fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2773 ]

[ SECRET POST #2773 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2773 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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[Maplestory]

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(Ted and Ralph, The Fast Show)

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[Big Hero 6]

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[Law & Order: Criminal Intent]

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[Arashi no Yoru ni]

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07. http://i.imgur.com/QnC2dWq.jpg
[Hannibal, linked for nudity and gore]

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 021 secrets from Secret Submission Post #396.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ], [ 1 2 - posted twice ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

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I feel like I need to record this crap, if only for the malpractice lawsuit. For reference, my first go-round on the crazy train: http://fandomsecrets.dreamwidth.org/1053940.html?thread=770026228#cmt770026228

The meeting got off to a rocky start. I told him the clonazepam had been way too strong for me, and expressed surprise that he would prescribe something that powerful right off the bat. He said it wasn't especially powerful, although my body chemistry may have been strongly affected, and he hadn't given me a particularly high dose (1 mg.) Besides, I needed to get my sleep cycle under control--many people will never get better if they don't get proper sleep.

From there, he tried to move on to talking about “mood disorders,” but I interrupted to ask him what he would have done if the clonazepam had worked. He was initially evasive, but when I brought up that clonazepam isn't supposed to be used long-term, he said he can and does prescribe it long-term even if “the literature” says not to. The literature is often wrong, he told me--for instance, it says not to prescribe . . . I forget the exact term he used, amino something-or-others, together with stimulants, so three or four times a week, he has to call a pharmacy and tell them that yes, he intentionally prescribed an amino something-or-other together with a stimulant. (I should emphasize that he was totally calm when he said this--he didn't sound even slightly irritated.) In conclusion, he told me not to believe everything I read on the Internet.

He said the next thing to do would be to treat my “mood disorder”* and my ADHD. I asked when we'd determined for certain that I had ADHD--it was a possibility, but I'd never been diagnosed with it before. He came out with a long, LONG list of slightly incorrect traits he'd picked up from our first session, most of which were pretty accurate. He told me I didn't fit the typical profile of someone with ADHD, but it was likely I had it, especially since my father does. He added that his diagnoses should always be taken as “statistical”--if he says I have something, he just means it's more likely than not that I have it.

He said the normal course of action would be to treat my mood disorder first, then my ADHD, since medication for ADHD can make mood disorders worse. However, with most mood medication, it would take a month to determine whether or not it was working, whereas it's easy to tell within a few days whether medicine for ADHD works. He told me he was undecided which I should try first, and I replied that I'd like to try the ADHD medicine first, just to rule out whether or not I actually had it.

He started telling me all about Lamictal, a great anticonvulsant that his friend had discovered could also treat mood disorders, and I decided not to bother interrupting him. He gave me thorough instructions on how to properly use it, including what dosage to take week by week and what side effects to watch for (primarily a small chance of a severe rash), and he told me it would take at least five weeks to see results.

He's arrogant, he doesn't listen, and I'm pretty certain he's just handing out pills like they're candy, but I'm gonna keep him, at least for the moment. I'm seeing a psychiatrist soon at an institution I actually trust, as well as a general practitioner intended to make sure any medicine I'm taking isn't affecting me. This might be my best chance to try out various medicines and see which ones actually treat my symptoms and make me feel better. All I have to lose is my health and sanity, right?

* At no point has he ever referred to my issues with depression as anything other than a “mood disorder.” He doesn't even call it depression, it's just my “mood disorder.”

ETA: My mother looked up Lamictal, and most mention of it in reference to mood is specifically in treating bipolar disorder, which I definitely don't have. I called the psychiatrist, and he said it should help with “mood instability,” which I have even though I don't have bipolar disorder. (To be fair, I definitely have unstable moods.) I asked why he didn't try me on Celexa, given that it worked for me in middle school, and he said he doesn't usually prescribe SSRIs since they cause weight gain and sexual dysfunction, but we can discuss it the next time I see him. (I just found out this afternoon that my mother and father both take Celexa, and he said that's a good sign it would work for me without side effects.)

