Comments on: My relationship with antidepressants http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/ Sat, 22 Nov 2008 08:57:11 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.3 By: marja http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/#comment-55 marja Sun, 06 May 2007 05:57:33 +0000 http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/#comment-55 I'm surprised about that study finding antidepressants ineffective, but can believe it. My pdoc periodically puts me on prozac when I'm depressed and I really don't feel it making a difference. I always suspect my depression would have passed, even without it. I'm on prozac now and will be interested to hear what my pdoc will have to say on this. I’m surprised about that study finding antidepressants ineffective, but can believe it. My pdoc periodically puts me on prozac when I’m depressed and I really don’t feel it making a difference. I always suspect my depression would have passed, even without it. I’m on prozac now and will be interested to hear what my pdoc will have to say on this.

]]> By: Barb http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/#comment-56 Barb Sun, 06 May 2007 22:10:10 +0000 http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/#comment-56 Bipolars <i>should</i> on a mood stabilizer if they're taking an anti-depressant. I mean, duh. For unipolars, it may improve the depression, but for bipolars it could trigger a hypomanic episode! The longest combo that worked best for me was Effexor, Tegretol, and trazodone to sleep. Unfortunately, I've been on nearly everything in the PDR aside from tri-cyclics and MAOI's except for that new MAOI patch, EMSAM. Even that didn't work. So, it's maintenance ECT for me. I'm lucky to have what a lot of local folks in the therapy/psych field a pdoc that's pretty much the Godfather of Psychiatry in Chicago. When other pdocs have done me wrong -- he takes care of it. :P Still, I'm very lucky to have him -- he's an excellent pdoc and I've been seeing him since 1994. Can you choose your own pdoc? Bipolars should on a mood stabilizer if they’re taking an anti-depressant. I mean, duh. For unipolars, it may improve the depression, but for bipolars it could trigger a hypomanic episode!

The longest combo that worked best for me was Effexor, Tegretol, and trazodone to sleep. Unfortunately, I’ve been on nearly everything in the PDR aside from tri-cyclics and MAOI’s except for that new MAOI patch, EMSAM. Even that didn’t work. So, it’s maintenance ECT for me.

I’m lucky to have what a lot of local folks in the therapy/psych field a pdoc that’s pretty much the Godfather of Psychiatry in Chicago. When other pdocs have done me wrong — he takes care of it. :P Still, I’m very lucky to have him — he’s an excellent pdoc and I’ve been seeing him since 1994.

Can you choose your own pdoc?

]]> By: Polly http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/#comment-58 Polly Mon, 07 May 2007 01:51:39 +0000 http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/#comment-58 Oh, the mental hospital pdoc didn't believe I was bipolar, although it said in my file that I was and it's not as if he did a diagnostic interview himself. Maybe he had some sort of hunch? <rolls her eyes> If he did, it was an incorrect one. He told me that if I still got depressed sometimes when I was on Zoloft, that meant no SSRIs would ever work for me, so he prescribed me Effexor. When Effexor made me considerably worse, he said that no medication would ever help me. I guess he couldn't admit to himself that the Effexor made me go batshit insane while I was taking it, because that would be admitting he was wrong, so instead he told me I was borderline and histrionic and that all my problems were purely psychological. He asked me what kind of help I wanted. I said I wanted to be referred to a psychiatrist and a therapist on an outpatient basis. He FLAT-OUT REFUSED to do either of these things and said the only thing he would do was refer me to a partial hospitalization programme. It was either that or nothing. So a few months later (after my school term finished), I spent seven weeks in the partial hospitalization programme. But that was last year, in a different city. I still don't think I have the option of choosing my own pdoc right now, though. I'm just lucky that I was able to find a GP who is a) a good doctor and b) close to town. Oh, the mental hospital pdoc didn’t believe I was bipolar, although it said in my file that I was and it’s not as if he did a diagnostic interview himself. Maybe he had some sort of hunch? If he did, it was an incorrect one.

He told me that if I still got depressed sometimes when I was on Zoloft, that meant no SSRIs would ever work for me, so he prescribed me Effexor. When Effexor made me considerably worse, he said that no medication would ever help me. I guess he couldn’t admit to himself that the Effexor made me go batshit insane while I was taking it, because that would be admitting he was wrong, so instead he told me I was borderline and histrionic and that all my problems were purely psychological.

He asked me what kind of help I wanted. I said I wanted to be referred to a psychiatrist and a therapist on an outpatient basis. He FLAT-OUT REFUSED to do either of these things and said the only thing he would do was refer me to a partial hospitalization programme. It was either that or nothing. So a few months later (after my school term finished), I spent seven weeks in the partial hospitalization programme.

But that was last year, in a different city. I still don’t think I have the option of choosing my own pdoc right now, though. I’m just lucky that I was able to find a GP who is a) a good doctor and b) close to town.

]]> By: Barb http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/#comment-63 Barb Tue, 08 May 2007 01:34:30 +0000 http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/#comment-63 Sounds like a quack to me. I know other people whose pdocs have told them they <i>aren't</i> borderline because they can't make money off of these patients because they don't really need prescriptions. I guess the medical system is very different in Canada, but at least you have a good GP. Sounds like a quack to me. I know other people whose pdocs have told them they aren’t borderline because they can’t make money off of these patients because they don’t really need prescriptions.

I guess the medical system is very different in Canada, but at least you have a good GP.

]]> By: MattGar http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/#comment-93 MattGar Thu, 17 May 2007 17:56:40 +0000 http://polarcoaster.net/2007/05/04/my-relationship-with-antidepressants/#comment-93 You shouldn't do this. You shouldn’t do this.

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