![[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 lauran on March 20, 2003, at 11:36:45
I had a bad reaction to a new med and was just starting to feel better. I restarted my old med and the reaction returned (akathesia). I will call my pdoc, but I'm going to stop the old med because the reaction was so unbearable to me. I feel like my PTSD has returned full force. I just cannot make this feeling go away. It is med related I am sure. I just need to wait it out.
I'm thinking of taking a therapy break too. It is going well for me and I am thinking of adding a group to the mix. But, for now I feel like taking time off from meds, therapy and any group involvement. Maybe once this reaction passes I will be thinking differently. Has anyone ever felt like taking a holiday from yourself?
This feeling will pass. I'd just like to do it differently this time. I know the drill. I flourish, get discouraged, go off meds, get crazy, and then fight my way back sanity again. Just once I'd like to not do things the old way. In fact, I determined not to do things the old way because it doesn't work. Plain and simple. I don't have to pay a lot of money to figure that out!
Posted by agent killer on March 20, 2003, at 13:33:58
In reply to Taking a break..., posted by lauran on March 20, 2003, at 11:36:45
i think that way everyday of my life...
i cant seem to shake it....
it keeps following me..
day in...
day out..
mabe we could switch places for a hoilday-
tc
killer
Posted by Tabitha on March 20, 2003, at 14:12:18
In reply to Taking a break..., posted by lauran on March 20, 2003, at 11:36:45
I get the same impulse. Sometimes I think if I didn't spend so much time focusing on problems, they'd diminish. I quit therapy for 2 months once, and found that I just didn't get so upset about things, since I knew I didn't have the therapist to put me back together. Not sure how that would have worked long term. I did quit some support groups, and found that when I'm doing OK, I feel better not having all that focus on problems. When I'm really really down I kind of miss the groups.
I've also tried cutting back on meds (doing that now in fact) and what gets me is I start to have small symptoms, panic that it's a full-blown relapse, and go back on. That expectation of relapse could be making it worse. I'm trying to go for longer this time, see how I do over several weeks. Maybe every little dip isn't the start of a major relapse. It's hard, since the common wisdom is you have to stay on meds for life. Maybe they're right. The side effects are so awful though, I just want to take the risk. Again!
I've gone thru the quit - relapse- start thing many times.
Posted by agent killer on March 20, 2003, at 14:20:27
In reply to Re: Taking a break..., posted by Tabitha on March 20, 2003, at 14:12:18
tab....
good advice for some...
what about when one doesnt realize the relaps is taking place....
does your doc know you are yo-yoing meds?
tc
killer
Posted by Dinah on March 20, 2003, at 17:59:16
In reply to Re: Taking a break..., posted by Tabitha on March 20, 2003, at 14:12:18
Maybe it's a good idea sometimes to discover what is necessary. Meds and therapy alike have side effects (main therapy side effect being hole in wallet). It makes sense to try to discover the best balance we can.
I went completely off meds, and added slowly back what I seemed to need. I ended up on a lower dose of one med, and discontinued another completely, with a big increase in cognitive abilities and very little change in my condition.
I think the really important thing is to do it in a safe way. Make sure someone who knows you can judge if you're getting in trouble. Promise yourself that you'll listen to that person. Let doctors know, and check in often enough that they can monitor. I know it's hard for me to judge sometimes, especially when I'm hypomanic. And I do try to trust the input of others.
Posted by justyourlaugh on March 20, 2003, at 18:35:12
In reply to Re: Taking a break..., posted by Dinah on March 20, 2003, at 17:59:16
i agree,
do it carefully and be sure tell someone you trust what you are up to..(husband-md....)
"cause mabe they arnt trying to kill you after all!
lol
lol
sorry,had to put that in....
jyl
Posted by Dinah on March 20, 2003, at 18:36:47
In reply to Re: Taking a break... » Dinah, posted by justyourlaugh on March 20, 2003, at 18:35:12
Posted by agent killer on March 21, 2003, at 7:49:55
In reply to Taking a break..., posted by lauran on March 20, 2003, at 11:36:45
i was thinking of you last night,
that is the things when you come on to board as "the new one"i have no idea how old you are or how long you have been dealing with medications and the psychological aspects of life...
do not play pharmacist,,,as some may suggest,,,
(i couldnt let that go)
please give your md a call and let the dr.know what is going on....
it will atleast give you another perspective..
tc
agentk
Posted by lauran on March 21, 2003, at 9:52:51
In reply to Re: Taking a break... » lauran, posted by agent killer on March 21, 2003, at 7:49:55
Hi everyone. As usual I've gained from all of these posts. I did call my pdoc and let him know of the continued reaction. For now I am stopping my old med which I had only resumed a week ago. We will discuss it at my next visit (weekly).I've realized that it is best not to make these decisions in the middle of a med reaction.
In my early thirties I was diagnosed with depression by a GP. Two years ago I decided to seek out a good pdoc in order to confirm a correct diagnosis. Depression was confirmed along with PTSD and anxiety. I have an excellent pdoc and feel fortunate to have been referred to him.
Your posts have made me realize a couple of key points. Medications are important to my recovery. Just because I had a bad reaction doesn't mean they are all bad and that I have to quit taking them. Another example of my black and white thinking. Also, we need dialogue with others who know us and our diagnosis in order to guard against relapse. This is beginning to sink in finally.
I still think taking a holiday from myself is important though. Ya gotta learn to laugh at yourself sometimes. Life can be quite funny at times.
Posted by WorryGirl on March 22, 2003, at 14:16:52
In reply to Taking a break..., posted by lauran on March 20, 2003, at 11:36:45
Lauran, maybe a therapy break wouldn't be such a bad idea, as long as you have someone you can talk to, if necessary, when you're feeling down and/or anxious. You'll probably know after a week or two if it's working.
I sort of felt that I was focusing more on my negative feelings when I was in therapy, which actually seemed to drain me. I spent so much more time dwelling on my thought patterns that I wondered if it didn't do more harm than good sometimes.
After I first stopped seeing my therapist I felt tremendous relief (especially financially), but started to miss having that crutch.
But maybe if you're either just on medications, or just seeing a therapist it could balance things out for you enough if dropping both seems too much.
Posted by lauran on March 22, 2003, at 18:03:22
In reply to Re: Taking a break... » lauran, posted by WorryGirl on March 22, 2003, at 14:16:52
Thanks WorryGirl. I appreciate the input. The last two weeks I've been getting over a bad reaction to a med and it still has some residual effects. I had resumed my old med, had more of a reaction and now have stopped it until I can talk with my pdoc this week. I suspect the incredible anxiety I've been feeling is related to all of that.
With that said, I've decided to not make any decision regarding changing my therapy schedule or giving up meds altogether. I'm on rocky ground right now and it is all I can do to just stay as level as I can. I've essentially hid from people for three days and it feels crappy.
I really like the advice about not dropping both at the same time. I just have these tremendous ups and downs that I have to work at leveling out. I sure am tired though.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Psychology | 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.