Posted by cybercafe on April 30, 2004, at 5:02:47
In reply to Re: Toronto_Canada, posted by T_R_D on April 29, 2004, at 10:35:34
>
> Yeah, I was really ticked off. I pushed and pushed--I think I even begged at some point but they said that they only offered help to those in crisis. I think I went back to my GP afteryeah really gives you the feeling people dont' care. i am going to start writing endless letters to the disability adjudication unit about how poverty has put my life in danger until they finally get off their butts and give me ODSP ... not to mention contacting my MP etc ... arrrg.. how can people be so apathetic?
>that and he referred me to this quack on the Danforth. Prior to my first hospitalization I was seeing someone at a Scarborough hospital--not Grace...the other one. He was okay but I didn't feel comfortable with him.i was at scarborough rouge river ... my doc really sucked... told him about gabapentin... was denied... 2 years later he said to me "i've just come back from a conference and found the perfect drug for you.... gabapentin!" ... uh.... thanks for nothing
>
> > Is it that there is a shortage?
>
> I have no idea. They wouldn't give me an answer.of doctors?!?!?! for sure.. i thought everyone knew this????? not enough people are going into psychiatry
whicih is good for me, cuz
a) i want to go into psychiatry
b) if you want to go in i think they make the med school requirements a little more lax ...
> > What has worked for you in the past? For me it has only been Prozac, Mannerix, and high dose Parnate. All have stopped working after awhile however.
>
> Hmmm. Classic poop out.what?? parnate can poop out?? ug
>
> Well, I was misdiagnosed for years as having unipolar depression. As it turns out I'm actually bipolar. It really explained at lot as most ADs either didn't help or drove me into manias/mixed states. Just recently I've gottenyeah i told my doctors flat out i was bipolar but it took them YEARS to agree with me... because... i didn't "go days without sleeping" ...
>into anticonvulsant territory and I'm finding that I am an excellent responder to these drugs. They stop my mania dead in its tracks! It just further confirms to me that this is finally a correct diagnosis.
>
> I starged off with Tegretol--also taking 150mg of Wellbutrin and 75mg of Effexor. I'm not big on Effexor but it seems to provide minor relief. The Tegretol wasn't really helping my depression, however. That's always been a sticky spot--a real nagging depression that just won't go away!
>
> I did some research and found that the AC Lamictal and the mood stabilizer Lithium were the only drugs for bipolar that have been tested and shown some promise in this area. I didn't want to suffer the side effects of Lithium, have to get serum levels checked etc... so of course I opted for the Lamictal. It's been about a month now and it has made SO much difference. It's unbelieveable. I haven't felt like this in years.
>
> I've still got a long way to go though. There is still some persistent depression lurking...I can feel it. I probably need to get stabilized and find the right dosage for me (after all, it's only been a month, right?) I'd like to kick the Effexor. It gives me problems with sex (anorgasmia) and I don't want to be like that for the rest of my life--being bipolar I suspect I will need to be on meds for life.
>
> So that's a quickie version of my story. I could give you the name of my GP if you want to check him out. We have a good working relationship--we tackle my medication together and I really appreciate that. He's open to suggestions too. I've done and continue to do a lot of research on meds and he has never gotten threatened or pulled an "I'm the physician here" sort of attitude. Let me know...i am considering walking into my psychician's office with a invoice book and making an entry everytime i have to educate my gp about medicine :) :)
hey it's not like they can't afford it :)
poster:cybercafe
thread:340893
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040429/msgs/341658.html