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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AnneL on October 28, 2003, at 14:50:05
Hi P-Babblers,
Supposedly I am seeing a "top" psychopharmacologist. This was confirmed by several other professionals in the field. Here is my situation which I would appreciate any feedback or thoughts on. Pdoc gave me 3 options for treatment of BPII which I mentioned in an earlier post. 1. Do nothing and stay on Effexor and Klonopin 2. Try Depakote 3. Try Lamictal.
He had me get a blood panel first, which is reasonable and I did. I made my decision and told him I did not want to try Depakote, but wanted to try Lamictal. (He gave me full disclosure of all side effects of both Depakote and Lamictal). At conversation #1, I said I did not want to try Depakote, however, wanted to try Lamictal and he said he would speak with me on Monday (stalling?). On Monday, he said OK you want to start Depakote. I then had to remind him of my decision to try Lamictal. He said that was "not a problem" and to start it in the evening and call him in one week or sooner if I get a rash. What was phoned into the pharmacy on the very same day?!! Depakote!
Called his secretary today to get this straightend out and she said he is out of town for one week, no pager, no physician on-call and now I find out he is actually "retired" and only sees a few "old" patients. I feel unnerved by this whole screw-up and don't feel confident at all. My guess is that I a)Don't start the drug until he gets back and/or b) find a new pdoc who
can remember things and at least has someone on call. I work as a health care professional and I know we all make mistakes. My real concern is that between the two drugs, depakote or lamictal,
he feels more comfortable with depakote and this is why he kept consciously or sub-consciously going back to depakote. I want a pdoc who cares enough to remember our conversation at least to remember what we talked about within the last 5 minutes! Any experiences, suggestions? I am already scared to death to try another medication.
Now I have to worry whether this guy is competent!
Thanks for reading :) AnneL
Posted by Sooshi on October 28, 2003, at 16:02:13
In reply to Gut Instincts vs. Being overly Cautious with Pdoc?, posted by AnneL on October 28, 2003, at 14:50:05
Oh my Gosh Anne! Sounds like this guy was only focused on one thing....his retirement, not his patient!!! I would definately seek out another pdoc and not wait another minute!
And here's a brief summary of my history w/Dep and Lam: Was on Dep for 6 months and never felt better in my life (along w/300mg EffexorXR) BUT, I gained 18lbs and lost 1/4 of my hair! So, I switched to Lamictal...had no major side effects except for headaches the day after titrating up, but unfortunately never got any stabilizing effects from it. But, I've heard that some people get really excellent results from Lamictal, so personally, I would go for that one first, especially if weight is an issue for you. Just my 2c.
Good luck!
Posted by loolot on October 28, 2003, at 16:29:59
In reply to Gut Instincts vs. Being overly Cautious with Pdoc?, posted by AnneL on October 28, 2003, at 14:50:05
Posted by AnneL on October 28, 2003, at 16:46:13
In reply to Re: Gut Instincts vs. Being overly Cautious with Pdoc? » AnneL, posted by Sooshi on October 28, 2003, at 16:02:13
Thanks for your quick response Sooshi! I agree with you entirely regarding getting another pdoc NOW! Weight gain is definitely an issue and I would like to keep what hair I have so Depakote is not my first choice. Now I have to find another pdoc. I don't know if I'll ever find a good pdoc! That's just me being pessimistic. I'll find another pdoc given a little time! Thanks for affirming my intuition. I don't know if the red light and sirens could have gotten any brighter or louder with this last episode! :) Anne
> Oh my Gosh Anne! Sounds like this guy was only focused on one thing....his retirement, not his patient!!! I would definately seek out another pdoc and not wait another minute!
>
> And here's a brief summary of my history w/Dep and Lam: Was on Dep for 6 months and never felt better in my life (along w/300mg EffexorXR) BUT, I gained 18lbs and lost 1/4 of my hair! So, I switched to Lamictal...had no major side effects except for headaches the day after titrating up, but unfortunately never got any stabilizing effects from it. But, I've heard that some people get really excellent results from Lamictal, so personally, I would go for that one first, especially if weight is an issue for you. Just my 2c.
>
> Good luck!
This is the end of the thread.
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