This Is Really Getting Nuts/still Medication Issues! :(

[Red Barchetta]

Can't seem to win - I've been doing fine with my anti anxiety medication for years - but there's more to it then that now..

Headshrinker keeps wanting to mess with mood stabilizers, and/or anti-depressants - but it's not working out at all.

[Dill_Pickle]

Red, I am curious....what does "requires monitoring" mean in your case? For example, in treating TUberculosis, it means having a witness to each and every dose of drugs to prevent drug resistance from developing. I am very happy to have my doc monitor a bunch of blood parameters, like vitamin D levels and HDL/LDL ratios, and check for signs of liver damage. I was on Serzone, which has about a one in a hundred thousand chance of liver failure...

As for labs...something is wrong if you have to wait for the doc to witness a sample...it should work like any other urine/blood sample. Your drug supply is usually controlled by the prescription refill process.

[Red Barchetta]

It just makes me nervous if I feel like I am being watched too close - even in school, in shop class - I point blank refused to use ANY power tools until I know the instructor was going to go about his business and leave me alone.

And some stuff I can see why - like lithium - too high in the blood and you WILL destroy the kidneys - BUT still even if it were my last option, I'll turn it down...Like I said the exception would be I pick who dose the monitoring - and it WILL not be anyone I have not dealt with for at least 10-15 years...

It's not just phych drug either - I have bad pain - but refuse narcotics for that same reason.

And I have soooo meany times heard stuff like "Well, you are asking them to do something...." fact is not really - it might be looked at that way - but all I REALLY want is some advise and tools to do it myself.

[Bettypooh]

You can't get something unless you accept it and take it- nobody can force you to do that If someone wants to help you then just accept the help, knowing that they mean well and that they are on your side or they wouldn't be offering. If you want to get better then accept the help being offered

[Dill_Pickle]

Hey Red.....

Do you see the problem with your thinking here?

There you are in shop class, and you can't stand the instructor watching you use a potentially dangerous power tool. At work, we encourage people to watch, as a second set of eyes can actually reduce the chance of an accident, especially if the operator is inexperienced...we take the attitude that you are trying and want to do a good job, and a safe one, but it is mistakes can be very expensive so it is a friendly double check.

Similarly, Lithium is going to require monitoring...that means a simple blood sample gets taken (doesn't even have to be at your regular doc's office) and gets sent to a lab...nobody is worried that you are going to cheat, that is you r kidneys they are trying to protect..there is no reason for you to cheat.

It's not like drug rehab, where they do watch guys make pee samples, because there are strong motivations to cheat.

[KittenAB]

I am not a big fan of psych meds, mind altering chemicals tend to have poor performance and many unpredictable side effects so I have learned to deal with my dpression and anxiety through more unconventional methods. My favorite being getting coffee at Starbucks, though a lot of times I just make something, the act of completing a project makes me feel elated even if short lived, and that generally keeps me balanced enough. Sorry if I seem less than helpful to your case, just offering a possible alternative in case you find nothing that works.

[Red Barchetta]

What I REALLY can't handle is thinking you are

[Dill_Pickle]

Red

I am not sure if the post above is directed to me. it is only half coherent. *i* was trying to say that a doctor would trust YOU to get any required blood or urine samples involved in monitoring whatever drug they had prescribed...they don't want to OD you, there are serious consequences for that!

I am also not asking for a lot of.trust from you...why don't you check with one of the doctors you trust and see if I have my facts straight? Then let me know if they aren't, OK?

Dill Pickle

[Red Barchetta]

Red

I am not sure if the post above is directed to me. it is only half coherent. *i* was trying to say that a doctor would trust YOU to get any required blood or urine samples involved in monitoring whatever drug they had prescribed...they don't want to OD you, there are serious consequences for that!

I am also not asking for a lot of.trust from you...why don't you check with one of the doctors you trust and see if I have my facts straight? Then let me know if they aren't, OK?

Dill Pickle

Actually, not directed at any one particular, just read them all, and responded as a group, along with some additional thought.

[Dill_Pickle]

Red,

You need a very particular type of doctor -- one who is willing to educate you and help you and keep you safe as you return to a reasonable baseline and then test potential improvements. That is a tall order - you will need to be pretty assertive, and able to tell the doc what happened the last time X was tried. You also need to keep all your doctors informed of all prescriptions...because there ARE plenty of drug interactions..especially in the various liver enzymes (cytochrome P450) that eliminate poisons from your body.

