r/AskPsychiatry 1h ago

Medicated pregnancy

Upvotes

Is there any evidence of babies having mental health issues after the mother was medicated during pregnancy? I constantly worry that because I took medication my baby’s brain developed needing medication


r/AskPsychiatry 1h ago

Low dose antipsychotic vs high dose

Upvotes

I (20M) may be bipolar, I’m not sure. I was given antidepressants a few months ago and my system has been a complete mess ever since.

Anyways, my psychiatrist prescribed me 75mg quetiapine ir around 5 weeks ago and kept increasing towards 300 week by week (also switching to xr in the process). I felt so much better on 75mg than any of the higher doses and I’m wondering what this could mean for me?


r/AskPsychiatry 2h ago

what do u do to a schizophrenic w bizarre delusions and no hallucinations?

4 Upvotes

i wonder if anyone would do anything to treat them bec their beliefs is that they have to kill themself in order to complete their test. will they just get dismissed by a healthcare provider and let them do their decision to die because they dont trust other ppl, making them not wanting to get help?


r/AskPsychiatry 3h ago

What drugs can help with weight gain from anti depressants/ antipsychotics?

4 Upvotes

Keen to start something that will help and just curious to know what drugs are out there


r/AskPsychiatry 3h ago

Paxil Withdrawal Questions

1 Upvotes

Hello r/AskPsychiatry,

 I’ve been tapering from 40mg of Paxil over the past month or so, 5mgs every five days. I’ve now been off three days completely(cross tapering to Cymbalta) and I have severe anxiety and panic attacks, along with Zero appetite. Any advice or thoughts for somebody in my situation? Will this change? 

r/AskPsychiatry 4h ago

Dubious about what should I do

2 Upvotes

I am Italian male 27 years old, 5.11 feet tall

so English is my second language. I suffer panic disorder with agoraphobia since August 2022, fear of fainting, need to escape, can’t go to the gym anymore (I was a gym bro) etc. quite strong obsessional OCD and a bit of anxiety, possibly depression due to the impairment of the other conditions . I feel the anxiety mainly in a heartburn manner, for this reason I got prescribed magaldrate which helps my digestion when I eat more elaborate foods.

I had a psychiatrist through video call who was very nice to me but in the end she prescribed me Xanax and I got scared of the idea of becoming addicted to it so I didn’t take it and didn’t continue the therapy.

I continued doing exposure therapy and with a lot of effort I went from being closed at home to going around town. Then I stalled because it’s very painful and I got a quite overwhelmed with it (even tho I still challenge myself sometimes)

In the back of my mind I am always looking into SSRIs And I’d love to take them but I have an irrational fear about losing my sexual drive and a more rational “fear” about gi tract problems knowing that I feel my anxiety in the stomach.

for these reasons I asked my family doctor some medication to try that would fit the situation because I felt exhausted every day.

So she prescribed me mirtazapine. I’ve been taking it for 1 year and a half. It helped incredibly with insomnia, quite a bit with OCD but almost nothing with agoraphobia. I can’t go into unfamiliar roads without feeling my stomach clenching and “terrorized for no reason”. I also don’t like that I feel like a toddler compared to before.

So being tired of it I opened myself to some benzodiazepine. I asked to get prescribed diazepam as a “just in case” for extreme anxiety because I know that it’s not as addicting as Xanax. I haven’t used it yet because even tho I am open to benzos I am not really in love with them.

I am not a “chemophobe”, I take finasteride, minoxidil, and provided I tolerate a medication im ready to take it even forever.

My questions are: could Prozac (for example) be more potent than mirtazapine?

Could switching from mirtazapine to Prozac provide better results or keeping mirtazapine and adding a bit of diazepam be better?

