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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 10 to 34 of 46. Go back in thread:
Posted by Phillipa on July 18, 2013, at 16:59:12
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better!, posted by Tomatheus on July 18, 2013, at 16:22:26
Just saying hi Lamadge and wishing you well back home in Germany. Seems like their health system is a good one. Phillipa
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 19, 2013, at 4:07:34
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better! » Lamdage22, posted by SLS on July 18, 2013, at 14:46:10
Hi Scott,
yes i think so, too. Certainly Ketamine could be problematic for me with Schizo-Affective.
This Prazosin, what side effects can occur? Any weight gain?
I have frequent nightmaires and maybe a bit of PTSD, too. I was diagnosed couple times. So im quite interested in this.Yes the health care systhem is a bit better, especially for less wealthy people. My insurance pays part of the costs and my dad said he is willing to pay the rest. Professor visits etc. cost extra. So this is not standard. The leading prof banned certain practices with pharma-industry from the whole hospital. Im in the station for people with private insurance. Not the mandatory public insurance.
Thats how it works here.. you need health insurance by law and pretty much anyone can get treatment regardless of wealth.I am wary of Antibiotics because i read up on Candida and how harmful Antibiotics can be to the biology of the gut.
Greetings and thx for your posts
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 21, 2013, at 4:12:16
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better!, posted by Lamdage22 on July 19, 2013, at 4:07:34
Hi Scott,
yes i think so, too. Certainly Ketamine could be problematic for me with Schizo-Affective.
This Prazosin, what side effects can occur? Any weight gain?
I have frequent nightmaires and maybe a bit of PTSD, too. I was diagnosed couple times. So im quite interested in this.Yes the health care systhem is a bit better, especially for less wealthy people. My insurance pays part of the costs and my dad said he is willing to pay the rest. Professor visits etc. cost extra. So this is not standard. The leading prof banned certain practices with pharma-industry from the whole hospital. Im in the station for people with private insurance. Not the mandatory public insurance.
Thats how it works here.. you need health insurance by law and pretty much anyone can get treatment regardless of wealth.I am wary of Antibiotics because i read up on Candida and how harmful Antibiotics can be to the biology of the gut.
Greetings and thx for your posts
Posted by SLS on July 21, 2013, at 4:56:10
In reply to Anyone!?, posted by Lamdage22 on July 21, 2013, at 4:12:16
> Hi Scott,
>
> yes i think so, too. Certainly Ketamine could be problematic for me with Schizo-Affective.
>
> This Prazosin, what side effects can occur? Any weight gain?I didn't gain any weight on top of what was already there.
> I have frequent nightmaires and maybe a bit of PTSD, too. I was diagnosed couple times. So im quite interested in this.
It is recommended that one begins treatment by taking a single 1 mg dose at bedtime. Dizziness often occur during the first few days, so taking 3 mg/day (1 mg three times a day) for the first week is advised. From there, you can increase the dosage more quickly. I am currently taking 25 mg/day, but you might be okay taking 6 - 12 mg/day in divided doses. I remember feeling some fatigue, tiredness, and malaise during the first week. These things completely disappeared.
- Scott
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 21, 2013, at 14:35:25
In reply to Re: Anyone!? » Lamdage22, posted by SLS on July 21, 2013, at 4:56:10
Scott, any lack of drive, weight gain or sexual side effects?
Any worrysome long time repercussions?
Posted by SLS on July 21, 2013, at 18:27:40
In reply to Scott Prazosin, posted by Lamdage22 on July 21, 2013, at 14:35:25
> Scott, any lack of drive, weight gain or sexual side effects?
> Any worrysome long time repercussions?I experienced a small amount of dizziness, fatigue, muscle weakness, and malaise for the first week.
* No weight gain.
* Reduced sex drive.
* Slight reduction of motivation at dosages that are too high.
- Scott
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 22, 2013, at 12:24:29
In reply to Re: Scott Prazosin » Lamdage22, posted by SLS on July 21, 2013, at 18:27:40
Doing pretty ok.. although a fellow patient pisses me off. That bitch seriously told a doctor i ate her chocolate. It was in the fridge, there was no name on it so WTF!?
Why doesnt she waste the Professors time with this sh*t. I didnt know it was hers, i told her it was me. She makes this a public thing. What a bitch. She can go f*ck off. Sry.. i tend to indulge in stuff like that alot.
Anyway.. i think the NAC is good. I think the Seroquel is good. Im halfway where i want to be.
