Psychiatrist appointment tomorrow- what meds to avoid?

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Fair enough... it sounds like you have suffered quite a bit in the anticipation of this appointment. Good luck in your quest for relief and feel free to PM me anytime. I'll be thinking of you and wishing you well!

~Raqui

I agree people have different reactions to meds. You never know what to expect. Something which is really important is close follow ups. I think it is malpractice when this is not done. Also had a bad reaction to Seroxat (Paxil).

Sure, avoid meds if you can but... I know I need meds, unfortunately. Some do.

Zoloft is a med that was very intensly marketed. It doesn't really stand out compared to other SSRI's. The med I take (Luvox, Fluvoxamine) is basically not marketed at all, so I had to dig it out and suggest it. It's an orphan med so I guess docs don't care.

Thanks again Frag!

Ive writen down all the drugs you said to avoid so that I wont forget.

Thanks so much Raqui! I need all the good wishes I can get right now!

Truer words have never been written. Good reminder... I have an acquaintance who I know needs them very much and I would never suggest that she go without them. I think that careful thought and consideration should be given to the idea of whether or not they are right for you, as you are so right that many doctors don't take enough time to "get it right"... unfortunately the burden of good medicine often falls to the patient or the patient's family to have done their homework on the issue. I daresay that lotusblossom has done exactly that.

Thread worthy video...Not that it tell's me anything I didn't know, but it's nice to know some doc's have stepped out of the darkside.

I wouldn't recommend any SNRIs unless it's to treat major depression...those things are hell to break loose from.

You know, the question to this thread is almost impossible to answer. With all psych. meds, how they impact on someone depends on the individual [i.e. how they metabolise it, etc.] and the dosage taken. I honestly can't - and won't - make blanket assumptions on what medication someone should and shouldn't take. What might work for me, might not work for others and vice versa. The best attitude to take into this meeting with a doctor is an open one where you're comfortable to have an open dialogue with them, or at least an as open of a dialogue as possible.

I would like to live without meds but unfortunately I need them as well, such is life. That being said, I think a holistic treatment is the best form of treatment [meds and therapy] and I'd never recommend just medication alone to deal with complex issues.

Disregard most of the advice you have been given on this thread and just work with the doctor and try out what he suggests. If you come in there with an aversion to meds, they are not going to put as much effort into you and your visits with them won't be productive. There are lots of scary stories about every med out there, but that only happens to a tiny group of people. Some meds do cause extreme drowsiness. When this happens get the dose reduced by half. Some people can get good results on an extremely small dose of a med.

I agree to a point. Low dosage yea! I take that and it works!

However if weight gain can't happen, it's not just scare tactics to say Zyprexa causes it. I met and met online people on Zyprexa, maybe up to 50 people in all, and only 3 of those stayed normal weight.

If you need help, be open to getting help. There is no way to predict which meds will help you, which won't and which will have adverse side effects on you personally.

For me, meds have been a lifesaver, though it took years of trial and error.

I have very bad reactions to SSRI antidepressants. They make me more depressed and even suicidal, but many people are helped by them.

You said you definitely want to avoid risperdone, but for me it was a wonder drug, and I have no history of psychosis at all. It was like being unfrozen , and it made me really happy. (The downside is the effect only lasted a couple of months.) This is a very unusual reaction, which only emphasizes how different each personal experience is.

I'm currently taking lamotrigine and Abilify, and it has been quite good.

I would suggest two things. Ask the doc to start you out on very small doses. And trust yourself. If a medication is having a bad effect on you, don't let the doc pressure you to stay on it.

To put it simply, Lexapro made me suicidal. I'd avoid the SSRI's in general. They tend to bring issues to the surface; I think they'd work for people who haven't had a life event trigger depression. The issues with AS can fall into that category.

But... as the previous posters said, everything works differently for everyone, so... meh. SSRI's could instead be really beneficial. I don't know. But just going to say, be wary about whatever you're given.

