I hate psychiatrists!

[crdjsph]

Ive been through tons of different meds, trying to stabilize my depression..Prozac, Lamictal, Remeron, Risperdal, Celexa, Zyprexa, Wellbutrin, Effexor XR (which was the best so far, not for hot weather though), Adderall (the successful one), Ativan, (headaches, but closer) Klonopin (awesome), and NOW! A NEW MORON DOCTOR WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT ME wants to take away the ADDERALL and KLONOPIN, to replace with Seroquel. I told her to go fuck herself (not literally) because its only going to lower the amounts of Dopamine and Norepinephrine in my body, which is the base line of my depression.(which is treated with stimulants) She says, NO its serotonin, the essence of your mood. So i said fine i'll take it, but you are leaving my other prescriptions alone i have been through way to many trial doses of way to much shit for me to just stop and start over with a new doctor i know nothing about, and knows nothing about me.

FIRST OFF, I DONT ABUSE PRESCRIPTION MEDS, I SMOKE WEED IF I WANT TO FEEL HIGH, OR HAVE A DRINK. THATS WHY MY PRIMARY DOCTOR TRUSTS ME WITH ADDERALL AND KLONOPIN, THE BEST COMBO I HAVE HAD. SO DONT TALK TO ME ABOUT POSSIBLE ADDICTION, MY GRANDMA TOOK XANAX FOR 20 YEARS AND LIVED TO BE 87!

This morning i woke up after my little 25mg dose last night (first time) AND im FUCKING PISSED! I HAVE NO FUCKING POSITIVE EMOTION, THIS DRUG IS SHIT!

Anybody else been through shit like this for years with doctors that know "everything?" Did you know that my greatest successes have been with my primary doctor, and I have failed to have any luck with 3 psychiatrists?

 

[sonicwhite]

Wulp, to be honest i had to go thru three pdoc before I could find one that was more liberal. He knows that I have a problem with drug addiction so He askes when I see him have I been taking the klonopin right?.I'm bipolar I but I think it's II but I was on ritalin and I started to go hypo manic but I tink that was cause of phenibut. But when I was like that I started to get delusional again......So Yes it's hit and miss and you do not need to go thru the line up again......Just tell her that the crap ain't working or go find a new doc..Is my advice.

 

[DJ25]

Seroquel has been shown to be effective at augmenting ad's and has been shown to work for bipolar depression and I think depression in general. Although it antagonises dopamine at certain receptors in the brain it actually increases dopamine in the frontal cortex...just because it antagonises dopamine at one or two receptors doesn't mean it lowers it. It may lower that specific dopamine but general dopamine will increase.

It's hard to explain as the brain is complicated as are meds, for example anatgonizing the 5 HT C receptor increases dopamine and noradrenaline in the frontal cortex where is where we need it.

So it may or may not help, but my view of antipsychotics is that they get rid of bad dopamine or serotonin that makes us feel shitty and filter it in to the stuff that makes us feel good although it's much much more complicated.

I think you should give it at least a few weeks and see how you go. Some sides like weight gain and lethargy are just too much for some with it but I found it energising, I am also in your position and have tried a load of meds and seroquel was the best AAP for me, and risperidone I also liked...

 

[paranoid android]

I have had absolutely no luck with shrinks and i swear they get off on fucking with you. I have been to 3 so far and the only good one i ever had was one that was standing in for my regular shrink for a few months. She was actually good and actually listened to me and asked me what my problems where instead of telling me what my problems where like most of them do. Sadly shrinks like that seem to be very rare. The last shrink i saw was the only doctor I've gone to that made me want to break his fucking jaw after only talking to him for 5 minutes. I refused to go back to him cause he was just so maddening. Not to mention it would be a waste of time.

As for your med change seroquel can help depression. I am scripted 300mg's a night and it tends to help the depression side of my bipolar more then the manic side. 25mg's of seroquel is nowhere near the dose needed to act as a anti-psychotic. At that dose you are only getting the strong H1 antagonism hence the brutal dry mouth and everything you get from it. It's not until you get above 100mg's a day atleast that you start getting the anti-psychotic effects and it takes a few days to work for sure. Id say it would be worth giving it a fair try.

I found zyprexa to work far better then seroquel but i can't get it covered under my insurance. Risperdal is kinda iffy and has alot more shitty side effects

 

[dopemegently]

It's just people I suppose; you get superior, detached assholes, then you get psychiatrists that are good, and give a shit about helping you.
The one I see specializes in addiction, so she aint looking down her nose at me or anything. Some of these medical people really can't stand addicts though (at least here). It's why I've been reluctant to even mention my drug use to some of them.

