comfortzone Posted October 7, 2012 Report Share Posted October 7, 2012 Does anyone recall trying Namenda the anti - alzheimers type drug for OI sx's - or a round of stimulant type drugs - or even Effexor ... if so did you recall if they helped and it which arena's did the symptoms improve - brain fog, OI, energy levels etc?Any other new treatments such as the anti-virals for CFS type symptoms - have you done the Gastrocom, antihistamine, aspirin regimen - where in your body did you get relief of symptoms?My energy levels are on the floor and I have that swollen neck nodes, mild sore throat flare that I get off and on since age 13 - makes me wonder what 'fight' is going on - and if it's contributing to my weak feeling as of late - if I would break out in my yearly 'winter itch' head to toe rash I could at least be on steroids for a week by way of medrol dose pack! But alas it hasn't decided to blossom just yet....I'll push myself today to do more activity - veins feel loaded with lead! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weathermandj Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Namenda may improve energy levels. Some patients have said it sedated them. That may be a parodoxial reaction to it, however. Namenda has D2 agonism, meaning it binds to Dopamine receptors and increases Dopamine, which in turn can increase alertness and energy. Sleeping problems, hallucinations, and agitation are possible from D2 agonists, amoung other side-effects. It also increases Serotonin in the brain with it's 5HT-3 receptor antagonism. It blocks the reuptake of Serotonin to increase the amount of Serotonin in the synapses of Serotogenic receptors. This can improve mood and so can the increased Dopamine. There is other methods of action with Namenda, as well. NMDA receptors are blocked and that can improve energy too. Now, I've never tried Namenda, but my psych doc is thinking about trying it for OCD, of which some studies show it can be effective for OCD Tx. It's also possible the brain fog could be improved with the Namenda after your energy is improved. B-Complex vitamins are good for improving energy from what Issie has said on this forum. Hopefully other people has some input! Have you thought of trying something like Wellbutrin? It's very activating and can improve energy levels, mood, and possibly brain fog.I'm on Tramadol and that has improved my energy levels some. Most people say it's activating, however a few people are sedated by it. It's an SNRI as well as an opiate agonist (painkiller), similar to Effexor in molecular structure. The NE blockade can help with energy with most people. Likewise, Effexor can be activating as well.Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comfortzone Posted October 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Wow what an excellent post you wrote out! I'm grateful for you taking the time to do that. I only bought ten of the Namenda tabs - a month supply with my current insurance is sixty bucks - that I have to think very carefully about parting with each month - not working currently etc... So about 2 bucks a day had me not even try it. But how to boost energy! Thanks for your suggestions - I'll ponder each of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POTLUCK Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Cymbalta along the lines of the comment on Effexor can be activating I understand.I did not follow if you are trying Namenda now. I will be interested in the result if you do. I do not know much about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comfortzone Posted October 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Hi - I bought a partial prescription of the Namenda - when the pharmacy told me it would be 60 bucks a month.... So I only paid a portion of that fee...Once home - I had misgivings and second thoughts as I have newly diagnosed mild cognitive impairment - amnestic ... and wanted to tease out a possible cause for that condition. To do that I stopped all pain medicines - to see if my mind would get clearer - and truly all that did was give me crippling fatigue .... So now I don't know if I should ask my doc to stop the Clonidine I'm on too - as I read that can cause cognition problems - but that would be a huge hassle as it took a long time to get the right dose of it and Inderal to control labile b/ps..... But anyway - I was afraid to try the namenda as it would or could complicate the picture of my cognitive issues.... supposedly it can help with your cognition - but upon further investigation - by everything from consumer reports to journals - it's only supposed to be for mod to severe alzheimers - and it is often coupled with another med - and frankly most people found it didn't do much at all in sparing their loved one problems from advancing alzheimers - if it slowed the progression - it wasn't for long at all....So maybe I'm prescribed it for off label purposes such as reducing OI - feeling woozy with standing etc.... The 'perk' would have been if I also had clearer thinking while on it.....The fatigue is scary now for me - I've had it before in life and it's horrible - you cannot do a darn thing... I think its CFS or ME not yet diagnosed - and well all that seems to be is a big 'gray area' as far as causes, etiology, treatment options - infection agents - a huge ball of wax I really am simply overwhelmed with even just reading about it - all that immunology stuff - infectious disease stuff -So anyway - like everyone else I hate to rely on a pill to make things better - but coffee ain't doin it and neither is chocolate - neither is resting - so I'm getting kinda desperate - for a reason, or an explanation - or a quick fix perhaps - but likely or hopefully it's all related to brain adjusting to no pain meds - and will fade away on it's own - But then again I now have a sore throat and swollen neck glands which brought me back to CFS... sigh - so much fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommykazim Posted October 8, 2012 Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Hi nowwhat, my most debilitating symptoms are brain fog and fatigue and so have focused (as much as I can!) on trying to relieve them. Two drugs have been successful: Citalopram and cymbalta (not together). Citalopram for a good 4 years before pooping out. Cymbalta gave me 4 months of my life back however was very dizzy on it. I have tried taking these again after a long break from them but to no avail.I tried stimulants Ritalin and modafinil which helped only for a few days. Didnt get on with effexor nor the other SSRIs. The supplement L-carnitine and B12 gave me a boost but again just for a few days.Like you I'd rather not take meds but going organic and spiritual havent helped. I'm in the process of trying to get my paws on Wellbutrin which as Weathermandj mentioned is activating and some seem to benefit from it. BUT we all seem to do differently with meds whether our disease process is slightly different or just because we're different! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
comfortzone Posted October 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted October 8, 2012 Hi!Thanks for sharing what you did tommyk - I appreciate your input. Being off pain meds is really a hard thing for me - I keep doubting it's benefit. I thankfully have zero drug cravings - could care less about that - but the pain is just so miserable and distracting - I truly cannot determine which is worse - the possible connection with brain fog and pain relievers - or the effect of chronic moderate pain day to day - Tylenol 1000mg I've given a good try with - but I wait and wait and I'm still sore as heck. This is advanced arthritis pains, spine issues and neck issues - as well as lots of 'itis's' - d/t joint hypermobility.So coming off meds - whether the ssri's or things similar also has it's own nightmare's .... so you feel kind of up against the wall..... Stay away from typical psych meds used for pain - stay away from opiates - seems to equal greater pain - and I feel all the 'stress' of that - face always 'pained' - simply tough - and it's not even severe pain - it's moderate but on a daily basis.Maybe I'll write down those things carnitine etc... make a list of them and see which my doctor might recommend - I probably need someone's blessing on what I try - just so we are all on the same page so to speak.... Thank you so much - and I'm truly sorry those other alternative things didn't quite help enough or long enough to be valuable for you - I'll think about trying them though just the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommykazim Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 No probs, I've never had issues with pain but I can imagine it causing much stress and perhaps that contributing to brainfog. Here in the UK they have chronic pain docs who approach pain from all angles, from acupuncture to tens machines, to cbt, to meds. Hope you get it under control soon and brainfog goes on holiday with.it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weathermandj Posted October 9, 2012 Report Share Posted October 9, 2012 You're welcome @nowwhat!. Let me know if you try Namenda and have success on it. I'm pretty curious. They prescribe it off-label for different conditions. Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memantine#ResearchYour symtoms sound like it could be M.E./CFS going on with you. You would need to rule out everything else. It looks like your symptoms have been going on for way more than 6 months, the minimal criteria time for a CFS Dx. There are some other drugs I would like to mention to you. In a worse case senario, you could try getting a script for Provigil or Nuvigil. These two are CIV controlled drugs, so I'd only try them if other stuff fails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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