Hi, so first off I live in the USA, in San Diego, CA, so our healthcare system is a little different here. I have private insurance but get a tax subsidy thanks to "Covered California," a left over from ObamaCare. My insurance is bad though: my doctor visit co-pay is $75 as well as my Urgent Care co-pay, a specialist is $105 co-pay, and I am 100% responsible for ER visits and ambulances, and almost 100% responsible for being in the hospital. That is why I must now just cope with my panic attacks and not call 911 or go to the ER or Urgent Care in any way no matter how bad an attack us. After all, they can't do anything for it anyway, except reassure me nothing is wrong which is not worth the possible $2,000 ER bill and maybe give me Xanax which I won't take. I'm already in a lot of medical debt over that. Anyways...that is just the background of my insurance.
The purpose of this post is to get advice on what my first visit with a new psychiatrist may be like. I have an appointment this coming Wednesday. I haven't seen a psychiatrist since I was a kid and this will be an initial first-time visit to this one. I'm sure most of this will be just filling out paperwork, but we may discuss the issue I am having. I know for a fact I need medication. A lot of my relatives on both sides of my family are on medication for depression and anxiety and my anxiety is hard to control. I have been self-medicating with diet/energy pills because when I am awake, alert and full of energy I am happy and don't obsess over my health (my breathing and chest mainly). So I know I need REAL medication. After suffering severe dizziness/vertigo after taking Lexapro once a few weeks ago, which no one is still sure if it was due to the medication, the fact that I didn't eat for 12 hours, or if it was a combination of the two or maybe it was just my anxiety being worst (they do say medication makes you worse before you get better), but either way, I am scared to take medication though I know I need it. So I think this will be what I mainly discuss with the psychiatrist in this first initial visit. But what was your experience with your first visit with a new psychiatrist, therapist, psychologist, or counselor, if you have or had one? Thanks.
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Just for the record, here in the U.K. medical care is free at the point of need. The only thing you have to pay for is prescriptions if you are in a job and there is a cap of £8.50 per item. So the retired, unemployed, children, anybody in full time education and pregnant pay nothing. Dentistry is subsidised into three tiers of payment or free to unemployed.
It costs nothing to visit your doctor, a specialist, psychiatrist, have any scan including MRI or blood tests. Nothing to call an ambulance or go to Accident & Emergency. Nothing to stay in a hospital or have an operation or any other procedure. If you want to you can pay money to get private medical treatment but you still have to pay NI contributions.
It's paid for out of National Insurance contributions deducted from your pay along with income tax. So you only pay it whilst you're working. The system generally works well but it is underfunded and politicians are scared to raise taxes to finance it properly.
The National Health Service has the 100% support of all British people, life without it would be inconceivable.
The NHS was started in 1948 by the socialist government: this is why some elements in the United States disparagingly refer to it as "communist medicine". I have never understood why the U.S., the richest and most powerful country in the world, does not have something similar in place and it is depressing to hear American friends are denied access to basic medical care because they have reached the limit on their insurance or can't afford proper insurance.
I had the same exact problem when my dose of Lexapro was increased. I would get extremely dizzy and the sensation was almost painful. Thankfully, switching to 20mg instead of 25mg, made the dizziness go away almost immediately.
I would avoid any diet/energy pills until you ask a psychiatrist about it. When you have too many medications messing with your brain's chemicals, the side effects really take a toll on you. That could also be a cause of the dizziness. Be sure to tell your psychiatrist how you feel about needing energy supplements to feel better. He/she will probably be able to help. The more honest you are with your psychiatrist, the more accurate diagnosis they can make AND treat Trust me, they've already heard almost everything.
A word of advice if you're taking Lexapro (or I guess any antidepressant) never skip a dose! The withdrawals are absolutely miserable.
Thank you. I took one then just stopped. Had those feelings of electric shock in my head and body for two nights straight every time I tried to quiet my brain and go to sleep. If that happened after just one day and one pill of Lexapro, I wonder how long I would have those withdrawals, among others, if I took more and over a number of years!
That zap feeling that goes through your body is withdrawals. It's the worst feeling/sensation. If you only took it once, then I wouldn't expect the withdrawals to last for more than 3 or 4 days. If you ever were to decide that you don't want to take it anymore, wean yourself off very slowly. Probably over a two week period.
In response to Oldconfused: some people NEED medication to be able to live their day-to-day life. Wishful thinking can't balance out your brain chemicals. If you had that type of experience with medication, then it just wasn't the right medication for you. Everyone's body is different and some people are more sensitive to certain types of medication than others. Also sounds like you had a bad doctor, if he put you on such a high dose that made you that drowsy.
I went to a VA shrink, took his medicine, slept for two days straight. Took different medicines from him and felt like dying. Look out, don’t take what a psychiatrist says as gospel. Use your own common sense. Be VERY careful, they’ll poison you and consider it all in a day’s work.
