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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by manic666 on April 15, 2009, at 5:30:08
all my life i have gone thought various fazes of mental illness but not 1 english doc as bothered to name or find the sandrayious fawlt that run,s though my brain,as a kid i was bullied ok , left a scar , my old man , i would be bigging him up if i said he was usless,no love no answers.lost in his own anxierty, started young maby 10 to feel uncomfortable in places , you no panick, bit of shoplifting to get a rush, then i dont no what you call it were you have to put things back in the exact place you found them ,straightning tins in the supermarket ,then not being able to travel on public transport, even the work vans on constrution i couldnt travel in a crowd.later i was a front man in a few bands that rush was ok , sh*t myself before a gig an on the way to it, alcohol helped , but missed out on a lot of thing s, like buddies stag parties an plane travel because of a phobia,i reckon it must be,then the anxierty started to really kick in would get phobias from any thing even reading a paper , this started then to hit me with depression , so bad i took my first fateful trip to the gp an the blue cobra ativan entered my life, no explanation ?just get these down you my boy,i was scared of them at first but soon became my buddy traveling every were with me like a third arm or something,then a lady doc said brian you no you have deression dont you ,look at you you carnt speak or relate to anything ,you weight is tragic ly low, you need antidepressants , i said bollocks im not crazy ,an left the surgery, i was soon back an embarking on a terrible ride of unapropreate meds,they had a way then in ingland if you looked bad give him the biggest dose , no biuld up just bang it in him.for years iwas a total mutant.i would float back to the gp an they would say brian bang this one in lets give it a try .wwhat you give it a f****** try , im not on this planet at the moment,i remeber one an ruth said brian why are you sleeping in the garden on a camp bed with no cloths. i said because im red hot , she said its 6 below get in the house, then by chance luck prozac appeared an after 12 weeks it worked ,yes 12 weeks i even came off ativan , that lasted 2 years an a became a right hippo , i didnt care beer burgers the lot get them down you, i was happy for the first time in years,then they pooped tried to up the dose ,made it worse.crash time again went down 3 jean sizes in weeks, back to the gp an the fateful day he said shrink time,all they did was try more meds still havent got a clue whats wrong with me.then the canceled appointments, no shrinks at work only locoms who cut an chased the money,no appointment for weeks no meds only , lorazepam an plenty of them now the brandy ,flatline time convultion time overdose time ,hospital time third world shrinks mader than me , not a clue about meds, only just like my gp try this , without looking on your records,im still going though the same process only worse , i even tell them what drug to try on me,so if you have an clue whats wrong with me give it you best shot an we may get to the bottom of it one day,sorry about the long letter i have a window from zoloft at the moment but it wont last long , an then i will melt away into the cosmos, any questions feel free to probe into my murky past
Posted by SLS on April 15, 2009, at 8:00:15
In reply to mad as a frog but never no answers, posted by manic666 on April 15, 2009, at 5:30:08
Hi.
What is the nature of your Zoloft "window", and how long does it last for?
Many reuptake inhibitors (TCA, SSRI, SNRI) give me 3 good days, usually after a week or two of starting the drug. I push during these short periods to get as much done as possible.
Are you convinced that part of your condition is biological? If so, why?
My condition is 100% biological. However, like a great many people, I have had psychological issues that I work on with a psychotherapist. If for nothing else, to clean up the mental mess that being severely depressed for decades has created, and to more quickly return to mainstream society without depression or anxiety.
My first reaction to your words is that you do have a biological disorder, and, along with it, psychological issues that might need to be worked on also. Drugs have a lot better chance of working if they are not constantly being challenged by psychological depression and anxiety. Your entire body suffers biologically when there is chronic stress - the brain included. Knowing these things early allowed me to get a head start on working on reducing my stress level. Not only will it help the drugs work better, but will help to prevent a relapse once I do respond to treatment.
I am usually a few steps ahead in planning treatment for my bipolar depression. I have a list of drugs and drug combinations that I feel are viable alternatives so that I can produce some structure to my future treatments. It is good to have a treatment plan so that you don't feel so lost and desperate. If you want, you can work with your doctor with this to produce a personalized treaatment algorithm for your condition. Without this, the doctor will only have a few minutes to think about what to do with you, as he doesn't think about your case all day long. In other words, once you have a treatment plan in place, the doctor won't have to rethink your entire case each within the few minutes that you have with him each visit.
Ask questions. The doctor is giving you drugs. Why would he do that unless he were treating a condition that he concluded these drugs were best suited for? Ask him just what exactly is he treating you for, and why does he select specific drugs.
Write down your agenda for each doctor's visit. Have your questions written down. Write down the issues you want covered. Waste not a single second with the doctor. Keep the doctor on track. If you go in with nothing, the conversation during visits might drift without ever helping you tackle the issues at hand.
Just a few thoughts.