 

[bennyZA]

Shrinks are so hit and miss. There are shrinks who are so by the book (the DSM, the 'holy grail') that nothing gets done. It takes some deep thought on a unique treatment plan that will work. Too bad since so many psych drugs are abused, the prescribing guidelines for stimulants and depressants are 'last line of defense' drugs.

Pyshciatry: apparently everyone's got issues, and apparently everything can be treated with prozac (generalization, but you catch my drift)

 

[DJ25]

We must remember that Psychiatry is NOT an exact science, Depression or any mental disorder has never been proven to be due to a serotonin or other chemical imbalance or even to exist anyway, it's all theory and criteria based. How can you base everyone in this world under one criteria, yes some people are helped by ssris and aap's but so would they if they took a decent opiate.... I was told that because I had no bipolar or schizophrenia that I did not need to be seen anymore, I was speechless, I mean I thought 'depression' was a psych disorder- I think this is when they (psych's) get most frustrated as their usual bipolar or schizophrenia diagnosis cannot be given, and they need to think outside the box or in their case the book.

I am still pondering making a complaint, I only get one p doctor in my county and he is such an idiot and basically blames drug use- yes the old get out clause for some psychs...

I still feel I/we need to have some faith, funny how a cure never makes way for these things, just like Cancer, where I have heard vitamin b-17 has had success, but I'm an illuminati believer so won't bore you with my conspiracy theories.

I believe in therapy and ways to think more positively like CBT with exercise and proper nutrition and vitamin intake aswell as omega 3 is the only true way to change your situation, I've been on meds for 8 years and more and more have been added, I've put on loads of weight probably 100lbs due to meds- lethadrgy laziness and not eating right and exercising as I'm very over medicated and don't kmow where the last 8years have gone if I'm perfectly honest. I'm working on reducing meds but some are hard, especially with co-morbid addiction. But I'm 30 now and lost most of my 20's so need to get my life going.


A good tip for anyone on an SSRI/SNRI is to add 25- 50 mcg of T3 thyroid hormone to your AD it will get it going without weight gain.

 

[Pilll_head]

Shrinks are so hit and miss. There are shrinks who are so by the book (the DSM, the 'holy grail') that nothing gets done. It takes some deep thought on a unique treatment plan that will work. Too bad since so many psych drugs are abused, the prescribing guidelines for stimulants and depressants are 'last line of defense' drugs.

Pyshciatry: apparently everyone's got issues, and apparently everything can be treated with prozac (generalization, but you catch my drift)

yeah, I think doctors generally speaking these days really just don't want to prescribe controlled substances because of their potential for abuse and the liability it cause them. My former shrink prescibedme Ambien for insomnia and specifically mentioned that " it was only a schedule 5", if that gives you an idea of their mindset. There are good shrinks out there, mine is pretty good, he has come up with some creative treatment ideas for my depression.

 

[crdjsph]

Seroquel has been shown to be effective at augmenting ad's and has been shown to work for bipolar depression and I think depression in general. Although it antagonises dopamine at certain receptors in the brain it actually increases dopamine in the frontal cortex...just because it antagonises dopamine at one or two receptors doesn't mean it lowers it. It may lower that specific dopamine but general dopamine will increase.

It's hard to explain as the brain is complicated as are meds, for example anatgonizing the 5 HT C receptor increases dopamine and noradrenaline in the frontal cortex where is where we need it.

So it may or may not help, but my view of antipsychotics is that they get rid of bad dopamine or serotonin that makes us feel shitty and filter it in to the stuff that makes us feel good although it's much much more complicated.

I think you should give it at least a few weeks and see how you go. Some sides like weight gain and lethargy are just too much for some with it but I found it energising, I am also in your position and have tried a load of meds and seroquel was the best AAP for me, and risperidone I also liked...

Thank you all for the replies, i read every single one.

As far as specific dopamine, that makes sense to me I would love to hear a little bit more. Seroquel honestly pisses me off. Any ideas why that would happen so quickly? Never happened to me like that with other drugs, it was always something stupid like over sweating, or super farts. haha. This one (seroquel) just doesnt like me i guess. To be honest every serotonin boosting drug makes me angry, i think. Or its just making me normal, and I don't like that.

 

[missmeyet?]

In no way am I implying that it isn't honestly the drug affecting you this way but you asked how it could happen so quickly. Sometimes we set ourselves up for failure. When we are very biased or set against a treatment (regardless of what it is for) it can have negative effects just due to your mind set.

 

[Morphling]

Seroquel has a really nasty side-effect profile, but it does work well for those people who honestly need it and can tolerate it. As others have said, you should give it a few days and see if it helps you out! But for sure, if you don't get any benefit from it, I'd definitely talk to your doctor about discontinuing it's use, as it does has the potential to cause a whole plethora of side-effects. Not worth it if it doesn't help you out!

