Out of curiosity what country are you in? The UK?A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2024 4:42 am Faced with a tricky one here, or maybe it isn't and I'm just wavering because it's an added load of bullshit I don't have the bandwidth for. Regardless, some wider opinions would be handy.
After a particularly rough spell I've decided that not only are my current medications no longer helping, but they're actively accelerating a downward spiral. To this end I went to the doctor to express a desire to come off them and to try something else. There's one particular medication I refuse to try again as I had such a bad experience with it last time around, but I'm open to any alternative family.
I should say, at this point, that this is a new doctor and my first time in with him, and I'm not confident with his manner. I suppose I should appreciate what looks like thoroughness when your doctor is literally Googling things in front of you as you talk, but I'd feel better with a sense that the knowledge was already there. Either way, I'm not feeling that confident about him.
He suggests a medication after some Googling. It's something I've never heard of and I'm good with giving that a go. He prescribes it and I ask him about the timings and general procedure for responsibly tapering off what I'm on, before starting this. He tells me he doesn't want me to taper off the other drugs at all, but to take this on top and come back in some four-to-six weeks 'to see how you are feeling then'. This gives me a little pause because it's a lot of medication on top of each other, and he doesn't seem to have acknowledged, even if not immediately, my desire to come off the current meds.
When I get home, I Google the new medication. I should say I'm not the sort that trawls through WebMD and becomes hysterical at every last listed side-effect, but I haven't felt good about the experience with the doctor and thought I'd at least Google and read what he had read in the surgery. Down the page there is a particular paragraph dedicated to this new medication not always playing well with one of the families I'm currently on.
Today, at the suggestion of my housemate, I call the national hotline just to get a second opinion. They put you through to a working pharmacist where you can explain yourself and get an opinion from them. We speak and the pharmacist is literally, "He said WHAT?!"
I am urged in no uncertain terms to not take this medication atop of my current load, under any circumstances.
On the one hand this is straightforward - I will taper off the current regimen before adopting the new one; on the other hand I should surely do something about this, right? I really don't want to expend even more energy and stress on another ballache, but it's at best negligent and at worse malpractice.
Has anybody here any experience in handling something like this?
Re: Premier Mental Health Mutual Support Thread
263Trust your instinct. Particularly if affirmed by an independent third-party whose purpose is to save lives.A_Man_Who_Tries wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2024 4:42 am On the one hand this is straightforward - I will taper off the current regimen before adopting the new one; on the other hand I should surely do something about this, right? I really don't want to expend even more energy and stress on another ballache, but it's at best negligent and at worse malpractice.
jason (he/him/his) from volo (illinois)
Re: Premier Mental Health Mutual Support Thread
264Wow, well aside from managing your medication in the more sensible way you’re planning, my number one would be to find another doctor (and possibly lodge a complaint about this one, depending on how accessible your practitioner regulatory body is). That’s pretty much malpractice by anyone’’s definition.
Re: Premier Mental Health Mutual Support Thread
265Sorry to hear about this, Harvey. Is he a psychiatrist? If not maybe try to see a psychiatrist? "General practitioners/family practice" (what we call em here in the US), IME, are sometimes not the best at prescribing these things. There's just too many drugs out there for them to keep up with.
Wishing you the best.
Wishing you the best.
Re: Premier Mental Health Mutual Support Thread
266Get a good lawyer, and make some money!
Edit: you might want to murder someone you don’t like first, so you can blame it on the meds.
Edit: you might want to murder someone you don’t like first, so you can blame it on the meds.
Re: Premier Mental Health Mutual Support Thread
267I’m so tired of life. I’ve gotten sexually harassed and physically threatened while out walking more times this summer than since I first moved here 6 years ago. My family is struggling with financial issues and discrimination. One of my friends was kicked out of her house after she complained that her mom’s new boyfriend was being transphobic and stalking her online and sexually harassing her. Her cat escaped in the process and the last several weeks he was spotted in the neighborhood and she tried multiple times to capture him. He was found dead a few days ago. The Republican party has made trans people a target for genocide and the Democrats have no spine to stand up to them and are more than happy to abet in a genocide of Palestinians on their own. I took a road trip over the weekend and saw many friends and had incredible sex and felt so loved but the feeling wore off almost instantaneously and I was depressed before I even left for home. I’ve been undergoing esketamine therapy and the most I’ve felt at peace in my entire life has been when I’m put into a medically-induced k-hole while listening to Schubert’s last piano sonatas. I felt myself slipping into death and it felt so nice to embrace nothingness setting in, but I’m disappointed when I float back to the surface and “normal” consciousness again. So many of my friends have already died from suicide and I envy them. Several of whom related their struggles and encouraged me to keep going, only to end up taking their lives themselves anyways. I’ve gotten over my inner aversion to kill myself and right now the only reason I haven’t yet is because I don’t want my loved ones to be hurt by my sudden absence. I don’t think nonexistence is a bad thing. There’s no problems, no wants, no suffering with nonexistence. I wish I could convince them to go out with me. I know some of them would literally jump at that opportunity, but I fucked up over the last several years and improved my life and made dozens of friends who don’t want to die and who would be devastated if I died and I’ve only dug myself further into a hole. I’m so depressed and it hurts so much. Why couldn’t I have just gone through with it when I was a kid. Fuck why am I hurting so much again when I haven’t hurt in so long. Why does everything that I do that seems to improve my depression only end up making me hurt worse. I just got out of my therapy session and I want back in the void again so, so much, I’m so upset that I was cheated out of nonexistence with life
Re: Premier Mental Health Mutual Support Thread
268So, I haven't been where you are in a long time. I'm sorry you're there now. I am sure that you've had all the advice and been told all the things that all of us have in this particular situation.
