Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 79822

Shown: posts 1 to 24 of 24. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

self medicating, who knows best?

Posted by Lini on September 28, 2001, at 13:07:55


Hello Hello

Been on prozac for over two months now - felt GREAT (tony the tiger great) after the first month, but the whole terrorist thing brought back the usual symptoms (spending the whole day drinking, watching endless TV, turning off the ringer, not returning anyone's calls ) and so I decided on my own accord to start taking two of the 20mg capsules. A week and a half later, I am almost 100% back to my normal self - AND I am not feeling the drowsiness that i felt on 20mg. I didn't have much faith in my doctor - he's a really nice man, but a general internist and didn't seem to think that the sleepiness was at all related to the prozac - which I learned from this website that it obviously was. SO anyway, my point is that I am feeling much better now, but my therapist is insisting that i tell my doc that I am at 40mg now and that I find a psychiatrist. It all seems like hassles, and I feel like 40mg is the answer. Should I wait and see how I do or set things up with a psychiatrist now - I am not too thrilled at the idea of seeing (and paying for) ANOTHER shrink.

anyway, thoughts, advice, thanks.

 

Re: self medicating, who knows best?

Posted by petey on September 28, 2001, at 14:48:41

In reply to self medicating, who knows best?, posted by Lini on September 28, 2001, at 13:07:55

>
> Hello Hello
>
> Been on prozac for over two months now - felt GREAT (tony the tiger great) after the first month, but the whole terrorist thing brought back the usual symptoms (spending the whole day drinking, watching endless TV, turning off the ringer, not returning anyone's calls ) and so I decided on my own accord to start taking two of the 20mg capsules. A week and a half later, I am almost 100% back to my normal self - AND I am not feeling the drowsiness that i felt on 20mg. I didn't have much faith in my doctor - he's a really nice man, but a general internist and didn't seem to think that the sleepiness was at all related to the prozac - which I learned from this website that it obviously was. SO anyway, my point is that I am feeling much better now, but my therapist is insisting that i tell my doc that I am at 40mg now and that I find a psychiatrist. It all seems like hassles, and I feel like 40mg is the answer. Should I wait and see how I do or set things up with a psychiatrist now - I am not too thrilled at the idea of seeing (and paying for) ANOTHER shrink.
>
> anyway, thoughts, advice, thanks.

Well, your going to have to tell SOMEBODY so he/she can increase your prescription! how are you going to make it through the month taking 40mg. when you've been presribed 20mg.? Anyway, it's good to have a pdoc while going through depression. Good luck! Petey

 

Re: self medicating, who knows best?

Posted by Squiggles on September 28, 2001, at 15:55:35

In reply to Re: self medicating, who knows best?, posted by petey on September 28, 2001, at 14:48:41

> >
> > Hello Hello
> >
> > Been on prozac for over two months now - felt GREAT (tony the tiger great) after the first month, but the whole terrorist thing brought back the usual symptoms (spending the whole day drinking, watching endless TV, turning off the ringer, not returning anyone's calls ) and so I decided on my own accord to start taking two of the 20mg capsules. A week and a half later, I am almost 100% back to my normal self - AND I am not feeling the drowsiness that i felt on 20mg. I didn't have much faith in my doctor - he's a really nice man, but a general internist and didn't seem to think that the sleepiness was at all related to the prozac - which I learned from this website that it obviously was. SO anyway, my point is that I am feeling much better now, but my therapist is insisting that i tell my doc that I am at 40mg now and that I find a psychiatrist. It all seems like hassles, and I feel like 40mg is the answer. Should I wait and see how I do or set things up with a psychiatrist now - I am not too thrilled at the idea of seeing (and paying for) ANOTHER shrink.
> >
> > anyway, thoughts, advice, thanks.
>
> Well, your going to have to tell SOMEBODY so he/she can increase your prescription! how are you going to make it through the month taking 40mg. when you've been presribed 20mg.? Anyway, it's good to have a pdoc while going through depression. Good luck! Petey


I have played with my dose in the past, and
my doctor is lenient to an extent, i.e. if the
outcome is good then there is flexibility in
the prescription. I would not leave it too long
though, as you will have to renew the prescription
and your doctor should know at least.

