Posted by Chairman_MAO on May 12, 2005, at 21:03:29 [reposted on May 12, 2005, at 23:11:49 | original URL]
In reply to Doctor/Patient Confidentiality, posted by JackD on May 11, 2005, at 8:48:16
I had the reverse happen: The first shrink I ever saw told my mom I was abusing drugs (which I was doing because I was trying to cope with the depression and agoraphobia I was experiencing!). My parents flipped out, and took away the 60mg/day Ritalin I had used for YEARS previously (from age 16-21) for ADD symptoms but unbeknownst to me it was almost medicating the double depression I Was in (I didn't even know I was dysthymic at the time). The withdrawal from that--which I never abused--worsened my depression, and sent me into a downward spiral that I just recovered from fully, oh, about 4 weeks ago, though from around 8/2004 onward tranylcypromine gave me partial remission at around 80mg/day, getting somewhat better at 120mg/day . NOTE: I am 25 now.
Confidentiality should be respected more than it often is. Your shrink has a contract to treat YOU; what anyone says to your shrink about you is irrelevant. What you are experiencing now is drug-war hysteria that I have had to deal with ever since being labelled a drug abuser years ago. Of course, when the Ritalin was withdrawn, my depression got so bad that I did abuse drugs to kill the pain. Then I got into a pattern of doing that, forgot what I was medicating, and seemed like I was just waiting around to die after a certain point ...
After the MPH was withdrawn, the stupid shrink put me on Effexor, which made me so apathetic and numb that I felt no qualms about smoking pot 24/7, which previously would make me paranoid and uncomfortable if I smoked too much. Man, I gotta stop recalling this, it hurts. I am just so glad that I came back into the light and am on medications that actually help instead of hurt me.
How many people on this board have experienced or heard of SSRI-induced substance abuse? Hmm ...
I still wish that I could take amphetamine for my ADD-like symptoms sometimes, but I Am effectively blacklisted from that as a "substance abuser"--until I get enough money to hire a private shrink, of course. The whole system is just totally twisted sometimes. Best of luck with your plight; I wish I had a suggestion.
poster:Chairman_MAO
thread:497134
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20050504/msgs/497147.html