116 replies to this topic

[Junior]

Sarah, I agree with Debbie, why are you guys going back to this DR at all? She has clearly been negligent in the past and if you are planning to sue... you really shouldn't be seeing her now. It WON'T help your case because the defence lawyer will jump on the fact that hubby has continued to be treated by her.

A couple of yrs ago I helped a woman who has two kids with autism. One is ADHD the other isn't. But her paed told her he was and, we found out later, was using her authority to prescribe Dexamphetamine (a controlled drug here) to give some to the one who was just being an active boy! She brought him to my place and while he was very active, i noticed that he was very controlled in what he was doing whereas my son had always struggled with his control. I told her I didn't think he was ADHD and she took him off the Dex. Guess what? He slowed down! I then put her on to my paediatrician who promptly reported her paed to the authorities. He couldn't believe she'd given such a powerful drug to a kid without having had him properly assessed.

My point? There are some very dodgy Drs out there. As a consumer, and as Debbie said, you have the right NOT to go back. You also have the right to refuse treatment. Even if you do continue under a Dr - which I don't recommend in this case.

[SarahT]

Oh you both are mis informed the Dr who prescribed the Cymbalta is a female dr who is not a shrink.

The dr he sees now is a man in a different hospital. They both act the same but two completely different drs.

[Junior]

Ahhhhhh ok. *wipes forehead* Thank God for that!!!!

How is hubby now?



Debbie... do you know if insomnia can remain a prob even if all the other wdl symptoms have settled? Because I'm not sure if my current insomnia prob is just from the Cymbalta or whether it's because this is the longest I've been off ALL anti-d's for over 10 years. Thoughts?

[SarahT]

Well he has not had any new death thoughts but out of the blue one night was sick and throwing up then the next day fine and then yesterday was sick he said again and slept all day. Then when he told the shrink about not being able to pee they said go see your GP dr. But it is a side effect if I am not mistaken.


we will ssee how the day goes I will let you know

[Houdi]

SarahT:
Have you 'contacted' Attorney_Survivor regarding your husband's ongoing Cymbalta h@ll? Read her latest posts if you haven't....

Houdi

[SarahT]

nice to see you again Houdi

Actually she contacted me


anyone with windows messanger mine is
sarat1979_8@live.com

[nursedeborah]

Sara T,
Don't go by what others think you should do, we are not doctors.

I did find some very interesting information on Tramadol and antidepressants, and what can
happen if they are taken together. It does not mean this is what is happening to you husband, but look it up just google Tramadol and antidepressants.

It can cause seizures, and other mayor things to happen that are very dangerous.

It said that a condition called "seizures and serotonion syndrome can occure causing rhabdomyolisis, which is a break down of skeletal muscle tissue. All this following a normal dose of antidepressants.

Also check out the information on Effexor, as the withdrawls are not any better.

I hope you two get the answers your looking for.
Best of luck,
Debbie

[SarahT]

After all that Citalapram has made worse his dr wants to keep everything the same. He believes prosac is in the same family as citalopram.


I think he wwould be happiest if hubby made the attempt at doing hubby harm instead of thinking


Told hubby you need to find someone else

[nursedeborah]

Sarah T,
I think that that guy sucks, and is terrrible at what he does, well that's been
obvious, but also a great thing as now you can find someone else that will
help.

They don't care what we have to go through being on someof these drugs, not all
of them, but many. they just write it out, and won't budge.

I just know that if I call the one I was seeing he did listen to what it was doing to me
when he first put me on it, and would tell me to stop it.

Please find someone right away so he can get the much needed help, as just from
hearing what your sayin, and this is just my opinion, but he is having horrible withdrawls
from the Cymbalta still!!!! Another drug does not seem to be helping with the withdrawls.

Debbie

[SarahT]

That is our plan just trying to find someone who has delt with this and willing to help. But that is my plan for today.

[nursedeborah]

Good for you!

