New member/ antidepressant suggestions?

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Marie
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New member/ antidepressant suggestions?

Post by Marie »

Hi everyone,

I'm glad to have joined this informative site! I have Hoshimotos thyroid disease, celiac disease, lymphocytic colitis & prone to anxiety/ depression. In 2007 I became pregnant with my daughter. That's when everything shifted for me, my first pregnancy. I began having D. Three years later, in 2010, I was Dx with celiac. I went completely gf May 2011. From Feb-Nov. 2011, I was preg with my son. I was so sick with D during this second pregnancy. I had recurrent UTIs throughout pregnancy which = antibiotics for nearly 30 weeks! Also, I was on Lansoprazole. This past Feb. I was diagnosed with LC. I've done a number of things to attempt to get my D under control: elimination diets, digestive enzymes, probiotics, questran powder, lomotil, pepto bismol, Asacol, Low Dose Naltrexone. My PCP wants to put me on prednisone, 10mg 2x/day. I've heard negative stuff about it though, so I've held off. I'm seeing my GI this upcoming week to discuss Entocort. Also, I plan to get tested for Lyme disease. I've had the IgG allergy test but think the Enterolab test would be better. I feel like such a mess! I'm a mama to two of the sweetest children on earth and have a loving husband; I want to be able to enjoy life again. It seems these are the prime days for most people my age, 33 years old, young family...time to be active and have fun. I want that so bad it makes me cry.

I take Lexapro and was wondering if there's a better antidepressant for someone with LC? I went off of it for over a month with my psychiatrists approval. He switched me to Wellbutrin b/c it doesn't affect the gut. My D did not change while off of the Lexapro, which I'd hoped for. I felt more depressed/ anxious on the Wellbutrin so I went back on Lexapro. Any other antidepressant suggestions?

Sorry for the lengthy post! Thanks for any insight!
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MBombardier
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Post by MBombardier »

:wave: Hi Marie! Welcome to our internet family! Please don't apologize for a lengthy post, or expressing any frustration with your body, your doctor, or your medical/food options. We've all been there (are there still, a lot of us) and we have big shoulders.

I haven't taken an antidepressant in several years, so I don't have the answer to your question. Others will be able to answer it. I just wanted to jump on and welcome you. :grin:
Marliss Bombardier

Dum spiro, spero -- While I breathe, I hope

Psoriasis - the dark ages
Hashimoto's Thyroiditis - Dec 2001
Collagenous Colitis - Sept 2010
Granuloma Annulare - June 2011
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Post by brandy »

Hi Marie,

I read your post and just wanted to welcome you. You've come to the place to get your life back. Tex and some of the others will probably chime in soon with some comments regarding your antidepressant suggestions.

Brandy
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tex
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Post by tex »

Hi Marie,

Welcome to the group. Unfortunately, I'm not very knowledgeable about anti-depressants. As far as I'm aware, Wellbutrin is probably the best choice with a digestive system disease. You say that you're GF, and I see that you also list dairy and soy as food sensitivities, so I assume that you are avoiding them, 100% (because anything less than total exclusion is almost always ineffective. Have you tried avoiding eggs? After soy, eggs are probably the next most common food sensitivity among members here. You can review some of our EnteroLab test results here, to get an idea of how many of us are sensitive to various foods.

Taking an SSRI does not cause a relapse of MC symptoms for everyone, but we do have quite a few members who can trace the origins of their disease back to an SSRI, and for a number of members, discontinuing the SSRI brought remission, though some also had to eliminate certain foods from their diet. With this disease, we have to avoid everything that causes us to react, because if we overlook anything, the symptoms will continue, despite all the efforts that we are already making.

Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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carolm
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Post by carolm »

Marie,
Wow- you've really had a time of it. I am not up on the research regarding antidepressant meds and which might be best for a person with LC, but I know there are other members who are. You might also try the search feature-- it may have been discussed before.
I was diagnosed with LC about 10 months ago. I was put on prednisone first by my primary care physician (PCP) to arrest the inflammation until I could get to see the GI. Prednisone is effective but cannot be taken for very long. The side effects can be significant. My GI put me on Entocort, which is a delayed release corticosteroid. It doesn't open up until it reaches your lower GI tract so it applies the medication right where you need it. I was on Entocort for 4 months but we have other members that took it for 8-9 months and some that are on a maintenance dose. What Entocort did for me was to get me back to functioning and 'buy me time' to figure out what diet changes I needed to make so that once I was off of it I was already on 'safe' foods.

Once I was off of Entocort I did the Enterolab tests. If you are seriously considering Enterolab I would say "Do it now" before you start any steroid. You'll have your results within 3 weeks and will be ahead of the game. The other option is to go ahead and go dairy/casein free and soy free, and to challenge eggs to see if they are safe. Enterolab has other tests like a panel of 11 other foods you may find helpful. I did panels A and C and found them to be accurate. Their findings supported my own experience. You've probably seen the separate section on this site discussing Enterolab tests and MRT testing. Many of us have also found MRT testing to be useful, but in your case the type of tests Enterolab does will tell you what antibodies your intestines are producing and that may be the most critical thing to know at this juncture.
I'm sorry that this is happening to you, Marie, but glad you found this site. It is a tremendous help and so much more in depth than what your Dr. will be able to tell you. Who better to talk to than others who are living with microscopic colitis and other complicating factors, like celiac, and those who have managed to get it all in remission. The information here is priceless.

