Posted by Cece on June 26, 2001, at 0:19:33
In reply to Re: Confused, posted by MM on June 25, 2001, at 19:40:27
Some meds don't work the second time around, or at least not as well, but I don't think that lithium is one of them (not positive, hopefully other people will give input).
Most docs, especially with new patients won't do much over the phone. Some of it is valid- takes some time for them to figure out the right course and seeing somebody in person gives a lot more clues than over the phone. Sometimes however, it can go to an extreme that to my mind is cruel and power-trippy. Time will tell- try to both trust your instincts and be open-minded about this new situation. Monitor your own sanity, and if you have any friends who can give you feedback on how your mood appears to them, ask for it.
Ask your doc why lithium is where he wants you to start. Ask him what his opinion is of the newer mood stabilizers and what percentage of his patients he has on what meds for your diagnosis. If you have any doubt, ask him how he arrived at your diagnosis. Ask him if he "layers" meds (adds meds to supplement others), or if he believes in monotherapy (one drug, and only one drug).
Maybe you are a different personality type, but for me, any doc who doesn't respect and answer my questions in a way that I can understand them is not going to work out. After all, he is supposed to be working for you, right? I'm not proposing hostility, merely discrimination. There are good pdocs out there.
It can be very hard to do all this when you are in a vulnerable place, which most people are when they first seek help. Just do your best and get all the support and feedback that you can (but be discriminating about that, too! Keep what fits and makes sense, and make allowances for people's own prejudices).
Oh yeah- what makes you think that lithium is more of a hassle than other mood stabilizers? Just about everything has some side effect potential, restrictions on use, etc. Plenty of people take lithium very comfortably and effectively- I have a friend who has taken it for 30 years with no complaint.
Best wishes,
Cece
> It seems like lithium is the only med he's considering. I really don't want to try lithium first. Even if it does work, I know I'll want to try the other ones (anticonvulsants) because lithium is such a hassle compared to them. If I go off lithium, then no other ones work for me, there's a chance lithium won't work again right? He won't discuss it over the phone. Are most pdocs like that? You have to go in to talk about meds?
poster:Cece
thread:67566
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010625/msgs/67906.html