![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by roseygirl on March 14, 2004, at 14:55:14
Ok, I have sort of a complicated problem--my roommate is an alcoholic, she drinks about 1 liter of wine a day and from 6 to 12 beers. She also smokes pot at least three times a day (about three to four hits each time). She also trips on LDS as much as possible.
But she manages to hide all this from her doctor (she lies about it) and says her life is really stressful and she's starting to have panic attacks (she's been on lots of pain meds and antianxiety meds in the past) in order to get more drugs. The most recent doc prescribed Effexor...
However, she stopped taking it regularly and now only takes it when she feels "stressed out". I know how these meds work, and that they're not working for her, however she is reporting some weird side effects, like if she takes the full dose she gets facial tics and twitches. Although I have a BS in psychology, I know very little about these meds, and am not sure if I can tell her that these side effects are as a result of the alcohol/pot/Effexor combo.
Any ideas? Anyone know for sure?
Posted by Nirfoochile on March 23, 2004, at 3:56:44
In reply to Effexor, Acid, Pot, and Alcohol Questions, posted by roseygirl on March 14, 2004, at 14:55:14
I don't know how much I can help you, but I have been on Effexor for depression/anxiety twice in my life. I had to go off it because it was causing major headaches. As far as I know, it works about the same as other antidepressants except it doesn't have the weight gain side effect. Actually, some people on this drug loose weight. I can think of one reason why your friend might not want to be on effexor or any antidepressant. When I was 16, I tried a lot of drugs while I was on antidepressants. I didn't understand what the big deal was. I hardly felt their effects. A year later I decided to stop taking my antidepressants. I smoked some weed and the effect was 10 times what it used to be. The absence of antidepressants actually led to my first manic episode of bipolar disorder (which I never knew I had). My guess is that antidepressants also work as mood stabilizers. Therefore, those things/drugs that would normally effect your brain chemistry aren't that effective. Your friend may not stay on effexor since she wants to feel the effects of the other drugs she is taking.
Another thing. She should probably consider getting new therapists/psychiatrists. I lied to mine too when I was younger. The fact that they can't tell and will prescribe you anything as long as you list the symptoms shows that they aren't good. And even if they are (and your friend is incredibly deceitful), she still should consider telling the whole truth to a new set of doctors otherwise she will never get better.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Substance Use | 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.