Squiggles

 

Re: self medicating, who knows best? » Lini

Posted by jay on September 28, 2001, at 16:40:34

In reply to self medicating, who knows best?, posted by Lini on September 28, 2001, at 13:07:55

If your response to Prozac was good, I would say stay with the Prozac, and even before raising the dose, add a med that might help with symptoms. If anxiety is your problem, you may want to look at the most common add-on, benzos.

You also may want to start 'journaling', and get therapy. Your depression means you have to overhaul much of your life, and regardless, you can't continue on the course you did before treatment.

With a med addition or a doseage increase, you may want to look at all of those negative things in your life that contributed to your stress and depression. If you don't change those things, depression and anxiety will come back with a vengance.

IMHO..

Jay


>
> Hello Hello
>
> Been on prozac for over two months now - felt GREAT (tony the tiger great) after the first month, but the whole terrorist thing brought back the usual symptoms (spending the whole day drinking, watching endless TV, turning off the ringer, not returning anyone's calls ) and so I decided on my own accord to start taking two of the 20mg capsules. A week and a half later, I am almost 100% back to my normal self - AND I am not feeling the drowsiness that i felt on 20mg. I didn't have much faith in my doctor - he's a really nice man, but a general internist and didn't seem to think that the sleepiness was at all related to the prozac - which I learned from this website that it obviously was. SO anyway, my point is that I am feeling much better now, but my therapist is insisting that i tell my doc that I am at 40mg now and that I find a psychiatrist. It all seems like hassles, and I feel like 40mg is the answer. Should I wait and see how I do or set things up with a psychiatrist now - I am not too thrilled at the idea of seeing (and paying for) ANOTHER shrink.
>
> anyway, thoughts, advice, thanks.

 

Re: self medicating, who knows best? » Lini

Posted by Zo on September 29, 2001, at 2:42:34

In reply to self medicating, who knows best?, posted by Lini on September 28, 2001, at 13:07:55

Clearly, in this instance, you know best. . .and internists make lousy pdocs anyway, they're just not that interested or knowledgeable. A good pdoc would take this positive experience of yours and use it in managing your care. In lieu of one--and sometimes it's very hard--one has to rely on the pretty faithful witness of Your Own Experience of Yourself, and go from there.

I think of that as a much wiser state than the pejorative "self-medicating."

Zo

 

Re: self medicating, who knows best?

Posted by JohnL on September 29, 2001, at 7:20:41

In reply to self medicating, who knows best?, posted by Lini on September 28, 2001, at 13:07:55

HI there,
Self medicating, who knows best? I don't think there is any correct answer to that question. Each person has unique circumstances that need to be taken into account. It's just my opinion, but self medication is ok as I see it, so long as the person knows a lot about what they are doing, side effect profiles, adverse reaction profiles, contraindications, and such. I don't think you will need a psychiatrist unless you get up to a point where say 60mg of Prozac was no longer working. Hopefully that never will happen. Just see the gp for a simple Prozac prescription, tell him you upped the dose and like it, and try to get enough refills on that prescription to last three months. As long as you are doing ok, you shouldn't need to see the doc more than once in three months.
John
>
> Hello Hello
>
> Been on prozac for over two months now - felt GREAT (tony the tiger great) after the first month, but the whole terrorist thing brought back the usual symptoms (spending the whole day drinking, watching endless TV, turning off the ringer, not returning anyone's calls ) and so I decided on my own accord to start taking two of the 20mg capsules. A week and a half later, I am almost 100% back to my normal self - AND I am not feeling the drowsiness that i felt on 20mg. I didn't have much faith in my doctor - he's a really nice man, but a general internist and didn't seem to think that the sleepiness was at all related to the prozac - which I learned from this website that it obviously was. SO anyway, my point is that I am feeling much better now, but my therapist is insisting that i tell my doc that I am at 40mg now and that I find a psychiatrist. It all seems like hassles, and I feel like 40mg is the answer. Should I wait and see how I do or set things up with a psychiatrist now - I am not too thrilled at the idea of seeing (and paying for) ANOTHER shrink.
>
> anyway, thoughts, advice, thanks.

