Has anyone had problems with numb hands and feet? My husband says that if feels like he is wearing gloves. We went the his Primary who is referring us to a Neurologist but we have not gotten the appointment yet. Just curious if anyone has had a problem with this. Also he just started taking Wilburton years ago we tried many different anti-depressants that just made him depressed. Turned out an anti anxiety med was the answer but now he is depressed. Lavonne Goodman doesn't really recommend this particular drug but curious if anyone else is having any success with it. Thanks in advance for any advice we really appreciate it.

My feet and hands feel a little numb right now. Even a little tingling. I take Clonazepam. I've been depressed, but St. John Wort has been helping me with that.

Curt

Hi Debi. I don't think anyone has ever posted here about numb hands and feet, so I guess it could be hd? Or med side effects? Or something else? About the wellbutrin, how is your husband doing on it? If he's doing good, then that's good. I had a very bad experience with it, and when I was first diagnosed with hd, first thing the hd clinic did was get me off the wellbutrin immediately. My hd psychiatrist said that it effects dopamine in such a way that actually makes the disease worse, doesn't just make symptoms worse, but makes the hd progress quicker. What I was put on soon after was Seroquel, because it is a mood stabilizer, anti anxiety, but also mood lifter. Many antidepressants had been tried on me over the years, even before hd, and Seroquel was the answer for me. I take Seroquel at bedtime, and in the winter Ialso take Effexor, and I take it in the mornings. Effexor has the get up and go of an ssri, but is more subtle, because it also has anti anxiety in it too. Hope this is helpful



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2014 03:41AM by Barb.

Thanks so much for the answers, my husband has taken Clonazepam for years I double checked the side effects and didn't see anything about numbness. We are big believers in supplements and hadn't thought of St John Wort but think we will give it a try, Thanks Curt.
Barb I showed the psychiatrist a note that Lavonne had about the dopamine and he kind of dismissed me. I felt uneasy about it then and now with your input I am even more unsure that this is in his best interest. He just started it a week ago and at the lowest dose so it's not too late to stop. I value your opinion I have followed you for years. We have an appointment with his HD neurologist next week and I think we will talk to her about all of this. He hasn't tried Seroguel or Effexor and I will mention both to her. In the mean time we just got a call to schedule an appointment with the Neurologist for his hands and feel I will keep everyone posted with what we find out. Thanks so much for the help, hope everyone has a good weekend.
Debbie

Debi, i'll tell you what the wellbutrin did to me, just so you know what to watch for. I had been having memory problems for about a year, and I was choking on water, so my doc and I decided I needed to get tested for hd. So at the time I was being tested, I was also working graveyard shift at a corner store, and suddenly my usual winter depression hit me. So my usual med, after many years of trial and error, was elevil. Elavil would calm me, but would also sedate me too much, took away the stress, but didn't lift my mood. So I told my doc I needed to try something that wouldn't sedate me, so I could still do my job. Ssri's effect me very badly, so that was out of the question. So she said let's try wellbutrin. To start with, it did work. It didn't sedate me, and I found I was able to get out of bed and function with no depression. But after three weeks of wellbutrin, I was a mess. I had gone from only having memory and depression problems, to looking like a drug addict. I suddenly started having severe nightmares, every night, and I'd never had nightmares in my life, I was pacing and pacing, rubbing my hands together, dropping things, every noise would startle me, clenching my jaws, and feeling like I wanted to jump right out of my skin. Right then I was put on sick leave, because I couldn't function any more, that was after only 3 weeks. Three weeks later I got my test results at the hd clinic, I was cag 39 and symptomatic. I was told to get off the wellbutrin right away, and go on my old standby eleval. And that most of my nightmares and stuff should settle back down. Everything settled down somewhat, but I was never quite the same after that. So a year later my insomnia and depression were bad, so I was put on Seroquel, and what a difference, immediately. Taking it at bedtime gave me the best sleep I had had in years, and several of my hd symptoms started to improve. The biggest thing was I stopped choking on water, and my hd psychiatrist said that that's because Seroquel helps improve muscle function, and actually improves the actuall disease, slows down the progression of the hd. So my meds are Seroquel at bedtime, which is always started with just one pill, then two pills after 3 days, then 4 pills, again after 3 days. And they take the dose up slowly so you can get used to the sedating effect. They know the dose is too high when you feel too sedated, and then they lower it one pill, and that's your dose. Sometimes I take 4 25mg pills at bedtime, and sometimes 5. They said the reason the wellbutrin made me feel the way it did, is because it is in the same family as heroin and speed. yup. The tranquilizer I take is Ativan, because it is very short acting, and can be taken as needed. St john's wort you have to be careful with. I didn't know you have to follow a special diet with it, which means easy on coffee, cheeses, processed meats, fermented foods, I can't remember the list, but I didn't know that, and one day my bloodpressure spiked really high, and I ended up in the ER. That was years before my hd. I was told to get off the st john's wort, because some people have that reaction to it. So just my experience, but because I've had so many bad experiences over the years with dif meds, I also know what the good ones are, for me at least



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2014 01:52PM by Barb.

Barb-

Thanks for the additional information, yes my husband has felt more clumsy and his balance has seemed more off since starting the Wellbutrin also he has had headaches which he never gets. I wanted to ask you if you still take the Namenda as well?

Thanks again
Debbie

My husband had been having a problem with his left hand for years and then his left foot. It is a normal part of HD unfortunately. I'm glad I read this post so I could hear about the depression / anxiety meds. He's been talking about wanting to get on something. I know now that if we decide to get him something to ask for seroquel and stay away from Wellbutrin. Is Seroquel a depression med or anti anxiety med, or both?

Is it gout?