Posted by jujube on December 3, 2004, at 18:34:56
In reply to Re: To the point where I don't mention suicidiality » simcha, posted by linkadge on December 3, 2004, at 17:45:40
Linkadge,
For what it is worth, at the end of August when I felt that I was having problems with being "heard" by the pdoc I had been seeing for medication, I called his office and asked his secretary how I could send an e-mail to him. In the e-mail, I laid out how I was feeling, how I felt the medication I had been prescribed was working and the options I wanted to pursue/discuss. He actually called me back the next day, discussed the options I had put forward, and called in a new prescription for me.
I guess what I am getting at is perhaps what you need to do is try to change the tone of your relationship with your current pdoc, and try to focus the pdoc on the fact that he/she works for you. As a first step, you could sit down at the computer and start working on a "paper" of sorts to present (either by e-mail in advance of your next appointment or hand it to doc at appointment) your current state of mind, what helps you to some degree (i.e., exercise, sleep deprivation), your understanding of why these things help you and your brain chemistry, how your current medication affects you (both positively and negatively, physically and mentally), what medication options you have become aware of through your own research, and how you want to proceed with your treatment. You are not a child, and this doctor needs to stop treating you like one. You need to be an active participant in your treatment, and feel like you are being heard. Putting your thoughts on paper or in an e-mail may help you focus the pdoc and may make the pdoc realize that you are serious about your treatment and that you expect to be listened to and taken seriously.
Just a thought.
Tamara
poster:jujube
thread:423881
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041201/msgs/424105.html