TL;DR: I've had symptoms of depression and anxiety since the age of 11 (~2005) due to emotional abuse from my FOO. Been on medication for depression and anxiety since 2016. Sertraline made me completely numb, so I switched to Citalopram. 10mg > 20mg > 30mg > 40mg. On the max dose, realised this still wasn't right and wasn't hitting my most difficult symptoms. Doctors repeatedly refused to change it for over 9 months. Yesterday, after a 3 minute telephone appointment, my doctor tells me to stop taking Citalopram cold turkey and switch to Mirtazapine, giving 0 information about this new drug. Anger ensues.
So I arranged a phone consultation with my GP yesterday to discuss changing my medication (again). I opened up about discovering CPTSD as well, and I was spoken to like a naughty child. He completely dismissed my comment, and instead said, "Are you still using marijuana?" as if that's where I got the idea from??
I explained that I use marijuana because, as I've said to him multiple times before, my medication isn't mitigating my symptoms enough. It helps me relax if I'm triggered, makes me less hypervigilant, and helps me to sleep. He started telling me off and saying, "Well if we're going to keep giving you these medications we need to make sure you're on board". Excuse me?? You're not h@dfj$fiu% helping!!!!!
It seemed like he gave up by the end of the call and said, "Okay, just stop taking your Citalopram for 2 days and then start Mirtazapine". Nothing about the dangers of stopping antidepressants cold-turkey, what Mirtazapine is, whether it's suitable for me, how it's different to my current medication - nothing. I did some research and it shouldn't be taken if you have low blood pressure, which I very much do. It also gives 1/1000 people white blood cell die-off, which is a very high number in my opinion.
I've now tried 3 doctors in my village and all of them have been very much of the mindset that mental health just requires you to "smile more" and "do things you enjoy" and "exercise" and "just do your chores immediately instead of letting them pile up". It's so intensely obvious to me that they have no %$&*%$"^%*()) clue how these illnesses affect someone's life. My partner has decided that it's time to ditch the approach of being honest and cooperative, and instead use my GP as a means to an end. I.e., I understand my illness better than they do, and I need to utilise them as a dispensary to access the medication I need to get better.
Has anyone else been prescribed Mirtazapine?
Has anyone else dealt with incompetent doctors and felt like just completely giving up on the healthcare system?
Feeling rather demotivated by all of this
So I arranged a phone consultation with my GP yesterday to discuss changing my medication (again). I opened up about discovering CPTSD as well, and I was spoken to like a naughty child. He completely dismissed my comment, and instead said, "Are you still using marijuana?" as if that's where I got the idea from??
I explained that I use marijuana because, as I've said to him multiple times before, my medication isn't mitigating my symptoms enough. It helps me relax if I'm triggered, makes me less hypervigilant, and helps me to sleep. He started telling me off and saying, "Well if we're going to keep giving you these medications we need to make sure you're on board". Excuse me?? You're not h@dfj$fiu% helping!!!!!
It seemed like he gave up by the end of the call and said, "Okay, just stop taking your Citalopram for 2 days and then start Mirtazapine". Nothing about the dangers of stopping antidepressants cold-turkey, what Mirtazapine is, whether it's suitable for me, how it's different to my current medication - nothing. I did some research and it shouldn't be taken if you have low blood pressure, which I very much do. It also gives 1/1000 people white blood cell die-off, which is a very high number in my opinion.
I've now tried 3 doctors in my village and all of them have been very much of the mindset that mental health just requires you to "smile more" and "do things you enjoy" and "exercise" and "just do your chores immediately instead of letting them pile up". It's so intensely obvious to me that they have no %$&*%$"^%*()) clue how these illnesses affect someone's life. My partner has decided that it's time to ditch the approach of being honest and cooperative, and instead use my GP as a means to an end. I.e., I understand my illness better than they do, and I need to utilise them as a dispensary to access the medication I need to get better.
Has anyone else been prescribed Mirtazapine?
Has anyone else dealt with incompetent doctors and felt like just completely giving up on the healthcare system?
Feeling rather demotivated by all of this