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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 19 of 19. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 8:04:47
Just wondering if you're fearful of asking for a new med.. describing how you really feel.
Do they take what you say the wrong way..but you're too afraid to challenge them..incase they think you're going manic.
Am I alone?
I can't change my pdoc (uk)
Posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 8:09:52
In reply to Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 8:04:47
Just to add..
The doc I see specialises with schitophrenia..my dx is dysthemia +rapid bipolar.
I'm scared to reveal my thoughts incase he things I'm schitophrenic.
Maybe I am....just don't want an anti-psychotic again.Slinky.
Posted by Ritch on May 26, 2005, at 10:36:58
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 8:09:52
> Just to add..
> The doc I see specialises with schitophrenia..my dx is dysthemia +rapid bipolar.
> I'm scared to reveal my thoughts incase he things I'm schitophrenic.
> Maybe I am....just don't want an anti-psychotic again.
>
> Slinky.Hi Slinky, I don't want AP's pushed on me either. I nearly got a PowerPoint presentation on Abilify a couple of years ago-trying to convince me it would be the perfect solution for all my troubles. Found out my pdoc got wined and dined in Las Vegas by the Abilify makers. Hmm. I think there might have been some undue influence, you think? I just tell them I won't take them-sorry not actively psychotic! You might have some bizarre thoughts, but if you aren't delusional and you are not hallucinating I wouldn't worry too much. Maybe if you can save your thoughts for a therapist instead, that way you don't have to worry about them coming at you with an AP depo injection or something like that. When it comes to pdocs that write the scripts I go by how I "feel", and don't waste any time (not much of that anyway), discussing my thoughts, or the whole session will end up getting wasted and derailed. Just my opinion. I also worry a little about talking too much and ending up getting a drug that will make me worse. Eeek don't need that scene. Hope this helps some.. Mitch
Posted by holymama on May 26, 2005, at 10:42:05
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 8:09:52
I
ve been scared of my pdoc in the past, and told her so once. I told her I was afraid to talk to her. She has accused me of lying before, and used very stong and incriminating language like "Are you ready to get SOBER?" (I feel that I'm a moderate drinker, at least I drink no more than most people I know) and "Do you miss getting HIGH" (as in hypomanic). I feel like she's always looking for ways to 'get' me -- things I say, how much I'm drinking, my preference to feeling better rather than depressed. I guess I'm still scared of her, but I'm much more careful in what I say to her so I don't get yelled at like a child.
I do have the option of seeing another pdoc, but this is my third one, and she's smart and got me pretty stabilized, so I feel like I should just deal with her abrasive personality.
Posted by Phillipa on May 26, 2005, at 18:50:02
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by holymama on May 26, 2005, at 10:42:05
Always been afraid of mine. And I've had more than one. Afraid they will try and push another med at me or not let me have something to sleep. fondly, Phillipa
Posted by fires on May 26, 2005, at 22:37:53
In reply to Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 8:04:47
Never have been because I've never automaticlly believed anything they've said.
I think too many patients accept what their pdocs say without question. This is especially true with psychotherapy. When I was in therapy years ago, I often told my therapists that I thought that they were all wet. Sometimes they didn't mind, and sometimes they were almost irate (but they had to hide it).
Think for yourself -- question authority -- don't buy into pet theories just because they seem to "fit". How's that for some free advice? ;)
Posted by Camille Dumont on May 26, 2005, at 23:57:40
In reply to Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by slinky on May 26, 2005, at 8:04:47
I'm scared of both my p-doc and GP. I'm afraid that if I say the wrong thing (like admitting suicidal ideation, or visual hallucinations) they will again want to prescribe strong APs ... which I never want to take again.
But then if I do that, will I not get labelled "non-compliant" ... and thus could start the slippery slope of losing the power to decide which treatment I go along with or not.
Posted by slinky on May 27, 2005, at 7:27:13
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by Camille Dumont on May 26, 2005, at 23:57:40
Hi All..
Your posts are very reasurring.
I've had the confidence in the past to choose what med to take and hope I could get a script.