Adding Parnate soon. I told the doctors i am willing to raise Seroquel, but that i want a high dose of Parnate.
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 23, 2013, at 4:55:00
In reply to Feelin better yet again. I blame NAC, posted by Lamdage22 on July 22, 2013, at 12:24:29
The doctors pissed me off today. I had a reasonably good mood yesterday maybe even a bit euphoria if you want to call it euphoria.
They talk about it like its a huge problem.I offered to take more Seroquel along Jatrosom, but what i meant was more like "id rather take more seroquel than to get a b*llsh*t low dose of Jatrosom".
Now they raised the Seroquel to 400 and give me 10!!! mg of Jatrosom tomorrow. A nurse told me you had to start the oh so important MAOI diet a couple of days in advance before 10 mg of Parnate?? B*LLSH*T!
I do not feel very supported.. it feels almost like they dont want to change anything about my mental state. Im a schizo-depressive with depression far more strong than psychosis. What the f*ck are they thinking? If i dont get a decent dose of my Parnate im going somewhere else.
Then they bitch around with a financial decision i want to make. How is this their business? I will sell a condo with 50k earned in one year. If i need financial advice i talk to my freakin realtor not these fool doctors.
Im really pissed off and i wonder if this is any good here.
Also i want to move back to my home and they bitch around like its a bad thing that i now have some hope (because i get a medication that is superior to placebo: Parnate) and that i have good plans. They want my father to call here and tell them that its a good idea to sell the home. Who do they think they are the police? Im fuckin 24.
Im pissed off and i wonder how to defend myself against this stupidity.
Help Please
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 23, 2013, at 14:51:18
In reply to Doctors pissed me off. HELP, posted by Lamdage22 on July 23, 2013, at 4:55:00
Posted by Tomatheus on July 23, 2013, at 15:26:14
In reply to Cooled down again. I can be pretty on edge i guess (nm), posted by Lamdage22 on July 23, 2013, at 14:51:18
Lamdage,
I'm sorry to hear that you were feeling upset with the doctors who've been treating you at the hospital. I know that it can be upsetting when those who are responsible for your care at a hospital make decisions that you're at odds with. Patients generally have fewer options when hospitalized than they do when they're being seen on an outpatient basis, and that can be frustrating. Sometimes I think it helps to vent our frustrations about our treatments on forums like this when we're upset. I think it can allow us to sort out what we're going through, and it gives us the opportunity to get others' perspectives.
Do you think that there's any chance that your doctors might be planning on eventually increasing your Jatrosom dose? A lot of times doctors like to start off by prescribing low doses of medications to make sure that patients can tolerate the drugs before increasing to the target dose. Could your doctors be planning something like this?
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 1:19:45
In reply to Re: Cooled down again. I can be pretty on edge i guess » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on July 23, 2013, at 15:26:14
Yes, they sure are. But given my extensive positive experience with MAOI i think they could have gone with 25 mgs without a problem.
I will ask for such a rase tomorrow. 10mg is really a joke.Im a little worried Parnate will send me on the edge to much. Idk if Seroquel counteracts this much.
Anyway, i think ill be fine. Just have to figure out some stuff now. Lots of decision making these days. But in a way its fun not being that passive anymore.
Posted by Tomatheus on July 24, 2013, at 2:07:58
In reply to Doing a fair bit better, posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 1:19:45
Lamdage,
You might be right that starting out at 25 mg of Jatrosom/Parnate wouldn't cause any problems for you. I think that your doctors are probably just trying to be safe by having you slowly work your way up to a therapeutic dose. Sometimes we don't always respond to medications in the same way that we used to respond to them, and I think (from experience) that this is especially true when psychosis is involved. And given the fact that you said that you were worried about Jatrosom/Parnate sending you "on edge too much," I can see why your doctors would want you to start low on Jatrosom/Parnate and to work your way up. Having said this, I don't think that you'd be out of line by asking your doctors if they could increase your Jatrosom dose to 25 mg. I of course would like for your doctors to agree to the dose increase and for you to do well on 25 mg or higher of Jatrosom/Parnate, but if your doctors don't agree to the increase, that doesn't necessarily mean that you won't eventually get to take the dose of the medication that you'd like to take. It could just mean that you might have to wait longer than you'd like to get to where you want to be medication wise.
I think that you're probably right in saying that you'll be fine. I think that you've already made some progress in the treatment of your conditions, and I think that the odds are favorable that you'll make more progress. Sometimes the process of getting to where you want to be can be one of taking two steps forward and one step backward, as the saying goes, but I think it's most likely that if you remain patient and keep trying different treatment options that you'll at least get closer to where you want to be. So, good luck with everything, and if you'd like, please feel free to keep letting us know how things are going.
