JJamie

Psychiatrists failing to warn of side effects and withdrawal reactions, whats up with that ?

If I was told before hand about the side effects and nasty nastsy withdrawal reactions from those mood pills I took for a few months I would have made a different choice.

Isn't it like the law to tell the truth and inform patients of these things ?

I should have been told these pills have sexual side effects and if you take them for a wile you will / may suffer withdrawal reactions including anxiety attacks, insomnia from hell and that side effect of the munchies will be replaced with nausia and occasional vomitting if you ever stop taking them.

Fair play , honesty , truth . Is that to much to ask ?

Pelican

I'm sorry that you had this experience. It is upsetting when I think I am finally being heard about my problem and discover the planned solution isn't helping.

It happened with a prescription for anxiety. The doctor recommended an Anti-depressant commonly used to help with anxiety. I hesitated and mentioned passed failed attempts of using AD's because of the side effects of sexual disfunction. I was assured this medication would not cause that negative side effect.

I did have that side effect. It was documented to have that side effect.

I went back after 6 weeks and asked to be weaned off, slowly. I asked what our other options were that would not involve AD's. We finally found a solution that worked for me at that time.

I learned about the documented side effects of that particular AD by reading the information sheets the pharmacy supplies with my medications. My pharmacy always provides information sheets when I am taking a drug for the first time. I also go home and read online available information from trusted websites.

I hope you are able to find a medical professional that will assist you in finding a lasting solution.

Threshold

We do pay our dr's to provide their expertise but it is also up to us to inform ourselves. Every time I get an Rx I get pages of attached information from my pharmacy. They also usually ask if I want to speak to a pharmacist about my Rx or any drug interactions.

The net is FULL of sites that share info on drugs and their side effects and withdrawal etc. It's also a good idea, when getting a med prescribed to ask our dr any questions or concerns we might have. It is a good idea to take responsibility for our own wellness and treatment and to be proactive about getting the information we need.

If your dr will not answer these questions when asked, then seek another physician. If you've not asked these questions, next time initiate the discussion and do take time to read the information provided with the meds and provided by your pharmacy.

ephixia

I hear ya on the withdrawals. It took me a while, and two hospitalizations to finally discontinue them. It sucked, but things got a lot better after about 6 months off. Now it's almost a year and half. I feel so much more in control now. All I had to do was NOT repeat the same mistakes that landed me with bipolar in the first place. So I basically figured out my bipolar I. I'm actually quite impressed with myself. I wonder if there's something I should do to let others know how to figure it out too?

Again, about withdrawals - yeah, I wish docs would have not only told me up front about them, but also help me off. My current doc is the one who helped me off - and it wasn't easy.

I went to a bunch of docs before I found my current doc. All of the docs but my current doc said I'd be on meds for life. Glad I shopped around. I even saw him just today (3 months between visits). Although I don't get prescribed meds, he is a great person to give me objective evaluations. He's a pro and has lots of experience with mentall ill people, so it helps to bounce ideas off him. He strongly approves of my recovery approach and loves that it's worked so good.