Unless you hear voices, I’d steer clear of those pill pushers!
The thoughts I get are almost like "voices." I can't control them. My brain tells me I'm not breathing even when I know for a fact I am breathing just fine. Trying to ignore those thoughts takes a lot of time and energy and I am getting very tired. Something needs to help! But thank you.
Hi, first of all , we love SAN Diego, went twice about 20 years ago to visit my daughter who was working in a diner called Blue Collar. We loved food, the people everything, it’s a fab place. Please don’t worry about taking medication as it will help you so much. Haven’t got much faith in psychiatrists, Councillors as they can all tell you different things. We don’t use them like Americans do, they all seem to have ‘ shrinks’ My eldest daughter has joined a running club and a gym and it has helped her mental health so much. Anti depressants take weeks to work but it’s wonderful when that black cloud starts to lift. You will have to put a post on her about the Phsychiatrist after your visit. Good luck x
Thank you. My anxiety prevents me from doing anything strenuous because I obsess over my breathing and heartrate. Even just walking home casually makes me panic a little. I guess Americans really do love psychiatrists and such! So many people have one (and probably every celebrity...or at least some celebs have "life coaches" Lol)....some of my relatives "believe in therapy" like it's a religion! But to be fair, some people do well seeing someone, even just talking out your problems with a sympathetic ear that is not related to you and knows what you are going through helps. And a psychiatrist should know more about mental and emotional disorders and about the medications to treat them since it is their specialty, than a general practition doctor like mine. So I'm guessing the first thing my psychiatrist will do is suggest going on medication again. If so, I am going to ask for a week off so I can get through the possible side effects, if there are any. I've read that side effects usually end or at least subside a little after a week. Hopefully I won't need two weeks, though I do have enough sick and vacation time accrued. Thanks again.
Update: I saw my psychiatrist, and just as I thought, my doctor didn't know much about Lexapro. It is supposed to be taken at night and with food. Not in the morning, like he prescribed. My psychiatrist said the severe dizziness I felt when I took the Lexapro was due to it being a side effect that was exacerbated by not eating, i.e. low blood sugar, and not eating with it can also cause nausea (though I didn't have that.) My doctor didn't know that, neither did the doctors at the ER when I went there the day I had a bad reaction to the Lexapro because of not eating. I was also prescribed buspirone to take when needed but no more than 3 times a day and not at night as while it relaxes you, it also causes you to be alert.
As for the cause of my anxiety, there are many. I was referred to an ENT specialist because of my chronic sinus congestion that makes it impossible for me to breathe through my nose, always giving me the sensation of suffocating, which then causes me to panic. My father had that, a deviated septum, and got surgery for it. So it is in my family and can be genetic. My father also has sleep apnea and uses a c-pap machine, and it is very suspected that I have the same, so I was also referred to a sleep study. Not sleeping right and getting enough oxygen to my brain could be causing not just the chronic fatigue, lethargy, and forgetfulness, but also my anxiety. I am not allowed to drink grapefruit with the buspirone, yet I just bought some Apple Juice because I didn't know that until I read the medication's directions and because when I felt dizzy that one day on Lexapro Apple Juice helped a lot. Is Apple Juice a grapefruit? I forgot. Of course, as many of you said here, I was told to stop drinking energy drinks. I just don't know how I'll function during the day since I am not sleeping at night due to the anxiety and until a sleep study is done which will then give me a remedy for my sleep apnea. A pharmacist told me that coffee or anything with caffeine won't interact badly with my medications, but would nullify their effects by possibly giving me anxiety. So what do I do until I can sleep better?
Other than that, today was a great day. I avoided panic attacks and didn't obsess over my breathing once. On the way home from the psychiatrist I walked a path along the San Diego River, taking photos and videos of the water, the flora, and of the wildlife. It was very relaxing and I felt good that I was able to enjoy some nature (in the middle of an urban city) again without panicking and because I haven't done so in almost a year. I was also able to sit still for a haircut without panicking and take public transportation (the San Diego trolley.)
Tomorrow night I will start my Lexapro medication. I can't today because, sadly, I already had some energy drinks. I will also give the buspirone a try tomorrow at work. I asked if I should take a week or just a few days off work so I can adjust to the medication, but the psychiatrist didn't think that was necessary. Of course, I have plenty of vacation time, so I can ask for that even without a note from a doctor. I just have to do it at least two weeks in advance. I am thinking of taking a few days off around Easter.
All in all, it was a good day, and I hope the medication I got works well with few or no side effects until the cause of my anxiety (possible sleep apnea and chronic sinusitis) can be addressed. Thank you all for reading my long posts and helping me out. I'll keep you updated as I go along with everything.
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