anti anxiety molecule and safe compared to this for your age. If that is not working anymore- shifting to sertraline or venalafaxine would be a better choice.
If you cant change amitryptaline- shift it to night time and take it by early evening hours like 6-7pm. This will prevent the next day time sedation.
Similarly, macorate is to be taken at night as it induces sleep. The dosage is already low, so just keep it as such. It is useful in your case.
Lamotrigine- is also useful but if it is just 25mg then it can well be stopped ( provided your docotr is not in the process of increasing it). It is useful in weight reduction too and also in managing mood swings. However, mood swings can be managed with macorate as well, so there is no need for two drugs for this purpose. Try to stop it and raise macorate if requires.
Discuss all about these changes with your doctor.
Doing the above three things will definitely help you.
Good luck.
Feel free to ask more questions for clarification.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Neuropsychiatry
shift amitryptaline & macorate- night; stop lamez
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
You are taking two medicines which have significant sedation- amitryptaline and macorate.
You have not mentioned the doasage of amitryptaline. Earlier you were on escitalopram - which was a better anti anxiety molecule and safe compared to this for your age. If that is not working anymore- shifting to sertraline or venalafaxine would be a better choice.
If you cant change amitryptaline- shift it to night time and take it by early evening hours like 6-7pm. This will prevent the next day time sedation.
Similarly, macorate is to be taken at night as it induces sleep. The dosage is already low, so just keep it as such. It is useful in your case.
Lamotrigine- is also useful but if it is just 25mg then it can well be stopped ( provided your docotr is not in the process of increasing it). It is useful in weight reduction too and also in managing mood swings. However, mood swings can be managed with macorate as well, so there is no need for two drugs for this purpose. Try to stop it and raise macorate if requires.
Discuss all about these changes with your doctor.
Doing the above three things will definitely help you.
Good luck.
Feel free to ask more questions for clarification.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Neuropsychiatry
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Bhagyalaxmi Nalaparaju
amitriptyline 25mg
chlordiazepam 10mg
What dosage of macorate would u recommend if I stop Lamez 25 (I take it twice a day now)?
Can I switch back to escitalopram? What would be a safe dose?
Can I ever get off medication and have a normal life?
chlordiazepam 10mg
What dosage of macorate would u recommend if I stop Lamez 25 (I take it twice a day now)?
Can I switch back to escitalopram? What would be a safe dose?
Can I ever get off medication and have a normal life?
Brief Answer:
stop amitryp. & start escitalopram or sertraline
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
You take a very low dose of amitryptaline but because of chlordiazepoxide you feel sleepy. Also due to macorate.
This low dose of amitryptaline is not very useful...its better you take escitalopram 10-15mg or sertraline 50mg.
Macorate can be raised to 750mg at night time.
lamez 50mg can be continued for some time till you stop and start the above drugs and stabilize. Later when this is done- we can reduce lamez to 25 and after a week or 10 days try to stop it. It is better to do one change at a time.
To decide about the duration of treatment i need to know for how long you are ill and also why escitalopram was stopped and at what dose.
hoep this helps you.
Good luck.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Neuropsychiatry
stop amitryp. & start escitalopram or sertraline
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
You take a very low dose of amitryptaline but because of chlordiazepoxide you feel sleepy. Also due to macorate.
This low dose of amitryptaline is not very useful...its better you take escitalopram 10-15mg or sertraline 50mg.
Macorate can be raised to 750mg at night time.
lamez 50mg can be continued for some time till you stop and start the above drugs and stabilize. Later when this is done- we can reduce lamez to 25 and after a week or 10 days try to stop it. It is better to do one change at a time.
To decide about the duration of treatment i need to know for how long you are ill and also why escitalopram was stopped and at what dose.
hoep this helps you.
Good luck.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Neuropsychiatry
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I was prescribed citalopram 40mg in 2003. This was changed to escitalopram 20mg in 2005 but I was also given something else along with that for sleep at night. Between 2008 and 2013, I have been taking various drugs for depression, anxiety, panic attacks. I did not keep a record of these. I started visiting a psychiatrist again in August 2013 and was given the prescription above. Initially I was taking Macorate CR 600 alone. The other medications were added subsequently because I had problems sleeping at night. But now I feel lethargic all the time and find it difficult to get sleep at night. Once I sleep it is difficult to get up. I am awake, but find it difficult to get up and get moving. I wake up feeling stiff and with cramps in my back and stomach area. I often find my fists clenched tight.
