Posted by Racer on December 16, 2007, at 0:03:44
In reply to Re: I come from a long line of quitters » linkadge, posted by yxibow on December 15, 2007, at 22:14:31
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> Sometimes it takes the longest time to find something right, but I do believe that, and I'm not referring to you at all, there are some people who have a string of medicine bottles stretching across the room after dropping it after a week for things that... I don't know how to say it, some things that really are endurable because they eventually settle out. Because the reward may be more than the "minor discomfort".Thank you for making that point. I've dropped drugs very shortly after starting them, for good reasons and not-so-good reasons, and I've also stuck with a couple that caused problems I should have recognized as deal-killers much sooner. And I've stuck with medications that caused problems at the start, and found that they were effective enough to make any discomfort worthwhile.
Here's something I know about myself now: I panic about starting a new medication. I've had some bad experiences, and I'm frightened by trying new medications. So, before starting my current medication trial, I talked about that fear, and about my previous experience with stopping medications prematurely, and my therapist, my psychopharmacologist, and I came up with a potential solution to it. I would update my pdoc twice weekly via email, letting him know what was going on; and my therapist and I would discuss the problems I might run into and ways to cope with them. Turns out, having that in place has made even the worst periods of this current medication trial much easier than any others I've been through. Instead of having the panic build and build, I can communicate a problem to my treatment team, get a response that might reassure me -- and often get a solution to the problem. It's worth learning to communicate those fears to one's doctors, because it makes it possible to find solutions to the stresses of medication trials.
Most of the pattern I developed of stopping medications prematurely stemmed from a bad situation with a doctor. Often, his choice of medication left me feeling as though he was punishing me rather than treating me. (I'm anorexic and internet savvy -- tell me Remeron is the only thing out there to try? Um...) Not having a doctor I trusted made a huge difference in my ability to tolerate start up effects. I've had to work very hard to learn to trust my current doctor, and it's been worth the effort I've been making. (Although it's still a struggle to trust him, even though he's proved himself every time I've risked it so far.)
I started this thread in hope that we could support one another in a similar sort of manner. Reminding one another that the potential rewards -- relief from depressive symptoms -- outweigh most of the problems we start out with, and letting one another know there's a hand to hold as we struggle with those problems during this time of uncertainty. (I have a fairly low tolerance for uncertainty, which I think is not uncommon amongst people with anxiety disorders.)
Sorry for going on and on. Thanks again for your post. I really enjoy your posts, they're often so sensible, so kind. Thank you for being here.
poster:Racer
thread:800854
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20071213/msgs/801086.html