I've told pdoc that I have bought meds to try off the internet..but my depression won't budge..so I think he's at a loss and he doesn't get the withdrawal stuff and is tight--doesn't prescribe timed release.
He was very pleased I quit paroxetine..and didn't prescribe anything else.
Less meds less cost -NHS.
I've ordered Lexapro for my own trial..and if it helps I'll have to say nicely--'look it's obvious I can't exist without seretonin.'I don't mind buying it myself.
I'm hard to figure out ...although on his web cv it says he enjoys a challenge ..lol
I'm just going to keep quiet about my thinking.
He's asked some weired questions.
I feel like moving home just to get a fresh doc.
I'm worrying too much about it and should just get on and order online .
I'm happy taking Neurontin and Tegretol and searching for something that would help me to half function...I know here in this area they have so many patients and they don't care but I dread every visit and it winds me up days after.
Thanks for listening.
Slinky
Posted by ed_uk on May 27, 2005, at 14:28:35
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by Camille Dumont on May 26, 2005, at 23:57:40
Hi Camille,
>strong APs ... which I never want to take again.
I'm curious, which APs did you try? Did you have bad side effects?
Regards,
Ed.
Posted by Camille Dumont on May 27, 2005, at 14:49:38
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc? » Camille Dumont, posted by ed_uk on May 27, 2005, at 14:28:35
> Hi Camille,
>
> >strong APs ... which I never want to take again.
>
> I'm curious, which APs did you try? Did you have bad side effects?
>
> Regards,
> Ed.Seroquel ... which didn't do anything horrible. Would have been a dieter's dream. It gave me this very strange agitaded sleep that made me wake up freezing because I had sweated so much my bed and clothes were soaked. On it I was losing a poud a week without even trying ... in fact I was sleeping more.
But the idea was to take away visual hallucinations and Seroquel didn't do anything. So then they gave me Zyprexa with no warning as to potential side effects. Heck, I wasn't even told not to drive on the stuff.
It was beyond horrible. I had no clue what was happening but after maybe 3 or 4 days, right during a meeting at work, I tried talking and it was soooo difficult. Then even typing on the computer was difficult. The thoughts were inside my head by it was as if my brain could not make my body obey. Movement became weird. Beyond the twitches, I had a hard time walking and standing. I have a naturally occuring very low blood pressure so with the Zyprexa bending for 10 seconds meant being dizzy when I stood up. I was slowly sinking in a haze ... it felt like a giant vice was constricting my brain ... and I started getting periods of time that I could not remember ... which I later learned were absence seizures. Usually a couple every hour. It was very scary. It made me drop things, stop walking in the middle of the street ... and I became afraid to talk to people, handle my pets, cross the street because I never knew when they would happen next and what crazy accident could happen because of it.
It did accomplish the main goal : I did not see things anymore ... but I hardly had a tought left in my head and from a functionnal / working full time person, I was becomming a total zombie. Thus, the cost was not worth the benefit.
I've made peace with the visual pseudo-hallucinations (I know they are not real ... and they don't interact with me ... I just see them, get surprised, disbelieve them and they vanish). Apparently, its something that happens with SPD ... so little can be done for it. Its just my personality coupled with a very vivid imagination.
Boring street signs transform into ironic and cynical jokes, where you see I shadow, I see a cat, where you see a tree stump, I see a corpse, necklaces look like bugs and people walk around carrying giant tubas. But hey, I prefer my wonky brain than a drugged up one.
Posted by ed_uk on May 27, 2005, at 16:02:32
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by Camille Dumont on May 27, 2005, at 14:49:38
Hi Camille,
Thank you for your interesting and detailed reply :-)
>The thoughts were inside my head by it was as if my brain could not make my body obey. Movement became weird.
Sounds rather like pseudo-parkinsonism eg. inability to initiate movement etc.
>Apparently, its something that happens with SPD ... so little can be done for it. Its just my personality coupled with a very vivid imagination.
You've been diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder?
>But hey, I prefer my wonky brain than a drugged up one.
It sounds like your pseudo-hallucinations aren't really causing you any impairment. I think there's sometimes a tendency for doctors to want to treat symptoms, even if they're not causing any problems.