I must mention that I began taking medication in 2003 after a traumatic divorce. I quit a very good job in 2013 after I was denied a promotion that I felt I deserved, and decided to come home and look after my old parent. But dad died even before I got home. That was a shock for me and I took it badly. I am also going through a very difficult time now because I want to work but there are no places close to home where I can do the work I am trained to do - teach biotechnology to University students- so I feel frustrated. Also there's only Amma and me here in our village home and I don't know enough Malayalam to make any friends. Amma wants to stay here and I don't want her to be alone.
But I want to be able to cope without medication. Is that possible?
I must mention that I began taking medication in 2003 after a traumatic divorce. I quit a very good job in 2013 after I was denied a promotion that I felt I deserved, and decided to come home and look after my old parent. But dad died even before I got home. That was a shock for me and I took it badly. I am also going through a very difficult time now because I want to work but there are no places close to home where I can do the work I am trained to do - teach biotechnology to University students- so I feel frustrated. Also there's only Amma and me here in our village home and I don't know enough Malayalam to make any friends. Amma wants to stay here and I don't want her to be alone.
But I want to be able to cope without medication. Is that possible?
Brief Answer:
try sertraline, stop amixide, reduce& stop lamez
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
If you were on esciralopram 20mg and that didnt work -its highly likely that you would need some other drug now. As you dont remember what all meds you tried, so, we might go for sertraline ( its cardio safe and effective as well).
Stopping amitryptalline -chlordiazepoxide combination will help your daytime sedation, so you need not worry about it anymore- you will not feel lethargic.
Macorate can be continued as such.
After taking sertraline for 1-2weeks and stopping amitryptalline-chlordiazrpoxide simultaneously-- start reducing lamez to 25mg and stop that in another week.
You might need to raise sertraline upto 100-150mg.
Its difficult to say if you can keep well without drugs ever as-
1. You have been through so much in life already
2 you are still not professionally satisfied.
3. Its been a long illness.
I know its difficult but please try to make peace with your past..its gone and you are still carrying the pain. You dont desreve this ..you have a life and have to live it- its your choice wether to be happy or sad.
Life is not 100% good to anybody, but we can still be happy and help others too.
You are a good human being, you live in a place where you cant pursue anything in your field only because you want to serve your mother..its a great thing..not everyone can do that.
try to find what you can do in that area which will interests you & keep you busy.
There is always a way out of every problem-we just need to look around!
And most important-medicines are our friend and not enemy--so please dont get frightened by them. Accept yourself with unconditioned love & respect.
Good luck.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Neuropsychiatry
try sertraline, stop amixide, reduce& stop lamez
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
If you were on esciralopram 20mg and that didnt work -its highly likely that you would need some other drug now. As you dont remember what all meds you tried, so, we might go for sertraline ( its cardio safe and effective as well).
Stopping amitryptalline -chlordiazepoxide combination will help your daytime sedation, so you need not worry about it anymore- you will not feel lethargic.
Macorate can be continued as such.
After taking sertraline for 1-2weeks and stopping amitryptalline-chlordiazrpoxide simultaneously-- start reducing lamez to 25mg and stop that in another week.
You might need to raise sertraline upto 100-150mg.
Its difficult to say if you can keep well without drugs ever as-
1. You have been through so much in life already
2 you are still not professionally satisfied.
3. Its been a long illness.
I know its difficult but please try to make peace with your past..its gone and you are still carrying the pain. You dont desreve this ..you have a life and have to live it- its your choice wether to be happy or sad.
Life is not 100% good to anybody, but we can still be happy and help others too.
You are a good human being, you live in a place where you cant pursue anything in your field only because you want to serve your mother..its a great thing..not everyone can do that.
try to find what you can do in that area which will interests you & keep you busy.
There is always a way out of every problem-we just need to look around!
And most important-medicines are our friend and not enemy--so please dont get frightened by them. Accept yourself with unconditioned love & respect.
Good luck.
Dr. Manisha Gopal
MD Neuropsychiatry
Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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