Please help!

[noemikahle]

So basically my psychiatrist is not communicating with me and I don't have an appointment until mid July. He prescribed me celexa, busphar, amytryptaline and Ativan. That is an awful lot of meds and even though he said it's a perfectly safe combo I don't want to take this many meds. I have also been getting nightly headaches and some muscle shaking since I think I started celexa (12 weeks now). I begged my PCP to help manage my meds for now and the plan is to try to wean off celexa and busphar and go on Zoloft ( has worked for me before) and amytryptaline for headaches. I am now freaking out because what if I am making a mistake? My anxiety has been a lot better since starting celexa. I just can't take these headaches much longer and the stupid muscle shakes. I have weaned off busphar but I am stuck on weaning off celexa. What would you guys do?

[Agora1]

noemikahle, I agree there is a time and place for medication but when so many are thrown at you, it does need to be managed by someone. Hopefully your PCP will help you. x

[Hidden]

Ohhhhhhh. MMMMYYYYYY. What would "we guys do?"

That's a tough question. Why can't you get through to talk to your psychiatrist about these meds, your fears, i.e.?

I would even hesitate to say anything about what you should do with all those meds and your worry, except to get through somehow to that prescribing psychiatrist. There must be a way to do that if you are persistent enough. Please try again. You need a doctor's advice.

[Agora1]

normikahle, PTSDforyears is absolutely correct in that it should be your psychiatrist overseeing your medication. However, I have been in your situation before. The psychiatrist is fast to pull out that prescription pad but slow in responding to calls or getting an appointment.

Keep calling him... x

[noemikahle in reply to Agora1]

I have called 6 times and e-mailed 3 times with no response. I am done with him. My PCP is managing my meds but now I am getting cold feet I kind of told the PCP what I would like to do but now I am worried if I made a mistake.

[Agora1 in reply to noemikahle]

In times like this we sometimes have to be our own advocate. I don't recommend starting or stopping medication on your own but you have every right to weigh in your concerns and decisions with your PCP.

[jessiejakes in reply to Agora1]

I waited for over 18 weeks for my CBT treatment mind you i can't complain now I am going she has really helped me with my anxiety.and explains why i get anxiety and worry so much.

[Agora1 in reply to jessiejakes]

jessiejakes, CBT helped me immensely, not at the beginning because I gave my therapist a hard time because I didn't want to do the work. Once I got into it and realized what was behind it, I started making a turn around. x

[jessiejakes in reply to Agora1]

Hi agora1 CBT shows you how to break the fear of fear.and gives you examples of how our minds feed the what its ! And how to break it down and deal with it.glad you have also benefited from it to.

[noemikahle]

My PCP also told me I am ok to take Ativan up to four times a day which also makes me nervous.

[noemikahle]

I am so pissed at this psychiatrist of leaving me like this. I should have known better when he said after the first visit that I am welcome to go back to a more local psychiatrist. I should have taken the clue. What use is a psychiatrist if I see him once a month with no ability to communicate otherwise especially when you are starting new meds. Now I am so afraid of going back to not being able to leave my bed due to anxiety while I am switching meds. My PCP said don't worry you can always take Ativan but Ativan is not an SSRI and it's so addictive It's hard because the psychiatrist plan was for me to take all four psych meds and the PCP is just supervising my plan . What is my plan is wrong?

[Agora1 in reply to noemikahle]

Well noemikkahle, that is something you will have to decide. The psychiatrist does specialize in mental health but like you, I understand if you can't communicate when starting new meds, that in itself presents fear.

I can only tell you my experience which was an SSRI and an anti-anxiety medication. They work together in eliminating or cutting down on your symptoms. However you can't rely on meds alone and that's when I got seriously into meditation and deep breathing. Reading everything I could on anxiety, the more I understood, the better I was in accepting it was just that. It was a time that I started making some headway while on medication so that I could move forward.

Once I felt I was more in control of my symptoms through my own endeavors, that is when I asked to be weaned off Ativan. I am still on Lexapro, doing well, but hate being tied to the psychiatrist every time I need a refill. Someday, I want to be free of that but for now, I go in every 3 months for a 10 min chit chat with the doctor to get my refill.

Right now noemikahle, you need to do what's necessary to break that cycle of fear you are in. If it takes going back to a local psychiatrist maybe you need to do that until this is all straightened out in your mind. We cannot possibly be our own doctors just an advocate.