 

[mrflowers00]

i hate anti psychotics they're likely to make you a high cholesterol having diabetic and fat on top of all that thats why i'm quitting zyprexa tonight my first night w/o it so probably won't sleep

 

[Pretty_Diamonds]

It usually takes meds at least 2 weeks to fully kick in. Relax. Breathe. What happened with your main doctor? Why do you have a new one?

 

[.:Holy::Toast:.]

Idk seroquel works pretty much instantly, you don't have to wait a week for effects to kick in.
But in the end you can't be entirely sure of your cause of your depression, just because you feel better after you're given low dose stimulants doesn't mean anything. Give anyone low dose amphetamines and they will see a mood increase.
I'm not bashing you and saying you don't suffer from depression I'm saying its not so black and white.
Meds may help 25% but the other 75% has to come personally, from seeing my mother suffer from severe bipolar, she has made her best strides on seroquel combined with personal positive reinforcement whenever she felt depressed.
All the seroquel does is prevent from entering a manic state

 

[Toz]

Anybody else been through shit like this for years with doctors that know "everything?" Did you know that my greatest successes have been with my primary doctor, and I have failed to have any luck with 3 psychiatrists?

YES! I had to go through several different psychiatrists that also prescribed shit anti psychotics and stuff to me like SSRIs that didn't work. Eventually I got prescribed ritalin and benzos by my subutex doctor which really helped my depression and ADD. Fucking useless psychiatrists none of them would prescribe me addictive meds as I was seeing the subutex doctor too.

 

[BabyGurl3171]

I went 9 and a half years n psychs out the ass so I feel ur pain. I had every damn dx known to man, the longest was bipolar which I knew was bs.

I finally found an amazin dr who figured out all I have is ADHD and Tourette's. My panic attacks come from unmanaged ADHD and my depression was/is from the ADHD also bc the non stop thoughts and my mind not shutting off. I was suicidal by the time I got to this dr. I was once on 18 psych meds at once! So I kno bout the frustration of not bein heard. 4 were antidepressants all at once. Yes, that dr was an idiot.

Stand ur ground and keep searching. This is YOUR health, fuck what drs think. You kno ur body more than anyone.

Best of luck hun!

 

[paranoid android]

Idk seroquel works pretty much instantly, you don't have to wait a week for effects to kick in.
But in the end you can't be entirely sure of your cause of your depression, just because you feel better after you're given low dose stimulants doesn't mean anything. Give anyone low dose amphetamines and they will see a mood increase.
I'm not bashing you and saying you don't suffer from depression I'm saying its not so black and white.
Meds may help 25% but the other 75% has to come personally, from seeing my mother suffer from severe bipolar, she has made her best strides on seroquel combined with personal positive reinforcement whenever she felt depressed.
All the seroquel does is prevent from entering a manic state

Seroquel takes the longest to work out of any of the atypicals. At doses below 100-200mg's a day you are basically only getting the anti-histamine effects as it is a very strong H1 antagonist hence why it's so sedating. As you have to increase the dose by no more then 100mg's a day it can take awile to hit a dose where it is actually acting as a serotonin and dopamine antagonist. Above 200mg's is generally consider a anti-psychotic dose by most doctors but everyone is different hence the wide variation in doses with seroquel. It does take about 5 days for it to really kick in for me but everyone is different and even just being calmed down by the sedative effects helps some people.

Seroquel helps both the manic and depression side of things with bipolar disorder unlike drugs such as valproate ( trade names epival, depakote, epilem, etc) or carbamazepine which are just anti-manic drugs. Hence why seroquel is approved to treat bipolar depression and major depressive disorder though with the latter seroquel is most often used as a add on to a anti-depressant. I get severe depression, mixed states, hypomania and full blown mania and if i am suffering from a bad mixed state, manic episode or sometimes a really severe depressive episode i get some psychotic features. Since i can't afford the much better drug for me zyprexa i have to make do with either seroquel or risperidone and as seroquel has less side effects for me i use that along with lamotrigine and bupropion as well.

As for treating depression with Amphetamines low dose use can certainly help depression alot. I have taken dextroamphetamine for depression and it works great but amphetamines are so easy to get psychologically addicted to so extreme caution must be used if using amphetamines for this purpose. If you over do it with amphetamines you will feel 10 times worse then you did before.

 

[Toz]

I don't understand why psychatrists would prescribe these meds for depression. I can see it helping with anxiety but not with depression. Anti psychotics just blunt everything and make you a zombie. Maybe they will stop you from feeling bad but they will effectively stop you from feeling anything at all so what's the point? There is a place for the state anti-psychotics put you in and it's called a coffin. Might as well buy a shovel and dig yourself a hole if you're gonna feel dead anyway.

I don't see how serotonin or dopamine antagonists would ever help with depression. Anxiety yes but depression no, the mechanism of action just don't fit in my eyes.