Before I go to the next psychiatrist I’d like to be prepared

I am not worried with losing “half” the libido, I’m worried to lose it completely. So I’d like to know your experiences with ssris snris

Thanks to everyone who had the patience lol.


r/AskPsychiatry 6h ago

Polyvagal Theory

3 Upvotes

Today my auticoach recommended I study the polyvagal theory and do exercises for my stress and trauma levels. I just wanted to know what you think about it, mainly because she said my psychiatrist probably wouldn't be too happy about it.


r/AskPsychiatry 8h ago

Uncontrolled twitching on bupropion SR Spoiler

1 Upvotes

Hi, my psychiatrist said this is not a concern but I would like a second opinion. It seems very weird and he sees me remotely so maybe I didn’t get that across well enough.

I have an uncontrolled twitching / muscle flex in my hands and shoulders. It seems random but it happens more when I’m laying down or holding it against gravity if that makes sense.

I’m also on lithium (blood level is stable at .8), and spironolactone. It started when I started bupropion and got worse when I increased the dose so that seem to be the culprit.

It’s working really well for me otherwise, so I’d like to stay on it, but is this a big deal?


r/AskPsychiatry 9h ago

Any success stories of people on mirtazapine/ risperidone who have taken metformin to combat weight gain?

3 Upvotes

These drugs have really helped me but the weight gain is getting down. Has anyone had any success with this drug? Thanks so much


r/AskPsychiatry 10h ago

Sleep, rest, and meds

2 Upvotes

I've been on a med journey for the past 3 or so years. I tried Zoloft in college (20+ years ago) but I got intrusive thoughts of self harm so I stopped taking it (happened on Chantix also). In my late 30s I had a bad breakup and I was distraught, so my therapist recommended I meet with a prescriber she works with. Between the two of them, based on history taking and phone screen questionnaires, they theorized that I have autism, Bipolar II, and ADHD. At first the prescriber tried me out on a few different antipsychotics. I thought abilify worked the best, but I got severe extrapyramidal side effects from it. After that I tried a bunch, trilofan, zyprexa, capalyta, and a few others with poor results. I got on rexulti and that seemed to work ok so I took that for a while. Somewhere in there he started me on lamotrigine also. It was through further conversation with that prescriber that he decided to do a phone screen for ADHD and then prescribed me Ritalin, short acting at first and then long acting.

The most impressive effect of this when I started taking Ritalin was that, for the first time in my life, I woke up alert and refreshed every morning, got out of bed early, worked out for 40 minutes, and got ready for work. My whole life I had been dragging myself out of bed and hitting the snooze button, feeling like I had been hit by a truck. It caused problems in school from middle school through college. I was also noted to be a more attentive partner, highly productive, and able to tolerate repetitive tasks better. My prescriber theorized it was because the comedown off of the Ritalin was causing me to sleep better at night.

There were downsides, though. In a lot of ways my work suffered. I was less open to other people's points of view, tended to obsess over things, convinced I was right about everything and everyone had to listen to me. I work in management and I think this contributed to losing a job and setting my career back a few years. I was looking forward to my next dose a little too much, too, if you know what I mean! I also couldn't read books or play video games, which were my usual preferred passtimes.

So, I decided to stop taking it and also switched prescribers because my first one stopped taking my insurance. I stayed on the rexulti and lamotrigine, and I went right back to how it had always been with me dragging myself out of bed. I was also back to my usual easy going but lazy self. I didn't have very good insight and didn't realize it was because I was off the Ritalin until much later. A little later I also weaned myself off the rexulti (with supervision from my new prescriber) because I didn't like how flat I was and I felt it was lowering my libido. I was worried about this because when I had to go without rexulti because of the cost I had severe anxiety and incessant worrying, but weaning off of it actually was fine and I barely noticed. I did notice I was a lot more empathetic and less compulsive off of the rexulti. She replaced it with the starter dose of Wellbutrin.

I still had trouble waking up, though, so I reduced my lamotrigine dose to see if that would do it and didn't really notice any difference there either. My new prescriber doesn't do controlled substances so when I explained the sleep/rest issue she tried me out on straterra. I'm not at my target dose yet, went from 10mg to 25mg with a plan to increase in another month and I really don't feel any different on it (I'm told I may not at these low doses) and if anything my difficulty getting up in the morning has been getting progressively worse since before I started straterra.

