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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by husschick on May 26, 2004, at 12:18:19
I am not trying to offend anyone but I am kind of shocked when I read all the posts about side effects. I can understand some of them but not all. I mean in my opinion when you go to the pharmacy to pick up your med and they give you the paper with all the possible s/e listed it puts that in your head. Just wondered what other people wre thinking?...I have take over 12 meds for my anxiety and depression and just dont understand some of the posts on this matter.
Posted by partlycloudy on May 26, 2004, at 12:29:35
In reply to Side effects-some just in your head?, posted by husschick on May 26, 2004, at 12:18:19
Not everyone gets every single possible side effect listed but in my experience, some of the ones listed as "infrequent" have been the most prominent - I'm not sure what you're trying to say.
Posted by partlycloudy on May 26, 2004, at 13:38:21
In reply to Side effects-some just in your head?, posted by husschick on May 26, 2004, at 12:18:19
Sorry, I reread your post and understand that you propose that since the s/e are listed, then we tend to feel them.
Personally, I do not agree with your theory. I do not imagine weight gain, higher blood pressure, inability to sleep.... need I go on? You can't make yourself experience these effects just by reading about them.
Posted by Racer on May 26, 2004, at 14:13:59
In reply to Re: Side effects again » husschick, posted by partlycloudy on May 26, 2004, at 13:38:21
That's pretty clear, right? LOL
Yes, I do believe that knowing the reported side effects can make us more vigilant about them. In that sense, it's in our heads -- if we didn't know, for example, that anorgasmia was a known side effect of Prozac, we might figure we just weren't getting good [insert your favorite euphemism here]. On the other hand, knowing that anorgasmia is a reported side effect of Prozac does not mean that everyone who worries about it will experience it. I think we may become more *aware* of the relationship between some side effects and the medication, maybe be more sensitive to certain things that we might be able to brush off as irrelevant or unrelated to the drug if we didn't know the listed side effects.
Does all that make sense? I've got an example, from my own experience, if that would help make it clearer.
During a major depressive episode many years ago, I became constipated. It was a problem, but one that I kinda just put up with (although I took Metamucil regularly to try to deal with it) I started Paxil, it helped the depression, I went back to living life -- and I was still profoundly constipated. I didn't mention it to the doctor, because he was interested in my head, not my other end, so it didn't seem relevant. It was only much later than I discovered constipation listed as a side effect of Paxil. The constipation was very real, and it had a very real impact on my life, even though I didn't know that the drug could cause or exacerbate it. Had I known, though, I might have been even more sensitive to it.
I think the answer is that we all react differently to these medications, we all react differently in terms of our tolerance to specific side effects, and if your drugs work for you with minimal side effects, recognize how lucky you are.
Posted by Sebastian on May 27, 2004, at 20:00:52
In reply to Re: Side effects again » husschick, posted by partlycloudy on May 26, 2004, at 13:38:21
There must be a reason they post those side-effects?
Posted by husschick on May 27, 2004, at 21:23:31
In reply to Re: Side effects again, posted by Sebastian on May 27, 2004, at 20:00:52
i AM NOT SAYING THAT i DONT THINK THERE ARE S/E WITH MEDS i AM JUST SAYING THAT SOME OF THE S/E ARE PUT IN YOUR HEAD BECAUSE YOU ARE TOLD ABOUT THEM FIRST. jUST MY THOUGHTS
Posted by Fred23 on May 28, 2004, at 0:10:51
In reply to Side effects-some just in your head?, posted by husschick on May 26, 2004, at 12:18:19
> I mean in my opinion when you go to the pharmacy to pick up your med and they give you the paper with all the possible s/e listed it puts that in your head.
There is no guarantee that the drugs do precisely what they are supposed to do. Many drugs "work" but the maker can't even state the actual mechanism by which they do. Their main effect was discovered by laboratory testing, along with their side effects to. They are twiddling with brain chemistry, which is not an exact science, and as the commerical used to go, "its not nice to fool Mother Nature."
Posted by Sebastian on May 28, 2004, at 11:58:59
In reply to Re: Side effects again, posted by husschick on May 27, 2004, at 21:23:31
I think you just notice them more.
This is the end of the thread.
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