Mental Health
 

I have been prodded, pushed, convinced to see a psych professional by my boyfriend. It ended with her prescribing me some meds for depression and anxiety (after only one session). Then, they told me that they didn't have a therapist available for me to talk to because I wanted a woman (sorry guys - it's just easier for me). I do have an appointment in a month with the one who prescribed the meds.

I started taking the pills yesterday and COULD NOT get to sleep. If I fell asleep, I couldn't stay there. I feel like a zombie. I took my pill today, but I am debating just not taking them and looking for another office. I would rather have some depression and anxiety and be able to sleep than feeling like a zombie all day.

Any guidance will be appreciated. I am not asking for medical advice from the interwebs, just some......I don't know. I guess I don't really know why I am posting this or what I am asking. *SIGH*:neutral:

Do the notes included in the packaging refer to side effects etc?

Often a few days needs to elapse before things settle down.

Might be worth persevering with to give the meds a chance to do their stuff.

bbro, your body needs to adjust to the meds. Different medications act differently in different people. I've tried a number of them until I find the right 'cocktail' and each time there was an adjustment period.

So it may be that you just need time to adjust. It may be that the meds aren't the right ones for you. I would try to take them until you talk to the therapist and express these concerns.

I don't believe in throwing meds at everything. I know that for me, the meds probably saved my life.

Without getting into the details of your situation, I wonder if the doctor spoke with you at length about your symptoms or if it is just one of those who throw meds at everything.

And you say you were rather pushed into this by your boyfriend. He must have some concerns for your well-being. Is this what YOU want? Do YOU think there is a problem or does your boyfriend just find you 'difficult' at times.

Obviously there are no easy answers, and I can only speak from my personal experience...it is YOUR health and you will take responsibility for it when you have a nice long chat with your therapist as to your situation, your symptoms, and what sort of outcome you are looking for.

This

Also, get therapy from somewhere else, if you have to. Hopefully, your insurance situation allows you to do that.

When I went on SSRIs it took weaning on, starting with a week of 1/4 dose, week of 1/2 dose, week of 3/4 dose and then the full amount. It further took 2 months to really take effect.

It also takes weaning off when you stop.

@Carruthers - yes. They list a lot of things for side effects. Trouble sleeping is one of them. It conflicts on whether to contact doctor immediately or if it is severe

@Infinite Monkey - I am trying to be patient, but I suck at that when I don't feel good. I am going to give it until the end of the weekend and give her a call. If she weans me off them, I am just going to wait until I get another person.

No worries about the boyfriend - he did it because I do need to go. He wants the best for me and wants me to feel good. He felt bad that they didn't actually have room for me. It's something I have been thinking about for a long time - he just nagged enough to get me to actually do it. It is a positive thing. If it wasn't, I probably wouldn't have gone

@Spexxvet - I have no idea what my insurance covers. Not much, probably, but all offices I know of are good about payment plans. I need to get online and find another office.

@Undertoad - really? She never said anything about weaning on them. She definitely warned against not weaning off. I wonder if weaning on them would have been better

Well you shouldn't take any advice from me on this, your med may have different properties, and the thinking may have changed about how to go onto a med for the best results. Maybe they want you to be under the effects of the med quickly, in a month, instead of the two months it took me.

I do know that the initial side effects will not last, and it's the side effects that you have once you're fully on, after a month or two, that may require med adjusting.

Once it was working, the lifting of the depression was a most excellent time. It may reward you for these early sleepless nights.

Not to worry :) I am not going to change anything without talking to my doctor. We will see how the weekend goes. Even if it is better in the long run, I cannot function for long without sleep. I am having some trouble with functioning today.

Better living through pharmaceuticals. I know a lot of guys who have to go several months before getting individual therapy. Getting into a group is fairly simple and can serve as a stop gap. At least for people like me.

I am feeling better today. Not much of an appetite, but I at least got some sleep. I don't remember any dreams though, which is odd. I used music to drift off and was able to sleep some.

I figured out why I can't get to sleep. It may sound weird, but when I go to sleep, I go off into a fantasy/daydream world and drift off from it. It's better than just laying there trying to stop all the thoughts from the day. Turns out, I can't do that anymore. Hopefully, this isn't a permanent thing. What would I do without my imagination? I think this is the first time in my life there aren't some scenarios running through my mind when not occupied. It's unnerving.

I am more interested in food than I was yesterday afternoon/this morning. I am taking that as a good sign.

I don't feel as out of it as I did yesterday. That is another good thing. I don't really feel like doing anything, but it's Saturday :)

Hopefully, this will keep getting better as I get adjusted to the medicine.

