Posted by anxiety_free on October 15, 2004, at 6:26:56
In reply to Bipolar: Do I HAVE to take meds?, posted by D minor on October 15, 2004, at 1:30:44
You don't really HAVE to do anything, but it is a good idea to take your meds. Have you considered a new shrink? Yours sounds a little bitchy, and those meds are known to have the side effects you mentioned. At any rate, the # of meds can get overwhelming; I was once with a shrink who had me on 7 or 8 different daily meds...it made me slow, boring, and fat, so I changed shrinks. Also, try being more assertive with your doc. Remember: they work for you, and should treat you as a partner in your therapy. Let your doc know you're displeased with his/her attitude towards you, and if it continues you will be compelled to seek help elsewhere. It works; the shrink will see you as a PERSON, not just a guineau pig. And, BTW, after looking over your meds I'm kind of wondering if you should suggest more Abilify (well tolerated, I went all the way up to 30mgs) and less other crap, like Depakote (which can cause pancreatitis). The Abilify can act as an anti-depressant, too, so you may be able to cut back on Remeron...or suggest a switch. Effexor works just as well, is commonly used in BP, and can cause WEIGHT LOSS...at any rate, I'd take effexor or even a tricyclic over remeron. Good luck!
poster:anxiety_free
thread:403234
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041012/msgs/403258.html