Posted by Simcha on October 4, 2002, at 17:40:24
I just met with a possible new psychiatrist who was concerned that I have gained 30 lbs. in the past 2 years on antidepressants.
I'm on:
40mg Celexa
200mg WellbutrinSR
1mg KlonopinHe was also concerned about treating the bruxism with Klonopin. He has suggested that Klonopin interrupts sleep patterns and that there are some other dangerous side effects to it. (Could this doc just be anti-benzo?)
Well, then he said that Neurontin would be better at treating bruxism. The down side is that Neurontin is usually associated with weight gain.
He then suggested that I study up on Topamax. This is supposed to get the bruxism too. I've seen that Topamax is also indicated for bipolar disorder. He really gave me a quiz about bipolar. It's been suggested before that I might be bipolar.
Topamax is supposed to cause weight loss too.
I have also read that it can cause Glaucoma, sudden death, and kidney stones. These all sound especially unpleasant. (esp. that sudden death thing.)
Then he seemed to freak out that my current choice of a therapist at one time suggested that someday I might not need meds. The pdoc felt he could not work on a team with someone who would say that I could be without meds. My own history and family history suggest that it would be unethical for any doctor to say anything but, "You're on meds for the long haul, kid." All of this according to the new doc.
I called my therapist today for clarification. He said that perhaps I was misunderstanding him. He has referred patients to psychiatrists before to be put on meds. He is not anti-med per se. He trusts the pdoc's judgement where that is concerned. He just thinks that it would be better if one could live without medication and he said that sometimes this is not possible. He said he'd be willing to work with the new pdoc if I chose to work with him.
I would like anyone's opinion about all of this. Is the pdoc giving me good advice about medication, especially the quitting of the Klonopin in favor of Topamax or Neurontin but also about him working with my therapist?
Well, I'll bring this out too. My current therapist is actually a counselor who chose not to be licensed because his work is with a special population. He is a specialist on treating Sexual Compulsion. There are unconventional treatments that he uses that he claims he would not be able to use if he were licensed here in California. I think he's great but will the pdoc flip even further if my counselor is not "licensed?"
Any comments are welcome.
Simcha
poster:Simcha
thread:122349
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020930/msgs/122349.html