I am currently looking for a different office. The thing is, I have already gotten the worst stuff out already. I am just not as motivated this time around. I also have A LOT of other things going on right now. Other doctor's appointments, court dates, interviews. I just can't seem to find the time to do it all. I don't get PTO, so I have to work extra every time I take some time out of work. Just adds to the stress I am trying to alleviate.

It's all just a big circle, it seems

The best thing I do to stop my mind running wild at night, to fall asleep...is I pick a subject and go through the alphabet naming things for that subject. Like, US cities, or world cities, or countries, or foods, or animals etc. And I'm really lenient with myself. I don't care if it takes me a few breaths in and out to come up with an answer, and it's fine if I can't come up with anything (I have yet to think of a "D" vegetable, for instance) so I just come up with something close. I find myself drifting off, then being half awake trying to remember where I left off. It really does the trick for me. It's like you're keeping your mind busy without thinking about all the bad parts of the day or the 'what ifs' or (if you're like me) reminding myself how much I suck.

It's sort of gives your mind a relaxing routine without being taxing...and you can be as specific or non-specific as you like. (Like, naming countries is easier than naming brands of cookies or something...but you gotta mix it up so you're not just repeating the same things every night.)

And, if you're like me, the dreaming will come back. I'm dream as much or more (or remember as much of them or more) than before, even.

Keep on keepin' on, bbro!

Thanks infinite monkey.

I am still not dreaming. It's very weird I can't tell if I slept or not anymore or for how long. All I notice is closing my eyes and opening my eyes.

My appetite hasn't gotten any better really. Like last night, I had Wendy's (I know, I know), but it seemed to make me nauseous. I am hungry this morning, but I don't want food. I am going to see if yogurt will be ok. I've lost over 3 pounds in the same amount of days!!

And the oddest thing yesterday, I felt kind of high for about half the day. Foggy mind, light headed, didn't want to hold my head up. It passed eventually, but it wasn't a pleasant feeling. I hope it doesn't happen all the time

I have decided that I am not going to be taking any more of this medicine. I called my doctor yesterday and left a message well before closing and still have not heard from anyone in the office.

While I do think it is working for me, the side effects are not fading and I want a doctor that is more responsive. Apparently they really are too busy for me.

I started looking for some other practices last night. My worry is that I got all my crying/worries out in that first appointment. I guess I will see how I feel after I stop my medicine

Be careful you aren't looking for an instant cure from a magic doctor/drug. If you are, you'll be disappointed over and over. It'll take time, but you can do this. :yesnod:

I agree. I just don't think taking pills and seeing someone once a month is a good plan to healthy. It seems like she is just throwing pills at me. I want someone that will be there for me and able to see more often than once a month. The way I want to do it is actually longer/more expensive than just taking the pills - lol. There are other options for SSRIs and hopefully the next doctor can recommend a different one that works better for me

And I still haven't heard from them about my message yesterday.

Sent an email to a new doctor about 5 minutes ago. Wish me luck. Told her my diagnosis from the other doctor and asked if she had room for me. We will see if I get an answer

:fingerx:

hoping...

No room for me. Figures. She sent me info for some other people, but they are over a half hour away,

*SIGH*

That sucks bb.

It would be nice to have your personal shrink living next door, so you could chat when ever you get the urge. We know you can't afford that, only the 0.01% can afford to have one on staff. Besides, I'm not sure, but I don't think they work that way anyhow.

I'm under the impression they are not tour guides through life, holding the flashlight and reminding you to watch your step. More like map makers, who you can check with periodically to see if you're on the right path, and/or heading in the right direction. Unlike regular doctors they can't cure you, only help you figure out how to cure yourself, and write prescriptions to help cope while you do.

Don't get discouraged, you can do this, and you've got cheerleaders. ;)

Bruce, everything you just said applies to pretty well everyone, whether here in the NE US or in the parts of Canada I'm familiar with. The best anyone can do is to map out a path that should lead in a positive direction. No one can 'cure' anyone. But we can help each other along. And we can, and should, cheer each other on.

Here's one man's experience.

Hey bbro,

Not sure if this is too late but I want to share my experience of the first time I went on meds, sertraline (zoloft). I had many of the same side effects that you mentioned. Sleeplessness, in a jaw clenched, zombie like state was top of the list. The alternating feelings of hunger and nausea were another. The sleeplessness took about 4 weeks to taper off, same with the hunger/nausea feelings. For the meds to actually take effect took a few weeks longer. Gradually increasing dosage is pretty much the standard protocol with these kinds of meds along with close supervision if there is indication of suicidal thinking. Same goes for going off the meds.

For me it was worth sticking with them because the alternative was more unpleasant by far.

