When is it time to call your pdoc?

When is it time to call your pdoc?????

Lots of the time I am in total denial that things are that bad. I suppose my husband would call her but I could hide things until it is too late.

What do you do and when?

My t is usually the one who insists I call my pdoc. His reasoning is usually one of the following: my sleep is messed up in some way, shape or form; my mood is sliding into depression (I go downhill fast, so he insists I call very quickly). I don't generally get manic, so that hasn't really been an issue much.

Do you keep a mood diary? I just started a few months ago, and I'm so glad I did...I never used to be able to tell when I should call about a med adjustment before because I wasn't noticing that things were getting out of hand until it was bad enough that I had to be hospitalized. Now I can tell quickly when things are getting worse...faster mood swings, deeper depressions, too much or too little sleep, more anxiety, etc. There are online ones that you can try, but I like to do my own and then make a chart online every couple of weeks. This did help me already to notice when I needed a med adjustment and I was able to get in and do it quickly and things got better within a few days since we caught it early. Best of luck!!

I call as a last resort. I have to be coming completely out of my skin. I don't have a co-dependent type of relationship with any of my doctors. If I can help myself, I will, and I do. Everyone handles things differently. It's important to do what is best for you.

I am more in tune with my mood at this point. When I first started the process 2 1/2 years ago I didn't know what was happening and when so I relied a lot on my T to help me figure out when enough was enough. Then in July of 2008 it clicked in me and I knew what my limits were. I went in to T the one day and just said, "it's time" and she knew that meant I needed inpatient care. Since that time I have realized when things were escalating and was able to see pdoc before I needed to be in the hospital. For me it was an experience thing. I learned over the course of a few years to recognize what symptoms in me (changes in sleep, inability to eat, irritability, skipping obligation, people telling me I'm acting different) mean that something is happening and I can see pdoc right away to get things figured out. I hope you can figure out things for you because it's way better to catch a cycle early than to have it blow up in your face. Take care!

I have mood charted for many years. It is one of my most closely held beliefs...my pdoc looks at it mostly to see if I had to take Klonopin. I take it as needed and she looks to see if I need it.
I just started Mood Tracker.com and it records the minimum information. There is a place to record what is going on that day too though..it is better than nothing and it bugs me by email to do it every night.
I see my pdoc on Monday. I am going to mention some of the great ideas you all have had.

Sigh. My T told me this morning that it is time to talk to p-doc. Even though she is scary and inconsistent, he doesn't want me to wait the two weeks until my appointment with her. Sigh. I will have to call her Monday.

Like i've mentioned a few times, I don't see a therapist, but go to my P-doc every now again. going in about 2 weeks, and hoping to be able to try our combination of meds for the next 6 weeks. I'm quite happy with what I'm on, just maybe need to up the dosage.
But in the last few days I've felt like I'm on such a rollercoaster, that I just wanted to phone her to book me into hospital. But I feel like I don't have the "guts" to pick up the phone and speak to her.
I'm just worried that when I do go see her in 2 weeks, I'll feel 100% and not be able to explain how terrible I felt when I was down.
And being on a rollercoaster makes it very difficult to know yourself, so I tend to tell myself to just go sleep and in the morning I'll be a totally different person

you should journal sugahorse... I know it seems hard to find the motivation to journal when you're not feeling well, but it's a way you can preserve your feeling for pdoc to see if you are feeling more stable when you see her. If you don't feel like writing, what I have done in the past is get one of those little hand-held recorders and speak what I would write. Then I can go back later and type or write it out or just play the tape. Just a suggestion. Take care!

Gravyyy - when you mean journal:

A book that you write in at a certain time every day e.g. mornings before work, before going to bed...?
Or while you're sitting at work, a Word document you type up?
Do you write every day?
Basically just what you're feeling or other things too?

Do you give this to your psychiatrist when you see them to read, read it to them, or just skim over your own notes before the appointment to remember your emotions?

I know I have been very irritable this weekend, had a short fuse, over-reacted, been very talkative, haven't slept or eaten as much as "normal".

While at this stage I don't know what this means, I still feel it is a step forward to realise actions are "out of the norm".

What do you mean by a "co-dependent" relationship with doctors? Waiting until you are "coming completely out of your skin" to call the doctor seems that you have definitely waited too long.

I use Mood Tracker and it has a place to record events etc. I see my pdoc today and we will see how effective it is for her to see how I am doing.