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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by SLS on August 6, 2011, at 8:16:26
Hi.
I would like to know what are the main reasons why people decide to stop taking their medication.
- Lack of therapeutic effect? How many weeks did you wait for the medication to work before discontinuing it?
- Side effects? Which side effects influenced your decision most?
- Lack of financial resources?
- A doctor asked that you discontinue taking a medication. What were his reasons?
- Remission has been achieved. For how long were you in remission before discontinuing medication?
- Any other reasons?
- Scott
Posted by Phillipa on August 6, 2011, at 11:41:47
In reply to What are your reasons?, posted by SLS on August 6, 2011, at 8:16:26
I still take them but don't work like used to. Phillipa
Posted by floatingbridge on August 6, 2011, at 12:42:30
In reply to What are your reasons?, posted by SLS on August 6, 2011, at 8:16:26
> Hi.
Hi.
> I would like to know what are the main reasons why people decide to stop taking their medication.
Medications. There have been enough that I could write short essay answers to all the below. But I won't :P
>
> - Lack of therapeutic effect? How many weeks did you wait
for the medication to work before discontinuing it?
>When there aren't side-effects, I can be sometimes stupidly,
stubbornly patient. Maybe up to 12 weeks or even longer.
> - Side effects? Which side effects influenced your decision most?
Physical pain increase, dyskinesia (sudden onset twitch; right term?), marked decrease of cognitive functioning, worsening dysphoria, inner aggitation.>
> - Lack of financial resources?
>
> - A doctor asked that you discontinue taking a medication. What were his reasons?Physical and cognitive symptoms.
>
> - Remission has been achieved. For how long were you in remission before discontinuing medication?
>
> - Any other reasons?Fighting with myself over whether I needed them or not.
Oh yeah. Recently fighting with others whether I needed them or not :-/
>
>
> - Scott
How about you, Scott?fb
Posted by herpills on August 6, 2011, at 14:16:41
In reply to What are your reasons?, posted by SLS on August 6, 2011, at 8:16:26
> Hi.
>
> I would like to know what are the main reasons why people decide to stop taking their medication.
>
> - Lack of therapeutic effect? How many weeks did you wait for the medication to work before discontinuing it?I try to give myself 6 weeks or so to figure out if something is going to help me, unless I'm having severe side effects.
> - Side effects? Which side effects influenced your decision most?
There are two side effects that I really can't stand which have caused me to discontinue meds in the past- insomnia and sexual side effects.
>
> - Lack of financial resources?Yes. About ten years ago I tried getting off a med because I couldn't afford it. I even had health insurance at the time but my policy didn't cover anything related to mental health- dr visits, prescriptions. I wish I had known about patient assistant programs at the time because I'm sure I would have qualified, I was in graduate school and totally broke. I use patient assistance programs to get all of my meds for free (except the klonopin). I encourage anyone who is thinking about stopping a med because of financial reasons to look into these programs. You don't have to be destitute to qualify, many of them you can make 400% percent of poverty level and still qualify.
>
> - A doctor asked that you discontinue taking a medication. What were his reasons?I've never had a doctor ask me to discontinue a medication.
>
> - Remission has been achieved. For how long were you in remission before discontinuing medication?At one point in my life I had a good two years without symptoms. I was on a combo of 3 meds. I decided to try and discontinue 1 of them. It was a failure, I ended up in the hospital.
herpills
Posted by bleauberry on August 6, 2011, at 16:17:25
In reply to What are your reasons?, posted by SLS on August 6, 2011, at 8:16:26
> Hi.
>
> I would like to know what are the main reasons why people decide to stop taking their medication.
>
> - Lack of therapeutic effect?Yes, and the complication of med induced anhedonia.
>How many weeks did you wait for the medication to work before discontinuing it?
Which one? Most were in the neighborhood of 3 months. Some were abandoned early due to paradoxical reactions or intolerable side effects.
>
> - Side effects? Which side effects influenced your decision most?Anhedonia, sexual.
>
> - Lack of financial resources?Not at the time.
>
> - A doctor asked that you discontinue taking a medication. What were his reasons?Suggested since none seemed good for me.
>
> - Remission has been achieved. For how long were you in remission before discontinuing medication?Close to remission on Paxil for about 9 months. Close to remission on Prozac/Zyprexa/Adrafanil for several years. During those times I wasn't depressed but had the common anhedonia complaint.
>
> - Any other reasons?Well it wasn't until late in the game that I came to have second thoughts about the actual potential of psych meds. It seemed artificially inflated by the working of the pharm companies and the detailed flaws in all of the studies, as well as the flawed way in which they are interpreted or presented to the reader. Their track record really isn't very good except for a few combos and the maois.
>
>
> - ScottEven though I am a fan of other methods to treat psych disorders, the difficulties with those can be frustrating too.
Posted by tepi on August 7, 2011, at 13:16:31
In reply to What are your reasons?, posted by SLS on August 6, 2011, at 8:16:26
I just simply stop taking them because they dont work. I feel the same being on them than being without them.Tepi
Posted by tepi on August 7, 2011, at 13:17:04
In reply to What are your reasons?, posted by SLS on August 6, 2011, at 8:16:26
I just simply stop taking them because they dont work. I feel the same being on them than being without them.Tepi
Posted by Christ_empowered on August 7, 2011, at 19:19:38
In reply to What are your reasons?, posted by SLS on August 6, 2011, at 8:16:26
I'm stuck on Abilify. I quit taking it periodically just to see if I can function without it, mainly because it makes me feel a bit too tranquilized.
This is the end of the thread.
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