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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by AnotherAnon on April 5, 2006, at 14:31:02
I feel like that is what my pdoc has been doing. I have been seeing her for about 3 years now and have stayed with her because she doesn't charge me anything (that's another story). Here's a med timeline:
I was put on Celexa when first diagnosed with "situational" depression. By the time I got to her, I was on Celexa and Klonopin (as needed). She switched me to Lexapro because that's what the drug reps were replacing Celexa with. Wellbutrin added on. Seroquel given for anxiety, but I only tried it a few times because it made me a zombie or the anxiety subsided on its own. Decided last summer to get off Lexapro and as my dosage dropped, realized that I felt "calm". She decided it probably was making me hypomanic. She also decided that I had "BPD-tendencies", but was not BPD. She gave me Neurontin (which had a paradoxical affect and made me wired instead) this past fall for anxiety. During the past few months, Klonopin has begun to make me feel suicidal when I take it, so I stopped it unless I REALLY needed to take something. She gave me another prescription even after I told her it made me feel suicidal. It was this prescription that I ultimately ended up trying to kill myself with. The hospital gave me Risperdal and switched me back to Wellbutrin XL, which she just took me off cold turkey because she thinks it's making me manic. Right now I'm dealing with severe anxiety and insomnia. So she gave me Seroquel again because she thinks the Risperdal and Wellbutrin have caused my recent anxiety. She also said to try Ativan if the Seroquel didn't work.
Here's the thing, she ultimately thinks many meds have had a paradoxical affect on me and that many meds push me into a bipolar spectrum. She even mentioned Lithium!
I've never experienced mania or hypomania according to the symptoms I've read...never had the high energy, grand delusions, need for less sleep, or anything like that. The only things I know I have experienced for certain are depression, anxiety and panic attacks.
If it's the meds making me occassionally bipolar, then shouldn't I just not take anything?
Posted by ed_uk on April 5, 2006, at 14:50:31
In reply to Trying Too Many Meds w/o a Diagnosis, posted by AnotherAnon on April 5, 2006, at 14:31:02
.......your pdoc or the drug rep. I find your situation worrying. Your pdoc may be free, but I am not convinced that she is competent.
What meds/doses are you taking at the moment?
>If it's the meds making me occassionally bipolar, then shouldn't I just not take anything?
If you are able to taper off your meds for a while it might allow your pdoc to establish a baseline. I would consider switching to a different pdoc first though.
Ed
Posted by AnotherAnon on April 5, 2006, at 15:10:46
In reply to Who's doing the prescribing??? » AnotherAnon, posted by ed_uk on April 5, 2006, at 14:50:31
I've been starting to ask myself the same question. And she actually says that we are "running out of options". She's been talking depakote and lamictal a lot lately. But when she mentioned lithium and I'm not even bipolar (to which she said, but medications tend to push me into that spectrum...huh?)...that really caught my attention and scared me a bit.
Posted by med_empowered on April 5, 2006, at 15:40:02
In reply to Re: Who's doing the prescribing???, posted by AnotherAnon on April 5, 2006, at 15:10:46
this is kind of similar to a situation i found myself in a while back...i was considered "possibly bipolar II" and medicated...and got worse. Instead of observing the obvious--that my symptoms were largely situational and sometimes exacerbated by meds--my doc medicated further. It sucked.
Free docs are nice--its great that they care enough to give of their services. However, just like with docs you pay for, not all of these docs are competent (though they may be quite charitable and have good intentions). So...I think you might want to stop seeing this doc. OR you might want to push a little harder and focus in on YOUR concerns and alter the med program accordingly.
Good luck!
Posted by AnotherAnon on April 5, 2006, at 16:49:45
In reply to Re: Who's doing the prescribing???, posted by med_empowered on April 5, 2006, at 15:40:02
I'm definitely looking into finding another doctor and more importantly a therapist. I think I'd be a lot better off if I was in therapy, afterall meds are going to be the solution if you go to a doctor.
Gosh, thinking back, she gave me Abilify a couple weeks ago, which I took once or twice. Then a long time ago there was also one of the 'triptylines. Don't remember if it was ami or nor. I really do need a second opinion!
Posted by Emily Elizabeth on April 5, 2006, at 21:46:20
In reply to Trying Too Many Meds w/o a Diagnosis, posted by AnotherAnon on April 5, 2006, at 14:31:02
I agree w/ the above posters that a 2nd opinion and/or new pdoc is needed. I did want to add that Lithium is often a good choice for treatment resistent unipolar depression. You don't need to be bipolar for it to help. However, it sounds like that probably isn't what your pdoc meant, huh?
Best,
EE
Posted by Phillipa on April 5, 2006, at 22:02:05
In reply to Who's doing the prescribing??? » AnotherAnon, posted by ed_uk on April 5, 2006, at 14:50:31
I agree!!!!!Love PJ O
Posted by AnotherAnon on April 6, 2006, at 13:14:47
In reply to Re: Who's doing the prescribing??? » ed_uk, posted by Phillipa on April 5, 2006, at 22:02:05
I went to the pdoc today and was able to convince her that I'm experiencing severe anxiety and am not manic and in fact have never had the symptoms of mania or hypomania. Of course she then went on her thing about not using labels, etc. and how it's not the labels, but the...whatever. That's fine, except for the whole theory of "kindling" with regards to bipolar. Sometimes there just needs to be a label if one is there. So I pushed her because really, if something is not wrong with me GREAT, but if she has reason to think I'm bipolar, then she should tell why she thinks this and let me be treated for it. I'm looking for someone for an overall second opinion anyway.
Posted by Caedmon on April 7, 2006, at 16:05:02
In reply to Re: Who's doing the prescribing???, posted by AnotherAnon on April 6, 2006, at 13:14:47
What is the time frame for your medication trials? The way you wrote it it sounds like you were put onto multiple medications in a short timeframe.
I am generally not big into labels and I think that the smarter doctors prescribe based on symptoms, not diagnosis. IMHO.
- C
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