I'm just surprised he finally called it something more specific than "mood disorder."

FWIW, if you have questions that are specifically about a drug and not about the mood disorder issue, it's best to ask a pharmacist. They'll likely know more about the drug itself, side effects, possible interactions, etc. than the doctor.

I just noticed that I called his list of symptoms both "slightly incorrect" and "pretty accurate." To be honest, both are true. (For instance, he thinks I'm in my sixth year of college.)

Seriously, abort, abort. Get a different therapist. There's shitty ones out there - trust me, I have the experience, and I wouldn't wish it on anyone. When you're in such a vulnerable position you need someone you can trust.

I'd be very weary of someone not even naming which disorder he thinks you have.

For the record, btw, while Ritalin CAN make mood disorders worse, it doesn't have to. I have successfully taken it while having anxiety and it made my life better. Not to say you SHOULD, or that it can't cause problems, but it's not an either/or thing.

I cannot urge you enough to get a second opinion. This is giving me red flags all over.

Also, for the record. Depending on what kind of disorder you actually have: medication is not the end-all, be-all of treatment. There are therapies that are more based on talking, or developing coping mechanisms. I feel this person is too prescription-happy with you. That doesn't mean meds can't be useful. It just means you have other options if you're not comfortable with this.

I just want to try drugs because I feel like I've spent so much time talking to therapists (and talking, and talking . . .) It's been a long time since I tried medication, and I think it's worth trying again. With that said, I do have a second opinion coming up at an institution I think is trustworthy. I'll see what they make of this quack and his drugs.

I've taken Ritalin before. It made me so jittery I was unable to speak.

I do appreciate your responses to my posts on this, and I recognize that you speak from experience. I just want to ride this train a little longer, and see where it goes.

I didn't want you to feel like I was pushing you in a certain direction, I'm sorry. It seems my mind was clouded by my own experiences, for which I apologize.

But even if medication is the way you wish to go,there are often several types of medication for a certain disorder and not every type will work for you.It's worth getting exploring your options, is all I'm saying. The way you described it sounded like you did not feel comfortable with both the therapist and the medication, I'm sorry if I misinterpreted it that way.

(reply from suspended user)

"I've taken Ritalin before. It made me so jittery I was unable to speak."

I am not a doctor, but I'm pretty sure that if amphetamines (like Ritalin) make you super-jittery, you are not ADHD by definition.

If you're just using him to experiment with different drugs, but you don't respect him, I...don't know what to make of that.

I would be so very done with that shrink by now.

I'm...no doctor either, but that's what I'm told, too. Ritalin doesn't make me jittery, just focused and...aware I guess I'd describe it.

Another thing with AD(H)D is that some people who have it react differently to caffeine - i.e. it might help you focus but won't keep you awake (in some, even the contrary).

I basically used to drink waaaay to much Coke until I figured out it won't keep me awake.

This is not a given, but it's another hint you might have it.

That being said, Ritalin CAN fuck you up if you have secondary conditions.

Edited 2014-08-07 01:30 (UTC)

medical problems are the worst. Good luck!

Giving you things like anticonvulsants for unipolar depression sounds really out there, at least as an early choice. That's more of a total last resort thing. Add in that, "Oh, I do off-label all the time, I won't explain it, just trust me," which, no. He may be correct, but you have the right to be informed that things are being prescribed off-label and why he's doing so.

And "don't believe everything you read on the internet" means "don't try LSD and prayer for your Alzheimers", not "hey, these two medications interact".

It sounds like he thinks you're bipolar when 1) he's not telling you what he thinks and 2) you aren't. In any case, he should definitely be telling you what he thinks about your diagnosis!

Edited 2014-08-07 00:03 (UTC)

Quit him. Even if this didn't seem sketchy, he isn't hearing out any of your concerns.

I came here to say this. You should be able to talk to your therapist not just have them railroad over you.

yes yes yes. He's not listening to you. Even if he accidentally stumbles on a medication that works for you, he is bad at his job.

