MED fear

If so, why didn't the meds work well when I thought they would??

Weight gain would not be good for me either. I would never tell my pa that I secretly want to up the adderall to loose weight but never do. Had no problem taking diet pills as a kid, the ones that actually worked but are illegal now. I know too much now

I get these "visions" on Lamictal. Not hallucinations (they don't speak). I don't remember what they are called. Supposedly this is a natural occurrence too but I first saw them the two times I started the drug and now they are getting more common. I have also seen other people mention them but I doubt they will ever make it to any documentation.

Serotonin syndrome causes nausea too and that is too much serotonin. It makes me wonder why doctors don't question the dose. Or maybe even if the med is right. In general I wonder if they ask themselves questions like that.



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Here's one of those med and alternative success stories...

http://www.madinamerica.com/2014/03/...ental-illness/

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I take adderall and it helps a little but since I have ADD, I need to take more than I need to really lose weight. Ill admit I tried and when I told my p doc the dose I took he just said "no way". And it gave me panic attacks too, so I listened to him.

I took lamictal for a year and never experienced visions of any kinf. What does your doctor say about it?

The first pa thought I was delusional (no pun intended ). The second dr believed me but they have never been serious enough to panic about and they faded. At one point early on they were scary but I'd see my cat sleeping away and become aware of reality. Lately they have been weirder and more vivid. Well, in a half sleep I believe them more like a sort of waking dream. Like I think they are real but if if I tried to recall it it would make absolutely no sense whatsoever. If they effect my reality or talk to me I will definitely be revisiting. Lamictal is the drug that I am taking that worries me the most both because of long term consequences with the brain and the difficulty coming off of it.

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Scary things in the middle of the night are preferable to weight gain

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The placebo effect doesn't work in everyone. I don't think it works in me.

Read about it yourself.
http://m.neurology.org/content/71/9/e25.full

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ON THE VERY FIRST POST, I said if the side effects get worse ring or go to your doctor, that covered that topic, but all I have had since is what someone has had has side effects ,or mine was to bad I had to stop. START UP not long term , do you grasp the thread, the very fist day you may have your head down the toilet, or you bum on it all day, sweating , cramp .ect ect these last up to a week then fizz out. Im not talking about you put on 50lbs in 2 year this is long term. SHORT TERM I will say it again SHORT TERM now do you get it jesus its like pulling teeth

Yup same for me with the weight. It's intolerable for me and my pdoc is on my side on that one too, as well as the cognitive stuff. I just worry about why Lamictal is causing you to have these "hallucinations". I do hope the effects aren't long term. One ray of hope is that I seemed to get most of my intellect back when I stopped taking it. I say "most" because I am still forgetful (which could be lots of things) and could have a better vocabulary. But benzos and pretty much any other AD cause a little of that to some degree. Lamictal was very dramatic in comparison and that is definitely not the case now. Those effects were awful. I didn't have a problem coming off, but I am not you and didn't take it for more than 18 months or so. You've probably said this, but are you on a high dose (over 200mg)?

I think we've all hijacked your thread at various points here. You're original point is true about the start up side effects. If you stop taking them after just a couple of days because of them it's really a waste of your and your doctor's time. People who've never taken meds are just so afraid of them since they are unique SE's...plus they start googling and look at forums like these and freak out

Yep! I think information is powerful and very helpful but can also be detrimental to one's health especially if they are prone to anxiety.

Right. I think most doctors avoid telling patients many of the the side effects at first becuase it has you leaving the office with a negative idea in your head. They ask patients not to google side effects right away for the same reason. If something comes up, then discuss it. Information is great, but too much can be confusing and discouraging.

I think it is a balance really. There was an bulimic in my therapy group whom they given zyprexa and it gave her intense hunger spells. She was so scared she was relapsing into bulimia. I asked her if she had not been told that appetite changes were common on that med. She said they didn't tell her the side effects and as soon as I said that the therapy nurses rushed up to me and told me to zip it! Because she was not allowed to know side effects! Eh... was it better she thought she had a bulimia relapse??? I don't get it.

Also with some meds there are real warnings, like in USA some have black box warnings, they are there for a reason. They are not there to scare people out of taking meds but to watch out. Of course the doc has to give a balanced view so it doesn't sound like you will have all of the worst sides, but you have to be aware of them.

Like with lamictal and the serious rash, most don't get it but all get told to look out. Because it is that serious.

Also I think it is a good idea to tell the patient what sides usually go away with SSRIs, like gastric upset and nervousness. Close followup is necessary when you are put on meds, and a good doctor is more important than what you read online. You have to know you can ask them questions if they come up and not be ashamed of asking certain things.

Also a good doc starts you on one med at the time, and if you are sensitive, they start slower and lower.

I'm definitely not a fear monger, but some people actually feel safer knowing what could happen than being told not reading up on anything. It depends on what type of person you are. Myself I have zero hypochondria. Personality has to be taken in count too. A good doc get to know you a bit.

The story I told about the guy who took his meds back to the chemist. He got his first script read the side effect leaflet , he took them back to the chemist and said he would not take them with risks like that and walked out.

Cramps and hanging on a toilet for a week is ok? I'd think you'd at least cut back on the dose. And that would probably eat up pto. No thank you

200. I actually believe the literature about non therapeutic doses. I realize they are guidelines but I don't think many drs know this is an issue. It is a 40 page doc after all. I was off it, not by choice, for 5 days when I was on 250 and the withdrawal was horrible. I'm pretty sure I had meningitis which has effected me cognitively. I am still pretty angry about that.

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I have learned that spectrum people are usually med sensitive, and might need less than half what others take. No one knew that way back,well TBH no one knew what the spectrum was anyway! I bet there are other groups where you should be careful as well.

