Posted by SLS on March 19, 2001, at 19:42:11
In reply to Re: treatment resistant depre Scot, Sweetmarie » sweetmarie, posted by sweetmarie on March 19, 2001, at 15:50:23
Hi Anna.
Smile.
Smile louder. I can't hear you.
:-)
> I was recently in touch with one of the `experts` at the About.com depression site.O.K...
> I asked hime about the combination that my specialist is putting me onto (Venlafaxine, Mirtazapine and Lamotragine). I just wanted to know whether it was a commonly used combination in severe resistant cases like mine.
O.K...
> He told me that it was, and that it had been known to be successful.
O.K...
> HOWEVER, he added that there are those people who unfortunately do not respond to medication treatment.
Not O.K.
It is my observation that there is no logical basis to come to this conclusion. If I, or anyone else, can come up with even so much as *one* pharmacological treatment strategy that this expert has not known about or tried on his patients, then the statement "do not respond to medication treatment" cannot be made. Logic dictates this. Logic also dictates that you must exhaust all of the drugs and permutations of drug combinations (hundreds) using all of those that currently exist and will exist in your future before such a statement can be made. Don't forget about a great many drugs that currently exist but have not yet been recognized to be effective for treating depression. Don't forget about the impending discoveries and understandings to how these disorders come to be and how to better choose targets for treatment.
My own experiences, personal observations, and my readings of stories of people on this site are inconsistent with this one particular expert's stated opinion. Opinion.
My doctor has an opinion that differs substantially from the one you received from the About.com expert. It has renewed my hopes of finding a successful treatment.
> I have to say that I was shattered by this piece of news. Shattered and completely discouraged. I just feel like giving up now - I feel like I have been on all the medications under the sun already. I`m supposed to be going into hospital in a month in order to get my meds `right`; I just don`t see the point now.
Before you capitulate to the pessimistic opinion you were offered, try capitulating to the inspiring stories of real people on Psycho-Babble who have found success after so many years of disappointment; people who would have been considered untreatable my many doctors and their expert opinions.
> I was under the impression that there was something for everyone `out there`.
Me too.
> It seems I was wrong.
I am not so sure.
Of course, this is but one man's opinion, given without the recognized expertise to merit its serious consideration. God bless that I remain so mislead by myself.
> Just thought I`d pass that on.
It is good that you did. I am sure you are not the first innocent to be convinced that they have tried all of what modern medicine has to offer.
Continue forward. It will be hard. Your persistence will pay off. The odds are in your favor.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:55847
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010319/msgs/56945.html