 

Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story

Posted by pellmell on September 29, 2001, at 20:29:12

In reply to Re: self medicating, who knows best?, posted by JohnL on September 29, 2001, at 7:20:41

My pdoc poured a bucket of liquid nitrogen on my head tonight.

Metaphorically, of course. Ok. I went to see him on Sept 14. Because of the awful things that happened just three days before, I felt petty talking about myself. Even for a 20 minute check-up session. So I told him the basics, and didn't protest when he decided I should stick with Effexor. I felt foolish telling him about my growing dissatisfaction with it. Maybe it's just me, but often when I describe how I think a drug is making me feel he gives me a really skeptical look. It makes me feel diminshed. And I don't say things like, "I seem to have more ingrown hairs on my ankles. I think it's the Effexor."

Anyway, so I think I decided even before I left his office that I was going to try taking Wellbutrin as well (I had a month's supply left over from a failed trial with it alone). The next day I dropped down to 75mg of Effexor at night and took 150mg Wellbutrin SR in the afternoon. After a few days, I had more energy, could concentrate better, and was feeling more motivated. I was also feeling more *feelings*. I waited twelve days before I decided my improvement wasn't transient, and called my pdoc.

I finally got his live voice on the other end of the line tonight. I explained to him what I'd done, that I was feeling better, and that I was probably one of his better educated (didn't say "most" or "best") patients on these matters because of the books I'd read and the time I spent on this board. And I was wondering...should I be taking two 100mg Wellbutrins through the day, instead of just one 150mg pill? And anyway, what did he think of all this?

Oh boy. His response went something like, "It sounds like it would be a reasonable idea. If I came up with it. If you're going to 'self-medicate' like this, you're not my patient anymore. It's that simple. You're not a physician I'm not going to be responsible for people who self-medicate."

I was shocked. I stammered something like, "Err...um...would you have been upset if I just went down on the Effexor?" Stuff like that. Then he said, "If you want me to continue to be your prescribing doctor, we should sit down and talk face-to-face." I'm going to call on Monday and try to get an appointment next week. The last thing I said was, "I didn't expect this to happen." He let out an incredulous chuckle and said, "Neither did I."

I was reeling for about half an hour from this conversation.

Is this a normal doctorly reaction? I've been reading this board at least three times a week and pretty thoroughly since May, and I haven't seen anyone talk about anything like this. A few doctors in Dr. Bob's Tips section talk about how their patients have tried things without their permission and come up with amazing results. I Did I really cross some line somewhere?

It's not like I looked in my medicine cabinet and said, "Oooh, this pill looks pretty with this one! If I swallow them both it'll do wonders for the interior decorating in my stomach!" I researched thoroughly. I knew absolutely that I wasn't doing anything dangerous. I wanted to feel better. I was tired of feeling awful and anxious without drugs, and content and slothful on SRIs. I wanted to try something different. And I think it has worked, too.

..sigh.. So, ugh. I'd appreciate anyone's reaction to this story.

Thanks,

-pm

 

Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story

Posted by KB on September 30, 2001, at 9:13:48

In reply to Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story, posted by pellmell on September 29, 2001, at 20:29:12

Just like any otther profession, doctors run the gamut from very conservative to flat-out radical.
Since your doctor was already showing signs of not trusting you by downplaying your reports of how meds were affecting you, I'd say he's probably of the knee-jerk authoritarian type and you (inadvertantly) challenged his authority.

 

Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story » pellmell

Posted by shelliR on September 30, 2001, at 14:09:31

In reply to Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story, posted by pellmell on September 29, 2001, at 20:29:12

