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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by krisdance83 on August 19, 2004, at 22:55:09
She said that it doesn't even need to be taken w/ food because it is very mild. She said it wouldn't upset my stomach; she said it wouldn't give me sleeping problems; she said it wouldn't increase anxiety. The only side effect she admitted were the sexual side effects. Of course everyone I've talked to who has taken it has had some sort of side effects, most people had upset stomach. She also said there were absolutely no withdrawal effects and I've read exactly the opposite all around the internet. How can she sit there and lie straight to my face like that? How can I trust anything she says now?
Posted by chemist on August 19, 2004, at 23:20:26
In reply to My doctor told me that Lex is harmless, posted by krisdance83 on August 19, 2004, at 22:55:09
hello there, chemist here...you are relying on anecdotal ``evidence'' from people you do not know, gleaned from anonymous sources on the internet. your sources on the internet have, i presume, fully disclosed any and all medications they are taking in conjunction with lexapro; are of the same gender, age, ethnicity as you; made you aware of any and all preexisting medical conditions such as hyper/hypo thyroidism, diabetes, crohn's disease, ulcers, whether or not they abuse alcohol, and so forth; and provided to you their extensive medical histories in a tangible form, such as a fax or hard copies. from this, you have determined that a drug you have not taken and which is prescribed for you by a person with whom you actually have physical contact and has presumably demonstrated her qualifications in the form of framed diplomas on the wall or a current license to practice medicine or even the letters M.D. or D.O. after her name is lying to you about lexapro. perhaps you should reevaluate your sources. just an idea.....all the best, chemist
> She said that it doesn't even need to be taken w/ food because it is very mild. She said it wouldn't upset my stomach; she said it wouldn't give me sleeping problems; she said it wouldn't increase anxiety. The only side effect she admitted were the sexual side effects. Of course everyone I've talked to who has taken it has had some sort of side effects, most people had upset stomach. She also said there were absolutely no withdrawal effects and I've read exactly the opposite all around the internet. How can she sit there and lie straight to my face like that? How can I trust anything she says now?
Posted by Camille Dumont on August 19, 2004, at 23:56:03
In reply to Re: My doctor told me that Lex is harmless » krisdance83, posted by chemist on August 19, 2004, at 23:20:26
On a semi-related line of thought .... medication s.e. stories on the internet are like bad weather ... if you listen to the weather channel every morning ... what do you remember? Well you tend to remember the 1% of the time when they are horribly wrong ... not the 99% of the time they are right and this will stick into your mind.
Similarly, if you take a medication and everything is fine, no s.e. and what not, are you going to build a website to talk about your experience? Most likely not ... since pretty much nothing happened. On the other hand, if you take meds and things go horribly wrong ... then you,re probably more likely to want to share your experience with others. Thus, stories on the internet have a selection bias inherent to them and you have to take that into account when looking for info on the web ... the proportion of people who experienced strong s.e. is thus overrepresented.
Perhaps the official stats for the drugs where you see what percentage of those on teh drugs vs. the percentage of the placebo experienced the various s.e. it will help you get a better picture or what you can expect.
Posted by jay on August 20, 2004, at 0:01:20
In reply to Re: My doctor told me that Lex is harmless » krisdance83, posted by chemist on August 19, 2004, at 23:20:26
Chemist and Kris....it is also possible to come across bad doctors, some who don't keep up to date on the leading edge of medical technology. I have a young Family doctor, who is close to my age, who I would put (and have!) my life on the line with. I *had* one particular psychiatrist before my family doctor who was horribly ignorant about recent research, technology, and the latest Rx's, Dx's, and Tx's, etc.
So, I am just saying...as the great author Andrew Sololoman writes, that we need to "shop around" for our doctors, as we seem to put more care into shopping around for a good dry cleaner or such.
Anyhow...just my .02 cents....Canadian :-)
Best,
Jay> hello there, chemist here...you are relying on anecdotal ``evidence'' from people you do not know, gleaned from anonymous sources on the internet. your sources on the internet have, i presume, fully disclosed any and all medications they are taking in conjunction with lexapro; are of the same gender, age, ethnicity as you; made you aware of any and all preexisting medical conditions such as hyper/hypo thyroidism, diabetes, crohn's disease, ulcers, whether or not they abuse alcohol, and so forth; and provided to you their extensive medical histories in a tangible form, such as a fax or hard copies. from this, you have determined that a drug you have not taken and which is prescribed for you by a person with whom you actually have physical contact and has presumably demonstrated her qualifications in the form of framed diplomas on the wall or a current license to practice medicine or even the letters M.D. or D.O. after her name is lying to you about lexapro. perhaps you should reevaluate your sources. just an idea.....all the best, chemist
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> > She said that it doesn't even need to be taken w/ food because it is very mild. She said it wouldn't upset my stomach; she said it wouldn't give me sleeping problems; she said it wouldn't increase anxiety. The only side effect she admitted were the sexual side effects. Of course everyone I've talked to who has taken it has had some sort of side effects, most people had upset stomach. She also said there were absolutely no withdrawal effects and I've read exactly the opposite all around the internet. How can she sit there and lie straight to my face like that? How can I trust anything she says now?
