![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SheilaC on July 27, 2010, at 7:12:32
Ok - my new doc is sternly requesting that I stick with him on this sloooooow plan. It's been a few months now and I am trying. But I am super tired and dragging. He is getting irritated with me that I am not exercising. But I am too tired!
He has me taking 50mg of Seroquel at night along with 1mg Klonopin. I sleep like the dead, but wake up tired and irritable (Seroquel has ALWAYS made me irritable). I hate it.
Then, he has me taking Geodon during the day, which is ok, but also makes me a little tired. The Geodon takes away my irritability.
He doesn't believe that I am tired during the day! He says that Geodon is activating and isn't making me tired! Plus - he also doesn't want me drinking my 1 cup of coffee!
I think the nighttime meds are what are killing me.
What should I do?!
I'm wondering if I can change out my Seroquel with melatonin?
I'm just not liking Seroquel.
I'm afraid my stupid doc is going to get mad at me and drop me! Dumb doc.
Posted by chujoe on July 27, 2010, at 9:36:53
In reply to Frustrated with doc !, posted by SheilaC on July 27, 2010, at 7:12:32
Doctors can be a pain to communicate with, that's for sure. In this case, it sounds as if he thinks he knows your experience better than you do & that just ain't right. I've never taken Seroquel, but I have experienced that sedating effect from other drugs and it can make life miserable. I don't know your dx, but -- and this is just my opinion from talking to friends -- I think that APs are over-prescribed, especially for people w/o psychosis. It could be that docs resort to them because like the old "chemical straight jacket" Thorazine kept hospitalized patients manageable, Seroquel sedates outpatients enough that they are manageable. It is the consequence of a capitalist, bureaucratized health care system that patient management has replaced patient well-being. You need to lose your fear of your pdoc & tell him reasonably but firmly that you want to try something other that Seroquel. Good luck.
Posted by Phillipa on July 27, 2010, at 10:59:56
In reply to Re: Frustrated with doc ! » SheilaC, posted by chujoe on July 27, 2010, at 9:36:53
What would happen if you just stopped the seroquel? He is sounding very unreasonable. As most know I don't always do what my doc wants as only I know how I feel. Phillipa
Posted by Zyprexa on July 27, 2010, at 11:08:27
In reply to Re: Frustrated with doc !, posted by Phillipa on July 27, 2010, at 10:59:56
Why not get a new doc?
Patients have the right to refuse medical attention. Ie you could just stop the med if you want to.
Posted by emme on July 27, 2010, at 11:42:33
In reply to Frustrated with doc !, posted by SheilaC on July 27, 2010, at 7:12:32
>
> He doesn't believe that I am tired during the day! He says that Geodon is activating and isn't making me tired!Geodon was like an elephant dart for me. A low dose had me so sedated I could barely walk. It might be better as a night-time drug for you.
It is a bad sign when a doctor disregards what you are experiencing.
Posted by jedi on July 27, 2010, at 12:43:05
In reply to Frustrated with doc !, posted by SheilaC on July 27, 2010, at 7:12:32
> He has me taking 50mg of Seroquel at night along with 1mg Klonopin. I sleep like the dead, but wake up tired and irritable (Seroquel has ALWAYS made me irritable). I hate it.
Hi,
Maybe talk to your Dr. about lowering the Seroquel dosage. At low dosages Seroquel is mostly a histamine blocker. I am very sensitive to the histamine blockers and use 50mg of diphenhydramine(Benadryl) most nights for Nardil induced insomnia. I build no tolerance to the Benadryl and it knocks me out almost every night.I have used micro doses of Seroquel in the past to provide the same histamine blockage. When I used Seroquel, I would take between 12.5 and 25mg per night. I found this to lessen the hangover effect.
Clonazepam(Klonopin) is a long acting benzodiazapine. It will still be in your system the next day when taken at night for insomnia. I also take 1mg nightly as an augmenter to Nardil for social and generalized anxiety. I recently cut my dosage from 2mg to 1mg and plan on going to .5 ASAP. If you can get away with it, lowering the clonazepam will help you be more awake and active the next day also.
Be Well,
Jedi
Posted by morgan miller on July 27, 2010, at 15:35:32
In reply to Re: Frustrated with doc ! » SheilaC, posted by jedi on July 27, 2010, at 12:43:05
Have you ever taken Zyprexa?
Posted by bleauberry on July 27, 2010, at 17:38:34
In reply to Frustrated with doc !, posted by SheilaC on July 27, 2010, at 7:12:32
Look, real simple, it is extremely important to have a doctor that will listen to you, hear you, understand you, and believe you. No one knows you like you do. It seems to me when I scour the web for success stories in a wide variety of symptoms and diseases, the one thing they usually have in common is....a doctor who listens to the patient. It is a team working together. And always keep in mind, who pays who? You are the boss of your doctor and your body.
Posted by emmanuel98 on July 27, 2010, at 19:29:22
In reply to Re: Frustrated with doc !, posted by bleauberry on July 27, 2010, at 17:38:34
Do you have trouble falling asleep? If not, why the nighttime meds?
Posted by Christ_empowered on July 27, 2010, at 20:10:57
In reply to Frustrated with doc !, posted by SheilaC on July 27, 2010, at 7:12:32
dropping the seroquel might help. Melatonin sounds like a good idea. Melatonin has been shown useful in high doses (10mgs) at treating tardive dyskinesia, so maybe a lower dose could help prevent TD from the geodon you're taking. Its also much cheaper.
Good luck!
Posted by SheilaC on July 28, 2010, at 8:55:10
In reply to maybe drop the seroquel?, posted by Christ_empowered on July 27, 2010, at 20:10:57
I ended up cutting the Seroquel in half last night, which helped. I still slept great.
I have tried Zyprexa and I loved it, but I really started gaining weight with it.
I talked to my doc yesterday and he agreed that I could go back to 40mg of Geodon.
Geodon is the only med in a long time to get rid of the irritability and help me cope with daily stress and agitation. When I take it I'm not mean and witchy.
Posted by morgan miller on July 28, 2010, at 9:43:49
In reply to Re: maybe drop the seroquel?, posted by SheilaC on July 28, 2010, at 8:55:10
Maybe cutting the seroquel in half is what you needed. You could try getting off it. If you do I would try taking some natural sleep aids like Melatonin, GABA, Glycine, Taurine, Ashwagandha, and Valerian.
So you don't think a low dose of Zyprexa might help alleviate the weight gain? You could try taking a small dose of Metformin to eliminate the weight gain. Metformin is actually taken by some for life extension reasons, so it's a pretty good drug. The only problem with Metformin is that some people have stomach problems on it.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.