Have you ever told your pdoc you want off of your meds?

My pdoc has always worked with me on meds and I've always been honest with him. He allowed me to get off meds this year, and I actually managed off meds for about 9 months. Unfortunately, just this week I've had to go back on them as I've swung very firmly into depression again. I'm disappointed, but right now, the meds are necessary to get me stabilized again.

Ive quit my meds several times only to end up being put back on something different. There was one time where i asked to stop and just try therapy which didnt work but my doc allowed me to try. In the end i switched pdocs because the last time i quit my meds was because of a bad reaction i had with abilify and zoloft together and when trying to call my pdoc i never heard back from her. I eneded up being hospitalized and switched doctors and have been fairly stable since.
I was put on cogentin to counteract side affects while in the hospital and your right that it too comes with its own affects. It made my mouth soo super dry and in the end caused my gums to start changing color so i had to stop taking it.

I'm guessing my pdoc is just a few years older than I am and she doesn't seem authoritarian. I think I'm just projecting my fears onto her with how bad things got the last time I took myself off Geodon and was looking to hear other people's experiences with wanting to lower or come off a med and how their pdoc reacted.

I only took .5 mg two times and my mouth and eyes dried up, I couldn't focus, couldn't concentrate, was dizzy, lightheaded, and constipated. Then I think my blood pressure dropped of which I then felt really horrible so I decided to just quit taking it.

I was a little constipated on Seroquel which I quit due to a worse side effect of akathisia but I still remembered being constipated and hating it. I am just not used to constipation. That was more than three years ago.

So several months ago when the new pdoc was prescribing abilify, which I ended up not taking, I recited my list of showstoppers to him, in other words, unacceptable side effects. I included constipation. He corrected me, explaining that GI side effects are common. But they also commonly go away after a couple of weeks as the body get adjusted. So constipation alone warrants a wait and see approach. Your neuromuscular side effects, by contrast, do not warrant wait and see. If you have them, you have them.

When I started Elavil I had one day of dry mouth and several days of increased appetite. Then my body adjusted and now I have no side effects. Also in the beginning had groggy mornings but not anymore. It is a perfect light sleep medicine now. It was definitely worth waiting for the body to adjust and not discontinuing immediately.

But, again, the jaw issue is different in that it will not go away by itself. It is a serios side effect which is here to stay.

My pdoc worked with me, but I gave him no choice. I said either he weenies me off or I would do it myself. He helped ween me off, the stayed in contact with my T for a few months to make sure I was adjusting well.

It doesn't hurt to talk to your pdoc, make sure you can state your case. Good luck.

How long have you been taking the antidepressant? Why I ask is ... wouldn't it be kind of unusual to develop a side effect after so many years (the 5 years on the Geodon)?? And.... I've had this jaw-clenching you speak of, and it was because of a couple different ADs I was on. It's awful! The constant tension was bad enough, but most disconcerting was when I couldn't close my mouth right! Normally, teeth align a certain way so the back teeth come together, right? No could do. The front teeth would run into each other, keeping the back ones separated and off kilter to boot. Oooooh, how I'd try to relax and reposition. It just wouldn't happen. This was a very common state of affairs when a GP had me only on ADs (yeah, that went all kind of wrong in a lot of other ways too!). The only upside(!) of not having other meds was knowing the ADs were the culprit for sure (for me, that is).

Just throwing that out there because (as I read it) it seems a foregone conclusion that it's the Geodon. But maybe it isn't.
I see your point. But. It still seems it really isn't wanting off meds, but wanting meds to not give you unacceptable side-effects. The side-effects are WHY you are lowering them, after all. (Unlike the BP MO like when I mess with them --because everything's all good -- don't need 'em now! Lol.) That you feel willing to go below a useful dosage is simply testament of how strongly you feel about the side effects. Not meds themselves.

Speaking in terms of side-effects is the way to go with your Pdoc.

You've got a good guess there about projection. (I, too, have a huge fear of getting in trouble -- no matter how unlikely, I will feel sure it is likely(!) Feel ya!) You will be fine. You are an adult meeting with them to discuss a completely valid concern. (Write that down and repeat to yourself if necessary. )

[QUOTE=Innerzone;2836444]How long have you been taking the antidepressant? Why I ask is ... wouldn't it be kind of unusual to develop a side effect after so many years (the 5 years on the Geodon)?? And.... I've had this jaw-clenching you speak of, and it was because of a couple different ADs I was on. It's awful! The constant tension was bad enough, but most disconcerting was when I couldn't close my mouth right! Normally, teeth align a certain way so the back teeth come together, right? No could do. The front teeth would run into each other, keeping the back ones separated and off kilter to boot. Oooooh, how I'd try to relax and reposition. It just wouldn't happen. This was a very common state of affairs when a GP had me only on ADs (yeah, that went all kind of wrong in a lot of other ways too!). The only upside(!) of not having other meds was knowing the ADs were the culprit for sure (for me, that is).

That's interesting how your AD was the culprit. I am sooo afraid to mess with my AD as I have been depression-free for about 6 years (I've been on Lexapro for a little over 8 years). In all honesty, I'd rather be manic or psychotic than deeply depressed as that hole is just so awful (to say the least). But I will entertain the idea and run it past my pdoc to get her input.

Thanks for reframing my thought on just wanting to alleviate side effects and not actually wanting to come off my meds. Although, coming off my meds would be nice, I'm aware of the consequences. I'm just now frustrated to find that balance between a therapeutic dose and tolerable side effects of which side effects weren't an issue till now.

Hmmm. Lexapro is what I was first put on when it started to happen. Had the same problem with citalopram -- only worse(!) The clenched jaw was all the time. The mis-alignmet was not constant, but quite frequent.
Though it's been years since being on either one of them, I still do occasionally get jaw mis-alignment, where it won't close. Ironically enough, it happened today! So weird.
Have had Wellbutrin as an add-on AD for a couple of years now. It's certainly possible there's a connection, but I take the Wellbutrin every day and the jaw thing only happens from time to time. Doesn't really matter, as it's minor and intermittent.

Let us know how it goes with your Pdoc, ok? Do you have an appointment soon?

Your pdoc is YOUR Service Provider, part of that service includes prescribing meds that work FOR you, not against you. I doubt she would drop you for wanting to try a different med, that would just be retardedly pigheaded...

If she does, or she puts up a fight, get a new doc, one with your best interests in mind....

I wanted to quit my Lithium due to side effects, my pdoc thought it better to ADD a fricken med propanolol, or whateveer its called. That ended up being a deal breaker, after a week of staring at the new med, I got rid of the whole lot.

I'm not suggesting you quit cold turkey, just adding that for some strange reason, it's worked for me, a year and 3 months later, I'm healthier than I have been for the 3 years prior...

Speak to your pdoc, think of it as a business meeting, where 2 people are strategizing the best course of action, as opposed to going to the Head Master's office

I really like Trippin's choice of words and suggest you frame your request in exactly those terms. Dr such and such, today I would like us to strategize together...

I see my pdoc in about 5 weeks. I saw my T on Saturday and she suggested that I give my pdoc a call to see if there is another med to counteract the side effects as my T isn't too enthusiastic about me wanting to lower my AP. I'm sure my last episodes are emblazoned in T's mind.

I'm hoping my pdoc doesn't put up a fight but if she does then it's time to find a new pdoc that will work with me. I'm just in no mood to argue but I will if I have to.

I like this train of thought when going into the pdoc's office. It makes it less stressful. It's not a "you against me" but a "we" are in this together; a collaborative effort. I just have to keep reminding myself that.