Posted by JohnL on November 16, 2000, at 5:33:39
In reply to Very frustrated + depressed/confused/Dr. Jansen, posted by Shirley on November 15, 2000, at 20:50:35
> The thought of Dr. Jansen is very appealing. John L, how did come to decide that what he is saying makes sense? I have read alot of old posts but have not seen anything about how you decided that he is legitimate.
....First it should be understood that I was definitely convinced he was NOT legitimate. Like many have said, it just sounded too good to be true. I was very pessimistic, yet open minded. I studied his book. I talked with him. He consulted with my GP. He did nothing to convince me of his legitimacy. It was my own research and personal experience that did. The more I learned the more I realized everything he said was right. He frames it in an overly simplistic fashion, but nevertheless, I realized he was right. It took a while for me to swallow ego. Realizing he was legitimate didn't happen overnight.....I should mention that his methods are actually not too good to be true. Ever tried 3 different medications within 2 or 3 weeks? Believe me, it aint no picnic. The end results are well worth it, and much faster than conventional methods. But easier said than done. Not much fun. The longest it took him to find the right drugs was 8 visits. Usually it's about 3. But it aint easy.
....A potential drawback is that not all doctors have a feel for how to read the clues of drug reactions. Unless a doctor knows what he's looking for and knows how to make sense of seemingly senseless clues, then sample trials are useless. Jensen has an uncanny knack for figuring out what this negative reaction means, or that side effect means, or whatever. Every clue seems to make sense to him. Most doctors I think wouldn't even realize there were clues staring them in the face. They aren't trained that way. They don't know what to look for. Studying his book describes a great deal of this clue-finding process. But it aint no picnic and it aint too good to be true.
> A former poster from this board told me that he no longer does telephone consultations. Is that correct? To be honest, I couldn't see him working with my current psychiatrist, who told me that doctors have no way of knowing whether a medicine is going to work quickly or not.
....I don't know if that rumor is true. One could email or call and ask. Jensen gets excellent cooperation from other physicians. He can and will answer any questions your doctor may have. He got cooperation from my GP, which I had thought to be impossible. He's professional, humble and polite.....It's true, there is no way to predict if a medication will work fast or not. But that's not the point. The point is to gather clues, to get a clearer picture of what's going on. During the clue finding process though, the patient usually stumbles onto a medication they really like that does work fast. We don't know ahead of time which drug that might be. But because no stone is left unturned, that drug will be found. Usually within 3 visits, 8 at the most.
....I think a good place to start is to study his book "The Successful Treatment of Brain Chemical Imbalance". You'll have a clear picture of what your options are, why they are, and in what order they should be tried.
> PS-As a clue, when I have eating something light and had a cup of coffee when the breakthrough depression and agiation occur, my symptoms are relieved although I am not 100%. It seems like it would be a good idea to increase the Adderall but when that has been done before, I have had side effects plus depression.
....This reminds me of an case in his book. It goes like this..."Most panic victims got worse with coffee, yet others enjoyed coffee. What was this chemistry?" He shows which drugs got excellent results for what percentage of patients in each group. It's an example of how he uses clues to make sense of the bigger picture. The part I do understand and find very useful is the chart showing which medications worked which percentage of the time. Call it whatever you want, explain it however you want, but what matters to me is what actually worked.....I know I've said it a thousand times, but his book really is excellent reading. Unlike most psychpharm books that are expensive and not all that immediately useful, his is inexpensive and immediately useful.
Hope this helps.
John
poster:JohnL
thread:48877
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001115/msgs/48896.html