>
Posted by krisdance83 on August 20, 2004, at 0:03:25
In reply to Re: My doctor told me that Lex is harmless » krisdance83, posted by chemist on August 19, 2004, at 23:20:26
You word things so well. And it's true that I of course don't know all of that information about my sources. But I do know that every single person, whether on the internet or off has told me about some type of side effect they experienced while my pdoc emphatically denies they exist.
It's not that I want the perfect medication and absolutely NO side effects. That's wishful thinking and of course impossible. I just wish that she would be straight with me and admit that these things could happen instead of just looking like some rep from the pharmaceutical company trying to sell the med. I have an extreme phobia of vomiting and being nauseous and I realize that these medications commonly involve these side effects. You'd think that SHE of all people would be the person to admit that I could get nauseous from the medication instead of making me think that it's all going to be a piece of cake.
I'm sorry, that post probably came off wrong. It's just that I'm seeing this woman to help me and guide me and instead she constantly cuts off my questions and basically ignores my phobia when I'm in her office. I think she just says what she thinks I want to hear to get me out of there in about five minutes. I only really stay there to see my talk therapist whom I like a lot. Sorry, that basically just turned into me venting about my relationship w/ the doc.
I'm all over the place!
Posted by Wildman on August 20, 2004, at 7:40:57
In reply to Re: My doctor told me that Lex is harmless, posted by krisdance83 on August 20, 2004, at 0:03:25
I have a sensitive stomach, so much that if I take _Ibuprofen_ in the morning, I may throw up. I have had no/zip/zero/nada stomach problems with Lexapro, which I take everymorning, many times without food.
For the first two weeks on Lex, I did feel a bit anxious/uneasy for a few hours each day, and would take 1mg of Ativan for that. The sexual side effects are there, but are not _too_ bad.
Other than that, it's been no big deal for me.
Give it a try, if that's what your doctor recommends. You can always stop if it's not for you.
Hope this helps!
Wildman
Posted by Mariposa on August 20, 2004, at 7:49:05
In reply to Re: My doctor told me that Lex is harmless, posted by krisdance83 on August 20, 2004, at 0:03:25
This place is great for getting things off your chest. I feel for you and your situation. I would not appreciate being treated that way myself.
As for Lex...my doc told me basically the same thing, and I really had a very bad time of it w/se's. Now that I'm past that part, I find Lex to be most helpful, can't imagine going back to the way I was.
In your situation, I think you need to decide if it's worth it to continue w/this doc. May try being honest and tell her what you feel about the way she treats you, or decide to put up w/it but not to get angry any more. It would be tough, I kind of did the same thing when forced to go to a therapist I, could not stand her personality, in order to get a recommendation for a pdoc for insurance purposes.
Best of luck!~~~8|8
Posted by Joslynn on August 20, 2004, at 9:10:31
In reply to My doctor told me that Lex is harmless, posted by krisdance83 on August 19, 2004, at 22:55:09
For what it's worth, I am on Lex and I do not have nausea, even though I take it on an empty stomach in the morning. And I do tend to get nauseous easily in cars, planes etc. or if I take certain meds such as Eurithmaricyn (I am sure I misspelled that, it's an antibitoic that makes me queasy).
That's just my experience, but I though I would mention it.
Posted by Charm on August 20, 2004, at 9:18:43
In reply to My doctor told me that Lex is harmless, posted by krisdance83 on August 19, 2004, at 22:55:09
I have to agree with Wildman on this one. I also have a sensitive stomach and took Lexapro in the mornings before I ate anything. I had no problems with nausea, no anxiety, and no insomnia.
I didn't feel that it was effective enough for me so I discontinued it and changed to a different antidepressant. I didn't have any withdrawal symptoms at all when I quit taking it.
I also tend to agree that you remember the horror stories that get posted much more than the positive or neutral comments. Also, satisfied people are much less likely to post or to seek boards such as this. And, it is possible that the other patients your doctor has treated have never reported any negative side effects to her from their use of Lexapro and she is not only relying on the drug company rep but her own clinical experience.
I think my real comment here is to not let a few bad stories disuade you from trying a prescription that could possibly be life changing for you. For myself, I tend to NOT investigate the side effects of a script before I take it because I have a tendency to psychosomatic side effects as opposed to real side effects.
I wish you the best and hope that you --- and all of us --- find the right medication(s) to help us achieve a better life.
Good Luck!
Charm
Posted by Sad Panda on August 20, 2004, at 10:36:18
In reply to My doctor told me that Lex is harmless, posted by krisdance83 on August 19, 2004, at 22:55:09
Most of the SSRI's have similar side effects, these being loss of libido, anorgasmia, nausea, insomnia, nightmares, vivid dreams, night sweats. Some go away with time, some stay for the duration. I found that Remeron covered nearly all the side effects for me, but it has a risk of increased appetite & weight gain.
Cheers,
Panda.
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