Some background context for my post: I've had misdiagnoses and bad psychs (really, putting me back on a drug that I got hospitalized for, no thanks). I've also not been the most compliant patient/person and tried too many 'nootropics' and stuff.
As well as the guidelines:
That is great that you openly communicate with your doctor and do your research intending to talk about some things, giving some respect for the partnership, the "she AND I" aspect of medications for more complex mental illness. The follow-up and explanations sound good, though a little black-and-white. I don't intend to say (don't do any research) and (trust your doctors completely because they are superior versions of ourselves), but recognize the value in following up with those who actually evaluate you. I mean to promote communication with professionals, however institutionally biased they may be, and express some skepticism on some self-evaluation and especially self-medication.
Harms can come when people become fixated on some treatments or in avoidance, when people avoid any treatment because they don't get the best treatment or their preferred one and then pursue nothing or keep the same. Some things take time and require consistent communication. (Not that I haven't stayed on ineffective treatments too long and that sometimes something doesn't work.)
Bluelight is a public harm reduction forum and not everyone reading may have your situation and your willingness to communicate with providers. I would say I don't. AMP as a mod may recognize that your post is read by others, who could take some things a certain way. He/She has to take a position supporting engagement with providers. Medical distrust and self-medication on a drug forum are pretty much the standard people come in with (understandably), and mods may need a strong message to return with in light of Bluelight's mission. Also working in the field drug-users writing off destructive habits can be an art. Not saying you of course I'm going on tangents. (I'm pretty sure I've overstepped on self-medication a bit, and probably annoy mods by stating random research inaccurately. )
I think some people treat mental health practitioners as conduits for drugs they may want, the 'I just need xanax and adderall' to treat say bipolar or schizophrenia. 'My meth is part of my healthy lifestyle'. Unregulated or deceptive self-medication by proxy. (Not that sometimes that's all someone may need, someone to fill the script, but in many complex cases that is not viable. People may not have insight into themselves or have delusional conditions, or harm themselves in the long run. Again, not that doctors can't have extensive bias or misunderstandings either.)
[I work with some physicians and even GPs sometimes feel like waiters (direct quote), serving up antibiotics as people need. (This is over-pharmaceuticalized US of course.) I also don't want to annoy some doctors by giving out massive amounts of information when the course can be simpler. Some research is still academic and not clinically relevant. Some clinicians may be more conservative or follow strict guidelines. Some clinicians shouldn't really practice. Some clinicians are burnt-out or in beyond their depth for a particular person, which doesn't exclude them from practicing for most people. I think this fatigue is a major problem in the patient-provider relationship and the medical industry is really suffering in dehumanizing patients and providers.]
AlphaMethylPhenyl is right to say 'We don't really know the specifics of your situation' and advise closer contact. Your post gave a good amount of information but when you mention three conditions and drug use I think there would be a lot to cover, and Bluelight is more support.
On average, I would trust a doctor's opinion a fair bit more than someone on bluelight around some topics. Otherwise I'd be boofing everything, I mean what...
Sorry for the scattered response. I also don't mean to be sarcastic or confrontational or whatever. Can understand the frustration. I think it is great that you are able to communicate with your provider and give them time to learn things from you. I'm glad Bluelight is available. Hopefully some things help, and best of luck managing the clonazepam/kratom.
[You write like someone who wrote particular philosophy papers/arguments in undergrad. Or something, haha. Deterministic, arguments, very either/or, categorization or whatever. I write strangely, even obtusely myself.]
Funny that you mention philosophy, because yes, I majored in philosophy in college.
There is pretty much nothing here you said that I disagree with, other than the part where AMP said he didn't know the specifics of my situation and then asked me why i didn't want SSRIs right afterwards, because that part he knew since I had just said why I don't want them right before that.
I don't think anyone here has said to me ''you SHOULD'' or ''you NEED'' to take this or that, or this is the dosage you should take, or anything of the kind, nor did i hear anyone tell me not to talk to my doctor and consider her opinion most strongly.
But not asking for outside opinions or questioning things is unwise in my opinion.
For example, and I don't mean to come down on AlphaMethylPhenyl too strongly here, but he and one other mod were the ONLY ones to tell me to listen to my doctor and use suboxone to wean myself off kratom, whereas every other poster said it was a terrible idea and not to do it.
Well, I DID NOT do that, and wisely DID NOT take suboxone to get off kratom, and just felt kind of crappy for 5 days and now i'm off kratom, and believe that had i listened to my doctor and taken suboxone i'd have been in a worse spot.
I believe that mods like AMP are afraid to disagree with a doctor's opinion because it made lead posters astray, and rightfully so as that's a dangerous position to take, BUT THEY CAN CHOOES TO BE SILENT ON THE MATTER IF THEY ARE UNSURE.
I listened to everyone else, but most importantly MY OWN CONSCIENCE, in deciding NOT to take my doctor's advise and get hooked on suboxone for such a mild addiction as kratom, and i don't like the line of thinking that i should NOT ASK ANY QUESTIONS of anyone other than my doctor.
I am not going to be like that as i want to research things, but I am also not going to be stupid and think i or random posters USUALLY know better than a doctor.
There ARE a few things here and there we may know more about than her, like Kratom, usually we won't know much she doesn't, BUT...again, I am only using threads like this as a way TO LEARN ABOUT POSSIBLE OPTIONS THAT HAVE WORKED FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE IN THE PAST AND THEN BRING THEM UP TO MY DOCTOR.
No more and no less.
And I don't think that that goes against forum rules or has anything wrong with it.
I must say that I find AMP's style of posting and responses to me to be snarky and frankly, at times mildly arrogant.
I know he means well and believe most people here do, and I have never had to be a mod, BUT A MOD OR ANYONE HERE CAN CHOOSE NOT TO RESPOND IF THEY DO NOT FEEL COMFORTABLE DOING SO.
Were I to suggest i was thinking of trying something dangerous i think it would be time for a mod to speak up, but i have not, and i don't like being told not to question things.
And yeah, i get that others reading these threads might take things the wrong way, but i think this has been a pretty tame thread so far, with people just throwing out some random suggestions of medications that they have used that did or did not work for them or have read about that have or have not worked for people in the past WITHOUT SAYING THAT I SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT TAKE THEM...just as mere suggestions, and that is all i'm looking for.
It's not like i can't search the internet on other forums or articles and find the same info, but I like this forum and feel that it has some very intelligent posters who know things that SOMETIMES SOME doctors MIGHT not, though usually doctors do know this stuff, but they may not know it from the angle of someone who has used the drug themselves, and/or they may not consider certain ideas that other people might have, and yet, I WOULD NEVER be so foolish as to just think that some idea someone else had with no medical expertise is something i should go for even if my doctor says it is a bad idea.
All i am doing is using the medications mentioned in this thread, and i've gotten some interesting ones, to compile a list to ask my doctor about when we speak.
If she says any are a bad idea, then i won't take them.
It's nothing more than a list of possible theoretical ideas, and I see nothing wrong with that.
