New Meds cont'd

Sleeping was not good, both last night and the night before.

I was supposed to attend the group at the CSC but there was no way I was going out to battle with the weather and transit toget to a meeting lasting an hour on very little sleep. Everything hurt!

My day yesterday was ok'ish once I woke up (read, once I thawed out) and that was around 6 pm. My blood sugar is all over the map, eating, not eating, none of it seems to affect the wonky results. I hate that since it makes me feel icky.

Last night was worse sleep wise. I slept for maybe 3 hours and that was interrupted a lot. Pain, pain and more pain. Everything hurts.

I took my first 50 mg of the new med...desipramine before going to bed last night. It's now 1530 hrs, my head feels like it wants to implode, every joint is screaming, muscles are not happy either, back is killing me. I feel disconnected from my body. I hope these pass quickly. I can't seem to keep any coherent thoughts going.

I'll update as the days go by, hopefully with improvements. I'm dreading the next couple of days as the amitriptylene wears off and the replacement meds are slowly building up. Judging by today, it's not going to be fun at all.

I'm struggling to get any crocheting done, brain doesn't want to focus on anything.

Just looked up the side effects on wiki... not good and kind of scary :( At least there's no family history of sudden death from a heart attack. My father died of diabetic induced angina and he wasn't following his diet or taking the right meds... Definitely nothing doing with cocaine. I'm not happy about the increased risk of breast cancer since my sister died from complications because of breast cancer and it runs in the family.

I'm thinking that I will have to bring this up when I meet with my dr in 2 weeks. It could be that the wiki article is outdated.

To quote the article on wiki...

Desipramine (Norpramin, Pertofane) is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). It inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine and to a lesser extent serotonin. It is used to treat depression, but not considered a first line treatment since the introduction of SSRI antidepressants. Desipramine is an active metabolite of imipramine.
Along with other tricyclics, desipramine has found use in treating neuropathic pain. The mechanism of action seems to involve the activation, through norepinephrine reuptake inhibition, of descending pathways in the spinal cord that block pain signals from ascending to the brain. Desipramine is one of the most potent and selective medications in this respect. It may also be used to treat symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, as the underproduction of norepinephrine has been increasingly linked to symptoms associated with Attention Deficit Disorder. It may also be used to treat symptoms of cocaine withdrawal.

Cardiac arrhythmia
On December 2, 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Sanofi-Aventis are warning healthcare professionals to use caution when prescribing the antidepressant desipramine hydrochloride (Norpramin) in patients with a family history of dysrhythmias or sudden cardiac death.
"The new safety information states that extreme caution should be used when this drug is given to patients who have a family history of sudden death, cardiac dysrhythmias, and cardiac conduction disturbances," according to an alert sent today from MedWatch, the FDA's safety information and adverse event reporting program.
The FDA and the manufacturer also warn that some patients may have seizures before cardiac dysrhythmias and death. Desipramine overdose is more likely to result in death than overdose with other tricyclic antidepressants, notes a company letter sent to healthcare professionals.^[1]
The "warnings" and "overdosage" sections of the drug's labeling are being changed to reflect these potential adverse events.

Genotoxicity

Desipramine has been shown to be genotoxic in fruit flies and associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in women.

And this is from another site:

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have any new or worsening symptoms such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.
Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• fast, pounding, or uneven heart rate;
• seizure (convulsions);
• chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, general ill feeling;
• sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;
• sudden headache, problems with vision, speech, or balance;
• easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness;
• tremors, restless muscle movements in your eyes, tongue, jaw, or neck;
• very stiff (rigid) muscles, high fever, sweating, confusion, tremors, feeling like you might pass out;
• urinating less than usual or not at all;
• extreme thirst with headache, nausea, vomiting, and weakness;
• skin rash, severe tingling or numbness, pain and muscle weakness; or
• nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).

Less serious side effects may include:

• vomiting, constipation;
• dry mouth, unpleasant taste;
• weakness, lack of coordination;
• feeling anxious, restless, dizzy, or drowsy;
• sleep problems (insomnia), nightmares;
• blurred vision, trouble concentrating, headache, ringing in your ears;
• breast swelling (in men or women); or
• decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.