Posted by gardenergirl on December 10, 2006, at 19:59:23
In reply to same feeling as dbc...risk taking w MAO's, posted by stargazer on December 10, 2006, at 15:23:12
> I'm feeling like when I read some of the posts, there are alot of mixing of medications and taking meds when side effects and medical conditions would make treatment with many medications contrainidcated.
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> Like taking many meds I was told are contrainidcated with Maos's...
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> Like SE's of peripheral edema, which is an indication of congestive heart failure and can lead to heart attacks....So when I get edema during my period, I'm going into CHF? In my case, it's about fluid retention, not CHF. Your limbs can show edema without there be being a build up of fluid in the cardiopulmonary system. Ask any woman who experiences water weight gain before and during menstruation.
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> Like, many other things I am reading today here.
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> Has all caution been thrown to the wind?I would say no. Again in my case, I research drug interactions and discuss the potential risks and benefits with my doctor before adding any medication at all, even non psychotropics. Any foods I eat which are on the traditional "no-no" list are ones which have been tested for tyramine levels and found to have very small levels. I don't just wake up one day and say, "Today I'm going to eat _____". Also, I start with small quantities and check my BP after ingesting a small bit. And I'm a real pain in restaurants, at receptions or banquets, and when eating at anyone's home since I have to know what's in everything before I can eat it. But that's what I have to do, so I do it.
Am I throwing caution thrown to the wind? I think not. I can't speak for everyone else here who are on MAOI's, but I certainly have read posts where folks were seeking information in order to weigh the risks and benefits before making a change.
> I am not comfortable with some of the combinations being prescribed. You can't tell what's causing what side effects as you combine more and more drugs that are obviously interacting with one another.
Everyone's comfort level is their own. I would assume if you are not comfortable with what's being prescribed for you, you would discuss that with your doc. If you're not comfortable with what a doc is prescribing for anyone else, well...not sure what I can say about that.
>> It seems as though concerns expressed for others when things like this are pointed out are ignored or minimized. It gets really hard trying to be supportive when there seems to be no precautions being taken and it's hard to tell who's dropping the ball, the docs or the patients.
How would you like to see concerns responded to? What would help you feel more able to be supportive? I agree it's hard to be supportive when you feel like the person is not hearing and/or not taking your advice. It's hard to separate out our own feelings of concern from the other person's behavior. But they are separate and individual.
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> I certainly would never take some of those risks myself and it's not because I am not really depressed or I'm not as depressed as others. That's not the argument.
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> I am just too afraid of causing more problems for myself than depression, which is bad enough.
> I am afraid of what these drugs are doing to many of you who are ignoring the risks of taking these drugs.I believe you're sincere in this concern, and I'm sorry if it's upsetting or frustrating (or whatever word you would use) for you. I think it's hard, too, because we only get pieces of information from folks. We don't get to see their entire thought process, feelings, and/or behaviors. So I'm not sure it's fair to say that risks are being ignored. Sure, in some cases that's probably happenening. It's always going to happen. All we can do is try to be supportive and to inform when we can, but ultimately, the individual's behavior is up to them.
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> I am on EMsam now and I have taken Nardil, Parnate and Marplan and I religiously followed the dietary and drug restrictions given to me. When I asked my pdoc about some of the things that others are doing today, based on what I have read here, he is amazed with the current cavalier attitude which now exists.Sounds like you have a good working relationship with your doc. I'm glad. And it's good that you know what you will and won't risk in order to be well. That's often a difficult issue.
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> I believe that taking these risks now will ultimately cause more harm than good in the long run.
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> AD's are usually used as temporary fixes, but heart attacks and liver failure are life sentences.Then it's important to work towards good physical health as well as mental health, I would think. And please keep in mind that these are rare occurrences. And there are often co-morbid issues which contribute to someone having a heart attack or liver failure.
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> You be the judge but do your research and get a second opinion if your treatment is leading you to have more and more side effects. Not all docs are as careful as others.That's a good thing to keep in mind. I think it can be easy to get sort of myopic about health care providers, and it's important to do a reality-check from time to time to make sure they really are effective, etc. It took me too long to realize my last pdoc was, um, an uncivil word. I'm glad I finally did, but the signs were there from the beginning. I just didn't pay enough attention to them. Actually, I suppose I also didn't trust my own reactions, but that's a separate issue.
Take care and thanks for expressing your concerns.
gg
poster:gardenergirl
thread:711768
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20061206/msgs/712287.html