There's no answer to this question because everybody reacts differently to every psychiatric medicine (or any medicine for that matter) out there. I know people who are very satisfied with various antipsychotics such as Risperidone, and some who are dissatisfied with Lexapro for example. It really depends on the person.

The question with any medication is does the benefit outweigh the risk of side effects, and that once again depends on a person-to-person basis.

Personally, as I have mentioned before, I have had excellent results with 100 mg sertraline (Zoloft). When I was 16 I suffered of extreme anxiety/depression to the point of mild auditory hallucinations. The physical symptoms were awful as well, such as lack of appetite and inability to keep food down. I didn't want to do anything it was so bad. I am now 18, on Zoloft and in college studying biology aspiring to become an orthopedic surgeon.

I would not say that one medication should be avoided, and another praised. If a psychiatrist offers a prescription, try it. Monitor the results and if there is little benefit, don't be afraid to taper off the first medication and try another one with the help of your physician. It's a trial-and-error experience for the most part.

I wish you the best in your search for good mental health!

Update:

The psychiatrist said I was just stressed and did not need meds.

You must be really disappointed with that result, lotusblossom. I'm sorry. I know you were looking for some relief.

If you want to talk, feel free to PM me. I know we have some things in common. Take care!

Okay, I'm going to make some assumptions here:
1. You're going to the psychiatrist only for autism. If you're not, some of this won't apply.
2. You're not taking any meds right now; any you're being prescribed will be new ones.

What you need to pull for:
1. No antipsychotics or neuroleptics. You're a new patient, and antipsychotics are never the first resort except in cases of actual psychosis (that is, bipolar, schizophrenia, and the less common disorders involving psychosis, where they are among the best possible treatments because they specifically address the problem). These are heavy-duty meds that are often used in autistics for their side effect of sedation, and you don't want to be sedated if you can help it; you can't learn as easily. Risperdal is the medication you are most likely to be prescribed because it's approved for violent meltdowns. Ask whether you could try something other than a neuroleptic if they suggest this, because there are drugs that don't have as strong of an impact, and if they work, they're preferable.

2. No multiple new drugs. If you're going to be trying medication, you want to try it one at a time at first to see how each drug affects you. If you're being prescribed more than one, ask to start one at a time and see whether one helps before trying others. Occasionally you will be prescribed two together because one alleviates the side effects of the other; that would be an occasion where starting two at once is logical. (The other occasion is when you're in acute crisis and need help RIGHT NOW, but that doesn't apply because you're an outpatient with a life-long condition.)

3. Starting with low doses. Ask to start with a pediatric dose, rather than an adult's dose, and ramp up if necessary. Autistics tend to have medication sensitivity, and if we don't, then it's no harm to increase doses gradually. If you are sensitive, then you may not need to increase the dose at all.

4. Stimulants: Ritalin, Adderall, etc. Make sure you tell the doctor if you tend to lose your appetite, or if you are underweight. These can make you lose your appetite, and if that side effect doesn't stop within a few days, you don't want to keep taking them because you'll lose weight, get way too skinny, and end up with health problems. If appetite loss doesn't stop within a week, that's reason to try something other than stimulants, like Strattera.

5. SSRIs. Yes, they take a while to take effect--about six weeks, maximum--but if one is not working for you, you should be asking to try a different one. Unfortunately, it's impossible to tell which SSRI someone will respond to; and many will go through three or four before they find one that works for them.

6. Insist on asking what the medication is, how it works, whether you should expect common side effects and how to treat them, and when you'll be able to tell whether this medication will help you. Ask why the doctor decided to prescribe this particular medication and why he chose that particular dose. Don't worry about making a nuisance of yourself: It's much better than not making a nuisance of yourself and suffering through taking the wrong medication for ages when the right one might really help.

7. Ask whether this could be done without medication, and under which circumstances it might be logical not to prescribe anything. Many doctors will prescribe medication because they feel as though they ought to be doing something when you are in distress, even if therapy or education are better options.

Just out of curiosity, did he say that because you haven't been depressed long enough?