Need Advice About Psychiatrist

[Seasounds]

My two cents:
-From what I found, (read below) your psychiatrist might have been dealing with the dilemma of continuing your Risperdal due to drug interactions.

-Serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as paroxetine (Paxil),Sertraline (Zoloft), and fluoxetine (Prozac) when taken with risperidone causes the metabolism (breakdown) of risperidone by the liver to be inhibited, which in turn causes elevated blood levels of risperidone and may increase the risk of adverse reactions from risperidone.

-Nevertheless, if I were you, I'd like to have a psychiatrist who would discuss these complexities with me, educate me, and let me be part of the decision making process.

-Could you speak to the psychiatrist about this, or find a different psychiatrist?

-Yes, I wouldn't want to be lactating either. For my comfort, I'd ask to switch meds. There are other similar drugs, like Seroquel that may not cause that side effect.

Good luck.

 

[EvenStrongerNow]

My husband and I are going in to see him on Friday. We want him to explain and educate us as well. I think he thinks the way that I present myself while I'm in his office must be how I always am when it is not the case. Also, I have not asked him for an antidepressant yet.

I'm sure it's hard for a doctor to get a clear picture of someone after only seeing them half a dozen times. I don't blame him so I am going to try and keep a relationship going on Friday and lay everything out on the table. I don't want to switch doctors. This one is well versed in ptsd and has been doing it for 40 years. I think both my husband and I can accomplish together what I could not on my own.

Thanks very much everyone for your opinions. They are all pretty spot on to what I was already thinking. It's hard to listen to my gut sometimes and with ptsd, it's even harder. . .I'm glad I have a place I can come to and get insight and support. There's so much wisdom here collectively.

 

[Laura 2]

Do you think so? I just don't want him to think that I'm worse off than I actually am, especially pre-medication.

Do you think it was okay to ask him for exactly what I want?

I find it so hard to do when I'm in his office and I don't know why.

he said, "We need help and we sometimes have a hard time reaching out and asking for help, but when we do and help is offered, we have an internal saboteur that wants to stay sick".
.

It's basic Psych 101 that we think well of ourselves, it's a classic 'defence mechanism' and essential in order to function in everyday life. Telling you that you may have 'idealized' yourself seems to me to be tantamount to undermining you. (Not to mention a load of old psycho-bull! )

Yes, I think it was healthy to ask for what you want. It cannot be wrong to ask for what, in your specialist experience and knowledge of yourself, you believe will help you to recover. How people respond to your request shows who they are.

Which sounds to me like it has something to do with why you find it hard to be in his office. Speaking from my own experience, I take a lot of notice of my subtle intuitions now. They are invariably most accurate once I understand what's causing the discomfort.

It really does sound to me like this guy is undermining you, not least by over-psychologising you. It could be also that he is projecting his stuff too (interesting that he said "We need help...".

I've been in the same position where some professionals have failed to see the big picture and assumed the problems must all be me doing something to sabotage things. I felt like screaming, 'Can't you see all the things I'm dealing with!! Can you really not see all the positive steps I'm taking!! Do you really not understand how poor and counter-productive all the 'helping' services are!!' Sadly, these sort of people just cannot see past their own, self-righteous 'expertise' - and disowned failure to exercise compassion and see the big picture which includes their own stuff.

So you have to move on, for the sake of your sanity and happiness.

Great second email - though he may be immovable because he may be of the mindset of he's right and you're wrong.

PS I've found that it's always very helpful to have a trusted person with you at these sort of appts.

 

[anthony]

Lactation is a side-effect of this medication... purely FYI. I honestly do wonder though about some doctors (psychiatrists) view on prescribing medications, because Risperdal is an anti-psychotic drug, not anxiety or depression related, but purely mood focused. Whilst mood is a functional impairment of PTSD, the primary symptom is anxiety. Treat that first IMO, then see whats left. I really don't like this experimental approach taken nowadays from doctors with their clients treatment in relation to medication.