How do I ask my doctor bout changing meds??

Question

Right now Im on Wellbutrin XL Ive been on it now for 3-4 weeks. I just went from 150mg to taken 300mgs started that yesterday.I felt that it isn't helping with my anxiety as much as it should or even at all..And im tken more mg.s and I dont think i should but i want somethin that will help.. But I called up my dr today to talk but she seemed bitchy. I think I wanna get on a med that works for my anxiety like zoloft or somethin.. I have social anxiety/depression.. I wanna call her tomorro and ask her.. Should I.. I mean i have anxiey and Wellbutrin is more for depression i NEED somethin for my anxiety.. How should I ask her?? Please help..

Answer 1

Do you see that doctor on a regular basis? Perhaps it would be better to ask her in person. You just increased your dosage yesterday. It takes a few days if not weeks to notice a difference with a change in that sort of medication. However, a side effect of Wellbutrin is anxiety, so an increase may exacerbate yours.

Is your doctor a psychiatrist? If not, are you getting some sort of counseling for your condition? Some family doctors are very uncomfortable prescribing such medications. All you can do is express your concerns. Be honest and tell her that you have not felt any relief at all for your anxiety, and that you wonder if there isn't a different medication that would be more helpful for your symptoms. If she's too bitchy to talk with you, you may need to find a doctor who is more willing to listen to you. I know it's not easy, but you do have to look out for your own interest.

Answer 2

Some drugs do both. Zoloft is mainly for depression too but helps with anxiety. The reason she could be getting bitchy is some drugs like that take at least 4-6weeks to kick in but will give you a steady relief all the time. If you need immediate relief you need something like valium but it is highly addictive and a temporary solution that can be taken with anti-depressants. If you are not having any side effects you are very lucky and should hold out a bit longer to see if they work. You need to realise too that if they don't work you may have to ween off them and have no meds till they are out of your system before you can try another. This is where it is very frustrating if you are not getting results. They all take time to work and leave your system as well. The doctors have charts usually on which meds are better for depression, anxiety or both and how long they take to work or come out of your system as well.

You could easily also check for yourself what your meds are supposed to do online if you search them. For example one drug may help anxiety 30% and depression 70%. You can have worse symptoms if you quit a drug cold turkey. These are a few things to consider when wanting to change meds.

In regards to your doctor if you feel they are not educating you or being approachable with your symptoms then I would try again to explain to them, or change to a more considerate doctor. Good luck!

Answer 3

Since I have dealt with depression and anxiety for many years, and the fact that I am also a nurse, here is my answer. First of all, are you seeing a psychologist/psychiatrist, or is your family doctor prescribing the medication? Second, it takes an 'average' of 4-6 wks for an anti-depressant to take effect, before you can even notice any changes. Some of the newer medications (i.e. Celexa, Lexapro, Cymbalta),to name a few,usually react faster than the average 4-6 wks. You will probably notice some changes within yourself (with these newer drugs), as little as 1-2 wks. Wellbutrin is an excellent medication, but it deals specifically for your depression. Depression and anxiety go hand in hand. If you manage to find a medication that helps with your depression, you will notice your anxiety levels decreasing. And vice versa. You have only been on the medication for a short time. You have to give your brain time to adjust. Depression has been proven to be caused from decreased levels of serotonin and/or norephinephrine (a chemical imbalance in the brain). These medications help to 'balance' these chemicals.

What's also VERY important, is to NEVER take it upon yourself to self-medicate yourself. You sound anxious enough regarding your anxiety, that you have been taking more of the medication than what has been prescribed. This can be very fatal.

It can take several months and several 'combinations' of medications to find out what works best for YOU. Medications are not exactly a science, and what works for someone else, won't necessarily work for you. You have to TRY and be patient. If your anxiety is as bad as you mention, then you need to contact your doctor. Call and leave a message with the nurse. Tell her exactly what you are feeling. If you are just seeing a regular family doctor, instead of a psychistrist/psychologist, most
'regular' doctors don't feel comfortable prescribing or dealing with anything to do with the mental aspect of practice. My own physician is like that. Your doctor might not even be aware of how serious your anxiety is.