I'm sorry I can't help much here, but fwiw, 1mg of clonazepam is high to start with. I went from .25 twice a day to slightly more over several years. (I have panic disorder, and it's really helped.) I never take a whole milligram at once, mostly because I'm very small.

My psych says that clonazepam actually replaces a needed chemical in the brain that isn't being well-produced enough and that long-term use is not in fact as dire as many general practitioners fear. I realize that the wild way psychiatrists seem to vary their opinions on medications and dosage beliefs makes trusting any of them hard, but if it helps, before going into private practice my doc was the head of psychiatry at one of the nation's best-ranked hospitals.

Having said all that, however, if the medication doesn't work for you, of course you shouldn't take it, no matter what a doctor tells you.

Just came here to say this too. 1mg is the second highest dosage Clonazepam comes in (2mg being the highest). It seems VERY weird that he'd start you at 1mg and not 0.25mg or even 0.5mg to begin with.

When I was having trouble sleeping (from pain, so every minute I didn't sleep just amped up that pain) my neurologist started me on half a tablet of the lowest dose knowing that I was sensitive to anything remotely sedating.

I agree that if possible I would look into another therapist. :/ This guy seems worryingly evasive when you ask him things.

Yeah, I agree with kallanda_lee, this guy sounds like bad news. Trust and communication are imperative for any successful working relationship with a mental health professional, and this guy doesn't seem interested in building either. Between actively discounting your input and disregarding the recommendations of the medical community to run with his own opinions, I'm seeing a forest of red flags. I can see wanting to use him to experiment with medications that might be useful for you, but from the sound of it, I have serious doubts that he's really going to prescribe anything that will help with your actual symptoms and conditions -- he seems to be just prescribing you his "favorite" drugs regardless of your actual diagnosis.

Your therapist sounds like an idiot. Seriously, you do not prescribe benzos for the long term-and that medication wouldn't have been your only option for getting better sleep. And now he is prescribing you Lamictal as a first option for depression?
Do you think you might qualify for hypomania? Lamictal might be more appropriate as treatment for you if this is the case.
As always, just make sure you get second opinions (like from your GP, or a pharmacist as mentioned above) and best of luck OP!

I'd really suggest getting a new therapist. =| Glad you're going to go see another person even if it's just to see a psychiatrist.

(reply from suspended user)

"I'm pretty sure he was talking about "monoamine oxidase inhibitors", or MAOIs. those are old, sensitive and risky drugs that you do not fuck around with. combining them with stimulants (or cheese, chocolate or beer) can cause spikes in blood pressure that will end up with you in an ambulance. that's why we don't prescribe them anymore."

I just called the psychiatrist in question and told him that I don't intend to see him in three weeks, or ever. He was straightforward in talking about the side effects of lamictal, so I assumed the worst that could happen was I'd get a rash and stop (and hey, maybe he wasn't totally crazy, and this stuff would actually help!) But if he's really being THAT careless in what he's giving his patients, then I'm not gonna trust anything he prescribes.

It's a couple more weeks until I can see another psychiatrist, but I survived without one for a while--I can certainly keep going without one for that long.

(I certainly am learning a lot of distrust in authority figures lately. Better to learn it now than when I'm in danger, I suppose.)

Thank you.

Edited 2014-08-07 02:35 (UTC)

Run, don't walk, Run from this guy.

I was going to jump in here from a pharmacy point of view, but there's so much misinformation throughout the whole thread in general, I wonder if I should even bother.

But here's one thing to keep in mind: Medications are often used for off-label uses all of the time.

I agree with the others: Find a new therapist. ASAP. The way he's steamrolling over your questions and prescribing things willy nilly is dangerous.

I'm bipolar and on Lamictal and it works great. FOR BIPOLAR. If you're not? There's a big chance it's gonna fuck you right up. There is absolutely no excuse for the way he's treating your concerns about your diagnoses.

Unstable moods does not necessarily point to bipolar and he should know that, especially before prescribing medications for it.

I can't give you advice about ADHD (that's not my diagnosis), but I can say that you are right in thinking he's not a good psych.

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[ SECRET POST #2773 ]

Me and my therapist, take 2

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