![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ogopogo on May 23, 2004, at 23:44:38
Wow... I could not believe my eyes when I was reading some of the posts here. My psychiatrist assured me that the drug would produce no negative side effects when stopping it cold turkey (which he advised me to do) and I went through the worst weekend of my life. Worse is the fact that the drug worked for me and I was starting to become myself again, but a year's work of getting better was shot down simply because of this man's ignorance. I had effects within the first couple of days on it and so he thinks I am bipolar now... which I doubt. I was only on the trial pack, but I went from being incredibly depressed to being back to myself within a week. The results lasted while I was on it, as long as I kept myself fed to. I hope that I can find a new psychiatrist, one who doesn't do this to his patients. No withdrawal symptoms... pfft... I am taking 5-HTP which is supposed to increase the time frame under which this drug is effective, which he assured me was not the case. grr... God this was so frustrating... anyone had any experiences similar or have comments?
Posted by Sad Panda on May 24, 2004, at 1:34:03
In reply to Effexor XR... My psychiatrist is an idiot., posted by ogopogo on May 23, 2004, at 23:44:38
> Wow... I could not believe my eyes when I was reading some of the posts here. My psychiatrist assured me that the drug would produce no negative side effects when stopping it cold turkey (which he advised me to do) and I went through the worst weekend of my life. Worse is the fact that the drug worked for me and I was starting to become myself again, but a year's work of getting better was shot down simply because of this man's ignorance. I had effects within the first couple of days on it and so he thinks I am bipolar now... which I doubt. I was only on the trial pack, but I went from being incredibly depressed to being back to myself within a week. The results lasted while I was on it, as long as I kept myself fed to. I hope that I can find a new psychiatrist, one who doesn't do this to his patients. No withdrawal symptoms... pfft... I am taking 5-HTP which is supposed to increase the time frame under which this drug is effective, which he assured me was not the case. grr... God this was so frustrating... anyone had any experiences similar or have comments?
>
>Effexor is working for me, it's very good if you are severely depressed, but the downside is withdrawl of course. Unfortuantely there is no such thing as a free lunch with any drug.
Cheers,
Panda.
Posted by rvanson on May 24, 2004, at 2:21:03
In reply to Effexor XR... My psychiatrist is an idiot., posted by ogopogo on May 23, 2004, at 23:44:38
I have noticed an increase in pdocs trying Bi-polar meds on unipolars.
Frankly I think when the docs run out of options, as in T-R-D, they throw the kitchen sink of meds at it, all except the Benzodiapines, MAOI's and Stims, of course.
Needless to say, this doesnt accomplish much of anything, unless you like major side-effects with no relief in your depression.
Posted by Sad Panda on May 24, 2004, at 2:26:45
In reply to Re: Effexor XR... My psychiatrist is an idiot., posted by rvanson on May 24, 2004, at 2:21:03
> I have noticed an increase in pdocs trying Bi-polar meds on unipolars.
Trying AP's on BP people seems popular too. It all seems like it's driven by drug company reps. :/
Cheers,
Panda.
Posted by Bill LL on May 24, 2004, at 11:15:56
In reply to Effexor XR... My psychiatrist is an idiot., posted by ogopogo on May 23, 2004, at 23:44:38
It seems that a lot of people find that taking Prozac during doscontinuation of Effexor relieves most of the discomfort.
I think that you should go back on the Effexor since it was working for you.
Posted by partlycloudy on May 24, 2004, at 19:59:50
In reply to Effexor XR... My psychiatrist is an idiot., posted by ogopogo on May 23, 2004, at 23:44:38
i don't dis-count any of the side effects of effexor xr. They have been extremely uncomfortable, disruptive, and distressing. This is so much better than the depression I had been facing that I decided to stick with it.
Taking effexor has meant that I have been able to keep my job. I have been able to get out of bed, get showered and dressed, and appear in public. I can concentrate on something OTHER THAN the suffering I felt in my depression. It has relieved most of my anxiety. I am meticulous about this med since the repurcussions of taking my dose at the wrong time can mess me up for days.
This med has saved my life. I would never treat it lightly - and my doctor does not. We titrated ever-so-slowly up to my present dosage, monitored it every week, and have been tweaking it ever since. I get high blood pressure at too high a dosage, so we go down then up and in between. I'm sorry you have a doc with so little understanding of the profound effect this medication has.
Best of luck,
pc
Posted by harryp on May 26, 2004, at 0:18:22
In reply to Effexor XR... My psychiatrist is an idiot., posted by ogopogo on May 23, 2004, at 23:44:38
I am very puzzled by psychiatry.
I have been treated by various med-school faculty psychiatrists for nearly a decade now.
To say my experience was a disappointment would be a gross understatement. I lost years of my life to this horrible disease (chronic suicidal depression/anxiety).
I was on Prozac and Welbutrin for years even though it didn't work (this didn't seem to concern my doc, who implied that there was nothing better and it was better to take something). I was naive (as well as debilitated) at the time and assumed that the doctors knew more than I ever could.