RE me. I've only ever taken two APs: chlorpromazine (Thorazine) and prochlorperazine (Compazine: which is quite similar to Haldol).
At a low dose, Thorazine caused considerable cognitive slowing, it was not effective for my anxiety in the slightest. At a high dose, it caused severe akathisia (profound restlessness) and landed me in the ER.
I only took a single dose of prochlorperazine. It was a *very* low dose. I didn't have any side effects. I can imagine that a high dose would have been vile! I do not want my dopamine receptors to be blocked, it makes me very ill!
Kind regards,
Ed.
Posted by Phillipa on May 27, 2005, at 16:47:45
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc? » Camille Dumont, posted by ed_uk on May 27, 2005, at 16:02:32
Now you take no meds. Lucky you. I guess the fishoil is working. Fondly, PJ O
Posted by slinky on May 27, 2005, at 20:25:26
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by Camille Dumont on May 27, 2005, at 14:49:38
So then they gave me Zyprexa with no warning as to potential side effects. Heck, I wasn't even told not to drive on the stuff.
>
> It was beyond horrible. I had no clue what was happening but after maybe 3 or 4 days, right during a meeting at work, I tried talking and it was soooo difficult. Then even typing on the computer was difficult. The thoughts were inside my head by it was as if my brain could not make my body obey. Movement became weird. Beyond the twitches, I had a hard time walking and standing. I have a naturally occuring very low blood pressure so with the Zyprexa bending for 10 seconds meant being dizzy when I stood up. I was slowly sinking in a haze ... it felt like a giant vice was constricting my brain ... and I started getting periods of time that I could not remember ... which I later learned were absence seizures. Usually a couple every hour. It was very scary. It made me drop things, stop walking in the middle of the street ... and I became afraid to talk to people, handle my pets, cross the street because I never knew when they would happen next and what crazy accident could happen because of it.
...
Zyprexa..I cannot remeber much except I couldn't remain upright, even sitting was uncomfortable..my mind only filled with an obsession of food I was always hungry.Its just my personality coupled with a very vivid imagination.
...
Same here.> Boring street signs transform into ironic and cynical jokes, where you see I shadow, I see a cat, where you see a tree stump, I see a corpse, necklaces look like bugs and people walk around carrying giant tubas. But hey, I prefer my wonky brain than a drugged up one.
...
I thought everyone saw the stuff I saw, objects just morph into my imaginative mind..
As long as I don't believe aliens are out to get me or I become the new messiah I can live with it like I always have.
I became the stereotype artist..makes my strangeness more acceptable/allowable.Slinky
Posted by Maxime on May 27, 2005, at 23:10:07
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by slinky on May 27, 2005, at 20:25:26
I think my pdoc is scared of ME. He has no more answers or things to try. So our appointments are rather useless. He just keeps telling me to exercise and that it will help my mood. Thing is how do I get motivated to do that? Maybe if he put some money down on the table .... :-)
Maxime
Posted by Rjlockhart98 on May 27, 2005, at 23:23:55
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by Maxime on May 27, 2005, at 23:10:07
naa rather a presciption to dexedrine.
That start kickin'
take care
matt
Posted by Camille Dumont on May 28, 2005, at 13:36:04
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc? » Camille Dumont, posted by ed_uk on May 27, 2005, at 16:02:32
> Hi Camille,
>
> Thank you for your interesting and detailed reply :-)
>
> >The thoughts were inside my head by it was as if my brain could not make my body obey. Movement became weird.
>
> Sounds rather like pseudo-parkinsonism eg. inability to initiate movement etc.
>
> >Apparently, its something that happens with SPD ... so little can be done for it. Its just my personality coupled with a very vivid imagination.
>
> You've been diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder?No, they diagnosed me with schizoid personality disorder. Somewhat similar to schizotypal ... but minus the strange beliefs ... and more isolated. In a way I think schizotypal PD is closer to schizophrenia whereas schizoid PD is closer to autism.
Posted by ed_uk on May 28, 2005, at 14:48:52
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by Camille Dumont on May 28, 2005, at 13:36:04
Hi Camille,
>No, they diagnosed me with schizoid personality disorder.
