[lawrenman]

Has anyone here ever completed a pro/con to a certain medication and has it worked out to see what outcome you should choose?

Was your doctor supportive of your choice?

Have you been able to work with a doctor to help regulate problems in your life?

Please provide examples. I can provide my pro/con as an example if needed.

[~Christina]

My Pdoc has always been willing to work with me on any medication I decided too try.

He knows I have a list of side effects that I will never tolerate.

Him and I work well together...I read about many Pdocs on here that dictate medications.. I could never deal with a Pdoc like that.

Basically every medication I have tried has been one that I researched and was willing to give it a try.

I could never blindly just take a medication with out my own research

*I have been med free for almost a year now, By choice and with my Pdocs approval.

I have discussed things I would not tolerate with my doc and have tried several meds and stopped. I do not like antipsychotics and take them for the shortest amount of time to bring down my mania.

[Victoria'smom]

I'm currently on wellbutrin, effexor, lamictal and abilify. How I got here:

Pdoc A: had a very stringent list of meds I was willing to try.

Clinic dr: I asked for meds by name

Pdoc b: we go off the list my insurance will pay for but besides that I'm willing to try anything that doesn't involve a blood test. It's only 2 months if I need to change.

Crisis pdoc : all bets are off.

[BeyondtheRainbow]

My pdoc used to tell me "these are the potential choices for a future episode" and then I could look them up and learn about them and when the time for a med change came I could give my opinions and we would talk until we agreed on what I was taking. As I failed one drug after another because my body doesn't like meds there were less choices but I always knew what could happen and I overall have learned a great deal about all the meds that are possibilities for me. Now there aren't many choices but she still tries to give me a couple even when all of them are not pretty. I asked to try Latuda for a 2nd time (the first I didn't give it much of a chance) and she agreed but I'm not sure if she thinks it will help or if she is just letting me try so I don't wonder.

My meds now are also chosen by cost. If it's name brand I have to be able to get into patient assistance for free meds. If it's not it has to fall into the right category so that I don't have to pay a ton of money out of pocket. Medicare D has a lot of problems....I checked into paying for a trial month of Latuda and it was $400-$500. Out of pocket entirely would have been $800. So not much help, at least not until the deductible is met and then until you get into stage 2 where everything gets cheaper.

But to answer what I think you are asking, I would feel 100% confident going to my pdoc with a list of pros and cons for several meds and to expalin my feelings about any med that is suggested and if one I think would help isn't suggested to bring that up.

[HALLIEBETH87]

My new pdoc is super open to how I feel about the meds I'm taking. He offers what I feel we should adjust or change and works with me if I don't like the suggestion. I love him!

[raspberrytorte]

I currently have a pnp that I have only been seeing for three months, and who is now leaving. When I told her that the seroquel was making me gain weight, she agreed that was bad, and we tried to switch to an AP more weight neutral, but that didn't work out. Then we decided, to be on the safe side so I don't completely go off the deep end while I'm in doctor limbo land after she leaves, to keep me on the seroquel until I see someone new (just at a lower dose, because of the weight gain thing).

So she's pretty supportive.

My prior pnp was too for the most part. We always talked about whatever meds I was on. She respected my decision if there was something I didn't want to take. Admittedly, when I weaned myself off my lamictal without telling her, she wasn't happy.

Before she retired, she suggested I go on an AP, and I declined because I wasn't psychotic, just a little down feeling, and I don't see what the point is of going on an AP unless you're psychotic, which I wasn't.

Personally, with the seroquel, I have my own pro/con. Pro: It helps with my anxiety, keeping me stable and not depressed, and it helps me sleep at night, and no racing thoughts. Con: It makes me want to eat an entire chocolate cake, has made me gain some weight, and I'm worried about the whole high blood sugar thing.

For now I'm going with the pro and staying on it.

Just until I see someone new, and hopefully that person will offer an alternative that I can afford.

[Crazy Hitch]

Hi lawren,

I have at times (really way back when) tapered off meds under supervision - but it never ended well, for me, personally that is.

So for me I've made the choice to stay on meds because although they don't mean that I will not have an episode, I know that they can be worse, for me, if I am not on meds.