Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
I think my psychiatrist is really worrying me. I called her yesterday. She didn’t call me back. I called her today and left a message. She called me back and she was VERY mean when I told her that I am afraid of bad withdrawal symptoms. She told me “I am NOT going to keep rxing this for you. You gave developed dependency”. I told her I didn’t WANT to stay on it only that I was nervous. She then went on to say “she had NEVER told me to go down each week. I told you to go down by 1/2 a milligram a MONTH”. I told her “I thought you said to go down a 1/2 a milligram a week”. She said “if you don’t trust me, you are welcome to find a new provider.” And also “I can only talk to you about this once a week”. She then got upset when I said “what if something happens and I need to talk to you”.
To be honest, I am very very angry because I have read that long term Ativan usage can CAUSE dementia!!!! It is NOT supposed to be used more than a few months. I’ve been on it for YEARS!!!
i am contacting my primary doctor for a referral to another psychiatrist. It will take MONTHS to get in with someone.
In in the meantime, my lips and tongue are tingling, the metallic taste is awful. I just wish i could go to sleep and not wake up. Not only is this going on, but I am having major stress at work and with family. I am pretty much overwhelmed. Thank you all for listening.
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Hey All...I hope that you have a lovely, peaceful beginning of your weekI have a bunch of chores that need doing but may put them off til tomorrow and just hang out with my landlord/roomie todayWhat about you?...Anything special going on?Have a great day and take good care of you!!..Xo
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Once again I've had a fever today. I'm not going to the hospital because that's a huge waste of time but I did schedule a dr appointment for Wednesday afternoon.
Many of us have been on benzo's for years, it's a normal part of medication therapy for BiPolar Disorder. Pharmaceutical Companies have to list every single side effect that any person in that medication FDA Human Trials had, even if only 2 people had a side effect it has to be listed on the medication side effect list.
There are serious side effects for all of the Psych Meds we use longterm, but unfortunately we have a Mental Illness that requires us to use them in order to treat and manage our Disease.
Your taper should be decrease by .5mg each month, every week was too fast, that still doesn't answer your symptoms questions though.
Do you have any Medical Illnesses or take other Medications that might be causing the side effect? Have you had an ear infection or Sinus Infection recently? These are things that can cause the metallic taste. Other types of medications.... You might check with your Medical Dr. and see what he thinks.
Going off the Ativan shouldn't have caused the metalic taste especially if it never caused it when you were taking it.
Just try not to panic over this. Its not easy changing Dr.'s but you'll find a new one and be okay. In the meantime, maybe see your Medical Dr. to check on the symptoms your having.
Take care,
Kat
Try not to panic TC..... Deep breaths..... If there is some withdrawal it won't be for a while and will only last a few days
If you need to you can always go to emerg.... There are options for you....
You are going to be okay.... Tell yourself just that.... You will get through this and you will be okay..... Gentle hug.....xo
Also, this feeling and taste in my mouth is weird. I wake up and im ok until like 3 pm and it gets reallt bad.
Just something that came to me because I dealt with it a few years back...may be totally off the mark, but just for information sake.
1] Use Google.com, Quora.com, WrongDiagnosis.com, Crazymeds.com etc to do more research.
2] Explore Intensive Outpatient Programs for Mental Health and Addiction or even an inpatient addiction treatment recovery program. Ativan withdrawal can actually be fatal.
3] If you haven't yet, follow your Pdoc's or PCP's advice to get back up to the Ativan dose you should be at had you only dropped by .5 mg monthly.
4] Ativan has a short half-life and is not extended release, split the dose between evenly spaced times to prevent yoyo-ing of side effects and symptom control.
5] Ask your PCP for a complete workup, starting with labs, including a full thyroid array and D3 level if you feel tired, as well as liver, kidney, and heart function plus a basic cognitive function test.
[Disclaimer: I am not giving professional advice. What I write summarizes what I remember from my excessive research plus the experiences of persons I know well and myself. All advice affecting you medically should be discussed with a medical professional.]