Posted by Toby on July 29, 1999, at 14:23:01
In reply to Re: The Effexor Lie, posted by Jane on July 28, 1999, at 19:40:40
Richard,
Just couple things from the resident shrink-without-a-schedule...
Most docs I know do care about the well-being of their patients, some are better educated than others, some are more conservative than others, some have their favorite meds and stray not far from them, some only know meds and not psychotherapy, some over diagnose certain illnesses and don't recognize others. In short, they are fallible in one way or another. Some are just bad doctors and some are evil. Whereas in this forum we might hear more about the bad, evil ones because most people who do well with their docs are out living their lives rather than seeking additional help from a list like this (and I don't mean that the ways it sounds, everybody here has a life, I just mean that successful treatment usually means not needing or wanting any additional contact with others with problems), I am hopeful and experience tells me that most docs know what they are doing and work hard to keep up with good treatments.
As far as not prescribing what the almighty FDA approves, that is not exactly true. There are many meds that the FDA approves for one indication but that docs use clinically for multiple other illnesses that the FDA has nothing to say about. There are many examples in psychiatry: blood pressure meds used for performance anxiety; antidepressants used for anxiety and OCD and bed wetting and ADD; anticonvusants used for anxiety and manic depression and migraines; etc. And I've made this argument elsewhere: just because something is natural or plant based, doesn't mean it is harmless. Belladonna is natural, arsenic is natural, but let's not indulge in these. Kava kava is natural but yet it can cause coma, dermatitis, and interact with other substances to create toxicities. St. John's Wort is natural but can cause an interaction with certain foods to cause lethal hypertension.
Any doc or therapist interested in healing the whole person rather than just treating symptoms will emphasize the importance of spirituality, having the person focus on a higher order of living, get "outside themselves." Sadly, though, in my experience, many patients do not want to do that. They want to treat the symptoms but then don't know what to do with themselves when the symptoms are gone and don't have anything to replace those feelings with. You mentioned your youth as a factor in not knowing how to go about finding the right way to go. Many times the youthful lost soul never figures that out and becomes the middle aged doctor shopper, looking for someone or something else to make it all better; if they could just sleep everything would be fine, if they could just not be nervous (ever) everything would be fine, etc. I try to tell them a pill won't do it all, and they nod and say "where's my prescription for the latest antidepressant I just read about in People magazine, since I'm sure that's the answer." And then you don't see them for 4-6 months and then they come back with a new crisis and that darn medicine didn't do a thing in the two weeks they took it and isn't there something else to try? And no of course they didn't stop smoking pot because pot isn't the problem, it's the job and the kids and the spouse.
At any rate, my turn to rant a little. Most of the folks who are posting on this list have had a very hard time finding a good doc and good medicine and good therapy. My hope is for them to be successful with all three and hopefully one day get to leave all three behind. Until that day comes, I wish for them to be compliant with their medications that are available and to keep their appointments and to be honest with themselves and their doc. There is no magic bullet. Even sprirituality isn't enough to "cure" everything, you need antibiotics for infections, you need vitamins for health, you need a boat to cross a river. I mean, Richard, you are talking about using immune boosters, so you aren't completely relying on faith to make you better, you are using the tools God has provided to treat what ails you. For you, Effexor and everything else didn't do it, for others they are life-savers.
Best to you. Keep on keeping on. Keep your faith no matter what you find in the GNC store.
poster:Toby
thread:8909
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990814/msgs/9343.html