As previously mentioned I was cleared to start taking Riluzole to slow down the progression of my ALS. While at this point I have only taken 2 doses, I have not experienced the side effects that I was fearing I would have, namely the nausea and drowsiness. Since Riluzole has to be taken on a empty stomach, I was concerned I would be tossing my cookies the first day but I did not experience any nausea at all with either dose. I am currently taking it at 5:30 and 17:30 each day which works well enough for me. I'll admit that waiting for dinner an extra hour sucks but it is only an hour and maybe I can be productive in some ways during that time.
Most of the time I do not read the drug info that is available online but with Riluzole I did. In the US it is only used officially for ALS but the wiki page indicates it has been shown to have antidepressant properties as well. The wiki also states that it has been shown to show promise in treating (not curing) Alzheimer's Disease.
It will be interesting to see I gain any benefits from the anti-depression properties of this drug. While I am not suicidal by any means, I have had a couple of "dark days" since I have been diagnosed and anything that would limit those would be welcomed. Nobody enjoys being in a funk.
I have been asked how I feel about the whole ALS/mortality thing and to be honest I think I am dealing with it pretty well. I am sure many people who have been diagnosed initially panicked and later became depressed or withdrawn and I understand that. I have been accused (and maybe rightfully so) of being a worrier but I think that over the years I have mellowed a bit. Maybe it is all the time (17+ years) I have spent in I/T...God knows that will either make or break a person.
When I was told I had ALS, I did not panic and I think I was more numb about it than anything else. I know that talking about it helps. Some people prefer to keep it private and I completely understand that but I am bit different. I want to prepare people for what will happen. I am not a huge fan of surprises which is why I have read as much as I can on this disease. My biggest complaint (other than the fact that I have something that has no cure) is that I do not know how long I have left. There are so many things I would like to see, so many places I would like to go, and so many people I would like to see again but I have no idea when the final buzzer will sound.
Well, all this has given me some desire to hunt down a few people I have not talked to in a while. I think I will look online for them!
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