Suicide risk

Over the last two days I've been feeling extreme hopelessness and depression. I knew I didn't feel like myself, but I didn't realize how bad it was until tonight. I haven't been able to do anything, though I've had a lot to do. I've focused on disaboom to keep my mind off of myself and it has kept anxiety and other things at bay, to an extent. But what happened when traffic was slow? I had nothing to focus on and realized I was in a bad, bad state.

Why so suddenly? I am not someone who suffers from depression, most of the time. I have stroke induced anxiety, but it is managed. I go to a pdoc and he always insists that I try mood stabilization drugs. The problem with that idea is that I usually can't take antidepressants, seizure meds, or any other mood altering drug. But he keeps trying, convinced I need help dealing with all the illness in my life. On Thursday I let him talk me into taking Oxcabrazepine, also known as Trileptal. We talked about the fact that I have had very bad reactions to mood enhancing drugs in the past, but he thought one of the other medications I take would counteract those effects. Um, no.

Imagine my not so much surprise when I decided to google Oxcabrazepine and suicide. It turns out, the FDA has released a statement that this drug along with ten others increased the risk of suicidal behavior. There you have it. Word to the wise, monitor your moods if you take any of these epilepsy drugs.

Disclaimer: I am an extreme case, among the 1% of people who can't take prozac because it makes me, a person who is not suicidal, suicidal. So, remember that this only applies to people who have bad reactions to these drugs. They help a lot of people, as well.