Posted by JohnL on June 1, 2000, at 5:19:42
In reply to saw new psychiatrist #17, posted by kellyR. on May 30, 2000, at 11:08:07
> Well just got back from seeing my new dr. he was ok kinda business like,almost like i was going for a job.Had a hard time telling him that i was going to kill myself,just told him that i had suicidal thoughts.He upped my prozac to 40mg & wants to try some different antipsychotic drugs.Told me to stay on klonopin and he might change it to something else forgot the name.
> I see him again in 5wks & i see what he is really like without having to fill out my life of psychological problems & hospitals stays.I'm glad things went fairly well. I have to admit though, for someone with your history his approach right from the getgo seems way too conservative. I mean, upping Prozac to 40mg and waiting 5 weeks? Heck, that's something a Nurse Practitioner at my local family clinic could do blindfolded any day of the week. No specialist needed for that kind of mainstream approach.
I do like the idea of antipsychotics a lot. Not just because they often work very well for stubborn depressions, but because it is a whole different class of medication. That is definitely warranted in your case, and I like the idea. But waiting until 5 weeks?? I don't like that.
I would have been much more pleased to see him take some actions that are appropriate for people who have a resistent history and are currently feeling suicidal. What might those actions be? ....Stimulants. That's right. Stimulants like Ritalin or Adderall can totally relieve depression in 24 to 72 hours. THAT makes sense to me in your case, and in my opinion should have been at the top of the priority list. Stimulants in the old days were antidepressants. They work fast and have far fewer side effects that today's antidepressants. They are especially good for resistant, apathetic, withdrawn type depressions.
But like I said, you now have to wait 5 weeks after simply raising the Prozac dose? With your history? And your current condition? I dunno, I think I might be inclined to put some pressure on this new doc to aggressively pull out all the tricks, or else seek psychiatrist #18.
In situations like yours, there is no physician that I know of in the world who is more capable or faster at getting people with your history completely well...FAST. He is Dr. Martin Jensen. That's his specialty. I repeat, people like you are his specialty. That's where he shines. That's what he loves to do. You're right up his alley. You might want to browse through www.drjensen.com to ponder yet another avenue. That is, if you want to get well FAST. In my opinion, you definitely qualify with flying colors for treatment more aggressive than mainstream general psychiatry. I mean, let's face it, if general mainstream psychiatry was to work with you, it certainly would have already with one of the prior 16 pdocs. Right? The last thing you need is yet another carbon copy of a doc you've already had, not to mention being treated in a way that any nurse practitioner could do.
JohnL
poster:JohnL
thread:35151
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000526/msgs/35470.html