6 ms·

There were several drugs I tried where I couldn't stand the side-effects, and only one that I actually liked. As a patient, if you feel the drugs aren't helpin

by fsk 11y ago

There were several drugs I tried where I couldn't stand the side-effects, and only one that I actually liked. As a patient, if you feel the drugs aren't helping, you should be prepared to fire your doctor or even stop taking them. (I know that's a big medical no-no, but I never would have found someone competent if I didn't fire several psychiatrists and refuse to take drugs that had harsh side-effects. My first psychiatrist was so incompetent that I believed that they all were incompetent and all the drugs were harmful.)

GabrielF00 11y ago
If you choose to stop taking an anti-depressant, please be careful and consult a physician. If you don't taper off the drugs, you can feel some really nasty effects. This seems to be particularly problematic with Cymbalta. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant_discontinuation_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant_discontinuation...
- alejohausner 11y ago
  You bring up an important point. If you STOP taking an SSRI, you will feel depressed, because your serotonin levels will drop. What's happening is that the SSRI has been fighting your body, pushing up your serotonin levels, and your body has been fighting back. When the SSRI is cut off, your body's fight continues for a while, pushing levels down. Often patients feel suicidal at this point. Healy and Whittaker point out that the clinical studies initially used to justify the use of SSRIs cleverly took advantage of this effect. Patients on SSRIs were compared to those who had just been cut off the drug. Of course the latter group, perversely included as "placebo", fared worse than the ones taking the drug.
  - DanBC 11y ago
    Discontinuation effects are not "feeling more depressed".
    - bayesianhorse 11y ago
      But you feel like shit and may try to kill yourself. That's sort of the reason why stopping medication without external supervision is discouraged.
bayesianhorse 11y ago
I've been there, and because of decades of experience and talking to other patients, I have to disagree. Psychiatrists in large part aren't as incompetent as patients tend to assume. Your perception of their competence is mostly due to how much you like and get along with them. The next issue is the therapy they try initially, because different therapies work for differently well depending on your brain and your depression. But no doctor can know what works before trying it out. Switching psychiatrists will most likely prolong your suffering, not shorten it.

by fsk 11y ago

GabrielF00 11y ago

If you choose to stop taking an anti-depressant, please be careful and consult a physician. If you don't taper off the drugs, you can feel some really nasty effects. This seems to be particularly problematic with Cymbalta. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant_discontinuation_syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant_discontinuation...

alejohausner 11y ago
You bring up an important point. If you STOP taking an SSRI, you will feel depressed, because your serotonin levels will drop. What's happening is that the SSRI has been fighting your body, pushing up your serotonin levels, and your body has been fighting back. When the SSRI is cut off, your body's fight continues for a while, pushing levels down. Often patients feel suicidal at this point. Healy and Whittaker point out that the clinical studies initially used to justify the use of SSRIs cleverly took advantage of this effect. Patients on SSRIs were compared to those who had just been cut off the drug. Of course the latter group, perversely included as "placebo", fared worse than the ones taking the drug.
- DanBC 11y ago
  Discontinuation effects are not "feeling more depressed".
  - bayesianhorse 11y ago
    But you feel like shit and may try to kill yourself. That's sort of the reason why stopping medication without external supervision is discouraged.

bayesianhorse 11y ago

I've been there, and because of decades of experience and talking to other patients, I have to disagree. Psychiatrists in large part aren't as incompetent as patients tend to assume. Your perception of their competence is mostly due to how much you like and get along with them. The next issue is the therapy they try initially, because different therapies work for differently well depending on your brain and your depression. But no doctor can know what works before trying it out. Switching psychiatrists will most likely prolong your suffering, not shorten it.