ChemicallyEnhanced
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Apr 29, 2018
- Messages
- 9,743
I've had a very stressful few weeks so apologies in advance for the rant.
so 4 months ago my doctor decided my anti-depressant (which has worked perfectly for the last nine years) needs "a change-up" and switches me from sertraline to amitriptyline. I beg him not to. He ignores me. 2 weeks later and I'm crying in bed cutting my limbs and contemplating whether to hang myself. I haven't washed or changed clothes in 12 days. I cannot remember what sleep is or when I last ate. I wash down a bottle of ativan with a bottle of vodka.
I wake up in the ICU where they put me back on sertraline and within a week I am back to my normal self. You'd think this would teach them to leave well enough alone, right? Nope.
Next my neurologist wants me to take Keppra instead of Phenobarbital. Now while on phenobarbital I have had ZERO seizures and am not having any side effects. I ask him why and he tells me: "we prefer to try other meds before prescribing phenobarbital". I tell him I've been on it 13 months and it works like a dream. He insists anyway. I tell him the horror story about my anti-depressants. He promises me nothing like that will happen this time.
So I switch to Keppra. I have 5 seizures over the next three days. The fifth seizure I actually had while in the emergency room. It lasted over 6 minutes and they had to put me into a medically induced coma (ironically, with phenobarbital) to make it stop. I broke 4 ribs, fractured my orbital socket, dislocated my shoulder and fractured my spine because it was so violent. The specialist tells me if I had not already been in a hospital when the seizure struck I would have died.
I tell them about how my seizure meds had been changed (pointing out that the med I wanted to be back on was also what they had had to give me anyway, to save me life no less).
They say okay, we'll try you on this new med, Lamotrigine. I may have flipped out a little (can you blame me?). They inform me that "throwing a tantrum" will not change their minds and that they know what is best.
So I'm a good little boy and take the lamotrigine. I've been on it 6 weeks now and have experienced sweating, vomiting, migraines, tachycardia and anxiety and seem to have developed an essential tremor. Last week it got so bad I HAD to stop taking it. I've spent all week in and out of hospitals and doctors offices trying to get a) the Phenobarbital reinstated or b) a new med prescribed. I'M STILL WAITING.
So now I'm left to risk fitting with no medication. I don't have typical epilepsy, this is caused by brain damage and every seizure is status epilepticus so I am at a very high risk of severe hypoxia or death.
Sorry, I'm just so stressed and angry, I had to get that off my chest.
I mean, am I being unreasonable in thinking the way I've been treat is terrible?
so 4 months ago my doctor decided my anti-depressant (which has worked perfectly for the last nine years) needs "a change-up" and switches me from sertraline to amitriptyline. I beg him not to. He ignores me. 2 weeks later and I'm crying in bed cutting my limbs and contemplating whether to hang myself. I haven't washed or changed clothes in 12 days. I cannot remember what sleep is or when I last ate. I wash down a bottle of ativan with a bottle of vodka.
I wake up in the ICU where they put me back on sertraline and within a week I am back to my normal self. You'd think this would teach them to leave well enough alone, right? Nope.
Next my neurologist wants me to take Keppra instead of Phenobarbital. Now while on phenobarbital I have had ZERO seizures and am not having any side effects. I ask him why and he tells me: "we prefer to try other meds before prescribing phenobarbital". I tell him I've been on it 13 months and it works like a dream. He insists anyway. I tell him the horror story about my anti-depressants. He promises me nothing like that will happen this time.
So I switch to Keppra. I have 5 seizures over the next three days. The fifth seizure I actually had while in the emergency room. It lasted over 6 minutes and they had to put me into a medically induced coma (ironically, with phenobarbital) to make it stop. I broke 4 ribs, fractured my orbital socket, dislocated my shoulder and fractured my spine because it was so violent. The specialist tells me if I had not already been in a hospital when the seizure struck I would have died.
I tell them about how my seizure meds had been changed (pointing out that the med I wanted to be back on was also what they had had to give me anyway, to save me life no less).
They say okay, we'll try you on this new med, Lamotrigine. I may have flipped out a little (can you blame me?). They inform me that "throwing a tantrum" will not change their minds and that they know what is best.
So I'm a good little boy and take the lamotrigine. I've been on it 6 weeks now and have experienced sweating, vomiting, migraines, tachycardia and anxiety and seem to have developed an essential tremor. Last week it got so bad I HAD to stop taking it. I've spent all week in and out of hospitals and doctors offices trying to get a) the Phenobarbital reinstated or b) a new med prescribed. I'M STILL WAITING.
So now I'm left to risk fitting with no medication. I don't have typical epilepsy, this is caused by brain damage and every seizure is status epilepticus so I am at a very high risk of severe hypoxia or death.
Sorry, I'm just so stressed and angry, I had to get that off my chest.
I mean, am I being unreasonable in thinking the way I've been treat is terrible?
