Posted by Racer on March 20, 2007, at 11:32:42
In reply to Re: Another perspective » Racer, posted by Jeff Smith on March 20, 2007, at 9:36:06
Listen, Jeff, as far as the weight thing goes, I do know what you're talking about. (And the good part of this place is that you don't have to self-censor yourself on someone else's behalf -- except for staying inside the civility guidelines, which can be found http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#civil -- so don't let my problem stop you from stating yours.)
(By the way, I strongly urge you to check out the civility guidelines at that link, because some of what you've written here might bring on a "Please be civil" warning from a deputy or from Dr Bob himself. This is a great site, and everyone is very supportive, but the rules about civility are part of what allows us to be such a supportive community. I'd hate to see you get dinged for civility, when you just didn't know the rules.)
I have had trouble with weight gain from meds. It's ranged from 45 to 70 pounds, although to be fair I've started out underweight each time. On the other hand, that sort of weight gain has pushed me above normal weight range. It's terrible, and I won't even try to tell you how devastating it was for me. But there's been a big change in more recent times: most doctors now know that these drugs really do cause weight gain, and many doctors are finally starting to take it seriously. There are strategies that can mitigate weight gain, ranging from adding Wellbutrin -- which can also help with sexual side effects -- to adding other sorts of drugs to help mitigate the problem. Weight gain is one of those quality of life issues that lead to non-compliance, so doctors do take it seriously.
As for the stories of doctors dismissing patients' complaints, you know the joke, right? "WNL" doesn't really mean "within normal limits," it means "we never looked." (That's actually a doctor joke, they tell it themselves.)
It sounds as though both Columbia and Payne Whitney are good leads for you. I gotta agree that meds are probably a better first line for you. My own experience is that talk therapy goes much better when I'm adequately medicated -- and goes no where when I'm not.
Good luck.
poster:Racer
thread:742135
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20070309/msgs/742468.html