October 18, 2004

Finding a doc

Hi everyone,
I've been busy recuperating and adjusting to new doses of medication besides trying to lead a normal life at college. Its been quite a while since i posted, so here I am.

Medication can be bliss, but the wrong type of medication can also land you up in hell. I was put on clonazepam on a regular dosage by my previous doctor and my new doctor told me that it's habit forming and never used for so long (3 months in my case). He started adjusting my dosage, reducing the risperidone, and removing the clonazepam. I started getting paranoid. The doc tried to remove the anti depressant then. But I went into depression. He completely stopped the clonazepam and started me on sertraline, another anti-depressant. I'm now back on track.

Finding the right doctor can be a painful task not to mention the hell the patient has to go through during the time. Once a good doctor is found, right diagnoses is the next crucial step. That requires the doctor to have a good relationship with the patient, an understanding of the problems the patient says s/he is facing, and finally administering the right tests to evaluate the patient's condition. Once the condition is diagnosed correctly and the medication is started, the doctor should be competent enough to prescribe the right dosage, keeping in mind the effective functioning of the patient in society by regulating the side effects of the medication. Finding the right doctor also means that the doctor will adjust the dosage over time to settle it to the patients condition at which the patient is performing the daily activities at the minimum dosage. Finally, you can be assured that the doctor is good if the patient feels comfortable in his presence and keeps on encouraging the patient through the crisis stage and helping him/her manage through a relapse.

Posted by puzli at October 18, 2004 07:12 AM | TrackBack

Comments

Dear Pulzi,
Please read my second comment on your "Paranoia" blog. My opinion on your fortitude is there for all to see.
I'd like to give you a bit of advice from my personal experience about dealing with physicians. They are not gods,and they should not dictate to you. The best scenario is a team, you and your physician,openly discussing and working toward a healthy, happy you.
This is my wish for you. I was delighted to see you "back on the blog" today. Whatever may happen in the future is irrelevant. Stay in the now, and smile the wide Pulzi smile that I imagine. Admiringly, Paula

Posted by: Paula Kirkpatrick at October 19, 2004 02:02 AM

Dear Puzli,

A few words of advice:

1. The best use of good advice is to pass it on. It is seldom of any use
to oneself. -Oscar Wilde

2. Don't keep switching doctors all the time. Allow your doctor to
experiment with the drugs a bit. As far as I know, the reaction mechanisms
of most of these drugs are not completely understood, and the same thing
applies to neurophysiology.

3. Have you tried olanzapine (known in the US as Zyprexa, in India as
Oleanz)? It is supposed cause the least hindrance to cognitive processes,
whatever that means. Ask your doctor about it. He/she will know more about
it than me. Another "breakthrough" drug is Aripiprazole, but it may not
always work. Even Risperidone can have undesirable effects.

4. Don't brood about your past. Be happy. Read some fun stuff, like P. G.
Wodehouse.

5. Take heart in the fact that some of the most creative people like
Charles Dickens, Beethoven, Jerome K. Jerome, the list is endless... were
amazingly gifted in spite of the depression they wallowed in. You can turn
your life around too. Take it as a challenge! Can you? I am telling you
that you can.

6. Do not write a diary. It only adds to your brooding. But keep us posted
once in a while on how you are doing.

7. Do not waste your day analyzing your own thought processes.

All the best!

A.

Posted by: A. B. at November 13, 2004 02:31 PM

hey A.B.,
thanks for the advice. i'll keep it in mind :)

Posted by: puzli at November 13, 2004 03:30 PM

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