Why is there such a negative perception of responsible adults who try to have some educated input into their..?
…prescribed medications?
I ask this as a 32 year old mother of a toddler, who has been dealing with serious back problems for over 13 years now (stemming from my 6 years in the Army). I have been to every type of medical and alternative type of professional out there and so far the pain only increases. Now it’s one thing to go from being a fully functioning, high level achiever to someone who is “disabled,” but add to that the responsibilities of single motherhood and all I want is to be the best mom I can for my daughter.
Over the past 8 years or so I have educated myself tremendously about the various medications and treatments I’ve been prescribed and those available. Unfortunately my only medical care is through the VA hospital so I am limited in my options. Over the 13 years of this ordeal thus far, doctors have prescribed probably 50-75 different types of medications and combinations thereof to try and treat my pain level. As of August 2007 (when I found out unexpectedly that I was pregnant) I was on 160 mg of Oxycontin plus about 8 Percocet, plus Valium, muscle relaxers, and two different types of depression medications – all just naturally prescribed by my doctors (not at my request, but without my objection). When I found out I was pregnant my pain management doctor actually told me it was OK to stay on all that medication and my baby would “just have to detox” after birth! I said no way in hell and I began to taper down my meds on my own, which I did incorrectly at first until I found another doctor that agreed with me about detoxing myself over the course of the pregnancy. By the time my daughter was born (perfect and healthy) I was down to 20 mg of oxycontin/day, one anti-depressant (although not the best treatment for my issue but best for my daughter while growing inside of me) and a very mild anti-anxiety med once in a while for severe attacks. I stayed at that level for 6 more months while breastfeeding then my doctor wanted to start increasing my pain meds again. I was in tremendous pain and was OK with increasing at that point. About 3 months ago I was up to 80 mg Oxycontin again and finally I decided it was enough and I requested to be tapered off the meds again since they weren’t really helping my pain level much anyway. OK, I realize this is long but I feel I need to give a little background, please bear with me.
So now with my narcotic pain regimen tapering down again (already to 40 mg/day) I decided to try to take control of the other aspect of my prescription care, which is my depression. The medication I am on now is not working that well for me and I am constantly exhausted, lack motivation and have a lot of trouble concentrating on anything. I asked my mental health professional if it was possible to change my prescription to another med, which is controversial but I have read a lot about it in treatment of depression and it has worked well for a friend of mine with similar situation. Instead of talking about that med or any other suitable similar meds, she INCREASED my dosage of the med I am already on.
So a few days ago I asked a question on here about why my doctor may have been so against the med I researched and asked her about and the answers I got were pretty darn dismissive and judgmental. It got me thinking about how I have been treated by everyone in my life when they find out about my prescription regimens. All I want, obviously, is to be the most functional, “whole” person I can be, especially now, for my daughter. What is wrong with that? Why is there so much judgment, criticism and discrimination against people who are merely trying to live more normal lives without horrible pain and suffering? I just don’t get it. Can anyone help me understand?
Thanks!
Honeysuite – Thank you. I am on the “list” for therapy at my local VA. Unfortunately, the VA system is way overburdened with all the soldiers coming back from the Middle East, and with all the ridiculous budget cuts… well, you get the idea.
Tagged with: adults • educated • Input • into • negative • perception • responsible • Some • such • their • there
Filed under: Pregnancy Anxiety Treatment
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You may have to deal with the VA, but you shouldn’t have to see a doctor who you feel doesn’t have your best interests at heart. Some doctors just disdain people who want to suggest their own treatment. Granted that most people haven’t a clue, but the doctor should be able to at least explain why the medication isn’t good for YOUR situation.
Are you in therapy for your depression? You should be. Depression is both a psychological and physiological condition and therapy techniques can help you quite a bit in managing your condition and your pain.
It is very difficult to find a doctor that will work with you. It is pretty difficult to find a doctor whose priority is helping people, rather than prestige and money. They have varying amounts of knowledge about medicine and working with people. You have a lot of knowledge about yourself, but they have so many patients and so little time that it is very difficult for them to see you as an individual and they tend to make the “safest” choices to try to avoid making a major mistake. I have a number of chronic serious health issues, am relatively intelligent and I have learned to be proactive in seeking the most effective medical solutions for myself. I am VERY lucky in that I have had the same care providers for years who knows me well and have come to take greater consideration of my input. I know this is incredibly rare and dread the day life throws us a curve and I end up in the care of someone else. Chronic pain and depression are not something the average person can understand unless they have experienced it and even many of them are in denial and have a vested interest in undermining your case. Unfortunately there are also many people out there doing their best to trick docs into providing them with recreational drugs. Does this help to understand?
BUT I am going to encourage you to be persistent in advocating for yourself, with the doctors and everyone else as well. I find being polite but firm and insistent on presenting my information and questioning their decisions regarding my health yields the best results generally. Question them and do not just silently accept them upping a dosage of something that is not working rather than trying something else without having them explain why they chose this route and get them to agree on a time frame in which you can expect results or they will let you try the other option (if not, ask why not?) Doctors are not used to being questioned or put on the spot by their patients so be gentle, but firm and insistent.