Posted by OldSchool on December 30, 2001, at 15:01:45
In reply to Kicked out rehabilitation for refusing TCA Ascend!, posted by 3 Beer Effect on December 30, 2001, at 14:14:51
> I am growing continually frustrated with psychiatry & psychiatrists in general. Psychiatrists all seem to be threatened by patients who have any knowledge of psychopharmacology, I guess because it threatens their inflated, insecure egos.
Many of them are incomptent.
>
> I was in a Mental Hospital Outpatient Program for Depression & Chemical Dependency since I overdosed on Soma muscle relaxer/pain pills and ended up in a hospital. The program was an intensive outpatient one with an assigned psychiatrist and group therapy, about a month in length, 3 hours per day.Hmmmmmm make sure you never try to overdose again OK? When you attempt suicide at any time, this gives your psychiatrist power over you. They can put more pressure on you.
You can have the most severe depression possible, but if you resist it and make sure your psychiatrist knows you are not actively suicidal they have NO POWER over you.
>
> Anyways, the psychiatrist prescribed Asendin (Amoxapine) and not only could I not find this old tricyclic drug at 3 different pharmacies, it is also associated with tardive diskeneysia because of its neuroleptic (anti-psychotic) action.
> I told the pharmacist that I have seen people with tardive diskenysia on the bus before, & that it is very disturbing & that additionally IRREVERSIBLE tardive diskeneysia has been seen in a few patients taking Asendin at small doses for short periods of time.You were smart to refuse Ascendin. That is an "old school" drug used to treat psychotic depression. It can indeed cause EPS, TD and all the other nasty movement disorders you dont need. More problems.
Why cant you augment with atypical anti-psychotics like Zyprexa instead? I dont understand, Ascendin is VERY RARELY prescribed anymore.
Another option is old fashioned ECT, its quite effective for mood disorders with psychotic symptoms. But it comes without the risk of the development of nasty movement disorders and neurological problems.
>
> He became angry & said there is only a 1 in 250,000 chance of that happening. I don't care if it is one in a million, I don't want that disorder, & I thought this was especially ridiculous since there are many safer alternatives than Asendin with similar action.Thats bull...there is more than that chance of you developing TD on Ascendin. BTW, I just got diagnosed with EPS (a mild form of a movement disorder) from taking low dose Seroquel for slightly over a month, combined with an SSRI. Seroquel has a reputation for causing extremely low incidences of movement disorders...well I guess I hit the jackpot on side effects then.
>
> My pharmacist recommended Sinequan (Doxepin) as a safer alternative with similar therapeutic effects. I sent the doctor a fax telling him that I am still not willing to take the ascendin and that Sinequan or Remeron (which i've taken before with no problems besides somnolence/excessive sleep) would be better choices.Um...Sinequan is a lot different than Ascendin. Ascendin is an older tricyclic antidepressant with built in dopamine receptor blocking action (anti-psychotic action). Ascendin is an antidepressant which was engineered with psychotic depression in mind. Sinequan on the other hand is just an older, sedating type tricyclic antidepressant, with no anti-psychotic properties to it like Ascendin has.
Sinequan is a much safer drug, with no chance of inducement of movement disorders.
>
> Apparently, my fax, even though it was written in a nice & civil tone (according to my Dad who read it to make sure), enraged this doctor who is the head psychiatrist of a large private mental hosptial. He immediately declared me a non-compliant patient (which means my insurance probably won't pay for the 3 days of group therapy I recieved) and TOTALLY DISCHARGED ME FROM THE PROGRAM, even the group therapy, which I thought was helping me.Yes, many psychiatrists very badly have a need to be in charge of their patients.
>
> I thought about reporting him to one of the state medical boards but am afraid that no psychiatrist would want to take me if I did that. Luckily, I have only depression and social phobia (which I used to self medicate with binge drinking at college parties)- What if I had been a suicidal patient or something (like many of the other people in this program)? I should probably sue this guy, but that would be a real pain.You should report him to your state medical board. Doing this will NOT impact whether or not other psychiatrists will treat you! Your reporting this psychiatrist to the board is usually kept private anyway.
Just dont OD anymore. Dont attempt suicide ever again. That will keep you out of the hospital. I think you were smart not taking Ascendin, there are many other drugs with better side effect profiles. As well as ECT.
Old School
poster:OldSchool
thread:88246
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20011222/msgs/88255.html