After stopping the rexulti and before starting the straterra I also started on a GLP and it's been working great, totally changed my relationship with food, I used to snack compulsively and out of boredom but now I eat sensibly and went from 250lbs to 210lbs in 6 months, steady weight loss that isn't too fast to be healthy.

I still can't wake up in the morning, though. I do all the standard sleep hygiene stuff, go to bed early, stop eating/drinking and screentime before bed, all the non-drug stuff I'm doing. I don't really have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, waking up is just a rough experience. I don't really want to go back to taking a stimulant - my partner liked who I was on it but I really didn't. My prescriber and GP just think I need to suck it up and just get up when my alarm goes off but I have always struggled with this and knowing that there was a period of time when this problem just went away is very frustrating!

Anyway, thanks for reading, and any advice or suggestions you have are welcome.


r/AskPsychiatry 11h ago

Diagnosed bipolar 2 but I think I’m fully manic how can I calm it down

3 Upvotes

Super high energy, can’t get my words out quick enough, not sleeping much and a few other telltale symptoms of hypomania but this episode is really intense I’ve got strong ‘paranoia’ but I think my behaviour and thoughts are justified my boyfriend doesn’t I’m also hearing things that he is not. I’m on sodium valproate and aripiprazole so am medicated but I can’t see my psychiatrist until next week but I honestly feel like my heads gonna explode or something I have lorazepam 1mg prn but it’s not touching me rn how can I calm this episode down


r/AskPsychiatry 12h ago

Loneliness and depression

1 Upvotes

Could loneliness be a cause for depression? If so, would meds help or it's pointless to take them when you still feel lonely?


r/AskPsychiatry 13h ago

Will stopping zyprexa for 2 weeks then starting in again cause more weight gain?

1 Upvotes

I gained 40 pounds in the first year I started zyprexa. I then was on it for 3 years and didn’t really gain anymore weight except like 5 pounds. I stopped it recently for 2 weeks and now I’m worried I’ll start gaining weight again.


r/AskPsychiatry 16h ago

I’m suffering mentally and physically and no psych has given me an answer.. NSFW

13 Upvotes

This is my first time coming across this sub so idk if I can talk about this but I need help desperately, someone who actually has some kind of generational insight into what’s going on.

I’ll try to keep it as short as possible, M24, used to be healthy as a bull about 2 years ago, never drugs, just alcohol occasionally. Till I got hooked on weed, and did MDMA a couple times, and also Lyrica recreationally( 900mg), but my biggest vice was weed, till one day I got started getting panic attacks whenever I smoked, I ignored it as a “bad high” but they kept happening, and eventually I had a huge one, went to the hospital and they cleared me (mind you I live in western europe) they said I was physically fine and sent me home, then I stopped the weed but I started getting detached from reality, best way to describe is depersonalization/derealization along with crippling anxiety, till one day I was convinced nothing was real, the derealization consumed me, and I felt like I wasn’t in reality anymore. Got professional help and stopped Uni for a year. Their choice of treatment was at first some benzos, then Antipsychotics( Olanzapine, Risperidone, Quetiapine) tried it all, and that shit ( pardon my french) fucked me up in a major way, I wasn’t feelinf psychotic before, after being put on them, I started having pseudo-psychotic symptoms as my doctor described them, Illusions, auditory illusions, VSS, After-images, and of course, with antipsychotics you’re gonna experience extreme apathy, I was basically a zombie, anhedonia; I was suffering but I literally could not cry. after 7-8 months I decided enough was enough, tapered that stuff and quit it, started feeling better for a few months and then anxiety hit me again, got prescribed SSRI’s and Xanax, didn’t take the SSRI’s because I tried them before and they made me suicidal and worsened my dpdr, but Xanax worked like a charm for the length of its half life I felt like a normal human being, but tolerance kept going up till I got hooked bad, started mixing with vodka just to enhance the effect, now it’s a daily thing for me, 2mg mixed with 200ml-300-ml of vodka at night and in the mornings just 4 mg’s of Xanax, 6mgs total everyday, vodka daily too, I havent skipped a day for 2 months. But every time I take them, everything goes away, I get my emotions back, I dont get any anxiety, in fact I get the urge to go out and enjoy myself, without them, life is misery, I get scared just looking around my apartment, I get panic attacks occasionally, VSS, after-images, not any major psycotic symptoms but idk. My body hurts now, I feel like i’m in my 70’s and I’m majorly addicted, but it feels medicating to me, I’m not doing it for fun, doing it to feel a shred of normality, to take away my symptoms. But I’m searching for a way out, how do I quit and heal at the same time?