All of medicine involves tradeoffs, incidentally...at a minimum, people have to change something, or there is no medicine, and almost all changes involve both risks and potential benefits.

[Red Barchetta]

Well, yah there are degrease of things, but - I know I am more satified after I jut said screw it, it reset to that type of medication to where it was when just PCP was handling it (and I liked that better too) - it may drive others crazy too - but I am more satisfied...Because of the fact that everything seems to function at least close enogh to right that if anything is off, it's going to take a machine to tell, not anything you would notice just trying to do things....

I know it could be much better - with the issues though - it was, with some of that stuff that caused other problems - but perfer that to be a little worst (o.k. quite a bit), but nothing noticabley off that hasn't been forever anyway.

But yes, it could matter how badly, but the type of stuff I just stop taking a medication for include (but not limited to): Sexual disfunction of any type, causing any pain, excessive caughing, drowsiness, loss of appetite.

Either way, beleive it or not, I know it may not be possable with everything, but weather it's medical, phsch, or what, really the ultimate goal is take nothing, and be fine.

[Red Barchetta]

Oooppppsss, forgot one thing (at least I think it's only one, maybe more)...

I also am convinced that, NO, NOT all by a long shot - but I am sure (from when I could get something without any hassle), remove the pain, and a good bit of this also goes away (again not all, and I KNOW that is NOT the full solution, but dose a lot)..Thing is only thing that has been offered there besides drugs, is a nerve block...Two reason I would NOT do that, first off, it seems too aggressive for something that yes hurts enough to keep me in bed, but it's only 2-3 times a week (when it's constant, MAYBE), also, it would have not only stopped pain at the pancreas (where all the pain is) but the kidneys and gull-bladder too, leaving if something happens to them, no way to know it (use a good drug would stop that too, BUT only for a few hours).

A surgery that is going to be an actual repair is fine, one that essentially just disconnects something permanently....Well, that is NOT a fix, it's a mask, and no different then fixing a water leak in your house by turning off a valve, and leaving it off for ever (you stopped the leak, but DID NOT fix the problem causing it in the first place).

But I can't accept pain medication under the terms they want to use either - I already checked and the few I am o.k. with are not interested in doing pain management - and walking in to someone I don't know well first - NO WAY - standing rule there is if you can't trust me to give you real samples, without actually witnessing the samples being taken, then I ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT trust you to play with anything at all.

But, it's not actually the doctor there (although the few I would do it for, it would be under the terms that they personally did it, not there nurse - but that's because I know them well, not there nurse so much though) - but if someone I just met wanted to do that - BUT they said use any lab, any indivisual you want, then o.k. - because at that point I would go up to the lab at the hospital I always use, and grab a nurse I have been on a first name basis with for years, if that is even not fine with them - then just forget it is available, because I won't take it from you.

[sarah_ab]

SO let me get this straight

[Red Barchetta]

Nothing new - that's the whole issue....I'm pretty content just leaving things as they are - but other gota keep pushing things - but every-time, I end up wishing not one word was ever said because I go the rout everyone else seems to think I should, and I end up with EXACTLY what I DO NOT WANT, but just leave it. like I would rather, than no one will leave me alone about it.

[Bettypooh]

There are very good reasons that they don't want to license pilots who suffer from vertigo or to allow possession of firearms by persons whose mental stability is in question. What you are doing is not helping you or anyone else What it is doing is opening the potential to cause harm to the innocent people who the restrictions were designed to protect

[Red Barchetta]

Well, bottom line - I am ALWAYS going to look closely at all details...And if I see something broke that wasn't before, or the potential to have anything restricted farther than on someone with "no problems" - I WILL back off.

If you are going to tell me because you have a problem, you can't do whatever - I am going to make every effort to guarantee that issue is not documented anywhere - or at least something vague that doesn't attract much attention (example "occasional dizziness" as opposed to "vertigo") - now if you can guarantee a real fix - as in one that would not leave anyone concerned about any of that - then perhaps - until then though - yah, I'm only really interested in just enough to get by - because too much info = trouble, it's been proven over and over - and all it accomplishes is making me less willing to say much amount anything.

But if it can't be so - I'm at least making sure any records give the illusion that nothing is wrong - or at least nothing that would prevent anything.