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 3:45:49
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on July 24, 2013, at 2:07:58
Thanks Thomatheus.
Im angry like sh*t! Look at the list of my diagnoses.. look at all the things i need to decide and take care of.
I dont even have an psychologist to help me. Now i eventually am treated by an GP !?? Mind you i pay a bit short of 300$ a day.
They keep telling me how i need to be patient. Because they are too f*ck*ng lazy and partially incompetent to help me!
F*CK
Posted by SLS on July 24, 2013, at 6:05:33
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better, posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 3:45:49
I like what Tomatheus wrote to you.
It is incredibly difficult to be patient when one is in pain. This is especially true when the mental illness itself creates a state of mind that compromises one's ability to remain patient.
For me, I have made a habit of starting tranylcypromine at 20 mg/day for a few days before moving up to 30 mg/day. As Tomatheus noted, one can react differently to the same drug at different times. This is especially true if the system has been exposed to a different set of drugs. Hopefully, you will begin to feel better soon after reaching 40 mg/day.
- Scott
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 13:48:38
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on July 24, 2013, at 2:07:58
Thanks folks, for your backup.. i need all the backup i can get right now. I will try to articulate that to the doctors.. But they are soo sensitive. Why do i have to worry all the time about hurting my doctors feelings?
Today they told me to not "indulge in too much activism".. Are their brains wired the wrong way or something? Im freakin 24 years old and i havent really moved for almost a year.
So its not good news to them that i am finally able to kick my own *ss a little bit? Maybe they dont wanna have their *ss*s kicked by me to WORK.
I have so many problems, i cant even tell them all of it because it would overwhelm them. If i approach this in a "not too much activism" manner, a lifetime will not be enough to get to the point of enjoying life to the fullest.
How can i reason with these folks?
Lamdage needs backup in Germany;)
Thx guys.
Posted by Tomatheus on July 24, 2013, at 13:50:12
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better, posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 3:45:49
Hello again Lamdage,
You sound frustrated, to say the least. I think that your frustration is understandable. Receiving care that's not up to your expectations can be frustrating. Although psychiatric care has made what I think is significant progress over the past century, I think that there is still more guesswork and trial and error in psychiatry than most patients like us can stand, and I think that that can be one source of the resentment that a lot of patients feel toward the mental health and medical systems. I can't say from my position the degree to which you might be right about your doctors being lazy and incompetent, but I think that even the best doctors might seem incompetent when the treatment options that they have to work with leave a lot to be desired. In much the same way that a master chef is only as good as the ingredients that he or she uses, psychiatrists in a lot of ways are only as good as the treatment options that they have available to them. In their quests to first do no harm, your doctors probably want to be as careful as they can be to avoid prescribing any treatment that might lead to added distress and/or dysfunction. Unfortunately, this can sometimes interfere with getting you the treatment that might serve you best in the shortest time frame possible.
So, how are things going for you at present? If you already asked your doctors about increasing your Jatrosom/Parnate dose, what did they say?
Here's to hoping that you're finding some peace of mind.
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 14:19:24
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on July 24, 2013, at 13:50:12
Thomateus,
i didnt ask them. Once again i was afraid to overwhelm them or hurt their feelings.. Though i think this is more of a pride and having to be right issue.
I will defenitely ask tomorrow if they wanna raise it at all and if not, then WHY THE F*CK not. Then i will ask for 25 mgs.
Then i will tell them to stop the damn "dont be too active" and that i need them to go through the things i want to do with me... so i can go ahead and pick up that piece of sh*t of life and turn it into something worth living.
I have been such a zombie, i guess i was an easier patient in a way when i was staying in bed all day and nodding and agreeing to every word they say. They love that.
Then i want to tell them that i have so many urgent problems, that i dont even want to tell them to not overwhelm them. I will tell them about the other diagnoses i have (signature) and i tell them how much my weight distresses me. (overwheight due to Seroquel)
I have been working out like a maniac in my teenage years and early twenties. And i didnt do that too walk around with embarassing belly fat.
I will leave them alone with the nightmaires, because i think at that point they would just leave the room and declare me crazy.
What do you think?
