Amanda930

15 minutes is what I had when I went to my psychiatric appointment...It was 15 minutes long...It was my first appointment so I didnt know how long it would be but 15 minutes is that right? Well to tell you all he asked me questions....I told him answers...He asked me how I thought the lexapro is working.....I told him what i told my primary doctor which was I didnt think it was working because I was still feeling this pressure in my chest. He upped my lexapro to a pill in a half which is my 15mgs. He tho like my primary doctor think the lexapro is working....why up my dosage then? I mean this is what I thought I needed because I didnt know if it was working but if my doctors are saying it is why up the dosages? I'm nervous.....Should I be? and should I take the orders from the doctor.... I dont see my primry doctor until June
15th yes that is a long time but should I inform him on what this guy said for me to do? My primary doctor told me to come back so he could hear what my psychiatric said but he knew my appointment was May 11th I dont understand why he wants to wait so long to see hear from me. What if I go to my doctors appointment in June and he tells me I shouldnt have taken the pill in a half......

Wascally Wabbit

Is there any way you can get in to your regular doc sooner? Tell them you can't wait?

Amanda930

do you think it would be a good idea to inform him? All I'd have to do is call and tell the nurse and she'll tell him. He might just say "go ahead"....or maybe he will want to see me.... not sure..

daydream

Hi Amanda,
I am not a doctor, but I worked in the mental health field for many years. I can tell you that there are reasons a psychiatrist will tell you the meds are working and still increase your dosage. One being that a psychiatrist is trained to recognize subtle signs that you can't see yet. Another is that almost always, with antidepressants, patients must start with a low dose to let their systems adapt to it. Otherwise they may become physically ill or suffer severe mental side effects like aggression or intense anxiety. The meds usually take weeks to build up in the body to produce the optimum effect. For instance, when I started on Welbutrin about 6 months ago, i was given a low dose, to avoid any problems that might have occurred if I suddenly put a lot of it in my system. I had an appointment to go back a couple weeks later. I could not feel it working at all. They increased the dosage a bit and had me come back in about another 3 weeks. That time, i wasn't sure it was working, but I thought I might be feeling just a glimmer better, maybe. So they upped it again until I was getting the most benefit I could get from it at a safe dosage. It took about 2 months for me to realize, hey this stuff is really working. A few months later and I can even say I haven't felt this good EVER in my whole life. Now, I haven't had this result on every medication or I wouldn't have just switched to Welbutrin 6 months ago. Some meds never do work well for some people, but the psychiatrist has no way of knowing that until they watch you go beyond low doses. And, if I had given up on Welbutrin after the first 3 weeks or even the first couple of months, I wouldn't be where I am now. So I hope you'll give it a chance! The other thing I wanted to mention, is that while your family doc has a medical degree, your psychiatrist has a medical degree and much more. A family doc usually has limited training in mental health illness and their treatments. A psychiatrist has had years of training in mental illness and medications well beyond when he got his M.D. In my experience, a family doctor will defer to the psychiatrist almost every time, knowing the psychiatrist is the more qualified to treat a mental illness. Of course there are exceptions, but this is the rule of thumb. I hope you'll give your psychiatrist a fair chance too. It may just change your life!

Amanda930

I have indeed taken the pill in a half like the psychiatrist said to. I seem fine. I have all these things to worry about right now. Stuff at work is happening, plus since I just started work I'm scared that when my girlfriend and I go to welfare to inform them that I started working that number 1 they will take our food stamps away. I am not really scared about that because I know with both of us working well have no problem with that. The scared part is my health insurance. My mom has told me to explain to my case worker at Welfare about my sitution and how I need the Lexapro and I need my therapist and my other doctor appointments too.

Also I have another problem bothering me. See before this whole anixety happened. I had visit my primary doctor because I was explain to my mom what feelings I was having she diganosed me (not being a doctor herself but just being a grown woman) she said it was a sinus infection. Well the doctor gives me these nose drops and these pills to take. I took the pills for a week and I still have some. But after that week I kinda felt better. Well then my anxiety started and I started treating it....but I still have this feeling in my head. It doesnt feel like a headache...I keep telling my girlfriend it feels like something is eatting away at my brain but she says that I'd feel something like part of my body feel weird. I'm a hyprochandric so I always thing I have a tumor or something.... I dont want to call my doctor and ask him if its okay to take these sinus pills with my Lexapro because I feel I have called him to much...I'm thinking about calling on Monday and making an appointment. #1 To update him on what my psychiatrist says to do and #2 to ask if its okay to take the sinus pills. I have already taken my Lexpro at 11:30pm and now its 5:36am and I've taken two advil....because I know I can take that and sometimes this feeling in my head goes away with advil but it comes back. My mother told me that I could wait to talk to my doctor about what the psychitrist said but she doesnt know yet that I want to know about the sinus pills..... I'm just one tired scared worrier....

Morning Glory

Amanda,

You can call your pharmacist and ask about taking the pills together. They should be able to tell you.

Zencat

The mental health clinic I go to has 250 patients to each Psych Dr. I usually prepare a list of symptoms and concerns before each visit. That way I can fill in the Dr. about all the stuff I wanted to say within the 15 minuets that I get. I can usually read a page full of stuff in less than 5 minutes.

I know 15 min seems way to short. But I do the best I can with what I got.

Amanda930

Thanks to everyone who posted.... Zencat that is a great idea, Morning Glory that also was a great idea. Daydreamer thanks so for your post it really helped me.