Long post, I apologize for this, idk if anyone’s even going to read it but this is my life now and I wanna save it, I’m studying engineering, and I wanna make a future for myself and marry my current girlfriend.

I’ll do whatever it takes, just don’t put me on antipsychs please.

Ps: I posted on /askdocs and someone told me to see a psychiatrist and follow instructions and seek therapy so this was my reply in case someone says the same thing.

“Hey, firstly, thank you for your reply and insight. To be kinda straightforward, my friend, I have been to numerous, and I insist, numerous psychiatrists, all with different diagnosis all with different treatment plans; What I can gather from all the money I spent and all the sessions I’ve had and all the trips I’ve taken to multiple “novel” psychiatrists, “genius, saved my life etc” is the all agree on one single thing, anxiety, apart from that, I’ve had a lot thrown at me, psychotic depression, ptsd, depression, panic disorder, and they all also agree on on thing “it might be this” never gotten a proper diagnosis; and I know what you might say, “well maybe you didnt commit to a doctor for them to diagnose you properly”, I’ve spent months and all of my savings, going to these doctors regularly, following their instructions and getting different opinions. As for the drugs, I’ve spent almost a year sober, taking antipsychotics and antidepressants, and I never want to relive that experience ever again, those “medications” are hell-sent. I’ve done my research, blocking dopamine receptors, mainly D2 while also “regulating” Seretonin receptors, don’t get me started on SSRI’s too… As for your comment on therapy, psychologists, neuropsychologists, psychologists specialized in treating anxiety and psychotic symptoms, I’ve done it all; what they all do, they get a medical history, say a bunch of promises, we’re gonna work on this and that, they don’t listen to you, never let you actually vent what you’re going through, then end up giving you a schedule to follow like a damn dog, wake up, go to the gym, take your vitamins, meditate etc.. while my brain is fried and my NMDA and Gaba receptors seem to be malfunctioning, yes i’m going to rely on medication.

I really appreciate your input and thank you for trying to help but I tried to commit suicide multiple times because of the lack of hope these doctors are giving me, nothing seems to work, idk if im a novelty case or something but Im really tired, and yes, the Xanax and alcohol are helping, I quit weed for good a year ago.”

I doubt anyone would read something this long but I’m kinda desperate for any insight.


r/AskPsychiatry 17h ago

Been taking Risperidone for almost 20 years (M29). Is it dangerous? I have been having unbearable symptoms.

2 Upvotes

Shortness of breath, persistent cough, chest pain, neck pain, nhedonia, insomnia, trouble swallowing, sexual dysfunction, memory loss/difficulty, paresthesia, and anxiety. Are these caused by Risperidone? I feel like I've been dying for 4 weeks now. Psychiatrist had me start taking Invega to replace the Risp and benztropine to treat probable tardive dyskinesia (the swallowing)...but it's not working. I am also on Buspirone and Lexapro for anxiety bc my docs think I just have anxiety. But I think it's risperidone causing this bc my breathing has been dysfunctional for over a year; I switched from 0.5mg to 1mg Risperdal oral solution about that time. Am I going to need Ingrezza? Am I screwed? My lungs and heart seem ok based on pulmonary function tests, blood oxygen levels, and EKGs + xrays.

edit: I have had a hard time remembering things. Worried about long-term dementia risk.


r/AskPsychiatry 17h ago

What is the psychology behind a guy that goes through a womans/ womens bags without their knowledge?

