![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by pathetic_n_useless on December 10, 2001, at 13:04:27
I totally give up. Nothing helps. My GP is totally fine with the fact that the mirtazapine (remeron in the US)helps me sleep but thats it. Made me gain too much weight already. She won't refer me to a psychiatrist again and even if she did it would be to the totally judgmental, critical, rude idiot I saw before cos he's all there is due to short staffing. So I am stuck with 6 or so panic attacks, flashbacks n feeling suicidal and self harming more and more to try to cope. Gp reckoned I didnt seem depressed either. Whats' the point? She said it's totally up to me to change but I have just had enough of all of it. I just want to curl up n a ball n disappear, not ever wake up again because I just want it all to stop and I can't see how.
Posted by Kat26 on December 10, 2001, at 13:56:59
In reply to I give up, posted by pathetic_n_useless on December 10, 2001, at 13:04:27
Is there no way you can see a different doctor?
Kat26
Posted by pathetic_n_useless on December 10, 2001, at 14:23:45
In reply to Re: I give up, posted by Kat26 on December 10, 2001, at 13:56:59
> Is there no way you can see a different doctor?
>
> Kat26
this is the 2nd GP who has said the same. whats th e point?
Posted by stjames on December 10, 2001, at 14:41:29
In reply to Re: I give up, posted by pathetic_n_useless on December 10, 2001, at 14:23:45
You need the see a psychiatrist. Do whatever it takes to get to one
Posted by dreamer on December 10, 2001, at 19:45:35
In reply to Re: I give up, posted by stjames on December 10, 2001, at 14:41:29
> You need the see a psychiatrist. Do whatever it takes to get to one
try seeing a student psychiatrist , they're usually on placements for six months at hospitals (UK)
Posted by Elizabeth on December 10, 2001, at 20:12:09
In reply to I give up, posted by pathetic_n_useless on December 10, 2001, at 13:04:27
I know how you're feeling. It's so awful how often doctors seem to contribute to feelings of despair and demoralization, as yours is.
So there's no way you can get a good psychiatrist? Even if you waited until one of the other ones (besides the nasty one) has an opening? I don't know how the system there works (or even what system it is that you're stuck in).
One thought I have is that maybe other GPs would have different attitudes, since you've only seen two. I know how discouraging it is, but you have to keep trying. You probably know that already.
The only other thing I can suggest is that you look for advice everywhere you can think of -- talk to anyone you know who might have an idea or be able to help you work the system.
-elizabeth
Posted by JohnX2 on December 11, 2001, at 11:12:26
In reply to I give up, posted by pathetic_n_useless on December 10, 2001, at 13:04:27
Flashbacks and Panic attacks are symptoms of
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A medication
that seems to be anecdotally working well for this
is Topamax. It also causes weight loss. It
is generally a sedative medication. It is not
addictive. Zoloft is FDA approved for PTSD
(Post Traumautic Stress Disorder). You could try
comboing the two meds.Regards and good luck. Sorry your psychiatric
support is so crummy.-john
> I totally give up. Nothing helps. My GP is totally fine with the fact that the mirtazapine (remeron in the US)helps me sleep but thats it. Made me gain too much weight already. She won't refer me to a psychiatrist again and even if she did it would be to the totally judgmental, critical, rude idiot I saw before cos he's all there is due to short staffing. So I am stuck with 6 or so panic attacks, flashbacks n feeling suicidal and self harming more and more to try to cope. Gp reckoned I didnt seem depressed either. Whats' the point? She said it's totally up to me to change but I have just had enough of all of it. I just want to curl up n a ball n disappear, not ever wake up again because I just want it all to stop and I can't see how.
Posted by Elizabeth on December 11, 2001, at 14:31:14
In reply to Re: I give up » pathetic_n_useless, posted by JohnX2 on December 11, 2001, at 11:12:26
> Flashbacks and Panic attacks are symptoms of
> Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. A medication
> that seems to be anecdotally working well for this
> is Topamax. It also causes weight loss. It
> is generally a sedative medication. It is not
> addictive. Zoloft is FDA approved for PTSD
> (Post Traumautic Stress Disorder). You could try
> comboing the two meds.There are lots of meds that help with PTSD. Zoloft probably isn't any better than any other SSRI. MAOIs can also help. TCAs are less likely to work.
Topamax and several other anticonvulsants (Depakote, Neurontin, etc.) may help as well. Clonidine and Tenex are sometimes useful for anxiety and tension in PTSD.
Atypical antipsychotics can relieve obsessive thoughts about suicide and urges to self-injure. I've also heard of naltrexone (Revia) being used to decrease self-injury and dissociation.
I hope this helps.
-elizabeth
Posted by Jenna S. on December 11, 2001, at 15:44:29
In reply to Re: I give up, posted by pathetic_n_useless on December 10, 2001, at 14:23:45
> > Is there no way you can see a different doctor?
> >
> > Kat26
> this is the 2nd GP who has said the same. whats th e point?This sucks. Those doctors should not be allowed to practice IMO. I had a vicious judgemental pdoc once too. I just refused to see her. Luckily I have a sympathetic GP.
One idea I heard once which might help you, is to go to local pharmacies and ask the pharmacists which doctors in the area seem to be sympathetic to psychiatric illnesses. Of course some pharmacists might be as bad as those docs you've already seen, but you can at least just walk away and go to the next one. If you have a friend or can find anyone who is sympathetic, take them with you, for moral support. When we're ill it's really hard to do stuff like this, having support makes a lot of difference.
You can then go to the new GP, I think without registering first, and if you like them, you should be able to re-register. You can get information about the process of re-registering by phoning your local Health Authority.
I don't know which system is best/worse - seems like in the US you can get stuff prescribed but you have to be able to afford it, at least here we only pay the prescription charge, but it's much harder to get what we need. Sigh.
I really hope you can make some progress with this, you deserve proper treatment.
Best wishes,
Jenna
Posted by Elizabeth on December 11, 2001, at 16:13:42
In reply to Re: I give up, posted by Jenna S. on December 11, 2001, at 15:44:29
Jenna --
Glad to see someone posting who knows the system that "PNU" is dealing with.
> I don't know which system is best/worse - seems like in the US you can get stuff prescribed but you have to be able to afford it, at least here we only pay the prescription charge, but it's much harder to get what we need. Sigh.
A lot of the time in the US we have both problems -- can't get a script for what we need *and* treatment is too expensive! In big cities with major medical centers that do a lot of psych research, it's easier to find a pdoc who's willing to prescribe more different things and has experience with unusual strategies, but most of us don't live in such a place.
-elizabeth
Posted by pathetic_n_useless on December 12, 2001, at 6:49:50
In reply to Re: I give up » Jenna S., posted by Elizabeth on December 11, 2001, at 16:13:42
at least in the US you get a choice of pdocs. Here you are limited to the one(s) your GP wil refer you to and even then its like months and months on a waiting list. And as for therapy waitng lists- thats even longer, that is providing there is one at all in your area whihc there often isnt.
Posted by Elizabeth on December 12, 2001, at 16:20:28
In reply to Re: I give up, posted by pathetic_n_useless on December 12, 2001, at 6:49:50
> at least in the US you get a choice of pdocs. Here you are limited to the one(s) your GP wil refer you to and even then its like months and months on a waiting list. And as for therapy waitng lists- thats even longer, that is providing there is one at all in your area whihc there often isnt.
Well, here you're limited to ones who are in your local area, unless you can travel. And all too often, doctors in a particular location have pretty much the same ideas and attitudes regarding treatment.
-elizabeth
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.