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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by glaciergirl on June 6, 2003, at 9:51:38
Hi all! I am taking Concerta 36mg. This is my third week on it. After reading some posts, I've noticed it doesn't seem to be a problem to add Wellbutrin to the mix, but I would like some feedback. I found a months worth of Wellbutrin SR (150mg) in my cabinet (a doc had prescribed it to me, but I never took it) from July, 2001. The past two days, I have taken (with my Concerta) one tablet in the morning and another at lunch. I'm just wondering if this is ok?? I have noticed an increase in energy and am more talkative already, the only thing that is a tiny bit bothersome is a feeling of constipation..usually in the morning when I wake up. Can anybody tell me if this is ok? I thought I might just take one wellbutrin today and see what that will do...I'm wondering if 300mg a day is too much?? I'm afraid to ask my new doc, or even tell her i'm taking it bc I informed her that I had taken it before and it didn't do anything for me...so she marked it off my "to-try" list. Also, is it ok to mix Hydrocodine (pain pills) into the mix? I take these ocassionally for tension in my neck and shoulders.
Thanks
Brooke
Posted by fallsfall on June 6, 2003, at 13:48:52
In reply to Is it ok to mix meds?, posted by glaciergirl on June 6, 2003, at 9:51:38
Please ask your doctor if it is OK for YOU to mix those things. It might be OK for others, but not for you. She can help you best if she knows what you are doing.
Posted by glaciergirl on June 6, 2003, at 14:47:33
In reply to Re: Is it ok to mix meds? » glaciergirl, posted by fallsfall on June 6, 2003, at 13:48:52
I agree with you that I should inform my doc, or at least ask a pharmacist, but my doc, a GP, doesn't seem to know what to do with me in the first place...she is a great doctor, but since I have started going to her (5 months ago) she has put me on Paxil CR (hated it), Topamax (I had no symptoms to verify this drug), then we, (or I) decided I had ADHD based on an ADHD form she had me fill out..I know it's not as detailed as the other tests I have heard about, but I had every symptom in every catagory except two, after a month on Topamax, Straterra for two weeks (made me very aggitated), now Concerta. On my last visit, which resulted in the prescription of Concerta, she suggested a psychiatrist, which I considered, but really don't have time to take off work every two weeks (She suggested a psychiatrist would want to see me more often..don't know if this is correct or not)..or maybe this is just the excuse I use for not wanting to face it...My doc says she doesn't want to keep drugging me by trial and error..which I respect and I like the concerta, but aagghh...i almost feel like i was doing better before all the medication!!
I do feel like i have depression or social anxiety disorder, which I took paxil for many years ago, but these past three days on Wellbutrin have helped those symptoms, unlike the concerta...fallsfall..don't misunderstand..I do take your advice to heart and will try to build up some courage to call my doc, this post has just allowed me to vent and let out some confusion!!
Thanks
Brooke
Posted by fallsfall on June 6, 2003, at 19:10:58
In reply to Re: Is it ok to mix meds?, posted by glaciergirl on June 6, 2003, at 14:47:33
Wow! That's a lot of drugs to try in 5 months. I can see why you are frustrated.
Anti-depressants take up to 8 weeks to start working, so I wonder if you gave up on some before they would be active. GPs are not as knowledgable as psychiatrists on what med is needed when and how to get the most out of it. I hear friends even talk about their psychiatrists and it is clear that mine knows more than theirs does. My GP is really nice and started me on anti-depressants, but I switched to my psychiatrist when my depression got worse and it was obvious that I needed some more knowlegable med attention.
So I see a psychiatrist. I've had appointments as close as one week (which I was shocked at - usually 2 weeks is the closest you get), and I know he sees other people every 3 or 6 months. It all depends on how you are doing with the meds. I remember rejoicing because my new appointment was 3 weeks out instead of 2, and that meant that my meds were working better. If I wanted to push the appointments out a little (but not a lot) it would be OK with him. I don't know how other psychiatrists do it. But if you push them out too far then you might be making things take longer or be worse longer. He sets my appointment by when I'll be able to see the effect of the changes, balanced with how much pain I'm in.