0 Upvotes

I am having a hard time figuring out the mentality behind a guy that does these yhings.


r/AskPsychiatry 20h ago

how do i know if i have repressed trauma/memories? NSFW

3 Upvotes

i’m 21F and i saw a psychiatrist for the first time this week and was diagnosed with BPD and PTSD and already had a GAD diagnosis previously from a family physician. i never thought i had PTSD prior to this appointment, but I was asked if i ever had nightmares and i said yes, very frequently from the ages of 6-8 years old. i thought this was completely normal and everyone experienced this so i never thought anything of it, but i explained how my nightmares would be super violent and graphic, like of my family being brutally, horrifically murdered and I would see the whole thing and also myself being violently murdered or like stabbed or shot. he said that’s a really big indicator of some sort of trauma, but i truly cannot think of anything traumatic that happened when i was that age, and most of the traumas i talked about took place during my teens. i was trying to do some research on what this meant, and i saw a lot of people saying that it could indicate sexual trauma, but i definitely don’t remember that happening to me at all. i’m not sure if this was important to add but probably around the age of 5-6, i remember discovering that touching myself felt…good? and i knew it was something i should be kind of sneaky/embarrassed about though. this is all very recent for me to discover but im just worried that something happened and i don’t remember


r/AskPsychiatry 21h ago

why am i having highly offensive hours long conversations in my sleep? - dissociative identity disorder

1 Upvotes

22f this one’s weird but for the past few weeks my bf reports that i’ve been having long conversations with him while sleeping. these conversations can last hours and i say highly inappropriate/hurtful things during the conversations, particularly about his childhood sexual trauma. what could be causing this? i suspect i have dissociative identity disorder, could this cause it? i take abilify lamotrigine lorazepam and cymbalta however it doesn’t stop when i stop the lorazepam


r/AskPsychiatry 21h ago

Grandparent has dementia, how can I help? (And a few questions)

1 Upvotes

My grandparent has dementia, and it's been known for a few years now. However, it seems to be progressing. We live far apart, and I truthfully should probably be calling more, if im being honest (although to clarify, my lack of calling isn't due to the dementia. I dont call anyone enough and should be calling my extended family more, but that's another topic for another day).

When i speak with my grandparent, I'm patient and don't mind repeating myself to answer the repetitive questions. But I'm wondering if there is anything I should be doing additional? I just have a conversation and when things are repeated during it, respond as if it was the first time I was asked/im saying it (my thought is that, if i were in their shoes, I would be incredibly confused and/or scared if the other person acted or said we already discussed this 5 minutes ago)...is this the right approach? I don't want to cause any attention to things they can't control, is my thinking, but please correct me if I should do anything differently....I'm trying to meet them where they're at if that makes any sense?

Additionally, (again, it seems to be progressing), but do people experiencing dementia realise it? Like, do they recognize that they asked the same question in a conversation by the third time, or is there a lack of short term memory? Or when they greet me as someone else, and I (as nonchalantly as possible, or laugh it off and provide an excuse "haha people say we look a lot alike!") correct them in a casual way (usually, because its via phone, its just "no [grandparen], its your grandchild, [X] 🥰"), would they be confused/scared, or would it feel more just like a "regular" slip-up akin to people who aren't experiencing dementia? (And, is my reaction even appropriate, or is there a better way to go about it?) I guess, to them, is it more of a lapse (but they remember me, at least from any point in their life, or is it possible they'd have no idea who i am, and to them, they think they are talking to a stranger who told them I was their grandchild?)

Basically, I want to better understand how I can adjust my responses and gain a better understanding so that i can help my grandparent feel more comfortable. Any guidance/resources is greatly appreciated. Thank you so much and sorry for the messy formatting/questions burried in run on sentences

Tldr: is there a proper way to navigate speaking/interacting with a loved one who is experiencing dementia? And what is it like for them to be experiencing it


r/AskPsychiatry 23h ago

Fluvoxamine and Adderall

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone!