BTW - Want the weapon I already have? - Cause if anyone ever tries that.......

[sarah_ab]

so basically you have some form of pretty severe mental illness one that causes at least moderate paranoia, you are easily angered and irritable and you want to own weapons which you could then discharge killing an innocent person because you refuse to get treatment for your paranoia and irritability?

[Bettypooh]

The more likely scenario will be that a problem will arise, the police will come into play, and someone will get taken away to an institution with all their privileges and possibilities being taken away when that extreme could have been easily avoided. I've seen this happen. I have a institutionalized friend who is a very good person, but he will never be released back into the public because he will not willingly take his Meds all the time. On them he's fine; off of them he has the potential to do huge amounts of damage to society thanks to his military training (and that military experience is what pushed him over the edge of sanity in the first place )

[Dill_Pickle]

Red

You are being unreasonable. All of us don't really want to take any meds, and we generally don't love the side effects, including changes to our ability to complete sex acts in the expected fashion. However, our minds and bodies aren't perfect, and some degree of compromise is in order.

With your issues, there is very little chance of your becoming a pilot, which means having vertigo documented isn't going to affect your life at all. Choices have to be made, and, unfortunately, improving your mind and body overall is going to require some experimentation. Most occupational medical requirements involve ensuring that symptoms are reasonably well controlled and ate not likely to cause an accident. If you don't get yourself functioning, a job isn't even in your future in the first place.

Now, if you want any hope of being drug free,you are going to need to heal yourself. To do that, you will need to sleep properly (very hard to do when you are in pain), and eat much more than properly. That means including large quantities of a variety of vegetables in your diet-- again, very difficult to do if you cannot work and are not wealthy.

Now, as for the doctors needing to ensure that it is you taking your drugs -- there are two concerns, one being your doctors don't want to find out the hard way your drugs aren't being eliminated or are damaging you, and the second problem is that the doctors have to deal with our paranoid government, which thinks you might be selling the pills on the street.

Get yourself treated properly, and there will be many more possibilities for you than otherwise. Right now, you can't even think or write straight.

[Dill_Pickle]

One more thing, Red

If you get far enough incoherent, and the police come into play, you roll the dice with your life. All too often they shoot first, and ask questions later, especially if you have a weapon.

[Red Barchetta]

All I can tell you for sure is I was way more satisfied within 24 hours after just changing the medications back to the way it was before I started with this guy - now more time has passed, and yes I think the whole thought process is clearer too - most likely because I am NOT being annoyed with something not working, that I know would be if it weren't for some stupid chemical.

And I am not concerned about police at all - whatever it is (no clue of all, Generalized Anxiety, but I know more than that, no other DXes though) in 45 years the ONLY time I have spoke to them at all involved either a BS traffic violation, or someone else caused the situation, and it was obvious.

[sarah_ab]

you still make absolutely no sense.

[Red Barchetta]

you still make absolutely no sense.

[Dill_Pickle]

Hi Red

I think we get the post sara complains about, but it certainly does not feel well-written.

You also don't get my point about the cops-- they are very dangerous to anyone who is not "normal", and that especially includes the mentally ill.

Now, as for telling your story, the whole story: Many survivors find that act helpful, even in terms of identifying what is really bothering them. Noone reading here knows you in person, and, if need be, you can change your name.

You do have an issue with paranoia, and, un the vein of telling the whole story, I returned to DailyDi last fall as I was getting really sick. I was seeing a GP who I have seen for several years, who I credit with discovering I needed more vitamin D for my physical health. I started needing to see a shrink again, after a couple of years without one. But I did not feel listened to, and changed practitioners. The new one listened, sent me off for a sleep study at the end of January, and the CPAP has made all the difference...I am still not 100%, but there is a huge difference, and things are slowly improving.

But there have been some tradeoffs....I HAVE to get in bed on time, some of the drugs make me a bit dizzy, and some of the time I have to have a very full bladder before I can pee. And there's this mask I have to wear to bed EVERY night. However, feeling good and having energy is worth it.

I am starting to wonder about B vitamins, and whether I need more than I am taking.

So keep questing...you have the best solution you have seen, but it doesn't mean there isn't a better one to be found. You will only find it by opening up a bit and asking for help. Figure out if you are sleeping properly, in particular.

[Red Barchetta]

Sleep - what's that?