Help Psychiatrist appointment tomorrow

[LittleJem]

I don't know whether or not to go as am scared of restarting psych meds.

The psych is telling me I need to be on lithium but I know it's doing nothing for me and he doesn't listen or believe me.

The last med I tried (quietipane) has given me IBS even though I have now been off it for over a month. It also gave me a ten day period.

The psychiatrist does not acknowledge the side effects I suffer or the mental torture I am suffering. He's twice refused me an anti-depressant. He says he'll give me one tomorrow.

I don't want to restart meds tomorrow so is it a waste of an appointment?

The meds are dangerous with LSD which is the only thing that is helping me at the moment.

I have a constant fantasy about suffocating myself and I know if I did then my suffering is over sooner.

 

[swankysoup]

A psych that does not acknowledge side effects is not a good psychiatrist

 

[ScaredOfMachines]

I don't know whether or not to go as am scared of restarting psych meds.

The psych is telling me I need to be on lithium but I know it's doing nothing for me and he doesn't listen or believe me.

The last med I tried (quietipane) has given me IBS even though I have now been off it for over a month. It also gave me a ten day period.

The psychiatrist does not acknowledge the side effects I suffer or the mental torture I am suffering. He's twice refused me an anti-depressant. He says he'll give me one tomorrow.

I don't want to restart meds tomorrow so is it a waste of an appointment?

The meds are dangerous with LSD which is the only thing that is helping me at the moment.

I have a constant fantasy about suffocating myself and I know if I did then my suffering is over sooner.

Honestly, it sounds like you need a different psychiatrist. A good one will work with you through this stuff instead of ignoring every complaint you have. You two seem to be on completely different wavelengths as well.

 

[Leiot]

Lithium is generally prescribed for bipolar where other meds haven't worked. It can have some serious side effects. They have to monitor your liver function by blood test. It's technically a poison. But it can work where other meds failed.

I would be hesitant to take anything while you're taking lithium, especially in the beginning. Give it a bit and see how it does. These meds have a bad habit of interacting with others and even microdosing something else can give you radically different results.

You didn't say you're bipolar but there's some evidence that antidepressants don't work with us and can actually cause problems. Just be careful, ok? They like to tell us to wait 30 days and give the meds a chance to get into our system but side effects are generally Day One. If the side effects are too bad stop taking the med and let your doctor know. S/he may prescribe something for the side effects or change your primary med.

I'd also track your mood and feelings so you have something to look back on when you see them again. If you're like me you'll remember the last 15 minutes and not much else.

 

[maniac116]

I was a psych nurse & I know that the first part of diagnosis is assessment. The first part of assessment is listening to the patient.
It sounds to me like you may need to think about getting a new psychiatrist.
If you aren't interested in taking meds then a psychologist may be of help.

 

[Life'sA6itch]

I don't know whether or not to go as am scared of restarting psych meds.

The psych is telling me I need to be on lithium but I know it's doing nothing for me and he doesn't listen or believe me.

The last med I tried (quietipane) has given me IBS even though I have now been off it for over a month. It also gave me a ten day period.

The psychiatrist does not acknowledge the side effects I suffer or the mental torture I am suffering. He's twice refused me an anti-depressant. He says he'll give me one tomorrow.

I don't want to restart meds tomorrow so is it a waste of an appointment?

The meds are dangerous with LSD which is the only thing that is helping me at the moment.

I have a constant fantasy about suffocating myself and I know if I did then my suffering is over sooner.

Run away from this "doctor." If they ignore what you are experiencing, they are NOT GOOD FOR YOU or their profession. You are not safe in their hands. Good luck on your journey

 

[-Link-]

The psych is telling me I need to be on lithium but I know it's doing nothing for me

If you tell the doctor that a medication isn't helping you, then the doctor is supposed to ask you to elaborate on why you feel that way and coax further details out of you. If the doctor isn't doing this, then that's a failure on their part, and it's going to be up to you to be a little more forceful and forthcoming on your own accord.

Self-advocacy -- asserting your needs and rights -- is a huge part in any mental health treatment.

It shouldn't be this way, but this is what we have to do when we're dealing with professionals who either aren't taking us seriously enough or just outright dismissing us.

I'd also track your mood and feelings so you have something to look back on when you see them again.

I would definitely echo this, keeping a journal or log about moods and feelings as well as tracking any noticeable effects (both wanted and unwanted effects), also making note of start/stop dates of any new medications or changes in dose, and bringing this information with you into appointments.

 

[Tommen Baratheon]

Lithium is generally prescribed for bipolar where other meds haven't worked. It can have some serious side effects. They have to monitor your liver function by blood test. It's technically a poison. But it can work where other meds failed.

Where did you get your info, because it's basically BS.

In my experience, lithium is a first choice med when dealing with bipolar. It's a mood stabilizer and prevents (hypo)mania as well as depression. It can be used as monotherapy which means it can be used as the only med.

As with every (psych) meds it can have side-effects. These are not the same for everyone. It doesn't work everybody. You need to take it for several weeks before there is any effect.

It doesn't matter how much mg you take. What's important is that your blood levels are between 0,60 and 1,20 mmol/l. Lower and it's not effective, higher and it can become toxic. In the beginning you need to have your blood tested regularly. Later on a test every 6 months will suffice. This is mainly to check the therapeutic level. Thyroid and more important kidneys will be checked. Liver too, but kidneys is what they're most interested in.

I've been taking lithium carbonate since 1998 and I'm still here. I have an underactive thyroid which could be caused by the lithium, but it runs in the family so no way in knowing if the lithium caused it. My (bipolar) father died of acute kidney failure. He was 72 and had been taking lithium since was 40.

Everybody who takes psych meds (longterm) has a shorter lifespan.

 

[LittleJem]

Honestly, it sounds like you need a different psychiatrist. A good one will work with you through this stuff instead of ignoring every complaint you have. You two seem to be on completely different wavelengths as well.

This one is NHS. But all psychiatrists I have met are like this…once you have been sectioned you don't have a voice.

I'd pay private if I could - but they don't have any different meds to offer me… I'm on my last options definitely. And they all suck.
Ps I actually think lithium is great - it worked for me for a week (!). It just doesn't do anything for me.