> My pdoc poured a bucket of liquid nitrogen on my head tonight.
>
> Metaphorically, of course. Ok. I went to see him on Sept 14. Because of the awful things that happened just three days before, I felt petty talking about myself. Even for a 20 minute check-up session. So I told him the basics, and didn't protest when he decided I should stick with Effexor. I felt foolish telling him about my growing dissatisfaction with it. Maybe it's just me, but often when I describe how I think a drug is making me feel he gives me a really skeptical look. It makes me feel diminshed. And I don't say things like, "I seem to have more ingrown hairs on my ankles. I think it's the Effexor."
>
> Anyway, so I think I decided even before I left his office that I was going to try taking Wellbutrin as well (I had a month's supply left over from a failed trial with it alone). The next day I dropped down to 75mg of Effexor at night and took 150mg Wellbutrin SR in the afternoon. After a few days, I had more energy, could concentrate better, and was feeling more motivated. I was also feeling more *feelings*. I waited twelve days before I decided my improvement wasn't transient, and called my pdoc.
>
> I finally got his live voice on the other end of the line tonight. I explained to him what I'd done, that I was feeling better, and that I was probably one of his better educated (didn't say "most" or "best") patients on these matters because of the books I'd read and the time I spent on this board. And I was wondering...should I be taking two 100mg Wellbutrins through the day, instead of just one 150mg pill? And anyway, what did he think of all this?
>
> Oh boy. His response went something like, "It sounds like it would be a reasonable idea. If I came up with it. If you're going to 'self-medicate' like this, you're not my patient anymore. It's that simple. You're not a physician I'm not going to be responsible for people who self-medicate."
>
> I was shocked. I stammered something like, "Err...um...would you have been upset if I just went down on the Effexor?" Stuff like that. Then he said, "If you want me to continue to be your prescribing doctor, we should sit down and talk face-to-face." I'm going to call on Monday and try to get an appointment next week. The last thing I said was, "I didn't expect this to happen." He let out an incredulous chuckle and said, "Neither did I."
>
> I was reeling for about half an hour from this conversation.
>
> Is this a normal doctorly reaction? I've been reading this board at least three times a week and pretty thoroughly since May, and I haven't seen anyone talk about anything like this. A few doctors in Dr. Bob's Tips section talk about how their patients have tried things without their permission and come up with amazing results. I Did I really cross some line somewhere?
>
> It's not like I looked in my medicine cabinet and said, "Oooh, this pill looks pretty with this one! If I swallow them both it'll do wonders for the interior decorating in my stomach!" I researched thoroughly. I knew absolutely that I wasn't doing anything dangerous. I wanted to feel better. I was tired of feeling awful and anxious without drugs, and content and slothful on SRIs. I wanted to try something different. And I think it has worked, too.
>
> ..sigh.. So, ugh. I'd appreciate anyone's reaction to this story.
>
> Thanks,
>
> -pm

I don't really don't think that you handled things right. You say that your pdoc looks at you skeptically when you bring up things, and that diminishes you. I think that that's where you need to step up and keep your confidence, and say "I'll like to try adding Wellbutrin." If your doctor says, no without a good reason, then I think you need to find a doctor who is willing to accept your input and also to be more creative in his decisions. My pdoc hasn't always liked my choices, but we hash it out and he accepts them. That keeps him involved in my process. The last time I wanted to mix nardil and wellbutrin, my doctor was not enthusiastic, but he made sure that I would take my bp several times a day, etc. Then I felt that I would have the right to call him if I had a bad reaction. To decide not to tell your doctor, puts him in the uncomfortable position of perhaps picking up your pieces. In this case, that didn't happen, but I would be upset if I didn't know my patient was even taking a drug then they called me to ask when in the day I should take it. I see what you did as a slap in his face, even more so because then you called him *afterwards* and asked for his opinion. I think the collaboration should be both ways, and you both should be working for that. I mean if you are self-medicating, why even go to him?

Shelli

 

Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story » shelliR

Posted by pellmell on September 30, 2001, at 18:07:56

In reply to Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story » pellmell, posted by shelliR on September 30, 2001, at 14:09:31

Shelli,

You've got a point. I should have asked him before.

Though why should he see it as a "slap in his face"? That seems a quite a personal reaction for a person who's supposed to try to be as objective as humans can be. My intent was not to insult him or even to challenge his authority. I think it was an expression of my meekness in the face of his mild arrogance, combined with the fact that I *want to feel better*, and everything he's suggested so far has only taken me halfway there.

