Posted by TomG on September 13, 2002, at 16:07:42
I saw my psychiatrist yesterday and the last two visits he has been stressing that I need to get a job. He thinks this will somehow cure me along with medicine. I have been around the block with medication and found about 6-7 days of pure relief from lithium. The positive reaction faded and raising the dosage was futile. I was fired from my last job which was my first job since graduating college, because of incompetentcy, hesitantcy to make decisions, and poor communication all of which I think stem from my bipolar II diagnosis. Its not that I don't want to work or progress in life. Its simply that I find it truly hard to function in public. My behavior is just an act every time I leave the house. I have terrible anxiety, slowed thinking, and confusion everyday. My doctor has been reluctant to raise my dosage of Lamictal the past two times, because he wants me to have a job. I think I can get at least some relief from meds alone. I was at 100mg of Lam and he didn't want to go higher. The usual response of Lamictal can be from 150mg to 400mg. He said medication will do nothing if not combined with the responsibility of a job. Only after asking did he let me have the dosage increase and acted as though it was useless. Its hard for me to believe that I can't get just a little relief from meds. My doctor was trained at Harvard, but I'm starting to second guess his methods. What are people's thoughts about this situation? Is it time to get a fifth opinion? This is my fifth psychiatrist!!!
poster:TomG
thread:119764
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020906/msgs/119764.html