I wish I could say that a psychiatrist wouldn't drug you by trial and error, but well, mine calls it "art". Since everybody reacts differently to the meds they really have to do something different for each patient.
It also sounds like you could use a solid diagnosis. It is hard to treat something if you don't know what it is. I don't know if a psychiatrist would do that, or if you should see a psychologist. I would think you could start with the psychiatrist.
Brooke, venting is a really good thing to do. And this is a good place to do it. It sounds like you are frustrated, and that you feel like there is no structure to what is being done. The word that comes to my mind is "thrashing" (it is used in software engineering to mean when you switch things out so often that you spend all of your time switching and none of your time doing any real work). It doesn't have to be that way. But you have to be patient (it took me 16 months this time to find a helpful combination of meds - your milage may vary, I tend to be pretty difficult). And you have to give the meds a chance to work.
Just a side note: If you took Paxil before and it worked well maybe you should try Paxil (not PaxilCR) again.
Finding the right meds and getting the side effects settled down (lots go away in a couple of weeks) is NO fun. But, for me at least, it is more fun than depression.
Good luck. Let me know how it goes.
Posted by glaciergirl on June 6, 2003, at 21:36:13
In reply to Re: Is it ok to mix meds? » glaciergirl, posted by fallsfall on June 6, 2003, at 19:10:58
aahhh..the Paxil. I used to think I couldn't live without it, I sang it's praises to anybody and everybody that would listen! I remember how social I was when I was taking it, and thinking back, I had a lot more ambition and motivation..but it pooped out after a while..I think after about three years, and of course, I hated the weight gain. I have wondered if I should try it again, but I hate to be on a roller coaster ride...not knowing if it will poopout or not after a few years..and if it does, back to the drawing board. Not to mention the effects of getting off Paxil..night sweats, angry impulses, uugghh!! My doc went as far as looking up the psychitrists (are these refered to as pdocs here?..i'll use that, it's shorter!) that my insurance would pay for, none of which were the ones she would recommend. I am always trying to self diagnose myself. I have become aware of alot of my symptoms thru this board...most of them I never gave any thought to, just thought I was normal and normal was weird!!
If I am being honest with myself I would have to say the Concerta isn't doing much for me. (but I hate to go back to my doc and tell her yet another med isn't working..I've complained about every med she has given me..she's going to think I'm nuts) It hasn't made me any better than what I was, hasn't made any symptoms easier to manage..I'm doing a little better at work, but at home, the place is still a mess, the laundry "might" get done once a week, dishes in the sink, bills not payed, I could go on and on..at least my husband is the understanding kind. I explained to him awhile back that "yes, there may be a mess on the coffee table, but it just doesn't register with me that those things need to be in order, or put up. They look like they are in as good a place right where they are." Sometimes he picks up after me, but every once in a while, he'll leave my mess and watch to see how long it will take me to pick it up...usually it stays until he has to comment on it..."Brooke, that newspaper has been on the floor for a week, are you finished with it?" Of course, I'll make a silly comment like "No, I'm still trying to figure out the crosswork puzzle", and then I'll throw it away...geez.. I didn't know I had so much to talk about..anyway, I would like to try adderall, but my doc knows i have experiments with street drugs in the past and I'm not sure she will give it to me..look how long it took her to give me concerta..and I got a lecture on that!! Those days are far gone, I will never go back to that and I don't think any one medicine will trigger me to go back...I just want to get back to normal!!! OK...whew..maybe I need to see a pdoc after all...I obviously have more to talk about than I thought!! Thanks for listening...I'm going to give this some deep thought, I go back to the doc in a week!! I'll let ya know what we decide!
Brooke
Posted by fallsfall on June 7, 2003, at 2:52:29
In reply to Re: Is it ok to mix meds? » fallsfall, posted by glaciergirl on June 6, 2003, at 21:36:13
This is the end of the thread.
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