You're right, I should've talked to him before. But if he's taken this as a "slap in the face," (something I don't know yet) it seems to me that he's the type that values his advice over the well-being of his patients.

-pm

 

Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story

Posted by stjames on September 30, 2001, at 18:13:39

In reply to Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story, posted by pellmell on September 29, 2001, at 20:29:12

You should of asked. If you don't want to do this as a team (after all it is your doc with the medical degree) then I don't see why a doc should keep you as a patient.

james

 

Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story » stjames

Posted by pellmell on September 30, 2001, at 18:32:46

In reply to Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story, posted by stjames on September 30, 2001, at 18:13:39

Blunt as always, james. I appreciate it, actually. If I didn't feel I could work with this doctor "as a team," I should have found a new one before I took matters into my own hands.

Thank you everyone for your responses.

When I see my psychiatrist next it will be with no small degree of humility.

-pm

> You should of asked. If you don't want to do this as a team (after all it is your doc with the medical degree) then I don't see why a doc should keep you as a patient.
>
> james

 

Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story » pellmell

Posted by Jackster on October 1, 2001, at 1:21:43

In reply to Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story, posted by pellmell on September 29, 2001, at 20:29:12

I know how you feel. I had a pdoc who seemed to get more and more irritated as each medication I tried didn't work. It got to the point where I would feel anxious the whole day before an appointment. The last time I saw him I left in tears, as he told me it was my fault none of the medication was working because I wasn't trying hard enough. I realised it was ridiculous going to someone who I felt scared of talking to.

Yes, you should have talked to your Pdoc about changing your medication, but on the flip side - he should be open to listening to your thoughts about it. You should be able to feel that you can tell him your probs with the meds.

They might be the experts on the THEORY of the medications - but we're the ones actually taking them. How many refused to believe patient's stories of withdrawal symptoms on SSRI's just because it wasn't on the packet insert? Sometimes it takes thousands of people reporting the same symptoms before the drug companies will actually acknowledge a possible side effect.

Anyway, after that ramble - don't be afraid to find someone who you feel will listen to you.

Jackie

 

Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story » pellmell

Posted by Lini on October 1, 2001, at 10:41:12

In reply to Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story » shelliR, posted by pellmell on September 30, 2001, at 18:07:56

pellmell -

I called my doctor this morning and told his secretary my whole story (kinda passive aggresive I know) and said that I felt bad about not consulting with him before upping my dose to 40 mg.

My doctor just called me back and told me not to feel bad and that the most important thing was how *I* was feeling on the meds. He said he wanted to be involved if I was thinking about any other changes and would call in and change my prescription.

In your defense, I don't think that your doctor handled the situation very well. He is the professional and you are both *equally* responsible for establishing a collaborative process. So while you should have talked to him about the change in meds (I should have done that too) since this is the first time it has come up, he should have been supportive and open - reinforcing how he is there to help.

Because my doctor was mostly interested in how he could be helpful, I feel more empowered. I will definitely tell him my intentions next time and explain my reasoning - I feel comfortable that the two of us can hash it out.

In your case, I would let your doctor know that until your meds start working correctly, you're going to need him to be a little more sensitive to your feedback. If your doctor can't separate his ego from your health needs, then put his ass on the curb. The last thing you need is to deal with his issues while he ignores yours!

Best of luck - let me know how it works out.

 

both me and my doctor!

Posted by Lini on October 1, 2001, at 10:45:27

In reply to Re: self medicating, who knows best? » Lini, posted by Zo on September 29, 2001, at 2:42:34

> Clearly, in this instance, you know best. . .and internists make lousy pdocs anyway, they're just not that interested or knowledgeable. A good pdoc would take this positive experience of yours and use it in managing your care. In lieu of one--and sometimes it's very hard--one has to rely on the pretty faithful witness of Your Own Experience of Yourself, and go from there.
>
> I think of that as a much wiser state than the pejorative "self-medicating."
>
> Zo


Good feedback - called my doctor. Everything is on the up and up (except the prozac, it's at a mutually agreeable 40mg)

Thanks everybody!

