Posted by ksvt on November 12, 2000, at 19:49:23
In reply to Good pdoc, bad HMO...coral,ksvt,S.Howard, posted by allisonm on November 12, 2000, at 13:35:27
>Alison - you may have actually told me this before, but what amount of WB are you taking and how long have you been taking it? Is it the SR variety? Your pdoc's frustration notwithstanding, I think it's extremely difficult to quantify how well a med is working. I've been taking differing amounts of WB for years, and clearly it works, because I'm better than I was, but I still have alot of depressive episodes (chronic like you), so there's always the thought that there is something out there that works better. I tried adding zoloft last spring, but I didn't care for the side effects and it really didn't seem to make much of a difference. I, too, have a rather unsatisfactory history with SSRIs. Each bad experience makes me very wary of making any med changes. I'd love to hear how this works for you. Thanks ksvt
Thanks for all of your thoughts and ideas.
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> Coral's idea makes me think that maybe I could contact my state assemblyman, who is a real good guy and who also is working on improving the insurance/health care situation in the state.
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> I have a feeling that my HMO isn't going away, however. They have been persistent with my pdoc; I don't see why they won't be as insistent (or more) with me. They need my pdoc more than they need me. We'll see what happens. I'm kind of spoiling for a fight anyway given the hassles this company has already put us through.
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> To ksvt: Thanks for asking. I am OK. We changed my meds around a few weeks ago. He says my depression is chronic, which was depressing in itself for a couple of weeks. We ditched the Remeron and added Neurontin to the Wellbutrin. I've been feeling better -- laughing even, which feels weird -- but am a little afraid to admit it because I've been wrong before. Last session, I told my pdoc I wasn't going to try to guess anymore if meds were working or not. There are always two or more reasons why I could be feeling good or bad. I could have a good day and say "Hey, this Neurontin is working!" and then have a bad day the next and say "Damn Neurontin, what good IS it?" He got a little frustrated with me, I think. If this Wellbutrin/Neurontin mix doesn't work, he was going to suggest an MAOI, but I protested at the prospect of the 2-week washout and what that could do to me at work, so now he says there are other alternatives, such as Celexa. But I didn't react well to SSRIs before so I wonder. I was all set to see this Neurontin fail too, but I have felt good enough in the last couple of weeks to think it is working. I just hope it works enough and keeps working. Nothing really has so far.
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> Allison
poster:ksvt
thread:2520
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20001031/msgs/2591.html