If you went on them on the 7th then you should just now be beginning to take off, as it were.

An aside about the side effects: They were identical to the side effects of psilocybin, the jaw clenching, the hunger/nausea, dilated pupils, sleeplessness, and even tracers and blue sparks out of the corners of my eyes. Sadly, the tracers have not come back.

foot - it's never too late. I successfully went off them about 5 days after I started. I was already feeling better mentally, but no dreaming or any imagination at all freaked me out royally. Unfortunately, there was no supervision. If I had a weekly appointment instead of a monthly, I probably would have stayed on them until I had the chance to talk to the doctor. Since I didn't and I couldn't get a hold of her in what I thought was a reasonable amount of time, I stopped. The best idea? Maybe not. It still took me about 2 weeks before I started dreaming again.

I am still in search of a suitable office with room for me and location. I am taking a break from it because it is really hard for me to contact people about it then find out there's no room for me.

I saw a website on tv that I wanted to give a look to, but I need to find it again.

The dream thing is interesting to me. When I first went on them and I eventually fell asleep I would have these intensely colorful relentless dreams. It was like BladeRunner every night. I would sometimes wake up exhausted from them as if I had actually been doing all the shit that happened in my dreams.

I've not remembered a dream in years. My sleep is totally fucked anyway, but that's another matter.

It sounds like you remember your dreams a lot and they are important to you.

I don't remember my dreams for long after I wake up, but they are important to me. I never realized how much.

I would go to sleep (when I would be able to actually fall asleep) and feel like I immediately woke up, but hours had past. It was very surreal not being able to tell the passage of time. I have had nights where I don't dream and I still can, subconsciously I suppose, tell that time has passed.

I don't necessarily have normal dreams. Some of them give me a complete WHAT THE FUCK feeling when I wake up :p:

Well, it's round about 5 now. I finally found a woman that has room for me that is the perfect time. She is about 10 minutes away.

I saw her for the first time today. I think it might work out. It was in her house and she was very easy to talk to. The only problem? She's the type that doesn't prescribe drugs. Still, it's worth a try for a bit. We'll see how long my insurance holds out.

Great, and if she can help without the drugs that all the more gooder. :thumb:

Good luck.

My regular doc prescribes the meds for me and she confers with my psychologist as needed. Does your shrink not believe in taking meds or is she unable to prescribe?

foot - she is unable to prescribe. I am ok with that for right now. I had such a bad reaction to it, I am going to try unmedicated first and see how that goes. I need to get a new PCP in this part of town before they can confer.

It didn't seem like she was against it at all. She was appalled at the last experience I had though - that the doctor was unavailable for help when needed. Also that she prescribed it after one visit and was only going to be seeing me once a month

That is crazy... but, the local hospital has a psychiatrist on staff who sees a person once a year for med eval. Had. They just got rid of that position. Unless you have mad loot, it is almost impossible to find a psychiatrist. It seems that the job of prescribing psych meds has been pushed onto PCPs.

That is insane. Trying to file this with the insurance company is a joke, too.

Off/As Lamp would say ... elections have consequences. /topic

Only it's been that way for a very long time. My physician first prescribed my meds for me ~20 years ago. Nice try, though.

thanks.

Might as well go batshit insane, and let someone else deal with it.

That's my plan.

But, only after I'm broke. Ain't nobody spending my money on that shit.

It's good to have choices. ;)

It's been a while - I figured I would update. I saw the dr for a while - until I could not drive. It was really helpful to have someone to vent to and not feel judged. I actually ended up breaking up with the guy I was seeing, too. We're still friendly, but more like text friends if anything. I haven't been back since I've been able to drive. It is like I hit the deadline, finally, which relieved a lot of the stress and anxiety I was feeling.

I still have some stress, but it's at a normal level and nothing I can't handle. I'm sure I could go back if I needed to, but I don't really feel like I do. There is some depression that I deal with that seems to be hormonally related, but I need to talk to my gyno about that one. There may not be anything I can do, though. Birth control makes it worse and more constant.

Anyways - thanks for all the help you gave me earlier this year :)

Glad to hear things are on the upswing, bbro!

I'm not a gyno, or play one on TV, but I'd be glad to take a look for you. ;)

Stress definitely fucks with your hormones.

Clod - thanks :) Sometimes I have to remember how good I am compared to before. It's a good thing

Bruce - I think I'll leave this one to the professionals - lol

foot - my hormones are already fucked, sadly :/ But, at least I have a dr that understands and is willing to try different things.

That's the best news, a doc that will work with you.

Love hearing good news from you bbro. Thanks!

[Chris Rock] I understand. I don't approve, but I understand. [/Chris Rock] :haha: