# I Pit Me: Cannot Seem To Stop This Damn Crying! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 14, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469 "2009-05-14T23:06:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/1 "2009-05-14T23:06:18Z")
I called my psychiatrist to see if it could be the Lamictal, but he says there are a lot of side effects associated with this drug, and it would be hard for him to tell me over the phone. I don’t see him again until the 20th. Taking a shower seems like an 8 hour job, and I have to go and lie down afterward just to settle down and lower my body temp. Sorry for this one-man pity-party, but I am just so disgusted with myself right now. Feel free to give me an ass-kickin’ or a pep talk. I know I can use both! 😃 Love always Your Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/2 "2009-05-14T23:13:02Z")
**Quasi** , I’m on Lamictal. (I’m an epileptic) I’ve never had mood swings so much, but it has made me incredibly sleepy – to the point I’ve been known to take two hour naps. Is it your psychiatrist who prescribed the drug, and for what? If not, I would talk to the doctor who did so. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/3 "2009-05-14T23:19:21Z")
**Guin** , He prescribed it as a “mood stabilizer”, Hon, and yeah, I’ve been sleeping too. And yes, it was my psychiatrist who prescribed it. Only thing is, I feel like I need to “hang in there” with it, because all my Alzheimer’s friends swear by their Seroquel which apparently has the same effects. Thanks, **Guin** 🙂 Bill ---
**Author:** ![janis\_and\_c0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janis_and_c0/32/21_2.png) [@janis\_and\_c0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janis_and_c0)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/4 "2009-05-14T23:22:56Z")
Remember that question I asked you in the Altzhiemer’s thread? THIS is what I was talking about, mad at yourself for stuff you can’t help. _HUGS_ MAybe you should check some 3 Stooges or something equally funny out of the Library? Hang in there! ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/5 "2009-05-15T00:10:11Z")
If you need some humor, here’s some stuff that makes me laugh out loud (which is hard for written material to do): [2550 things Mr. Welch can no longer do during an RPG - 2550 things Mr. Welch can no longer do during an RPG - Nothing I Say is Meant to Offend Unless You're a Moron Page 2 — LiveJournal](http://theglen.livejournal.com/16735.html?page=2) ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/6 "2009-05-15T00:13:40Z")
I’m going to move this from the Pit to MPSIMS. **Gfactor** Pit Moderator ---
**Author:** ![pudytat72](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@pudytat72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudytat72)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/7 "2009-05-15T00:53:49Z")
I just read over my patient handout for Lamictal (I’ve been on it for a little over a month as a mood stabilizer). It mentions as side effects of mood: sudden mood changes, anxiety, agitation, hostility, pressured/rapid speech, or thoughts of suicide. I had to switch to taking it in the mornings, it kept me awake! It took me 9 months of trying different medications and waiting to get to therapeutic levels to find the right combination to help. I felt really bad, and very,very frustrated up until the last 3 weeks. I hope this improvement lasts. Hang in there. Try not to beat up on yourself, and just try to take one day at a time (or half a day if the whole day seems like too much) ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/8 "2009-05-15T01:42:47Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > Taking a shower seems like an 8 hour job, and I have to go and lie down afterward just to settle down and lower my body temp. > Your Quasi I had temperature control issues when i was doing chemo once, and I had the overheated because of the shower deal going on. I had tried changing to cold water for the last few minutes, but then I would get the whole body shivers and be freezing. I found that getting my gel ice brace for my bad knee, and setting it on the bed to chill an area of the sheets while I was showering, then laying it across my stomach for about 5 minutes while I laid on the cold sheets helped a lot without chilling me too much. Does the overheating also make you slightly nauseus? the cold can help that also… ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/9 "2009-05-15T01:43:58Z")
> [@janis\_and\_c0](#): > > Remember that question I asked you in the Altzhiemer’s thread? THIS is what I was talking about, mad at yourself for stuff you can’t help. _HUGS_ Maybe you should check some 3 Stooges or something equally funny out of the Library? Hang in there! I do remember the question, Hon, but I don’t know if it’s _that_ kinda cryin’. Maybe it is a little bit, but not altogether. I think it’s just exasperation at being so overwhelmed: so much coming at me all at once. It’s akin to a tennis ball machine gone haywire. I can’t seem to return all the serves.😃 Y’all don’t know her (Beth, I hope you will one day), but Dondra has been my “rock” throughout this whole ordeal. My “saving grace”, if you will. Am I ashamed or otherwise intimidated that I’m letting her “step in”? Not at all. As I said, you’d have to know her in order to understand, but if y’all care anything about me at all, trust me when I tell you that my life is in her loving hands and that’s where I want it to be - and so does she. Yep. This is the guy who jumps out of perfectly good airplanes and expects to land in one piece, talkin’ to ya’. I am eternally grateful to my “Doper Kids” for standing by me at this awful stage of my life, and when I get out from under this, I’ll be right here for anyone who has needs. Bill ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/10 "2009-05-15T02:24:07Z")
Hey **Quasi** , Sorry you’re having a bad day. The best you can do is to try to maintain an even strain. You know we’re all here for moral support. (Or immoral support, in many cases!) I liked the latest video on your blog. As it happens, I have that song on my iPod… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/11 "2009-05-15T02:37:21Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Does the overheating also make you slightly nauseus? the cold can help that also… Well, I have nausea issues anyway, (from some of the meds) **aruvqan** , so I don’t know, but I like your idea of the ice gel. I will check with my phramacy and see what’s the biggest they have, Thanks for the idea **aruvqan**. For \*\* Johnny\*\*: I _know_, man, and I appreciate it more than words can say. I’m just putting myself in **y’all’s** place and telling myself, “Godammit, Bill! Would you just man up already and quit whining to those nice kids???” And then I’m okay for a while… I seem to have become very “needy” recently, and D has noticed it as well, and there you go, another symptom. Not material things, just human closeness… Headed off to bed and hopefully wake up to a bright new day tomorrow! 🙂 Thanks, Kids Bill ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/12 "2009-05-15T03:42:03Z")
Hiya Quasi, I was thinking about you today and wondering if I’d missed any emails from you while I was cleaning out my inbox. (I’ve got to stop letting that back up; way, way too many newsletters in there.) Then, I see this. Man, Q, as for the crying jags, I have been there. I’ve suffered from and been treated for severe depression over the last few years and have cried more tears than I care to think about. I went off my meds a few months ago due to insurance/cost reasons and I’ve been doing okay without them. Of course, things are going really well so I haven’t had to worry about triggers. Then, we had a financial-related setback and I lost sleep then started crashing emotionally. Spent most of one day just crying over the most minuscule things. It scared me because things had been going so well. I thought I was falling back down. Fortunately, I pulled myself out of it, so I’m still doing ok. I’m taking it day by day and appreciating the world around me. Of course, you’ve got meds messing up your emotions, so I hope it evens out for you or your doc figures out a gentler alternative. My saving grace right now is getting as much sunshine as possible and communing with nature. I hope you can get outdoors and enjoy some lovely spring weather. It just might provide a bit of relief and tranquility. Just know that we’re out here thinking of you. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/13 "2009-05-15T04:05:04Z")
I got no wisdom this morning. I do have an excellent uplifting and amusing YouTube link: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/0UE3CNu_rtY/hqdefault.jpg "Centraal Station Antwerpen gaat uit zijn dak!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UE3CNu_rtY) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/14 "2009-05-15T04:16:34Z")
**Paul in Qatar** : That was beautiful! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/15 "2009-05-15T13:29:35Z")
Re nausea: try ginger pills or gum. I chew ginger gum when I have nausea from migraines, and a [study](http://www.ohio.com/lifestyle/45066817.html)has just been published about it helping people who have nausea from chemo. It’s an old remedy everybody knew about anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/16 "2009-05-15T15:59:49Z")
_sympathy_ I’m taking Lamictal, too. It’s supposed to _control_ my mood swings and depression. ---
**Author:** ![MN\_Maenad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@MN\_Maenad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MN_Maenad)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/17 "2009-05-15T17:19:31Z")
> [@Quasimodem](#): > > I do remember the question, Hon, but I don’t know if it’s _that_ kinda cryin’. Maybe it is a little bit, but not altogether. I think it’s just exasperation at being so overwhelmed: so much coming at me all at once. Heck, I get that way without any meds! 😉 If you can, try to remember that the vast majority, if not all, of the barrage of things coming at you don’t need to be dealt with immediately, so you can go out for a nice walk in the springtime without the world crashing around you. Spread some of the responsibility around to others too! Don’t worry about being needy - the need to be close to people isn’t anything negative at all! ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/18 "2009-05-15T17:42:11Z")
I used to see a shrink who was fixated on prescribing a “mood stabilizer” as an adjunct to an SSRI antidepressant. My experience with various types of them was that they worked quite effectively; instead of having good and bad days, I felt consistently terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Greenback](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/19 "2009-05-15T20:49:13Z")
Hey **Quasi**. Adding my name to the list of dopers who’ve been there. I don’t know what you’re doing but know your limits. And congratulate yourself for doing something that’s hard, even if you don’t succeed. I know how hard getting out of bed can be, but try to focus on the fact that you actually got out of bed! Small victories to start. thoughts and prayers… ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-me-cannot-seem-to-stop-this-damn-crying/496469/20 "2009-05-15T21:11:47Z")
Thanks very much, everyone. Yes, I do have to force myself sometimes, but I do feel somewhat better afterward. (Cleaner, anyway). Plus keeping my mind active on Warcraft and starting my memoirs on my blog keeps me going too. Everyone on my Alzheimer’s Support Group tells me this will pass, so I guess I’ll continue taking the Lamectil for now… Thanks Q