Debbie

[SarahT]

That dr. was no help says it could not be cymbalta still that is casausing all this. Just says they want to admit him

[Junior]

It could not be Cymbalta? FFS! My GP didn't know what was causing my upper abdo pain... but agreed it COULD be the withdrawal. But really, a psychiatrist SHOULD know or at least be receptive to the idea. This is the area they specialise in. It's really not good enough.

On the other hand, drug companies probably don't release all the info they turn up in the research they fund. The bottom line is that they want to make money.

I agree with Debbie, find a dr who is willing to listen. Admitting hubby to hospital is the right thing IMO.. but under someone who is willing to listen to what he and you think is the problem. You are the ones living it!!!

[SarahT]

Well we have an app with a dr that deals with medacation withdrawls

So maybe the skys will start to clear up and get better. My fingers are crossed

[Junior]

That sounds great Sarah. When do you see him?

[SarahT]

next week wednesday

[SarahT]

But to make sure they know what I am talking about I copied the pages of withdrawl symptoms and going to highlight the ones hed had even if it was while on the cymbalta. Going to print off the ones for citalapram .

I still feel that the reason that he is not through the withdrawls is because the citalapram is wall in easy terms is giving the withdrawl a 20mg snack 4x a day I see the two have a lot of the same side effects. But we shall see.

[Junior]

Have a look at this one too Sarah http://www.antidepre....com/index.html. Loads of really good info on there. I printed out the whole section on Serotonin and the Pineal Gland and gave it to my Dr today!!!

I'm going back on to Aropax (Paxil in the USA). Been off it for 6 months.... and I really hope it works again now. I felt very comfortable on it before and I trust it. I'm fed up with all the crap I've been through in the past few months. I just want to put it all behind me and get on with life again.

I sincerely hope this new Dr can get your hubby off all of this crap and that you regain the man you married.
Keep us informed :)

Junior

[SarahT]

I have 7 and 1/2 pages printed and about 1/2 of them he has had. So we shall see.

[nursedeborah]

Sarah T,
One thing you don't want to do is have your husband have to go into a psych hospital.
I am a psych nurse, and let me tell you if you think this is hard, it's even worse in there.
They switch meds so fast, and don't take into consideration the withdrawls.

At least being in his own home he has control!! There he wouldn't, it's really awful, and
if you want something for anxiety you have to wait until it's exactlly the time for the next
dose. At home we at least have the option of taking our meds a bit sooner.

I do still think all he is experiencing is the withdrawls from the Cymbalta, as like I said some do not get relief by being put on another antidepressant, especially one that has almost the exact side effects as Cymbalta, and the same withdrawls.

Goood luck with your doc appt of Wed.

Love,
Debbie

[Junior]

Deb.. are you in the US also? I don't know the US system very well and I'm certainly not going to second guess you, given your experience. I would have thought, however, that being in hospital would have meant that Sarah's hubby's symptoms could be monitored and any severe reaction could be acted upon quickly.

As for your comments about having to wait until a dose is due, rather than take it early, isn't that the whole point of withdrawal? Doing it properly?

[nursedeborah]

I was refering to if he needed something for anxiety.
I am in the us, and psych hospitals just let the patients wander around and let them go outside once in awhile during the day to smoke, and get fresh air.

It's a joke, and a good way to make money. We nurses write down what they tell us, and their behavior, but the shrinks still do whatever they want to do. It senless, not what people think.

Now if you just want to sleep, and eat then it's ok, but you can do that at home.

I thought once that I needed it, and then when I got there I really realized it was just the same.

I just had forgotton real fast, silly me, and after 15 years of working there!!
All I did was sleep, eat. I was so glad when I signed myself out, and just went home.
There you have your own things, friends, and your in control.

Debbie

[Junior]

OMG Debbie. That sounds like something from the Dark Ages!!! Have you, by any chance, ever read Foucalt's book, "Madness and Civilisation"? He traces changing conceptions of mental illness along with how they were 'managed' in society. What you describe sounds like what he describes in terms of how asylums came into being.