Carol
“.... people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Maya Angelou
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Post by Lesley »

Hi Marie,
Every one of us knows of what you write. Somehow or other we have all been where you are. Frankly I am working hard to get OFF all meds, including and especially anti depressants. IF you can, start more or less from scratch. If you can, get tested by enterolab.
I was living on chicken and rice, and discovered that those are my 2 main sensitivities. I found that I was sensitive to just about everything I was used to eating, and I had to rethink my whole life. Suddenly red meat and white potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Totally not me.
I was on all sorts of medications. I have spent the last 6 months working on ridding myself of them. I still have to take PPIs. I went cold turkey on them, and suffered terribly from acute esophagitis and a hiatal hernia.

I am by no means healthy but then I wasn't before I was diagnosed, but I am at least not spending 90% of my time in the bathroom. I can leave the house for a few hours without wondering whether I would make it to my destination, without having to wear a pamper, and I can get through a walk or a night without having shi* run down my legs.
So things ARE getting better.

If you can avoid anti depressants and try to control this with food alone you will be way better off.
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Post by kitty16 »

Hi and Welcome,


I/we understand It's hard to loose so much from your life with this disease.

My pcp put me on Amitriptyline .25 mg 1 or 2 x day.(makes me very sleepy) This medicine is used to treat D and also as an antidepressant. I'm not sure what the dose would be for the anti. It might be higher.

Hugs,
K
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Post by Leah »

Welcome Marie. Feel free to ask anything. We all want to help each other. I'm one of those people that was helped tremendously by Entocort. I am down to a very low dose and starting to add things back into my diet ( after 4 months). it seems that when you are at your worst, you have to eat the most simple you can until things calm down. It's tough, but the pay off is there. I know a lot of people here eat potatoes, but I am also one of those people who react to white potatoes. You should avoid raw fruits and vegetables for now.

Read as much as you have time for on here. I am continuing to learn always.

Leah
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Post by MaggieRedwings »

Hi and Welcome Marie.

It sure sounds like you have a rough road to walk down but please feel free to ask anything and one of us will be along to answer. I know absolutely nothing about anit-depressants so cannot help you there.

There is a wealth of information on this site so some reading time will benefit you greatly.

Maggie
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Re: New member/ antidepressant suggestions?

Post by CathyMe. »

Marie wrote:Hi everyone,

I'm glad to have joined this informative site! I have Hoshimotos thyroid disease, celiac disease, lymphocytic colitis & prone to anxiety/ depression. In 2007 I became pregnant with my daughter. That's when everything shifted for me, my first pregnancy. I began having D. Three years later, in 2010, I was Dx with celiac. I went completely gf May 2011. From Feb-Nov. 2011, I was preg with my son. I was so sick with D during this second pregnancy. I had recurrent UTIs throughout pregnancy which = antibiotics for nearly 30 weeks! Also, I was on Lansoprazole. This past Feb. I was diagnosed with LC. I've done a number of things to attempt to get my D under control: elimination diets, digestive enzymes, probiotics, questran powder, lomotil, pepto bismol, Asacol, Low Dose Naltrexone. My PCP wants to put me on prednisone, 10mg 2x/day. I've heard negative stuff about it though, so I've held off. I'm seeing my GI this upcoming week to discuss Entocort. Also, I plan to get tested for Lyme disease. I've had the IgG allergy test but think the Enterolab test would be better. I feel like such a mess! I'm a mama to two of the sweetest children on earth and have a loving husband; I want to be able to enjoy life again. It seems these are the prime days for most people my age, 33 years old, young family...time to be active and have fun. I want that so bad it makes me cry.

I take Lexapro and was wondering if there's a better antidepressant for someone with LC? I went off of it for over a month with my psychiatrists approval. He switched me to Wellbutrin b/c it doesn't affect the gut. My D did not change while off of the Lexapro, which I'd hoped for. I felt more depressed/ anxious on the Wellbutrin so I went back on Lexapro. Any other antidepressant suggestions?

Sorry for the lengthy post! Thanks for any insight!
Wow Marie,
You have definitely gone through a lot in your young life! Welcome to the board. I was diagnosed with LC in February 2012. I know exactly what you mean about just wanting to feel good again and know that there is hope. I'm glad that you're investigating the Entocort and from what I have read the side effects are much less than prednisone. It has been a lifesaver to me, as well as numerous people on this board. I have been able to taper it down to 1 pill every 3-4 days with success. I have completely changed my diet, am now GF/DF/SF and watch everything that I eat. While I'm not personally familiar with the antidepressant that you are on, it can be a trial/error thing and very individual so I would say, if you are feeling better with the Lexapro and have no negative side effects, stay with what works. Again welcome!
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Marie
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Post by Marie »

Thanks for the support! I'm keeping my chin up and I know it's all in God's hands. I pray my next post will be a success story. I see my GI tomorrow regarding Entocort. Wishing y'all health and happiness!
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