Posted by JohnX on April 17, 2001, at 19:35:43
In reply to To all who's been following me, posted by Michele on April 17, 2001, at 13:22:30
> Hi!!!!!!!!!
>
> Thanks again for you who have helped me get through my 2 months of taking effexor xr.
>
> I went to my new pdoc yesterday... and he was stunned, I mean stunned..... that I was given this drug as a first time AD. He just kept repeating it.... really suprised. Actually used the sentence.. "I just wonder about doctors some times."
> Besides this being such a harsh drug.. so good for some but so bad for others.. he said I should never have had it... it doesn't even match for my symtoms.
>
> I just wanted to share that. I am experiencing "doctor phobia"..... hmmmmm... there must be a name for that one.
>
> But to all who have told me that was a tough drug to start with.... you were so right...
>
> He was a little suprised that I stopped cold turkey... but as long as I wasn't experiencing any withdrawal systems... he actually said..... "WEll, you know your own body better than anybody." So trust in yourself... like many have said on these posts... and don't be so quick to jump into what the doc's tell ya.
>
> I almost feel bad posting now. Because I quit cold turkey and never felt better from day one.... and to all you people who are experiencing that horrible withdrawal..... God Bless you!!!!!! To those of you wanting to quit.... and terrified of it.... don't be so quick to get frightened of these symtoms you may or may have .... sometimes it doesn't happen. We are all different. Just be prepard in case it does. In my pdoc experience... he said he has had many clients report this horrible withdrawal(and like a lot of them.... he doesn't blow them off).. but on the contrary.... just as many who don't... so don't assume you will, or don't assume you won't. Wow.. I am going on and on.
> My best luck to everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Michele
> P.s. I know there are so many who will not like this statement.. but my doctor said it Not me... so don't hurt me. :-) He said that many people who do taper(he still reommends this).. still feel the exact same symtoms at the end... as if they would have quit cold turkey. I feel bad.. if your one of those who is taking all this time to cut down, cut the pills, etc, only to feel the withdrawal anyway. Just thoughtI'd throw that out there. Hey... he's just a doc. :-)Hey, thanks for your follow up.
It's interesting to see how different doctors can have such opposing views on treatments!
It seems as though psychiatry is more of an art form than a science with each artist having his own style.That has also been my experience:
doc1 (Texas) : Always starts with Zoloft, then Paxil, then Effexor/Wellbutrin. (This is a typical way to go).
doc2: (Texas): Huge Effexor fan (I had the most problems with effexor too, but for some people it has the most "punch"). Was also a big fan of the anti-convulsant Lamictal for depression. Curiously he thought that the inconvenience of taking meds more than once a day would be a major concern for patients. I guess he never has had to go through the pain and suffering of side effects which I would greatly trade-off for popping a pill twice a day instead of once. Also, freely willing to prescribe Aderrall to me (amphetamine dirivatives; highly controlled substance)
doc3 (Texas): says anecdotal Lamictal rumors of anti-depressant effect are sketchy. Prefers oldline meds like Depakote (as far as anti-convulsants go). Also freely willing to prescribe Aderrall.
doc4 (texas) : "dont't take Depakote, it'll screw up your liver". Actually this was my best pdoc, he listened carefully to all my responses to meds and my own concerns and suggestions and tried to tailor his prescriptions around them. Freely willing to prescribe Aderrall.
doc5 (California): Completely reluctant to prescribe Aderrall, despite my history of success. Too worried about legalities. Hyper-focused on Zoloft despite the fact that I explained to him very clearly that I had tried it twice with no success. Reluctant to prescribe Lamictal due to the fear of a rash causing medical problems. Reluctant to prescribe Wellbutrin due to fear of a seizure. This guy was not well informed about medications and seemed to be overly concerned about liability. Even had me sign a strange liability like waver.
I wonder if there are different preferences for treatments courses based off of regionality. My experience with physicians in California is that they are extremely liability conscious and don't want to go near highly controlled substances if possible (found this with another doc other than doc5 too). Texas docs more loose. Interestingly both states from what I understand have the toughest laws on controlled substances, but perhaps legal liability is a big problem in CA.
Weird.
Anyways, good luck with your treatment!
-John
poster:JohnX
thread:60200
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010417/msgs/60246.html