I hate my psychiatrist and think she is hurting me with prescriptions!

[goldiealg]

Hi, I have been prescribed Zoloft 200mg, Buspar, 15mg bid, and Klonipin .5mg qid for about five years now.  I keep expressing concern about the long term use of the benzo's and my doc just keeps blowing me off.  Well, I want my life back.  I fall asleep at 7:00 every night because I am so sedated and my athletic performance has weakened (granted I am 44 yrs old, but still, no energy to work out--I always have been a swimmer, runner, ect)
I dont feel like I have a major depression. I am a little nervous, but I think it is more about the meds now.  I have also been on Prozac, Celexa, and Xanax over the years (prior to this five yer. period, I was treated by a doc. who was very careful about benzo's and was only given lower doses of antidepressants).
I feel my doctor is more concerned about keeping a patient.  I walked out of a session last time, feeling worse than when I went in.  Anyway, That is when I decided, no more drugs.  I am tapering slowly and would appreciate a tapering schedule to get off all three drugs.  I feel strong enough to be drug free.  I really have no major issues at this point.  My job is hard, but, hey who has an easy one? I am a clinical social worker. Anyway, I am presently at 150mg Zoloft, 1.25 mg Klonipin and 15mg. Buspar for two weeks and have noticed no real difference in mood or anxiety, sleeping well, a little more energy.....Please help me continue.  There are no other pyschiatrists in  my area that are covered by my health insurance.  Thank you so much and I am glad I found your site.

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

YOu have a good plan, and so many times we see people who have been medicated for too long, and too much.  Choose which one you want to taper off of first, and then taper off totally over a three week period, by continuously cutting back the dose so the last week you are taking the absolute minimal amount every other day, then stopping altogether.  I think I would start with Klonopin.

[goldiealg]

Thank you Doctor.  I thought I was on the right track.  Medicated too long and too much!  Yes, that is how I feel. I have started with the Klonipin taper.  It is hard, but I am determined.  I think this is the worse drug on the face of the earth for someone who is depressed (was depressed).  It is so sedating and therefore interferes with any cognitive/behavioral approach one wants to implement to feel better.  At one point, I had no energy to even make dinner for myself and as a result my eating habits (which were quite good) have been effected.  I have even eaten at McDonald's!!  Yuk.  Well, yesterday, I walked to the farm around the corner and loaded up on fresh jersey peaches, plums and tomatoes.....that's a start.  goldie

[hangin'in there!]

I say you are an inspiration to anyone on meds.  If you feel strong enough to deal with life without meds. then you probably are.  Get off the meds. with professional advice from some other doctor, cos I believe you should be monitored closely by some sort of health professional during this process.  Good on you for taking action to get your life back!!!  Just don't beat yourself up if you need a med. in the future ... you will be wiser next time and will not be pushed into taking a coctail of pills.

[goldiealg]

It is November and I have completely weaned off of Zoloft and Buspar and only take .125 Klonipin before bed.  I feel better than I have in a long time.  Of course, there are bad days...life isnt always easy...but one thing is for sure, it is easier without being so sedated.  Although I was not medically supervised, I was successful with supportive friends and motivation to stay away from the doctors that got me into this mess in the first place.  Doctors arent Gods and sometimes we do better without them....

[hangin'in there!]

You are so right about medication being haphazardly prescribed!!  I am amazed at how you managed to come off meds without medical aid - there are many who just can't.  Support is ofcourse of utmost importance and it sounds like you were surrounded by love as you embarked on this harrowing journey. I just wish people wouls ask more questions about the meds. doctors prescribe for them and weigh up for themselves the risks and benefits - you know what I mean? There is way too many people needlessly sufferring, and it does sadden me that society "dopes" the problem and hopes sedation will make everything all better. This often prolongs the true cause of the problem and rather than treating this it can often aggravate the condition. People need therapy and support to get thru these psychologiacal stresses - and only after years of therapy should medication even be contemplated upon the therapist request. Glad to hear from you again, it is good to hear from people when they have sorted themselves out.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, you are an inspiration to others.  Take care, and may your road to recovery be swift.  With love from hangin'in there!

[goldiealg]

Thank you so much for your lovely compliment.  I dont think I am anyone special.  I am a clinical social worker and thought I knew alot about psychotropic medications....I went with what information was out there and trusted my doctor.  I think that is where I went wrong....I didnt listen to myself and took the easy way out of my misery...I thank God everyday that through the fog, I saw a way out....the way was self discovery and dealing with the issues at hand.  I still struggle, but have more self esteem because I know I am capable and competent.  The doctor made me feel like some mental patient with no hope...Oh no, I wasnt going to tolerate that!!!  Hope you are well and if you trying to beat an accidental addiction or some depression, Hang in there with the therapy, exercise, self help books and prayer (I am not a religious person, but it seems to help).

[hangin'in there!]

You're quite welcome - and you are someone special...just look at how hard it is for some of the other poster's on this forum who all seem to be fundamentally good people that haven't yet grasped the 'self help' concept as you have!  It's great to see.
My only problem is that my low and small dose of anti depressant works so well I am reluctant to stop.  The catch is that doctors don't think I should risk taking it during pregnancy as it is new and the effects on an unborn child are unknown. I am only 4-5 weeks along at the moment so there is still time to wean gradually off it.

The medicince really works for me ... should I stop at my husband, 2 year old son and my own expense? (Being around some one who cries constantly is no fun!) Catch 22 but I am working on it and confident, like you, that I will resolve this issue. Just a tough one is all - but thankyou for your well wishes, I will post when 'all is well' for me too.

Love from hangin'in there!

[goldiealg]

Congratulations on the pregnancy.  There is no research out there on use of antidepressants during pregnancy that I know of...Please heed the doctors warnings about using your AD....I dont know how severely depressed you were when you went on the AD or how depressed you feel now, but I dont think it is worth risking a birth defect...Maybe you had post partum depression from the birth of the 2 yr. old...I dont know that...but if that was the case, you should be alright during the pregnancy without the AD, but you should be very careful after you give birth..that might be the time to go back on the AD...Can you deal without the AD for the next 8 months???  I bet you can!