Sorry, I assumed they'd diagnosed schizotypal disorder due to the visual pseudo-hallucinations.
>In a way I think schizotypal PD is closer to schizophrenia..............
I think you're right. Schizotypal personality disorder (a DSM diagnosis) is officially called 'schizotypal disorder' in Europe (the ICD manual)- it's classified among the psychotic disorders (and not the personality disorders as in the DSM). AFAIK, the criteria for schizotypal disorder were created by observing the behavior of relatives of schizophrenics. Schizotypal disorder is sometimes considered to be a 'milder version' of schizophrenia. Many years ago, autism was considered to be related to schizophrenia- this idea has been abandonned.
Here are the European (ICD) criteria for schizotypal disorder...............
Schizotypal Disorder
A disorder characterized by eccentric behaviour and anomalies of thinking and affect which resemble those seen in schizophrenia, thought no definite and characteristic schizophrenic anomalies have occurred at any stage. There is no dominant or typical disturbance, but any of the following may be present:
(a) inappropriate or constricted affect (the individual appears cold and aloof);
(b) behaviour or appearance that is odd, eccentric, or peculiar;
(c) poor rapport with others and a tendency to social withdrawal;
(d) odd beliefs or magical thinking, influencing behaviour and inconsistent with subcultural norms;
(e) suspiciousness or paranoid ideas;
(f) obsessive ruminations without inner resistance, often with dysmorphophobic, sexual or aggressive contents;
(g) unusual perceptual experiences including somatosensory (bodily) or other illusions, depersonalization or derealization;
(h) vague, circumstantial, metaphorical, overelaborate, or stereotyped thinking, manifested by odd speech or in other ways, without gross incoherence;
(i) occasional transient quasi-psychotic episodes with intense illusions, auditory or other hallucinations, and delusion-like ideas, usually occurring without external provocation.The disorder runs a chronic course with fluctuations of intensity. Occasionally it evolves into overt schizophrenia. There is no definite onset and its evolution and course are usually those of a personality disorder. It is more common in individuals related to schizophrenics and is believed to be part of the genetic "spectrum" of schizophrenia.
Diagnostic Guidelines
This diagnostic rubric is not recommended for general use because it is not clearly demarcated either from simple schizophrenia or from schizoid or paranoid personality disorders. If the term is used, three or four of the typical features listed above should have been present, continuously or episodically, for at least 2 years. The individual must never have met criteria for schizophrenia itself. A history of schizophrenia in a first-degree relative gives additional weight to the diagnosis but is not a prerequisite.The European (ICD) criteria for schizoid personality disorder...........
Schizoid Personality Disorder
Personality disorder characterized by at least 3 of the following:
(a) few, if any, activities, provide pleasure;
(b) emotional coldness, detachment or flattened affectivity;
(c) limited capacity to express either warm, tender feelings or anger towards others;
(d) apparent indifference to either praise or criticism;
(e) little interest in having sexual experiences with another person (taking into account age);
(f) almost invariable preference for solitary activities;
(g) excessive preoccupation with fantasy and introspection;
(h) lack of close friends or confiding relationships (or having only one) and of desire for such relationships;
(i) marked insensitivity to prevailing social norms and conventions.
Kind regards,
Ed.
Posted by MidnightBlue on May 28, 2005, at 20:33:50
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc?, posted by Maxime on May 27, 2005, at 23:10:07
That's it Maxime!
A REASON to exercise! Tell your Pdoc to throw some money down on the floor and you will bend over and pick it up!
MidnightBlue
Posted by Maxime on May 28, 2005, at 22:00:17
In reply to Re: Is anyone scared of their pdoc? » Maxime, posted by MidnightBlue on May 28, 2005, at 20:33:50
> That's it Maxime!
>
> A REASON to exercise! Tell your Pdoc to throw some money down on the floor and you will bend over and pick it up!
>
> MidnightBlueNo, that wouldn't be enough for him. He want me to go running everyday. Sh*t, until a few weeks ago I could barely and he wanted me to go running!? I know it can help but what you do you do when getting out the bed is like an Olympic for you? He means well, but sometimes I wonder if he is all there sometimes.
Maxime
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