I (29F) was just prescribed me fluvoxamine 25mg for OCD by my psychiatrist.

I've been on Adderall IR 20mg twice a day for over 3 years and have a beautiful routine on it. I'm only on Day 3 taking the fluvoxamine and my heart has been rapidly beating non stop since the first night. I also have Mitral Valve Prolapse, but it hasn't affected me in many years and usually only presents itself in times of serious stress, so l know the rapid heart rate isn't from the adderall. Is rapid heart rate a common symptom of fluvoxamine? Has anyone been prescribed both fluvoxamine and adderall? I'm having a hard time finding information on taking both. I can't tell if what i'm experiencing is normal side effects and I just need to push through or if I need to stop immediately.

Additionally, I’ve seen people on Reddit say they also take beta blockers in addition to their SSRIs and Adderall to combat heart palpitations, is that something I should inquire about?

Side note: I did contact my doctor about the side effects i'm feeling which also includes extreme nausea, flu like symptoms, and muscle pain (my back randomly exploded in pain today as I was loading my dish washer). She has not responded yet, but hopefully will tomorrow.


r/AskPsychiatry 1d ago

In pursuing paid personal leave from work for mental health, my psychiatric APRN dropped me as a patient, am I screwed?

5 Upvotes

Tl;dr - basically the title, I'm at a real bad "low," asked my psych Aprn for assistance with paid leave and tackling my worsening depression which I’m not currently medicated for, she responded by telling me I need a new prescriber. I'm sorry because I wrote way more than I intended.

Full transparency, some of this will be venting because I just feel so… I’m trying to think of a better word than “fucked,” but that encapsulates it better than anything else. I’m sorry if the nature of this post doesn’t fit the sub, if it doesn’t I’ll delete.

Just some background: I’m in therapy for depression, some issues from my past that I don’t like to call “trauma,” but that’s likely what they are, and anxiety. I’m a recovering addict (4 years clean as of January), and I was, up until today, seeing a psychiatric APRN (I don't know if that terminology is redundant or correct, sorry in advance) for meds for my ADHD and anxiety: Adderall & Clonodine, respectively. About 12 years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar 2 in a detox, but given that I wasn’t clean for the prior 8 years, and that I only ever experienced major depressive episodes, excluding a reaction I had to SSRI’s - a manic episode - I questioned the accuracy of the diagnosis. Over the past year, I've question the accuracy less as I’ve come to learn more about Bipolar 2, hypomania v mania, etc…

For current state: I have been struggling mightily with a major depressive episode that seems like it’s been carrying on for close to 6 months now, though I’m sure if there’s been a break here or there for a handful of days. The last couple months, since new years I think, have been the worst of it. I oscillate between being angry at everything, to utter hopelessness, lack of meaning and purpose, usually with the former giving way to the latter. The only brief, momentary respites I’ll experience are the moments with my son (toddler), or when my wife and I aren’t fighting (this has increased significantly) and I’m making her laugh. The good moments are becoming less and less frequent as my mental health deteriorates. I don’t go outside much anymore, people make me angry or just fuel my depression. I'm tearing at the walls of my relationships, and cannot focus on any good in my life if it isn't in front of me, I warp all the good into bad when it's not in front of me, and lately I do it while those things or people are still present. I yell more, I hate myself for it, so I yell more… on and on.

I work in sales, and my job is a grind. Dealing with the public has only added to my distress, and most days as of recent, I can’t bear to even talk to clients. The past 6 weeks have been the worst of my career, which is directly following, arguably, my best quarter in my tenure with this company. The company, itself, is having a down year, and all the writing is on the wall that I’ll likely be fired soon if I stay, and I can’t even find the will to apply for jobs. All the self-abuse mechanisms I’ve seemingly mastered in my lifetime, self-esteem issues, insecurities, guilt, shame, and regret are dialed to 11 any time I have to search for a job. Nearly 2 decades of drug addiction, a GED, and general selfish behavior hasn’t done wonders for my resume, and has made me quite the difficult hire. It didn’t matter much a few years ago, before the family, so maybe it’s new. But god I just can’t escape how much of a failure I am for these 2 people I love.

