Not sure what to do!

[Suzanne]

I was persuaded by my psychiatrist to take meds for ANXIETY and once I was persuaded, he stated that I MUST NOT look up the side effects and my husband being in the room too, having two of them like a broken record about looking things up, so I did my best to say I wouldn't and at first, things were fine. Anxiety calmed down and my anger issues calmed down ( he must be a good therapist, because there was no talks about anger issues and I did not get that angry in the room).

The problem: caused severe drowsiness in the evening. I am married and therefore, have food to prepare in the evening and this was a nightmare. I was just not able to function well!

Then, the depression started the next day. I have felt so listless; all my usual habits, suddenly feel just too much to do!

I guess naivity was with me, because I felt once I explained this to my therapist, he would help me find a solution. Huh, not at all. The opposite. He tried to insist that the meds are for depression, so how can they cause depression? But I was dogmatic about this, because I am just not a depressive person! His only solution was to up the medication if necessary. So, left that room with yet another prescription and go back next month.

I have chosen to take matters into my own hand. So, yesterday, I took just one tablet and this is called: RISPERDINE. I discovering that I am still tired and feel a sense of dragging my feet, but the conclusion is that it is not as chronic as taking two different medicines. This particular one has truly changed my neurotransmitters, because I no longer have this wave of burning red anger that travels through my veins. I get angry; but it is completely manageable.

The problem is, I did what I was told not to do and that was to find out as much information as I could and what really upsets me is that this causes weight gain! I am also supposed to have my blood pressure checked and blood sugars and yet, NOTHING was mentioned! And he has said that I need to be medicated for a very long time!

My husband, thankfully is not pressurising me to take both medicines. His way of thinking is: 1 is better than none!

But I still feel depressed and sleepy and lack of motivation; although I do admit that come the afternoon, that feeling does lift; but mornings are my favourite time of day, since I came off prozac year's ago!

Of course, I am going to have to fess up to the therapist that I took matters into my own hand and stopped one of the meds. Oh and this one is called: Venlaflaxine.

I know I have to decide what to do for myself; but any advice would be appreciated and that is: if your therapist is not listening; would you take matters into your own hands? I would ideally like to stop both medicines.

 

[Hadarian]

I suffered for over 2 decades from severe (suicidal) depression and anxiety and I would never, ever have taken any medication for it. One reason I steer clear of psychiatrists is because their job is to push the drugs. Nonetheless, I've even had a few psychologists tell me to go on Prozac. I never went back to see them.

The way I see it, if we are feeling certain things, emotions, that are ruining our lives, it means we need to do a lot of soul-searching and buckle down and take control of our own minds and feelings. That's what I did. It took me, like I said, over 2 decades. But I never understood the logic behind treating an intangible emotional state with medicine. It's not an infection or something. They go on the premise that the emotions are caused by the chemicals in the brain, but I am quite certain, for my own purposes at least, the emotion comes first and produces the chemicals in the brain. Or perhaps it works both ways, which would mean that you can control the chemicals that are produced in your brain by the things you think and how those things make you feel.

 

[Catana]

1. Drugs don't have the same effects on everyone. You may have a different reaction than is considered normal. 2. With some meds, the initial side effects may take a while to wear off. I know this was true when I started taking meds for depression years ago. 3. Doctors will almost always up the medication rather than consider whether you're already taking more than your body and mind can handle. 4. There are times when you have to be your own advocate. It's your body and mind, and you know it better than anyone. If a med is actually making things worse, don't let yourself be bullied (and yes, I consider what your therapist said to you about not looking up the side effects, bullying). You are entitled to know the side effects. You are entitled to make your own decisions, accepting that you may sometimes be wrong.

 

[Mary Lyn]

You need to find a natural solution to your problems and that includes getting onto an eating plan that will help like the plant based whole food diet. Once tyour diet is clean you will find that herbs etc work a lot better.

 

[Suzanne]

Since typing all that out, I have decided that for now, to see what happens, I am going to stop both medicines, because I sense that actually, the medicine for anger, may have helped me to use my own mind to control my emotions. I so hope so, because it has been such a relief to not get so angry.

I hate taking any medicine and have felt mortified to be taking these two, but how I see it, just because I have issues, does not make me stupid to reasoning and being able to be logical and use common sense and my logic and common sense is saying that it is not worth going through these effects, when I may be able to learn to control my emotions.

 

[Butterfly88]

Most drugs to treat depression can actually cause depression. That being said, you may respond differently to other drugs.

 

[Catana]

You need to find a natural solution to your problems and that includes getting onto an eating plan that will help like the plant based whole food diet. Once tyour diet is clean you will find that herbs etc work a lot better.

That can be extremely dangerous advice for some people, especially when you have absolutely no intimate knowledge about a person's problems. Some problems don't have a "natural" solution.

 

[Mary Lyn]

Agreed but most chronic conditions and especially anxiety and depression that is not serious and life threatening respond to natural remedies very well.

 

[the_tortoise]

if your therapist is not listening; would you take matters into your own hands?

Honestly, if I had a doctor who not only didn't listen but wanted me to just do what they said without any information -- without any opportunity to make an informed choice, which is my right as a patient -- I would, if possible, never see them again. (This assumes I'd already tried to confront them about the problem, or assumes that their dismissiveness was so extreme that I had no reason to hope it would be possible to remedy the problem and get them to understand.) I would try to find another doctor. But that's just me.

If I needed to see them and had no alternatives, I would take matters into my own hands as you did and compromise on following their instructions -- maybe not stop following all their directions, but certainly I'd stop taking a mediction that made me feel worse (especially if it also didn't help with anything or was for a problem I was 100% certain I did not actually have).

 

[Nervous Rex]

I understand the doctor not wanting you to look up side effects before taking the medicine. If you start on a medication expecting certain side effects, it may have a psychosomatic or a hypochondriac effect on you.

However, after you've started taking the medication and are noticing unpleasant side effects on your own, I think you have every right to look up the side effects.

It is nice that you husband is supporting your desire to make your own decisions. Doctors sometimes need to be reminded that they don't have complete authority over patients, and that patients have the choice to comply or not comply.

I had a similar incident several years ago. I was having trouble sleeping, and the doctor I went to wasn't much more than a prescription factory. He prescribed Ambien. I took one pill and I slept okay, but I was groggy, severely depressed, and non-functional the next day. I tried once more with one pill, and twice with half a pill, with the same effect every time. After that, I looked up side effects of Ambien and found depression listed as a possible side effect. I never took another Ambien pill after that, and threw the bottle out.