- Scott
Posted by Phillipa on April 15, 2009, at 10:48:18
In reply to Re: mad as a frog but never no answers » manic666, posted by SLS on April 15, 2009, at 8:00:15
Manic sounds a bit like OCD to me. Is the zoloft no longer working? what's your window? Is the CBT over? Scott has good ideas. Realize that England is not the easiest place to impliment getting the meds you feel you need. Any ideas? Love Phillipa
Posted by desolationrower on April 15, 2009, at 13:00:24
In reply to Re: mad as a frog but never no answers, posted by Phillipa on April 15, 2009, at 10:48:18
soundslike the the real issue is just getting a doc who'll prescribe the right meds?
you'd be a fun guy to have a beer with
i'm not sure what it measn when an sris works temporarily
-d/r
Posted by manic666 on April 15, 2009, at 13:47:30
In reply to mad as a frog but never no answers, posted by manic666 on April 15, 2009, at 5:30:08
scot you are right , i have the things to say ,its getting the crap english shrinks to listen, i even switch the tape in my mobile on to tape the interview, but i dont get the same shrink every time , there free in england payed for from income tax everyone pays,at the cbt the theropist babe said i need phyco theropy, as i have already won most the battles cbt offers,she will have made notes on the subgect an maby it will be raised at the next hospital visit , not till june. i have overcome a lot of mental issues myself,OCD phillipa was cured by prozac , i think , the issues with my old man left scars ,i always have had anxierty problems hence the ativan ,im afraid scott the hospital is a no go rearly, an private shrinks in england are way out of reach to the average guy.i have worked plan,s myself to get through,some extreme an some not so, the times i used alchol was extreme to say the least, flatlineing is not one of my best plans , but even so , alchol at the time was my only release all be short , but i used it as a medication . im not an alcholic , im strong that way i just stop. to me it was a med i needed as there is no real help ,i have no craving,s for alchol an can have a couple of beers without it turning into a coma situation, it was at the time an who can say mabye another time a bottle of brandy to kill the beast,i carnt stand the stuff to be honest.no i carnt work any plans with the hospital is not possible over in england ,unless your a basket case, its try these an see you whenever. NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEXT PLEASE
Posted by sowhysosad on April 15, 2009, at 15:38:03
In reply to manics answer, posted by manic666 on April 15, 2009, at 13:47:30
Sorry to hear about your crap English pdoc.
MIne's not much better: 6 weeks between appointments to see a junior doc who knows way less about meds than I do. He takes a load of notes then consults with the qualified pdoc.
I complained of long-term depression which wasn't getting any better on imipramine; in fact it was making me substantially worse. My depression is also atypical, and research shows tricyclics are pretty useless at treating it.
So their brilliant solution was to up the dose of something that was already making me MORE ill (?). After A LOT of protesting they finally they finally agreed to let me wean off it and try something else when I see him again in a month's time.
I really wish I hadn't bothered getting a referral to Mental Health Services. At least I could see my GP with only a few days' wait, he doesn't have a god-complex and was very open to listening to my ideas.
Scotland's meant to have the best mental health care in the UK, but even my friend up there is getting only mediocre treatment at best.
Posted by manic666 on April 16, 2009, at 3:49:29
In reply to manics answer, posted by manic666 on April 15, 2009, at 13:47:30
my cell phone is well hidden when i tape the coversation, the last time he said over an over when was you last panick attack , till i said a good way back, an he was as smug as a slimball . he thought that was all he needed me to say an him to hear,his ears were closed after that ,an went into switch off mode.i was trying to tell him i had been on zoloft 8 weeks an getting very little he just said try it longer , my alterative was cltalopram a even bigger fat makeing drug.
Posted by manic666 on April 16, 2009, at 6:16:09
In reply to Re: mad as a frog but never no answers, posted by Phillipa on April 15, 2009, at 10:48:18
the cbt is over , it was a day out ,thats how i would put it , only 1 of the 2 theropist made it the 8 sessions the other made 2, off sick rest on full pay ocourse,it was the one who was sick said i need pyhco theropy,i dont think she was sick really the class was so small i think she worked on another project.a lot of my issues are with my old man an his none involvment of my childhood.even now at 97 he still stick,s the knife in,he said i had used his keys to get in his house steal his tools, the same tools he gave away a year ago to my donna,he gave ruth some money for her an the kids not me always ruth ,an will say its not his fault he had a bad start in life. to f*ucking right he was the cause.its not cool to dislike your old man but he makes it easy
Posted by Phillipa on April 16, 2009, at 19:30:08
In reply to phillipa, posted by manic666 on April 16, 2009, at 6:16:09
Manic wow you Father is still alive? Boy you have some great genes. Love Phillipa yup bet she did something else also.
Posted by manic666 on April 17, 2009, at 4:34:31
In reply to Re: phillipa » manic666, posted by Phillipa on April 16, 2009, at 19:30:08
yes the old man managed to make ruth cry with his assasination of me, she gave me the money an i said you should have through it at him ,she said i was crying because he left you out,he thinks my problems started at birth , i was starved of oxegen as the cord was round my neck for soom time.he swears it caused brain damage.him being a sh*t father caused me brain damage,i launched into world of street gangs, drinking, fighting,an produceing half my towns offspring. mind you we have a hell of a good looking town now,ha ha ha
Posted by Phillipa on April 17, 2009, at 12:22:21
In reply to Re: phillipa, posted by manic666 on April 17, 2009, at 4:34:31
Manic deprived of oxygen at birth would have probably caused other problems as well. Well guess I'll have to have a talk with Ruth!!!! Love Phillipa
Posted by manic666 on April 17, 2009, at 12:36:01
In reply to Re: phillipa » manic666, posted by Phillipa on April 17, 2009, at 12:22:21
jesus , a two woman clash ?i like it
Posted by manic666 on April 22, 2009, at 12:43:25
In reply to mad as a frog but never no answers, posted by manic666 on April 15, 2009, at 5:30:08
the window in zoloft means ,at times it seems to work , an then it dont ,simple the window is open now, but who can say when it will close
Posted by Phillipa on April 22, 2009, at 19:52:30
In reply to Re: mad as a frog but never no answers, posted by manic666 on April 22, 2009, at 12:43:25
Manic don't think anyone can predict that. Might be open for years and years. Love Phillipa
This is the end of the thread.
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