I can tell you about my dogs though, because outside of the humans that live in my house, they're the most important things to me.
Hazel is the gray and white pit that you see in the first pic. We "adopted" her when our neighbors found her at the creek where the coyotes hang out, and we're pretty sure she was raised by the coyotes for her first few months. We got her at ~6 months old. She literally tore apart a metal crate when we were initially training her, but she was about as sweet as could be outside of some pretty severe anxiety. She shredded my favorite hoodie in that process also, and figured out how to open the doors that we didn't lock - the ones with the straight style knobs, not the round kind, obvs. But still. No small feat for a puppy.
People who defend pits will tell you how sweet and gentle they are, yada yada. And while thats true, the 2 that I've had are also very protective and territorial. Smart as shit, but wary of anyone they don't know. With the proper intro to other animals, humans, outsiders in general, she's great. If not, it can be dicey. She is about 6 and a half years old. They take a lot of work, in particular the ones that come off the streets.
Frankie is the fucking goof in both pictures. Full name Franklin Bartholomew. Lab/Boxer mix, born with 10 brothers and sisters, and has never, ever known anything other than luxury since the day he arrived. We got him at ~3 months old. When he gets excited he jumps straight up in the air like an armadillo, but gets scared mid jump and twists himself around so he never lands on his feet. Every day he does this when anyone in the family comes home. He's 5 now.
They know everything that's going on, and take care of us when we're down, know what we need, and are always at the ready for fun, scratches or a cry.
I know this is prolly a dumb response, but I wanted to respond, and it's the best I could come up with.
I can tell you about my dogs though, because outside of the humans that live in my house, they're the most important things to me.
Hazel is the gray and white pit that you see in the first pic. We "adopted" her when our neighbors found her at the creek where the coyotes hang out, and we're pretty sure she was raised by the coyotes for her first few months. We got her at ~6 months old. She literally tore apart a metal crate when we were initially training her, but she was about as sweet as could be outside of some pretty severe anxiety. She shredded my favorite hoodie in that process also, and figured out how to open the doors that we didn't lock - the ones with the straight style knobs, not the round kind, obvs. But still. No small feat for a puppy.
People who defend pits will tell you how sweet and gentle they are, yada yada. And while thats true, the 2 that I've had are also very protective and territorial. Smart as shit, but wary of anyone they don't know. With the proper intro to other animals, humans, outsiders in general, she's great. If not, it can be dicey. She is about 6 and a half years old. They take a lot of work, in particular the ones that come off the streets.
Frankie is the fucking goof in both pictures. Full name Franklin Bartholomew. Lab/Boxer mix, born with 10 brothers and sisters, and has never, ever known anything other than luxury since the day he arrived. We got him at ~3 months old. When he gets excited he jumps straight up in the air like an armadillo, but gets scared mid jump and twists himself around so he never lands on his feet. Every day he does this when anyone in the family comes home. He's 5 now.
They know everything that's going on, and take care of us when we're down, know what we need, and are always at the ready for fun, scratches or a cry.
I know this is prolly a dumb response, but I wanted to respond, and it's the best I could come up with.
Re: Premier Mental Health Mutual Support Thread
269I don't know where you went on your road trip, but it sounds better than where you call "home".Hex wrote: Thu Sep 12, 2024 3:45 pm I took a road trip over the weekend and saw many friends and had incredible sex and felt so loved but the feeling wore off almost instantaneously and I was depressed before I even left for home.
Is there any way for you to make where you went on your road trip "home"?
I sincerely wish the best for you.
jason (he/him/his) from volo (illinois)
Re: Premier Mental Health Mutual Support Thread
270Also, the world needs you. Not that you owe the world anything, just that the world is a better place with people capable of empathy, joy and self-reflection.