Finding information about Neurontin and suicide was pretty easy when I Googled it. Here’s what I found:
There’s recent research that shows a link between Neurontin and suicide and suicide attempts. The FDA is considering requiring a warning about the link.
Of course, as I’ve said before, there’s no way of knowing that TN sufferers wouldn’t have committed suicide anyway because of not being able to get away from the pain.
Apparently Lyrica doesn’t have this link with suicide (at least so far). There’s another good reason for me to consider it.
And, since I haven’t experienced depression as a result of the Neurontin, there’s no real reason for me to worry about suicidal ideation. I remind myself of my mother worrying about things like this.
Michael
Saturday, December 03, 2005
Tell Me Why
Don’t miss this! The song is great, and the young man who's singing is, too.
http://media.putfile.com/Declan-full (Click on the title "Tell Me Why" for a live link.)
Michael
http://media.putfile.com/Declan-full (Click on the title "Tell Me Why" for a live link.)
Michael
Friday, December 02, 2005
Neurontin and depression
I’ve been thinking about how depression is a common side effect of taking Neurontin, and I’ve been wondering why it hasn’t affected me that way, given my history of experiencing depression. Then I felt some depression looking at Josh’s profile and wondered if the Neurontin was finally getting me, but it didn’t last too long.
Today I was watching TV, and an ad (or public service announcement) came on telling about a class action lawsuit. They asked anyone who knows someone who committed suicide or attempted suicide while taking Neurontin to contact some law firm.
So, apparently the problem goes beyond depression. Apparently some people – enough for there to be a class action lawsuit - who take Neurontin commit suicide. I wonder why no one told me that. Does any of you know anything about this?
Of course, the nearly constant pain is enough to drive someone to suicide, too, if they’re inclined to that. That’s why TN is called the “suicide disease.”
Now I'm even more motivated to find a way to get off Neurontin and to take Lyrica instead. I think I should bring this up in my TN discussion group. Maybe some of them know about Neurontin, depression, and suicide. And I probably should Google it.
Michael
Today I was watching TV, and an ad (or public service announcement) came on telling about a class action lawsuit. They asked anyone who knows someone who committed suicide or attempted suicide while taking Neurontin to contact some law firm.
So, apparently the problem goes beyond depression. Apparently some people – enough for there to be a class action lawsuit - who take Neurontin commit suicide. I wonder why no one told me that. Does any of you know anything about this?
Of course, the nearly constant pain is enough to drive someone to suicide, too, if they’re inclined to that. That’s why TN is called the “suicide disease.”
Now I'm even more motivated to find a way to get off Neurontin and to take Lyrica instead. I think I should bring this up in my TN discussion group. Maybe some of them know about Neurontin, depression, and suicide. And I probably should Google it.
Michael
R.I.P. Josh
A couple of days ago I learned of a suicide. A 17-year-old young man named Josh killed himself somewhere in California. What made this suicide unusual and therefore remarkable to me was that Josh was a member of My Space online, and he posted a bulletin (general notice to all friends) in My Space asking someone to call the police and directing them to where they would find his body.
I looked at Josh’s profile on My Space. I was struck with 3 things:
1. I was amazed at how many people had written insensitive (at the least) and even downright cruel messages about Josh. To the best of my reading ability, it appeared that all of these were people who didn’t even know Josh. Mostly they just thought he deserved the abuse because he had killed himself. I feel stunned and horrified and deeply saddened about this. I don’t understand this kind of hatefulness.
2. On the other hand, there were many messages from kids who knew Josh and loved him. (Look for yourself. They're on the right side of the page as you scroll down.) The theory goes that people who kill themselves feel alienated and unloved. How could that be with all these people saying how much Josh meant to them? It doesn’t sound like they neglected to tell him while he was alive. What happened? I wish I had that many people telling me they love me and that I’ve made a difference in their lives.
3. As I read Josh’s profile and all the comments, I found myself sinking into depression. Was it finally the Neurontin causing depression? I don’t think so. I think it was about empathizing with Josh, about the cruelty I saw, and about imagining people wouldn’t write the kind of loving, grateful things to me that they wrote to Josh.
And there’s the key. Josh apparently didn’t experience the love and appreciation that was there for him, just as I sometimes don’t think anyone cares about me. I don’t have any idea why that was for him. Research tells us that most teens who commit suicide are victims of some kind of abuse. I have no way to know if that was true for him. But there was something in his life that taught him that he didn’t deserve the love that was there for him, so he evidently didn’t even see it. And so he escaped from a life that seemed like hell for him.
