<p>I have been seeing my current psychiatrist for about five years- to receive medication for ADD. It doesn’t work perfectly- but without it, I can barely function- however, over the past year or two, I have been developing a great deal of anxiety and wanted to try another medication. ( I have been on many antidepressants over the years & the ADD med works better with fewer side effects and no half life issues)</p>
<p>Because my Dr. knows that in the past I had mentioned my mother had been treated with Thorazine, ( an anti-psychotic) he has been dying to treat me with similar- even though I emphasized that IMO she had been misdiagnosed.</p>
<p>I filled the scrip for Perphenazine, because he kept emphasizing it was a " very small dose". Neither he nor the pharmacist gave me much information about contraindications, although I mentioned my rheumatologist suggested I have Sjogrens, because of dry eye problems-arthritis- asthma etc & when I said I had to stop taking tri cyclic antidepressants because of severe side effects.</p>
<p>" Oh but this is a very small dose" , 4 mg,
not that small when I read that it is FIVE times as potent as Thorazine.
My mother was on a much smaller dose of Thorazine when she was * hospitalized*.</p>
<p>Side effects not only include sensitivity to sunlight
I am a redhead- I need to be more sensitive?)
Cannot drink alcohol
( I don’t have problems- but I do enjoy having a couple drinks occasionally)
Decreased libido / ability to complete the " marital act"
oh right- like approaching menopause isnt bad enough?.
irregular pulse/blood pressure/irregular heart rate,
which I already have- </p>
<p>There also is a whole list of other things-
(* sudden death *for example, some side effect)
and I realize that they have to mention everything- but since I am hypersensitive to medication- possibly as result of having hep B, it is disturbing he would prescribe such a thing given we haven’t tried anything else first.</p>
<p>So I am spending the weekend researching Drs and supplements-
fun times. :p</p>
<p>Wow, em, excellent job. You are absolutely right. No one cares more about a patient’s health than the patient and the family. Too many professionals just go on averages and average range, which totally ignores the outliers.</p>
<p>I just picked up my “medical records” from providers this past week in order to fight a denial of LTD insurance coverage. What an eye-opener! Between the endocrinologist, neuro, vascular, pulmonary and zillions of lab and other tests, no one seems to be connecting the dots. So, yeah, I’m in research mode right now, too. </p>
<p>What strikes me is that there’s too much reliance on average/normal range, and the results seem to be looked at in isolation rather than how they relate to each other.</p>
<p>Everyone should get more involved in managing their health care. And if a provider has an attitude about it, time to find someone else.</p>
<p>The whole electronic medical record concept is very appealing in that it might actually tie all our meds and treatments into one neat package. It’s scary in that it becomes a very tempting target for insurers in determining how much to charge you. Also, potentially employers. It’s a double edged sword.</p>
<p>So yes, i think it best if we can manage and own our medical history ourselves.</p>
<p>yes, it’s key for us to talk about all of these things w/ our docs who don’t have the same time & incentive to follow up on our specific issues. electronic med records maike me very nervous, especially the privacy & fraud issues & abuse/misuse potential. :(</p>
<p>My D had a slew of medical problems last year, and the medications each seemed to lead to another problem. Finally last summer, when a neuro suggested a maintenance dose of Topomax, I found a board-certified naturopath at a local hospital. She put my D on a regimen of vitamins, supplements, and diet … and 3 months later her problems had cleared up. I had always had my suspicions that her issues were tied to hormones, and the naturopath not only confirmed that but also provided a way to fix (not cover up) the root causes.</p>
<p>Obviously, many issues are not so easy to clear up without medication, but I really wish the medical community was more willing to think outside the box.</p>