Posted by Roslynn on December 23, 2009, at 19:48:58
In reply to Re: question about my meds, posted by bleauberry on December 23, 2009, at 17:08:58
Dear bleauberry,
Thank you so much for your detailed response; I really appreciate it. Some things to think about I guess...
Roslyn
> You ask some good questions.
>
> I think it is important to realize that all psychiatrists will treat a particular patient differently. Ten psychiatrists diagnosing and suggesting treatment for the same patient will probably come up with 5 different diagnosis and widely varying choices of meds. All the meds are experimental, all combinations are experimental, all assumptions of diagnosis are subjective not fact, and all doctors have their own preferred approaches. Some are influenced by their past successes or failures, some have the influence of pharmaceutical reps (free kickbacks under the table for prescribing their brand), some have the influence of their favorite mentors, some are just naturally born talent and excellent at pioneering choices, and such. Some are in it for a well paid profession, some are in it for the passion of helping people, and most fall somewhere inbetween. All theses things will influence the diagnosis and the treatments.
>
> In other words, as in most medical situations, it is very much a creative approach and not science.
>
> The only thing I can comment on regarding your meds is that I think it is unwise to change any more than one thing at a time...either dosage or med...and that each change needs at least 2 weeks before doing anything else. If too much changes too fast and things get weird, there is no way to know what is doing what, and thus no way to know what to do about it. All treatments are basically guesses. Changing more than one thing at a time increase the amount of guessing that will be needed, further confounding the situation.
>
> I assume you are having some symptoms that you feel warrant attention, or else you wouldn't be considering med changes or you wouldn't be here seeking advice. I don't know what the history is or what the symptoms are. But you do sound at least "stable". My gut instinct and past experience tells me that making these rather dramatic changes in a short time frame has a high risk of destabilizing.
>
> My two cents.
poster:Roslynn
thread:930569
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20091217/msgs/930600.html