I hope he learned what he needed to in his afterlife life review so his next lifetime will be easier.
Rest in peace, Josh, until it’s time to come back and try it again.
Michael
I looked at Josh’s profile on My Space. I was struck with 3 things:
1. I was amazed at how many people had written insensitive (at the least) and even downright cruel messages about Josh. To the best of my reading ability, it appeared that all of these were people who didn’t even know Josh. Mostly they just thought he deserved the abuse because he had killed himself. I feel stunned and horrified and deeply saddened about this. I don’t understand this kind of hatefulness.
2. On the other hand, there were many messages from kids who knew Josh and loved him. (Look for yourself. They're on the right side of the page as you scroll down.) The theory goes that people who kill themselves feel alienated and unloved. How could that be with all these people saying how much Josh meant to them? It doesn’t sound like they neglected to tell him while he was alive. What happened? I wish I had that many people telling me they love me and that I’ve made a difference in their lives.
3. As I read Josh’s profile and all the comments, I found myself sinking into depression. Was it finally the Neurontin causing depression? I don’t think so. I think it was about empathizing with Josh, about the cruelty I saw, and about imagining people wouldn’t write the kind of loving, grateful things to me that they wrote to Josh.
And there’s the key. Josh apparently didn’t experience the love and appreciation that was there for him, just as I sometimes don’t think anyone cares about me. I don’t have any idea why that was for him. Research tells us that most teens who commit suicide are victims of some kind of abuse. I have no way to know if that was true for him. But there was something in his life that taught him that he didn’t deserve the love that was there for him, so he evidently didn’t even see it. And so he escaped from a life that seemed like hell for him.
I hope he learned what he needed to in his afterlife life review so his next lifetime will be easier.
Rest in peace, Josh, until it’s time to come back and try it again.
Michael
1000th shame
“A convicted murderer was put to death Friday in the nation’s 1000th execution since capital punishment resumed in 1977.” (Associated Press)
The man’s attorney said, “If this 1000th execution is a milestone, it’s a milestone we should all be ashamed of.” I couldn't agree more.
Killing is killing. Everyone who kills thinks they have a good, even compelling, reason to kill. It's time to say that there is no good reason to kill short of it being a last resort to prevent serious harm to an innocent person. And there are very few instances when killing is the last resort.
Let’s join most of the civilized countries in this world and abolish capital punishment.
Michael
The man’s attorney said, “If this 1000th execution is a milestone, it’s a milestone we should all be ashamed of.” I couldn't agree more.
Killing is killing. Everyone who kills thinks they have a good, even compelling, reason to kill. It's time to say that there is no good reason to kill short of it being a last resort to prevent serious harm to an innocent person. And there are very few instances when killing is the last resort.
Let’s join most of the civilized countries in this world and abolish capital punishment.
Michael
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Still hurting
Yes, I'm still in pain. If I'm ever out of pain, I guarantee you that I'll let you know. What I have (trigeminal neuralgia) is considered by traditional medicine to be a chronic, lifelong problem that is only controlled by medication (and not always controlled by medication). They say that Gamma Knife surgery (a highly focused and precise dose of radiation) is the only possibility of a permanent cure. However, that doesn’t work all the time, and very occasionally (1-2% of the time) leaves the patient with facial paralysis.
I’ve been on Neurontin just over 6 weeks. The doc raised my dosage some, but it’s one of those meds that takes awhile to get to the correct level. I'm still at about half the maximum dosage. I'm also using 400 mg of ibuprofen (generic Motrin) and 1000 mg of extra strength acetaminophen (generic Tylenol) every 8 hours in addition to that.
The worst of the pain is gone, but I'm still having some pretty intense pain sometimes. It’s intense enough to wake me up at night at least once a night (4 times last night) and to keep me from being able to talk now and then. I only go a few minutes at a time without any pain at all. It still feels like I'm having dental problems much of the time – not to mention earaches and pain in my eye, cheek, forehead, and scalp.
There is good news, though! I am able to eat and drink sometimes (though it’s always painful to eat or drink), and I can talk (though rather distortedly) much of the time. And I never did have to take a day off from my long-term teaching job because of the pain. I had to stop in the middle of classes for a few minutes sometimes because of the pain, but I was able to keep going.
Also, the side effects are nearly gone. I'm no longer stumbling around, feeling drugged, or falling asleep suddenly while I'm sitting up – all of which are usual side effects of Neurontin. Depression is also a common side effect, and I haven’t gotten depressed. So, cheers!
There’s another medication that I’d really like to try. It’s called Lyrica and is supposedly the new version of Neurontin. The good news is that there are fewer side effects and that it sometimes works better. However, it’s not on the clinic’s low-cost plan. So, I’ve contacted Pfizer (the manufacturer) to see what kind of free and low-cost plans they have. We shall see.
Someone remarked that I'm in remarkably good spirits for someone with this thing. It’s a choice. I believe staying positive will contribute to my healing, as will prayer, energy healing, and all the other alternative approaches that I'm bringing into my life.
And so, I'm doing whatever I can to attract a miraculous healing. I invite you to join me in that through visualization, prayer, Reiki, kind words, or whatever you can think of.
Thank you to all of you who have already been supporting my healing and to all of you who will now begin to do so. I feel deep appreciation for you.
Michael
ohanamd@earthlink.net
I’ve been on Neurontin just over 6 weeks. The doc raised my dosage some, but it’s one of those meds that takes awhile to get to the correct level. I'm still at about half the maximum dosage. I'm also using 400 mg of ibuprofen (generic Motrin) and 1000 mg of extra strength acetaminophen (generic Tylenol) every 8 hours in addition to that.
The worst of the pain is gone, but I'm still having some pretty intense pain sometimes. It’s intense enough to wake me up at night at least once a night (4 times last night) and to keep me from being able to talk now and then. I only go a few minutes at a time without any pain at all. It still feels like I'm having dental problems much of the time – not to mention earaches and pain in my eye, cheek, forehead, and scalp.
There is good news, though! I am able to eat and drink sometimes (though it’s always painful to eat or drink), and I can talk (though rather distortedly) much of the time. And I never did have to take a day off from my long-term teaching job because of the pain. I had to stop in the middle of classes for a few minutes sometimes because of the pain, but I was able to keep going.
Also, the side effects are nearly gone. I'm no longer stumbling around, feeling drugged, or falling asleep suddenly while I'm sitting up – all of which are usual side effects of Neurontin. Depression is also a common side effect, and I haven’t gotten depressed. So, cheers!
There’s another medication that I’d really like to try. It’s called Lyrica and is supposedly the new version of Neurontin. The good news is that there are fewer side effects and that it sometimes works better. However, it’s not on the clinic’s low-cost plan. So, I’ve contacted Pfizer (the manufacturer) to see what kind of free and low-cost plans they have. We shall see.
Someone remarked that I'm in remarkably good spirits for someone with this thing. It’s a choice. I believe staying positive will contribute to my healing, as will prayer, energy healing, and all the other alternative approaches that I'm bringing into my life.
And so, I'm doing whatever I can to attract a miraculous healing. I invite you to join me in that through visualization, prayer, Reiki, kind words, or whatever you can think of.
Thank you to all of you who have already been supporting my healing and to all of you who will now begin to do so. I feel deep appreciation for you.
Michael
ohanamd@earthlink.net
3 more Conscious Heart's Quest posts
I’ve posted 3 more posts of my “Conscious Heart’s Quest” blogs. They are titled:
Brief history of relationships
Where I’ve met women
My history with the personal ads
If you’re interested in reading any or all of them, go to: http://consciousheart.blogspot.com.
If you’d like to receive my blog “Conscious Heart’s Quest” via e-mail, send an empty e-mail (no message necessary) to CHQuest-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Namaste,
Michael Dickerson Deluno
Brief history of relationships
Where I’ve met women
My history with the personal ads
If you’re interested in reading any or all of them, go to: http://consciousheart.blogspot.com.
If you’d like to receive my blog “Conscious Heart’s Quest” via e-mail, send an empty e-mail (no message necessary) to CHQuest-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Namaste,
Michael Dickerson Deluno
Sunday, November 27, 2005
What Kind of Ex Am I?
| You Are A Friendly Ex |
 You and your ex are just friends - great friends really. (At least that's what you keep telling yourself!) While civility is a good thing, make sure you're not secretly wanting more... |
Yes, I always have been and always will be. Some of my exes are still friends; more would be if they were interested.
If you'd like to leave your results in my comments, I'd enjoy reading them.
Michael
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