> Hello again Lamdage,
>
> You sound frustrated, to say the least. I think that your frustration is understandable. Receiving care that's not up to your expectations can be frustrating. Although psychiatric care has made what I think is significant progress over the past century, I think that there is still more guesswork and trial and error in psychiatry than most patients like us can stand, and I think that that can be one source of the resentment that a lot of patients feel toward the mental health and medical systems. I can't say from my position the degree to which you might be right about your doctors being lazy and incompetent, but I think that even the best doctors might seem incompetent when the treatment options that they have to work with leave a lot to be desired. In much the same way that a master chef is only as good as the ingredients that he or she uses, psychiatrists in a lot of ways are only as good as the treatment options that they have available to them. In their quests to first do no harm, your doctors probably want to be as careful as they can be to avoid prescribing any treatment that might lead to added distress and/or dysfunction. Unfortunately, this can sometimes interfere with getting you the treatment that might serve you best in the shortest time frame possible.
>
> So, how are things going for you at present? If you already asked your doctors about increasing your Jatrosom/Parnate dose, what did they say?
>
> Here's to hoping that you're finding some peace of mind.
>
> T.
Posted by Tomatheus on July 24, 2013, at 14:32:51
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better, posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 13:48:38
Lamdage,
It looks like we were writing our last two posts right around the same time. I was actually responding to your message from 3:45 a.m. central U.S. time in my last post, and I'll respond to your message that just came in now.
From my end, it sounds unfortunate that your doctors are telling you not to "indulge in too much activism." I think that some doctors tend to be intimidated when patients take active roles in their treatments, but I've also encountered doctors who like working with patients who are rather proactive. I don't personally see how bringing more information to the table, so to speak, can be a bad thing, but I can also see why doctors find it unsettling when patients come to them seemingly thinking that they know more about medicine than they actually do (and I'm not saying that you're doing this, just that I think that it can sometimes happen). So, maybe your doctors don't necessarily see being a bit proactive as being such a bad thing, but they might be trying to warn you that it could be possible to have too much of a good thing.
I think that you have a good point in saying that if you take your doctors' advice of not engaging in "too much activism" that you might not ever get to where you want to get with your treatment, and ultimately, your life. And yes, I think that being proactive, both with your treatment and in general, is a good thing that's essential to getting what you want out of life. But for better or for worse, one thing that you probably won't be able to change at least for now is the fact that your doctors are responsible for overseeing your care. And so, it would work to your advantage to build a good working relationship with them. How do you do this? I definitely don't have all the answers to this question, but I think that one thing that you need to do is strike a balance between saying what you want and need to say with respect to your treatment and respecting the decisions that the doctors make. You definitely don't want to be afraid of saying something that might push your treatment in a better direction, but at the same time, being too pushy in telling your doctors what medications you'd like to take might strain the relationship between you and your doctors. So, I think that a little bit of balance between being active in your treatment and respecting your doctors' decisions is something that I'd strive for.
I think that this sums up my thoughts on what you've written, but if I think of anything else that I'd like to add, I'll let you know. As always, good luck with everything.
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 14:54:20
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on July 24, 2013, at 14:32:51
Thanks Tomatheus..
you make good points. Well maybe i should pick them up where they are.
Tell them i understand that they feel uneasy about me being too proactive but i still want to say what i have to say. In a "i dont want to step on your feet", but i still want to say that (....) manner.
I think whatever i say its important to tell them that it is not my intention in any way to step on their feet or strain the relationship.I am still appalled about the fact that i have to care about their feelings just as much or more even than they have to care about mine, even though i pay for this sh*t..
Cant change it, so i guess i just have to go along with it.
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 15:02:12
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better, posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 14:54:20
So im the therapist now?
Good morning doctor.. do you feel unsettled because of my being so proactive? Do you feel uneasy about me taking action because you believe im just a fool unable of making good decisions anyway?
Jeez.. maybe im just being a dick now.
Probably better go to sleep.See ya
Posted by Tomatheus on July 24, 2013, at 15:17:00
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better, posted by Lamdage22 on July 24, 2013, at 14:19:24
> Thomateus,
>
> i didnt ask them. Once again i was afraid to overwhelm them or hurt their feelings.. Though i think this is more of a pride and having to be right issue.
>
> I will defenitely ask tomorrow if they wanna raise it at all and if not, then WHY THE F*CK not. Then i will ask for 25 mgs.
>
> Then i will tell them to stop the damn "dont be too active" and that i need them to go through the things i want to do with me... so i can go ahead and pick up that piece of sh*t of life and turn it into something worth living.
>
> I have been such a zombie, i guess i was an easier patient in a way when i was staying in bed all day and nodding and agreeing to every word they say. They love that.