Our mental health system isn't good but it sounds better than that! I had to get my mother admitted to hospital late last year for depression. Dad is in his 70s and just couldn't handle it -either physically or emotionally - and I have my own family to look after. I was horrified at how little help she actually got. She was safe, they made her get out of bed.. but that's about it. I thought there would be group therapy, group activities,etc. Wrong! If I hadn't been so busy with finishing my PG Dip in Psych and trying to sell our house - I would have stirred up a hornet's nest! I was ready to go to the media! LOL!!! The thing that really annoyed me is that I kept saying to them, "she needs to be on lithum; i believe she has bipolar 2". Would they listen to me? Don't be stupid. Then they released her about a week before Xmas. She wasn't ready. Dad still couldn't cope. It was absolute rubbish. Thankfully, my brother took her in and got her through that time period. He also liaised with her Drs and got her in to see the psychiatrist who had admitted her (he and I worked together on this; he's a computer tech so he respected and drew on my knowledge of mental illness). On the 2nd appt they finally came away with a script for lithium. Guess what? She said she noticed a difference from the very first dose! But hey, what would i know????? *rolls eyes*

That was the public system. I considered getting her into a private facility but found that almost none existed! The one that i found out about - well another lady in where mum was said she had been there and that they did nothing for her - plus it was expensive.

They ARE putting money into mental health in the community context though. Agencies are getting funding to assist people with mental illness; they work together with their case manager and help the person with life skills, living at home, finding accommodation, achieving goals, finding work, all sorts of things. There is also a program called PHAMS, one of which I am currently involved in as a volunteer, Personal Helpers and Mentors Scheme. The person is referred by a case manager and has a support worker. Then there are the volunteer mentors. It's a cheaper model I think but reaches out to more people.

[nursedeborah]

Junior,
That is just what ours are like. Some of them depends on which unit your on can be so loud, and not a safe place for say someone like your mom. When I went in I aksed for a low ward as I knew I couldn't take any noise, and all the take downs they do with the patients that get out of control. It like 24/7 activity in a negative way.

The groups are so stupid at most of the places, especailly when they have the patients so durgged that their chins are on their chests. It's only to give someone a job! The groups are useless.

Even the ones I was in were so useless, plus I had been in therapy for so many years, I was way ahead of the guy running the group. Also he didn't know how to allow others to talk, so one patient would use the entire session. What good did that do to all the rest of us.

Ii am just so grateful that your brother took you mom in, now that's is so much better for her.

There is help in the community that is good here, but the shrinks suck big time. My friend
has to agrue with hers that she does not want to be put on MAO"S, and just want's her Lexapro.

It is a momey making business, as were the drug rehab hospitals, that's why we don't have
that mnay anymore, just a couple at a few hospitals.

Take care,
Debbie

[SarahT]

Well we contacted a lawyer about the two drs. And he is going to look into it. Sad part is he already knew the one drs name from dealing with her.

One said that there is nothing that we can do about the job because they are only required to hold his job for 12 weeks the other one said that he would look into it.

So we will see....

[Junior]

That is good news Sarah. Sad that the lawyer already knew of the one of the DRs though.

How is hubby going now?

[SarahT]

about the same. He is taking amatryptaline again and getting more sleep.

I just want things to start getting better

[Junior]

Well getting more sleep is a good start :)

My GP suggestede amitryptline as well.. just for sleep. I've used it in the past for depression and don't like the horrible dry mouth it gave me. But I think in your hubby's case it is probably a good short term option. Good sleep will give his body a chance to begin to heal itself. Good nutrition is good at this point too.

[SarahT]

Yes it is...I am just so tired myself. All of this from may 9 to now is just so exhausting. Lol and it does not help that I am so drug out this morning from not being able to fall asleep.

[Junior]

aaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwww BIG BIG HUGS

(((((((((((((((((((((((((Sarah)))))))))))))))))))))))))

You WILL get through this. You will!!!