My ritalin dosage is half the starting dosage for kids! I'm on a "non therapeutic dosage" of my antidepressant and it changed my life! So when they didn't know better they slammed me with max dosages of stuff, I think bad bad idea. But times were different and the meds were new and we were guineapigs.

I also learned which side effects are OK for me. I don't care if I get things like sexual side effects while other people care a lot. I care if I get dry mouth since anafranil caused me 20 cavities in 6 months!!! Other might not care but I have dental phobia. I don't freak out if I get a nausea week at the start. I don't tolerate getting too tired because tiredness sets off panic in me while others might even benefit from being a little drowsy. So... which is a bad side effect can vary from person to person.

Also depends where in life you are. I managed to start a med that gave me hellish insomnia for two weeks (I slept only every second night and only 4 hours) but I was so stubborn back then. I'm not sure if I could handle that today, I could go without sleep way better when I was young.

Sure I was sick enough once in my life to accept almost all kinds of side effects, but I could not accept increased depression as a side effect, then I had to have severe depression and then more depression on top of it. That felt unsafe especially since you can't call your doctor here. But people thought I should push through and give the med a chance. I just couldn't. It wasn't safe. I don't see it as I was unmotivated, I was just scared that it would kill me. And I had so little will of life in me as it was...

I'm sorry I'm confused by this post, was it meant for me? What document are you reverring to? My dose may have been 200 mg at the highest, but I think it was 150 for the most part. I never got sick from lamictal, I am sorry that you did though.

That should be illegal. People have a right to know what is going into their bodies and what it might do to them. Treating someone as if they are unable to understand or make decisions will never lead a healing relationship. I honestly feel bad for people who never have someone listen to them or who have no control in their recovery because doctors/ other healthcare workers are more interested in controlling symptoms.

I am terribly med phobic, common in people with anxiety. Therapy and support groups are my mainstay.

Sorry, I probably left out too much. I didn't get sick on Lamictal. I got sick because I stopped cold turkey for 5 days. Not my choice, long story. If you stop too quickly or when some people start you can get aseptic meningitis. It was added to the insert a few years ago. Headache, clammy skin, chills, confusion. Most people get that and they take Tylenol which is exactly what I did and it went away. That was before I learned it is a side effect. In fact that is one they should tell you about because it is swelling of the brain and is probably more common than rashes. I have seen a decrease cognitively.. I notice these things because of my job. I was very scared for a while. Is better but I am not perusing the same career path as before either.

Glaxo (whom ever came up with Lamictal) published a document that's at least 40 pages about the drug. It says that anything over 200mg or 400mg if you are taking it with certain (seizure related) meds is completely useless. You're just adding side effects instead of getting anything out of it. I found the doc after the fiasco. My pa in 2012 did not know this. My current pa does and she is pretty sharp. I think a lot of drs don't know this. I have not seen it anywhere else.

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Even though I know the only way to know if something works is to give it a reasonable try, I still cant seem to take that celexa. I went without it when I got a cold but then i said i'd take it at 10 mg and after about a week I did for a few days, then I forgot a dose then I couldn't bring myself to take it again. Its ridiculous I suppose but my mind seems to come up with all kinds of ways for me not to take it which is probably some sort of defense due to being anxious about it.

The med newbies have to find out the hard way , they have to try the med they asked for it so they must be ill. If they didn't ask for it and don't want it then don't. I was asked for years to go on AD,s I said no , but in the end agreed. I HAD A TERRIBLE TIME ON PROZAC START UP , 12 weeks it took me and they were bad weeks , but I was just has bad before start up or I would not have gone on it. I struggled for 12 weeks and it happened overnight has I have said before. The transformation was mind blowing I was a human once more with colours and sounds of laughter all around. NOW lots of you would not have put up with 12 weeks of crap, but I would do it all again in a heart beat to achieve what I did, all the start up was forgotten in minutes , and I had 3 brilliant years before it pooped out. Maybe I see the bigger picture , maybe I don't give up easy, maybe I have more bottle than most , but let the newbies find out for themselves and don't scare them shitless with your horror stories.

That is awful. So did your doctor/pa NOT tell you about the possible cognitive side effects of Lamictal? If not that is negligence on their part big time. My pdoc emphasised that over the rash! What lasting effects have you noticed if you don't mind my asking, or if you prefer to pm that's fine too.

I think it has to be up to the patient if they want to continue to struggle with starting up a med. And the doc should not push it if it is not safe. I got the speech a few times to try a little longer and it will get better. I have tried when I felt it was OK enough, but even me who is very stubborn had to give up on a few meds. Only I can understand how bad it was. Sometimes words don't describe it well enough. Like with one SSRI I could only think in spurts. Doesn't sound bad huh.... But my mind would go blank completely for maybe 3-5 seconds, then all the thoughts would turn on for maybe a second then turned off again. You can't function like that. Still... when I say it it doesn't sound like hell.

I pushed through starting up prozac even if I had severe akathisia. So I know I'm not one who just gives up. I'm not sure it was a good idea really, but yea, like I said, stubborn.

I don't know how not to scare people. Starting on a med IS a big thing.

This is totally wrong! People sometimes come to a doctor after seeing an ad or talking to a friend, thinking they have a problem because of the power of suggestion! It is up to a doctor to be the voice of reason and discuss options and other explanations with their patient.

People think antidepressants aren't a big deal, don't cause dependence, don't cause any serious side effects, can't make you feel worse because the media, pharmacy industry, experts have pushed these misconceptions into the mainstream wisdom. The potential gains of medications are over-played, and the potential for harm and side effects is down-played. That's called marketing.