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Emergency Planning


Meimeiquest

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Have any of you ever given thought to what you want to do if your condition ever goes downhill quickly? I am seeing my PCP tomorrow who is now writing my scripts. I've been playing Goldilocks lately with psychiatrists...each one is too "something" for me.

 

A friend who is a therapist and takes meds for bipolar I or II thinks I will not be able to find a pdoc in this county who will accept the "risk" of taking me on coming off so many meds. Alto recently posted an article by Dr. Allen about how grossly over diagnosed bipolar II is....he told me I might well have it. So I'm thinking the PCP and I need to discuss what will happen if I take a nosedive. Or I can just go to the ER,,,,and undo over a year of hard work.

 

I am thinking the best thing would be to increase the lithium to a full therapeutic level?

 

BTW, I'm relatively fine right now. But it was this far out from Cymbalta that I started having major problems and my best way to deal with worry is to have a plan.

 

I posted this out under self-care because I am interested in what people think about their own situations.

1st round Prozac 1989/90, clear depression symptoms. 2nd round Prozac started 1999 when admitted to dr. I was tired. Prozac pooped out, switch to Cymbalta 3/2006. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder due to mania 6/2006--then I was taken abruptly off Cymbalta and didn't know I had SSRI withdrawal. Lots of meds for my intractable "bipolar" symptoms.

Zyprexa started about 9/06, mostly 5mg. Tapered 4/12 through12/29/12

Wellbutrin. XL 300 mg started 1/07, tapered 1/18/13 through 7/8/13

Oxazepam mostly continuously since 6/06, 30mg since 12/12, tapered 1.17.14 through 8.26.15

11/06 Lithium 600mg twice daily, 2.2.14 400mg TID DIY liquid, 2.12.14 1150mg, 3.2.14 1100mg, 3.18.14 1075mg, 4/14 updose to 1100mg, 6.1.14 900 mg capsules 7.8.14 810mg, 8.17.14 725mg, 8.24.24 700mg...10.22.14 487.5mg, 3.9.15 475mg, 4.1.15 462.5mg 4.21.15 450mg 8.11.15 375mg, 11.28.15 362.5mg, back to 375mg four days later, 3.4.16 updose to 475 (too much going on to risk trouble)

9/4/13 Toprol-XL 25mg daily for sudden hypertension, tapered 11.12.13 through 5.3.14, last 10 days or so switched to atenolol

7.4.14 Started Walsh Protocol

56 years old

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Meimei,

 

In finding a psychiatrist or other doc to work with, do you feel you have to tell them your goal of tapering all meds up front? I'm not tapering, but have had difficulty getting a local doc (active on forum) to return my calls and emails (probably not hard to find my personal thread here to know I'm a train wreck). I agree that they are wary of liablity.

 

That doesn't answer your question regarding emergency situation, though. I think I would go to an Urgent Care and tell them I used to be on ______ drug and ask for Rx until I can get into a new doc. They've been pretty helpful so far.

Pristiq tapered over 8 months ending Spring 2011 after 18 years of polydrugging that began w/Zoloft for fatigue/general malaise (not mood). CURRENT: 1mg Klonopin qhs (SSRI bruxism), 75mg trazodone qhs, various hormonesLitigation for 11 years for Work-related injury, settled 2004. Involuntary medical retirement in 2001 (age 39). 2012 - brain MRI showing diffuse, chronic cerebrovascular damage/demyelination possibly vasculitis/cerebritis. Dx w/autoimmune polyendocrine failure.<p>2013 - Dx w/CNS Sjogren's Lupus (FANA antibodies first appeared in 1997 but missed by doc).

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