When I became actively suicidal, I would typically get a new, well-marketed, equally useless drug. I saw other doctors, received antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, etc. I have taken most of the drugs mentioned on this forum.
The only drugs I was never offered were the only ones that have been proven effective in major depression: the TCA's and MAOI's.
To his credit, my current doctor did mention MAOI's when I made it clear I was going to make final arrangements if things didn't get better. He didn't like the idea, though, and I had to pressure him to get a prescription for Parnate.
So it's been seven months on Parnate. I recently turned 29, but that's not right. Last year was...1990, I think. I was fifteen, and the world looked something the way it does now. Clouds had three dimensions, and the sky was such a strange color, like an ocean turned upside down. You could get lost in it. Then something happened...what was it?
I know I've been luckier than many on this forum, and it's foolish to wonder what might have been. I've survived because of some very good friends, a very old drug, and a pharmacologically-passive yet mercifully open-minded psychoanalyst.
I can't help but wonder...why isn't the agony and loss of mental illness real? Other doctors listen to their patients and fight for them. They try everything. If our illness is real, why aren't more of our doctors?
Posted by Buckeye Fan on May 26, 2004, at 6:40:08
In reply to Thoughts on psychiatry...and life, posted by harryp on May 26, 2004, at 0:18:22
Dear OGOPOGO,
Thanks for the very candid and Im sure painful real life experiences you have had.
My heart goes out to you.In my opinion...Doctors are people just like you and I. They have their own lives, apart from their work.
They see so MANY people every week..they become "numb" to the suffering of any one individual patient. Week after week, month after month, year after year..they have the same routine, the same grind.
I am not defending them, as much as I am trying to understand them, just like you. I too have had the common experience of not being able to get the Doc to really hear what I am saying.
In a perfect world...we would each have our own, personal Doctor. He or she could then concentrate totaly on US...24/7
Unfortunately we dont live in such a place...so we do the best we can.
Just some thought.....
Buckeye Fan
Posted by Questionmark on May 28, 2004, at 17:00:30
In reply to Thoughts on psychiatry...and life, posted by harryp on May 26, 2004, at 0:18:22
> I am very puzzled by psychiatry.
>
> I have been treated by various med-school faculty psychiatrists for nearly a decade now.
>
> To say my experience was a disappointment would be a gross understatement. I lost years of my life to this horrible disease (chronic suicidal depression/anxiety).
>
> I was on Prozac and Welbutrin for years even though it didn't work (this didn't seem to concern my doc, who implied that there was nothing better and it was better to take something). I was naive (as well as debilitated) at the time and assumed that the doctors knew more than I ever could.
>
> When I became actively suicidal, I would typically get a new, well-marketed, equally useless drug. I saw other doctors, received antipsychotics, mood stabilizers, etc. I have taken most of the drugs mentioned on this forum.
>
> The only drugs I was never offered were the only ones that have been proven effective in major depression: the TCA's and MAOI's.
>
> To his credit, my current doctor did mention MAOI's when I made it clear I was going to make final arrangements if things didn't get better. He didn't like the idea, though, and I had to pressure him to get a prescription for Parnate.
>
> So it's been seven months on Parnate. I recently turned 29, but that's not right. Last year was...1990, I think. I was fifteen, and the world looked something the way it does now. Clouds had three dimensions, and the sky was such a strange color, like an ocean turned upside down. You could get lost in it. Then something happened...what was it?
>
> I know I've been luckier than many on this forum, and it's foolish to wonder what might have been. I've survived because of some very good friends, a very old drug, and a pharmacologically-passive yet mercifully open-minded psychoanalyst.
>
> I can't help but wonder...why isn't the agony and loss of mental illness real? Other doctors listen to their patients and fight for them. They try everything. If our illness is real, why aren't more of our doctors?
Hey. Nice post. Great questions, & comments.
i'm especially fond of this statement: "I recently turned 29, but that's not right. Last year was...1990, I think." i'm a month shy of 24, but i can't tell you how many times i've had thoughts like that. Ah, regret: quite often a most viscious enemy of depressives.
Posted by sjb on June 1, 2004, at 10:35:49
In reply to Re: Thoughts on psychiatry...and life » harryp, posted by Questionmark on May 28, 2004, at 17:00:30
Very impressive post. Do you write for a living? (Almost put "living" in quotes.)
I wonder the same things over, over and over again. Yes, regret. Observing other people, seemingly, with meaning in their lives, achieving or striving for goals, an actual passion for something, meaning, belonging. Sigh.Guess I better start talkin' meds or I'll get a redirect. Glad Parnate is working for you. It's unfortunate you didn't get to it earlier but you are still young. I've wasted more time and am older. Funny, I'm back on Prozac.
Hope Parnate continues to be a good fit for you. Keep posting.
Posted by harryp on June 12, 2004, at 13:40:06
In reply to Re: Thoughts on psychiatry...and life, posted by sjb on June 1, 2004, at 10:35:49
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.