>
> Then i want to tell them that i have so many urgent problems, that i dont even want to tell them to not overwhelm them. I will tell them about the other diagnoses i have (signature) and i tell them how much my weight distresses me. (overwheight due to Seroquel)
>
> I have been working out like a maniac in my teenage years and early twenties. And i didnt do that too walk around with embarassing belly fat.
>
> I will leave them alone with the nightmaires, because i think at that point they would just leave the room and declare me crazy.
>
>
> What do you think?Lamdage,
I can relate to what you wrote about the doctors and the staff in your hospital presumably perceiving you to be a easier patient when you feel like a zombie of sorts and end up spending a lot of your time in bed and questioning little of what the hospital staff tells you. I know that during one of my hospitalizations, my Abilify dose had been raised to 10 mg for about a week, and the way I was feeling was so unbearable that I couldn't even stand to wait in line for my medication. I decided to only take half of my Abilify dose at that point (I was being given it twice a day, which allowed me to refuse my morning dose and still take my evening dose), and one of the staff members questioned my decision because to him, I seemed to be doing "so much better" on the higher dose of Abilify. I do think that there can be a tendency among some hospital doctors and staff members to see patients who engage in few activities and spend a lot of time in bed as being the patients who are doing the best, but I of course don't see functioning at such a level to be good from a mental health standpoint. Engaging in few activities and spending a lot of time in bed aren't things that lead to success in the real world, and I don't think that such behavioral outcomes should be seen as successful outcomes in the hospital, either. But for better or for worse, the goal of hospitalization usually seems to be "stabilization," which involves controlling behaviors that are disruptive and potentially dangerous. Depression only seems to be a major concern to hospital personnel if the patients are making suicidal gestures, and even though feeling really fatigued and/or sleeping a lot could be very problematic and be a major source of functional impairment outside the hospital, these problems aren't thought to interfere so much with mental stability from the perspective of a lot of hospital personnel.
Having said what I've said here, my recommendation would still be to strive to strike a balance between being an active patient (both in your treatment and in general) and respecting where the doctors and other staff members of your hospital are coming from in what they tell you. While I think it's important, on one hand, to do what's best for your mental health, you don't want to compromise your relationships with your doctors and the other staff members in your hospital so much that these individuals might make your daily life in the hospital a lot more difficult. Doctors and other hospital staff members have a lot of power, sometimes too much, if you ask me. Straining your relationship with these individuals too much is definitely not in your best interests, and it will probably interfere with getting what you want out of your hospitalization. So, again, I think that achieving a balance between being an active patient and not being too disrespectful or difficult is something that I would encourage.
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 25, 2013, at 4:20:04
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on July 24, 2013, at 15:17:00
So i didnt have the chance to communicate all the grievances i had.
Shrink wanted to increase Seroquel to 500 and leave Parnate at 10mg.
Mind you i didnt even have psychosis at 300 mgs of Seroquel.I said "No" basically in a "go f*** yourself with that manner". I anticipated that. They also want me on Valium. They can go f*ck themselves with that as well. I aint going nowhere with the seroquel without at least 30 or 40 mgs of Parnate.
Thats diplomacy.. i feel they should be diplomatic to. And this gal doesnt give a sh*t. So i dont give a sh*t about her Seroquel plans. Simple as that.They wanna call all the shots.
I will make it through this.. even if it will be worse than anal bleaching. (Just a joke, i have nothing to do with this)
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 25, 2013, at 7:03:42
In reply to Re: Doing a fair bit better, posted by Lamdage22 on July 25, 2013, at 4:20:04
Ok, F*CK THEM!!!
They blackmail me if i dont go to the therapies they wont let me decide what to do with my future.
Who the f*ck do they think they are? Someone should lock these niggas up. I dont have myself blackmailed.
F*CK*NG MORONS! I would like to flip the bird on each and everyone of them and tell them to go f*ck themselves!
Posted by Lamdage22 on July 25, 2013, at 8:12:19
So they just want me to surrender and anounce that im totally crazy, that all complaints i have are part of my crazyness and that they are 100% right with all that they are doing.
Can anyone see how this is b*llsh*t?
Ok im too much on edge for sure. But i dont have a single point?
That is not a basis on which i consent to treatment in this hospital.What the hell is going on
Posted by Phillipa on July 25, 2013, at 9:46:12
In reply to Re, posted by Lamdage22 on July 25, 2013, at 8:12:19
I don't know what do you mean surrender? Phillipa
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