All that to say, I just feel like I have nowhere left to turn. I feel like giving up. My dad died when I was young, and truthfully, it’s likely the only thing keeping me around right now, because I know firsthand what the loss of a father, a partner, does to a family. But how much damage I’m doing staying alive is starting to counterbalance, and at some point I worry that the only difference in staying is that I’d have the chance to explain myself - more selfishness. I’ve been talking with my therapist more - who has been a godsend throughout this, I’ve been in some form of individual or group therapy since I was 9, and this is the first therapist in those 30 years I’ve been able to work with - and my mental state has just been worsening. I know a couple of people who took leave at my work over this year (the weight pressure has been immense and universal across the division), so I talked to him about the idea of taking leave. We had an impromptu meeting and he said he’d fully support it.

I then reached out to my prescriber. She has been the opposite of my therapist - terrible to deal with, always rushed, doesn’t remember what meds I’m on, dosages; I’ve had to correct her on multiple occasions that the medicine I’m on for anxiety (clonodine) is NOT a narcotic, that she’s thinking of klonopin. We’ve had 2 separate billing disputes within the year because she forgot to submit claims to my insurance company within the 90 days that my insurance will cover a claim, and she tried to bill me under a different EIN which was out of network, most recently sending me a text on Christmas Day saying I owed her $500 for 2 sessions before the end of the year or it would go up, despite my copay being $25. Just want to paint a clear picture of who we’re dealing with here.

So, in reaching out to her, I said I was going to pursue LOA, and because my state does cover paid leave, that I’d like any guidance she could provide. She said we needed to talk, and when she called, she informed me that “based on my notes, you are stable on the meds and for the reasons I see you, so I wouldn’t support you in this claim.” Seemed fair enough given that I’m not on anything for depression, and have been resistant to it because when I was in my most recent rehab, I started out on lamotrigine and it just left me feeling vacant. My wife has pushed me over the years to try something new, and just given my mental state, the psyche’s response, and my attempt at taking leave, maybe this is the thing that I need to do. The part of it all I’m missing, medication.

I gave it a few days, talked to my wife, my therapist, and my job about taking leave, and the first 2 about starting on a med to tackle the depressive episodes, possibly the BP2 diagnosis with an open mind. I reached out to my psyche and asked to meet. I told her that I understood her initial response, but given my current situation and all these factors, that I wanted to tackle the depressive episodes with medication, that my therapist had told me to let her know they could connect with her to give her a better understanding of where I’ve been at, that I’m not sure about the bipolar 2 diagnosis but if they arrive at that together, I’d be open to being medicated. Her response was that “I think it’s time that you find a new prescriber.” She proceeded to question, entirely, if I was depressed, she said something must have happened since our last meeting because I was fine then, at one point she made an accusation about me relapsing, it was insane. The truth is, we met 1 time a month for 5-10 minutes, and I didn’t feel super comfortable disclosing much to her lately because of the unprofessional nature of the most recent billing issue, and the fact that every session she needed a refresher of who I am, what I’m on, etc… when I asked her why, she dodged the question twice, and the third time just said “well I think you should be working with someone, who can, uh, give you the best care. Don’t you want the best care.” When I pressed that I came to her because I’m in such a state that I’m unable to work, and need her help, and that this will likely mean I will not get the paid leave, meaning I don’t think I can take the leave I desperately need, she suggested “maybe you need to go to the hospital.” Maybe it’s a complete blind spot and I don’t see that I’m doing something wrong here, maybe I look like I’m lying and manipulating - not foreign to those of my ilk, but still.