 

Re: self medicating » KB, Jackster, Lini

Posted by pellmell on October 1, 2001, at 11:39:19

In reply to Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story, posted by KB on September 30, 2001, at 9:13:48

And thank you three for helping me feel a little better about my mistake. These past two days I've been feeling awful about what I'd done.

KB, I think I did inadvertently challenge his authority. He can be a really nice guy, but he can also whip up this air of omniscence. He's got a weird sort of charisma, which I think is why I've been feeling so awful for disappointing him.

Jackster and Lini, thank you for sympathizing. What you said is helping these awful feelings to fade and letting me think more rationally. He definitely didn't handle me well at all. Yes, what I did was also a little passive-agressive (I do have a small tendency to be that way sometimes:) ), but still...for many reasons, I don't think he should've reacted that way. Maybe I caught him right before dinner? :)

Anyway, I see him tomorrow afternoon. If he uses the appointment to unempathetically put me in my place, I know I can find another doctor. It's silly that that didn't occur to me sooner.

Thanks so much, again,

-pm

 

Re: self medicating » pellmell

Posted by Jane D on October 2, 2001, at 0:12:31

In reply to Re: self medicating » KB, Jackster, Lini, posted by pellmell on October 1, 2001, at 11:39:19

And thank you three for helping me feel a little better about my mistake. These past two days I've been feeling awful about what I'd done.
>
> KB, I think I did inadvertently challenge his authority. He can be a really nice guy, but he can also whip up this air of omniscence. He's got a weird sort of charisma, which I think is why I've been feeling so awful for disappointing him.
>
> Jackster and Lini, thank you for sympathizing. What you said is helping these awful feelings to fade and letting me think more rationally. He definitely didn't handle me well at all. Yes, what I did was also a little passive-agressive (I do have a small tendency to be that way sometimes:) ), but still...for many reasons, I don't think he should've reacted that way. Maybe I caught him right before dinner? :)
>
> Anyway, I see him tomorrow afternoon. If he uses the appointment to unempathetically put me in my place, I know I can find another doctor. It's silly that that didn't occur to me sooner.
>
> Thanks so much, again,
>
> -pm

PM - Good luck tomorrow. Remember don't let the skeptical looks intimidate you. Give him a chance to react now that he's had his dinner or whatever. I personally think that not telling him was a breach of courtesy and that his response to you was another one. Not a major crime. If you can work this out - great. If not, as you said, you can always go somewhere else. - Jane

 

Theory and practice and who knows best » Jackster

Posted by Jane D on October 2, 2001, at 1:02:01

In reply to Re: self medicating: pdoc horror story » pellmell, posted by Jackster on October 1, 2001, at 1:21:43

> They might be the experts on the THEORY of the medications - but we're the ones actually taking them. How many refused to believe patient's stories of withdrawal symptoms on SSRI's just because it wasn't on the packet insert? Sometimes it takes thousands of people reporting the same symptoms before the drug companies will actually acknowledge a possible side effect.

It's funny. I always looked at it the other way. I'm fairly confident in my ability to understand the theory of these medications. Or to not understand it along with the best of them. The internet is truly a wonderful place and there are always libraries as well. It is the practical experience I want from a doctor. Yes I may be the expert on my reactions to something. But I'm selfish. If it's a really nasty reaction I'd much rather learn about it from some other patient's experience. Or learn whether a given side effect usually gets better or worse. A doctor can be a pipeline to other peoples experiences. Not at all perfect but a better one than the others available. If your next door neighbor knows 3 people who take this drug (and one of them is really taking something else entirely but got confused about the name and another one is taking 10 other drugs besides) there's a limit to how useful his comments about the drug are going to be to you. If you read comments on the internet from what seems to be hundreds of people you know even less. You can't tell if it is really hundreds of different people, whether they are anything like you or, like your neighbors friend, are also taking an extra 10 medications that they never mentioned. And in both cases the people who are unhappiest are the most likely to be talking about it in the first place. You aren't going to hear much from the people who say "everythings fine".

Compared to sorting out that tangle the theory is easy.

