Posted by Marie1 on November 7, 2001, at 7:36:07
In reply to Re: Shelli - are you there? » Marie1, posted by shelliR on November 5, 2001, at 22:40:36
Hi, Shelli.
To answer your questions, I don't believe the diet pills do anything that I feel physically *at all*, no doubt due to my tolerance to them. I began using them 20 or so years ago because I had gained about 30 lbs in college and during a stressful relationship I was having (this was in my early 20's). They helped me lose the excess weight, but also I noticed a brighter mood. I've probably been dysthymic most of my life (this according to pdoc), but only officially diagnosed when I had my first major depression. Anyway, I kept using the pills, not for weight loss per se, but because they made me feel better. Phentermine acts on either dopamine or uh, that other chemical - can't recall the name. I theorize that I need Prozac to help regulate the seratonin and phentermine for the other. OR, I'm totally full of shit and simply have a psychological dependence on a drug that is meant for short term use only. At this point, who cares. Without it, I'm depressed, so I continue to use it.
I'm not sure, maybe they do boost my energy somewhat, it's hard to tell. When I was going through my last major depression, I had quit taking them, and, of course, was totally apathetic, lethargic, and energy-less. But that's typical for a depressive state.
Why, specifically, do you take concerta? Is it to augment, counter side effects, or for ocd? And I wonder why that's ok, when my shrink has such a problem with my use of phentermine. Like you, I don't have a problem with addicitions to other drugs. I can either take or leave cocaine, for example, and it seems to me that would be a drug of choice, given my predilection for stims.
(As an aside, please don't get the impression I'm some sort of closet middle aged leftover hippie housewife druggie. No one at the PTA meetings would ever suspect I had any kind of substance abuse problem. I'm a kid of the 60's and 70's when we tried all sorts of illicit drugs, so maybe I'm a little more broad minded about the occasion use of non socially sanctioned drugs. OR, I never really grew up ;-) !)
I've found it interesting to read threads here and on PB about people using opioids and benzos as AD's, because I claim phentermine helps (partially) with my mood. So I understand taking something that others might consider inappropriate for treatment. I doubt that my pdoc would ever sanction oxycontin as an AD. I'm glad you found a pdoc who took you at your word and understands alternative drug choices. Has your therapist since changed her mind about it? Wasn't it difficult to continue working with her after she gave you that ultimatum? Do you discuss your meds with her now?
I had been upfront with my pdoc since day one regarding my use of phentermine, since I really believe it helps me to control my depression. I guess he thought that now was a good time to quit since I seem to have the drinking thing under control. (December 24th will be 6 months!!) One week he talked me into giving him my pills (I've since quit carrying them in my purse!), leaving me enough to ease off slowly. I couldn't do it. I'm not sure if it was a contol issue with him or not. I never understood why he felt he was "colluding" with me on my use of phentermine if he just ignored the issue. There were other issues we intended to work on - like my marriage. I really think he was using my transference for him to coerce me into giving up diet pills. Obviously my need (addiction?) is even stronger than that. I have an enormous regard for my pdoc, actually thought I couldn't make it without him, and not seeing him has been painful. But I'll survive - I always do. I've posted elsewhere that I've lost my dad, mother, and two brothers in the last 9 years; it always feels like I'll never recover, but I do. The pain never goes away though.
Whoa, Shelli, sorry. I never meant to write a dissertation here! If you're still following this, thank you. It is cathartic to write about it.
Take care of yourself.Marie
> > Shelli,
> > Hi again. Yes, I am no longer seeing my pdoc. I have a long term addiction problem (prescription diet pills) that he wants me to quit and I don't feel capable of doing that right now.
>
> Do the diet pills give you energy? Or do you take them to keep thin? I was just wondering if it's at all similar to a lot of us at PB who are taking stimulents like ritalin and adderall as an adjunct to our antidepressant. I'm taking concerta (long term ritalin) to supplement nardil. I don't know much about diet pills. But if it is related then maybe you an talk to your next pdoc about adding them to the prozac.
>
> I've just moved, my kids are changing schools, I lost my job, I quit drinking, need I go on? I just don't need another major stressor right now. He gave me an ultimatum- him or the pills, so I quit. He was gambling that my attachment to him was strong enough to force the issue.
>
> My therapist gave me an ultimatum about stopping taking vicidin. Unless I got them from a pdoc (not even another type of doctor) she would terminate with me. It was a terrible time for make me make a decision, I was totally suicidal and probably would have picked the vicidin. I went into the hospital and got a consultation from a pdoc from another unit and he put me on oxycontin. There was a lot of controversy at the hospital about it, but the director of the unit I was on (dissociative disorders) supported me, as did the therapist assigned to me at the hospital. I wrote down every narcotic drug I had ever taken, how much and why. They decided after reading my list that I did not have addictive tendencies, just a need to control my depression and nothing else was working. It was pretty amazing to me. My therapist about flipped out, but it fit her rules. For a while there was still a lot of tension between us, I wasn't "allowed" to even mention medication in there, but the tension has passed and we are working pretty well together.
>
> Did your therapist just find out about the diet pills, or did he just decide now that you are ready to give them up? Seems like bad time; you just gave up drinking. Did you give you a deadline date? I did feel that if my therapist hated it so much that maybe I should find another therapist because she started blaming everything on the narcotic. But I couldn't imagine starting over again with a new therapist, especially when my concern was really about meds at that point, not therapy.
>
> Apparently it's not. We've been e-mailing back and forth about the prozac, and he's agreed to call in a one month's supply; hopefully by then we'll have a new g.p.
>
> Well, I'm glad he at least gave you the one month. Do you miss him? Do you think he sincerely felt that he felt he couldn't work with you with the diet pills, or do you think it was a control issue?
>
> Sorry you've had to go through this. Is your husband not working now? Congratulations on the drinking though.
>
> Shelli
poster:Marie1
thread:13033
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20011105/msgs/13608.html