Posted by ronaldo on November 5, 2006, at 6:13:06
Has anyone ever heard of a case of a mistaken diagnosis where a 'patient' is wrongly diagnosed and spends 30 or more years of his life trying to find a drug regime that suits him and makes him feel better? I'm sure there must be one or two cases like this out there. How does one prove that one belongs to this narrow class?
How many pdocs are there out there with successful practices who would be willing and able to address such a case of mistaken diagnosis?
It seems to me that once one has been diagnosed the rest of one's life is spent searching for the right drugs to ensure a decent standard of living.Would it be possible to start from scratch - to taper off all medications - to start from the beginning again? To deal with the original problem, which in my case was pretty trivial. It certainly didn't warrant a life sentence. I realise of course that coming off medications is a very difficult process sometimes. I realise that it might be necessary to take new medications to taper off the old ones. I suppose it could take a year or more to complete the process.
I feel that I am making no progress with my medications. I feel that maybe I belong to this narrow class. Do any of you out there feel the same way and long for a 'holiday' off all the medications? I reckon in some cases this 'holiday' could turn into a permanent way of life - free from medications - YIPPEE!!!
If you are taking drug B to counteract the s/e's of drug A and you are taking drug C to counteract the s/e's of drug B wouldn't it just be simpler to discontinue drug A? To take zero drugs instead of 3?
I realise of course that the class I am talking of is indeed a very narrow class and something of a rarity. I am not encouraging people who are definitely unwell to come off their medications. In my case though coming off my Olanzapine only caused me to have bad insomnia. I am sure this problem could have been counteracted in some other way than just putting me back on the Olanzapine. Insomnia is after all a curable illness. The psychiatric profession seems to have a vested interest in keeping patients on their medication. Here in Britain in the case of manic depressive patients they seem to perfer to keep them mildly depressed because in this state they are easier to deal with and do not cause any problems. I don't want to spend the rest of my life mildly depressed so that I make my life easy for my pdoc. Actually I am thinking of my ex pdoc. My present pdoc is much better.
Sometimes I think the medication is part ot the problem and not part of the solution. Medications are really expensive today. If the psychiatric profession worked to get people off medication, instead of working hand in hand with the big drug companies to get patients dependent on these medications, a lot of patients might be leading much happier lives and costing the state a lot less money. Do we really care if a few drug reps can't afford to change their car every year? Do I care if the chairman of GSK can't award himself a fat bonus at the end of the year or if they can't declare ever increasing yearly dividends for their share-holders?
Can anyone hear the same battle cry that I can hear? Less Meds is Better Meds. Not always but certainly in some cases.
....Alan
poster:ronaldo
thread:700518
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061104/msgs/700518.html