Posted by katekite on May 25, 2002, at 10:14:57
In reply to Re: Hmm... watch out and about a good psychiatrist, posted by Allen F. on May 25, 2002, at 3:29:06
I should have been more cautious with pdocs.
A good pdoc will be completely sure of the diagnosis before prescribing anything. They will go slowly and add one medication at a time (unless someone is hospitalized and still a danger). They will be aware of withdrawal and not treat it as a new problem, but link it to the stopped medication. They will recommend exercise and therapy, strongly and repeatedly. They will look things up and will feel that all questions are important and need answers. They will not medicate things you don't ask them to medicate. They will follow-up. They will test for medical things when appropriate, and not just the first year. They will believe what you say and trust that you know what you need. They will reassess the diagnosis if the first couple of meds don't help.
Everyone preaches that trust is a good thing. I agree, if you've been properly diagnosed, it can be. But if your diagnosis is unclear, tentative etc, don't trust in the seemingly magic power of a doctor to make you 'feel better'. How can they make you feel better if they aren't sure what you have?
Don't take drugs without a well proven diagnosis unless you're suicidal or risking harming others. Don't agree to a diagnosis because you want a diagnosis, agree to a diagnosis because it fits completely what you are. Try not to let wanting to please anyone or depression or anything else interfere with rationally assessing a diagnosis to see if it fits you.
I'm allergic to trazodone or something in the coating, and nearly died about 6 years ago from taking my first pill of it. Since then I've taken lots of things with no problems. I'm all for drugs to treat serious problems. But pharmaceutical companies are advertising down our throats to treat everything we can...it does influence us. The positive experiences of people around us influence us. Seeing people achieving what we would like to influences us. Seeing people on this board trying drug after drug with no problems makes us think that everyone can. Not all of us will come away the same as we were before. A few will get lupus or myasthenia or Steven Johnson's and never be physically OK again.
Please be careful and take only what you absolutely feel you need to.
kate
poster:katekite
thread:13781
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020525/msgs/107584.html