In regard to anxiety medications, you need to take something that reacts as soon as you take it, or relatively a short time after you take it. These types of meds are called PRN, meaning taking a particular medication 'as needed', not routinely (i.e. once a day, or twice a day). You would only take the medication when/if your feeling anxious. Keep in mind the side effects also. But don't let this stop you from needing to take something. There are side effects to 'everything', so when to start taking anything new, find out what the possible side effects are, and report them immediately to your doctor. If have some nausea (for example), take the medication for a while to see if the nausea goes away. Nausea is not necessarily a side effect of a medication. It's just the reaction. But if the nausea worsens, then contact your doctor right away. If you have any questions about your medications, just type it in your address bar and you can find out everything you need to know about it. Don't ever feel bad for asking your doctor a particular question. But also realize that most doctors don't like to be 'questioned'. But also remember "Doctors are not GOD, even though most of them think they are" :))

Answer 4

was the up from 150mg to 300 dr ordered? if so-give it time. eventhough you've been on the wellbutrin for a while, it can take up to a week for your body to readjust to the new dose. if it wasn't dr ordered-please return back to your prescribed dose-changing your doseage on your own could be dangerous and you could accidently overdose.

bottom line here-it's your body and only you know if a medication is working like it should

zoloft works great for anxiety and depression both (i've been taking it for years now). schedule an appt to see her about this. once in office, explain to her what is going on-that you still have symptoms of anxiety even with the wellbutrin and would like to try something else, like zoloft. it's important for you to be able to function in your everyday life and you need medication that will work for you to help you do this.

as your physician, it's her job to meet your needs-you "hired" her to take care of you-if after the appt and request to switch medications, she still hasn't solved the issue-then "fire" her and switch doctors. this is your right as a patient-and tell her the reason if she asks-maybe next time she'll be more willing to help out her patients.

here are some links for medications for you to look into

good luck to you!!

http://www.lexapro.com/default.aspx?PlacementGUID=C3E18E67-2EC9-4BE6-9DD7-236F371F95ED

http://www.zoloft.com/zoloft/zoloft.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=default_home

http://www.paxil.com/

Answer 5

If you have a doctor that seems bitchy it seems to me the doctor is not meeting your needs it sounds like she needs to go on meds for personality disorder. If you can not trust your doctor it is best you find another one. Wellbutrin is a great drug for depression it probably is not the drug for you. Paxil is a good one and zoloft is also just tell her you have problems with the wellbutrin and you would like to try something else becasue you do not feel it is working for what you need. There are so many good ones out there nowadays I myself was on Wellbrutrin but I went off of it because of t he weight gain you have to watch that also some of them are known to be terible for weight gain. I probably did not help you very much it just seems like you should find another doctor you need a good one when it comes to understanding problems with depression and anxiety someone who will listen to you.

Answer 6

Many doctors do NOT want to talk on the phone about these things. Your doctor is no different than any other, tru to remember that they ar eJUST people. I know that medication that youare speaking of.I tried it and it did not work.....doctors will PUSH what is new and seems to work....however it is sad that when there is a real problem...many of them do NOt stack up to being good. taking anti-depressents is always a crap shoot. i didnt like Wellbutrin at all..it was totally ineffective. my doctor was pissed off.....Look...I had to find a doctor who WOULD listen. Right now I am not an any medication...which beats the crap out of being a guinea pig for the doctors. If in person your Doctor is not ammenable to helping you, or you don't feel that you are being heard then PLEASE find yourself a different doctor...NO doctor has the right to be BITCHY..and I have told them that. like it or not for them it IS all about YOU. I wish you the best.

Answer 7

Your doc is there to help you! She has no right to act bitchy--she is in a helping profession. 300mg of wellbutrin is pretty high. Temporary use of a benzothiazine like klonopin or valium would be okay. You should try alternative methods too, like meditation or visualization. As for people who worry about getting 'addicted' to medications, I think that's a lot of b.s. It's not the medication; it's the person. If you are temporarily reliant on meds, so what? It's not like they're running out of them. As long as they don't make you feel uncomfortable they can be effective. If you truly want to get better and care enough about yourself to make smart choices, it is your right to find what works best for you. If she continues to be irritated by your requests for help, find someone else. The last thing you need is for some doc to make you feel uncomfortable about asking for help. It's your perfect right to find someone who has your best interests at heart. Word of mouth is the best recommendation, as far as I'm concerned. I feel your pain and wish you the best.

Answer 8

it can take a long time for anti-depressants/anxiety drugs to work. the chemicals in yoru brain have to totally re-adjust. so give it some time. don't take more than what was prescribed!!!!! if it still doesn't work in 2 more weeks, call then. those medicines are weird and they don't work for everybody. i think that, on average, a person has to try 3 different ones befor ethye find the one that works for them. don't give up on this or stress too much over it. seeing a therapist would also be helpful. they can help youdeal with what the medicine isn't dealing with right now.

Answer 9

Change doctors. It is your body, not theirs. They get paid to subscribe medicines. Get more exercise, walking, biking whatever. Keep your money, stop giving it to doctors. Eat healthy.