Posted by JohnL on April 21, 2000, at 3:59:15
In reply to I am soooooooooo sick of this, posted by allisonm on April 20, 2000, at 20:45:38
I'm so sorry to hear of your struggles. I can sure relate. It gives me a very heavy heart to hear of your pain. As if it was my own. I've been in your shoes way too often, and way too long.
I hope you don't mind if I offer my opinions and a referral?
I subscribe to the theory that long med trials--contrary to standard psychiatry--are NOT needed. I'm probably one of a handful of blacksheep in this regard. But I truly believe--and have seen it firsthand in myself and many others--that the CORRECT med for a particular patient's chemistry will provide very fast results with minimal side effects. Those are the characteristics of a good match. Of course we all know that good results can be gained from 6 week or longer trials. But those results are from an indirect trickle-down process that is not targeting the chemistry deficiency directly. In the old days, we had few drugs to choose from, so the trickle down process of long trials was the only option. But today there are so many choices, one of which will very likely target the chemistry directly, providing dramatic and prompt results. In general I truly believe the farther away a drug is from targeting our unique chemistry, the longer it takes to work--if it works at all. In your case, I think there are plenty of clues suggesting your current meds are off-target.
I also feel that anyone in your condition is experiencing a medical emergency. It's more than just depression. It's a heavy burden every minute of every hour, every hour of every day, and is a serious handicap to normal functioning. Suicide is a tragic, needless, and not uncommon result. I would classify your current condition as a medical emergency, justifying very aggressive tactics. Staying with a med that hasn't shown much promise, and simply raising its dose from 200mg to 300mg (when the max is 450mg to 600mg) is, in my opinion, NOT agressive at all. It shows me a certain amount of complacency in the behavior of your physician. He is too entrenched in standard textbook approaches, and not nearly aggressive enough to take your situation as serious, or you as a unique individual with unique chemistry requiring unique treatment. Textbook blanket umbrella treatments are good for GPs and cases of mild depression, but not at all appropriate for you at this time. In my opinion.
I would like to refer you to www.drjensen.com. Set up a consultation with Dr Jensen. Cost is no different than if you went to any psychiatrist, and he conducts interviews over the phone just as if you were in the office. He is quite professional. He has a massive track record for successfully treating patients who have been disappointed with other physicians, and he has a book about his approaches experiencing high sales and being taught in medical schools. He usually achieves total success in anywhere from one to three visits, with a maximum of eight. He does so by leaving no stone unturned. He'll run you through quick trials of all kinds of different psychiatric meds, in search of that magic molecule that your chemistry prefers. He has a real talent for gathering clues from your med reactions and making sense out of it all.
My own doctor also uses this approach. Not with everyone, but certainly with the tough cases. But finding a local physician who is well-versed and comfortable with this approach is nearly impossible. I got lucky. So the surest quickest option is to go to the pioneer of the strategy himself...Dr Jensen. He treats patients all over the world. He is passionate about what he does. His success proves it. But you WILL need a local physcian to cooperate. Dr Jensen will speak with your local doc first, and will communicate recommendations and prescriptions by fax directly to your doctor's office. If your doc shows any hesitancy at all, Dr Jensen is very professinal and polite and will call your doctor personally to discuss any hesitancies. Some people think he's a quack or a get-rich scheme. No so. He's a bonafide natural born expert, and he makes no more money than your own psychiatrist. Most important, he is passionately in love with what he does, and your total recovery--fast--is all he wants.
In summary, I feel you have reached a point where quick trials of various meds are justified, in order to search for the best match. The best match will make itself obvious in days, not weeks. It is not likely you will find an aggressive passionate physician whos focus is getting you well FAST. Most docs are too entrenched in traditional psychiatry (which as we know has plenty of failures) to have the tools to do what is needed. That's why I suggest going to www.drjensen.com. It's the quickest surest way I know of to get this thing in gear! Hope this helps. JohnL
poster:JohnL
thread:30771
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000420/msgs/30797.html