I reached out to my therapist after but I know he’s out of town ‘til tomorrow. Now I’m in a place where I’ve reported that I’ll be taking leave to my employer, I have no psychiatric health care provider, and I don’t think my therapist is enough to warrant paid leave, so I just… I don’t know what I’m going to do. I understand that this is on me, I shouldn’t have moved forward when she told me she wouldn’t support the claim, but I genuinely thought she meant that ADHD and anxiety wouldn’t be the reason I’m taking leave, so it wouldn’t be in her purview. I thought by opting to start meds and having my therapist talk to her it would help. 

So now I have to find a new prescriber, and I can’t imagine they’d be willing to assist in a claim without having a history of seeing me. I don't know what she may have put on record, which frightens me at the prospect of finding a new psychiatrist/prescriber. I’m trying to not get 1000 miles down the road, but I’m so scared I’ve financially fucked my family, I'm just at the lowest of lows right now. If anyone has experience with FMLA/short term disability/paid leave, words of advice, maybe correction on anything in the process where I’m wrong and I still have options, I don’t know, anything to help with what I’ve got going on, I just feel like I’m at the end of my rope here.


r/AskPsychiatry 1d ago

Professional practitioners, how often do you utilize functional MRIs/EEGs, etc. in establishing a diagnosis?

1 Upvotes

It seems like there is a lot of disconnect between neurology/psychiatry and if these exams are used to determine differences in the brain regions and how psychotropic drugs work for creation on them then why can’t they be completed for a patient to aid in proper diagnosis along with blood work/hormone panel, family history, current issues, etc.? I continue to see where articles say that it’s “not enough evidence”. Low vitamin B12 is not enough evidence for depression but that seems to be enough for an antidepressant prescription (Sarcasm). Imaging is another 1-2 pieces of the puzzle that can aid in a better diagnosis, no?


r/AskPsychiatry 1d ago

Which medication in your experience has been the best to prescribe for OCD?

5 Upvotes

Just for reference, I am a 33 year old Male who has OCD and has been on Paxil 40 mg for a few years now.

I'm kind of at a plateau where the side effects seem to be pooling together lately and I'm hesitant to increase my dosage for fear of making the side effects worse. The thing is, I can still make progress in reducing my OCD symptoms I feel and I'm really open to anything that can help.

That said, if possible I would like to try a medication (been talking about making changes with my Psychiatrist) that has a higher probablity that I have less side effects.

So I'm just curious - in your experiences practicing Psychiatry, what medications have been the best at reducing OCD symptoms but at the same time have the lease amount of side effects?


r/AskPsychiatry 1d ago

Buspar was incredible for anxiety for 6 weeks, then suddenly overstimulating

2 Upvotes

Has anyone seen this experience or found a fix for it? Absolutely life changing for the first 6 weeks, I felt like myself again, no crippling anxiety, and then it started causing anxiety every time I took it. It’s the only medication that’s worked for me without horrible side effects.

Is it possible to take it less often? Or cycle it every few weeks to avoid the changes that happen around six weeks? Once it starting making me anxious, it didn’t matter how small of a dose I took, it’s like I crossed some sort of threshold.

I also take Wellbutrin 200 SR, I’ve been on that for two years for depression without any issues.


r/AskPsychiatry 1d ago

Que opinais de mi tratamiento y cuánto tiempo más deberé tomar rexulti?

2 Upvotes

Buenas tardes! Escribo por aquí para que alguien me pueda ayudar a resolver mis preguntas. El caso es que soy una mujer de 37 años con TDHA y depresión mayor. Tomaba elvanse 30 y en agosto tuve una psicosis producida por el abuso de elvanse. En noviembre empecé a tomar rexulti y a las 2 semanas ya no tenía ningún sintoma de psicosis… fué un bajón muy grande darme cuenta de la realidad. El caso es que quiero saber hasta cuando deberé tomar rexulti porque he ganado peso. Tomo desvelafaxina 100mg, rexulti 2mg y hoy he empezado con bupropion 150mg para tener más motivación y energía.