Jane

 

Re: Theory and practice and who knows best » Jane D

Posted by Jackster on October 2, 2001, at 4:03:11

In reply to Theory and practice and who knows best » Jackster, posted by Jane D on October 2, 2001, at 1:02:01

> > They might be the experts on the THEORY of the medications - but we're the ones actually taking them. How many refused to believe patient's stories of withdrawal symptoms on SSRI's just because it wasn't on the packet insert? Sometimes it takes thousands of people reporting the same symptoms before the drug companies will actually acknowledge a possible side effect.
>
I think I may have been unclear in who I was referring to when I said that we are the ones taking them. I wasn't referring to just the people on this website, but everyone that is actually taking the medication. I totally agree that a Doctor's experience and training is extremely important, but I also think that they should be open to what the person taking the medication has to say. When I was first prescribed Paxil (4 years ago) I was told there were no withdrawal effects. (According to drug company trials). Now after thousands of patients reporting their experiences to their Doctors, it is well known that Paxil has some of the worst withdrawal symptoms due to it's short half life. When I tried Celexa, I developed a rash. My PDoc told me it can't have been caused by the Celexa because it wasn't listed as a side effect, and then admitted that he'd seen someone else that morning with the same problem on the same drug. I believe that it's a combination of the Doctor's and patient's experience for determining what's best for the individual.

And that's certainly enough ramblings from me on this topic.

Jackie

 

Re: self medicating, who knows best?

Posted by Cecilia on October 4, 2001, at 2:09:02

In reply to self medicating, who knows best?, posted by Lini on September 28, 2001, at 13:07:55

In my experience most pdocs are pretty much clueless, but they`re the ones with the power to write the prescriptions. (Of course, from their point of view, we`re the ones with the power to sue, so maybe it comes out even.)

 

P.S. to above

Posted by Cecilia on October 4, 2001, at 2:43:58

In reply to Re: self medicating, who knows best?, posted by Cecilia on October 4, 2001, at 2:09:02

> In my experience most pdocs are pretty much clueless, but they`re the ones with the power to write the prescriptions. (Of course, from their point of view, we`re the ones with the power to sue, so maybe it comes out even.)

P.S. The above cynical comment doesn`t apply to Dr. Bob, of course!

 

Re: self medicating, the conclusion » Jane D

Posted by pellmell on October 4, 2001, at 15:44:22

In reply to Re: self medicating » pellmell, posted by Jane D on October 2, 2001, at 0:12:31

So... everything went fine with my pdoc.

I confessed that what I did was a "breach of courtesy" (thanks Jane:)) and told him I didn't mean to challenge his authority. He said it wasn't the latter, just that in the past his patient's self-medication experiments haven't turned out happy. I told him about how I felt silly asking about possible treatments (with him having the degree and all), and predictably, he said I shouldn't, that he was open to that sort of thing. Our meeting wasn't as congenial as it usually is, but we both seemed to have decided to forget the angry words he threw at me.

And he went along with all of my suggestions. I'm trying Wellbutrin SR 100mg twice a day, and Effexor XR at 112.5. I'm not sure what I think of this combination yet, but I'm happy to be trying something new.

Thanks again everyone,

-pm

> PM - Good luck tomorrow. Remember don't let the skeptical looks intimidate you. Give him a chance to react now that he's had his dinner or whatever. I personally think that not telling him was a breach of courtesy and that his response to you was another one. Not a major crime. If you can work this out - great. If not, as you said, you can always go somewhere else. - Jane

 

Re: self medicating, the conclusion

Posted by stjames on October 5, 2001, at 18:50:43

In reply to Re: self medicating, the conclusion » Jane D, posted by pellmell on October 4, 2001, at 15:44:22

I told him about how I felt silly asking about possible treatments (with him having the degree and all), and predictably, he said I shouldn't, that he was open to that sort of thing.

James here....

Great ! My experience is that I have alway gotten to take what I want, but that my doc and I decide together.

james

 

Re: self medicating, the conclusion » pellmell

Posted by Jane D on October 6, 2001, at 23:59:36

In reply to Re: self medicating, the conclusion » Jane D, posted by pellmell on October 4, 2001, at 15:44:22

Pellmell - Your meeting may not have been as congenial but it sounds like you got more from it than from past meetings. I'm really glad it worked out OK. - Jane


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