I've been here for over a year but never introduced myself

[KarenWalker]

Hello everyone. My name is not Karen but you can call me Karen. About 8 years ago I was a member of another forum that went by a similar name, but was eventually shut down. I'm glad I found this one in which the environment is much more controlled, respectful and safer. I remember seeing Jewbie in the forum that was shut down. He was a big shot there but here he got shot down and more than once!

Well, I digress as a woman with a grievance often does. 

I'm going through something kind of crazy right now, then again crazy is relative. Psychs seem to be scarse these days so it's really hard to get one and forget whether you like him/her or not. That's considered a luxury. You have to be grateful that you found one that took you in!

So I visited one after waiting a month and decided to be honest with the wrong shrink. I told him I smoked every now and then. I mean, if you can't be honest with your shrink then who can you be honest with? He said he couldn't take me in because I had a problem and needed to seek help. He suggested some meetings in the area. That was very disappointing. I take Lex and Lamictal and I was running out. My primary care physician refuses to prescribe those meds. She's dumb. Anyhow, I left there and called another place. They told me I had to wait about 3 months before I could see a couselor that could evaluate me. I told them that I had been rejected by a previous psyche because of my occasional smoking. The intake coordinator later called me back and said I could go into the CASAC program and that way I could see a psych and get my prescriptions filled. This meant peeing in a cup every week and of course the occasional smoking had to stop. So, I did it. I need my meds. Everything was going well until I got some Fen to lose some pounds before going on a trip and the counselor gave me the worst look because my last test came back positive for amph. I said I didn't know where that came from, all red faced, obviously lying. This is too humiliating. I feel like it's mandated and I'm there because I can't find a psych. He makes me feel so bad about myself and I don't need that. Gives me the whole speech he was taught in whatever training program he was in. I roll my eyes and tell him to stop the BS. I recently found out these programs have been getting more money so they're basically taking everyone in. They will consider anything you do, even drinking, a problem. I tell him he prob. goes home at night and smokes crack. I just have no respect for these people as I see they have no respect for patients. I feel like he looks down on me. So, anyhow, I'm not going back. I don't know what I'm going to do but I'm not going back. 

I haven't been able to tell anyone this because I'm embarrassed so this is my introduction and it's long so if you've gotten to this point, you're like me. I read everything, even the ingredients on the shampoo bottle. 

Btw, love this place. Just have to follow these main rules. 

-Do not chit chat in forums where you're only supposed to put the date the product was shipped and received, the name of the product in Yiddish, the quality, and maybe what part of the world the item arrived at.

-Leave the small talk for forums specifically opened for that purpose.

-Try your hardest NOT to ask any questions. ALL the info you need is here, already written. All you have to do is READ. 

And that's all (for now). 

 

[PTFC]

Great intro karen, spot on, pure professionalism!  Welcome anyway, i think you know the score by the sound of it. I'm am amateur compared to your experience, but I think I have followed the rules and post properly by and large. Great community here.

 

[2earls]

Lol Yiddish, I love it.

But I think questions are fine as long as they aren't "give me a hand out, I'm to lazy to read" type questions. I'm not adverse to answering a few.

Are there any IOPS that carry the meds you need, so you could forego the psych experience?

 

[sadminion]

Exactly what 2earls and PTFC is saying..

and welcome to the forum....this place is wonderful and understanding....

It sucks you where treated as you where, I was treated similar when my Pain management doc the other yr went on maternity leave and then ended up with a very new PA who new nothing about me..

She took me off my meds I had been on for YEARS...finally a combination that worked..

I ended up withdrawing and also all my pain I lived in for many yrs before was back full force..

she talked to me like i was 4, and made me feel discussing for wanting the meds i needed..

So I totally get where your coming from...Sometimes docs can really suck.....and make you feel aweful when its there,  JOB TO HELP YOU....YOU HIRED THEM NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!!

Anyway welcome to the forums...

you have found the right place..

xx

 

[KarenWalker]

Lol Yiddish, I love it.

But I think questions are fine as long as they aren't "give me a hand out, I'm to lazy to read" type questions. I'm not adverse to answering a few.

Are there any IOPS that carry the meds you need, so you could forego the psych experience?

No! Isn't that insane? These drugs only need prescriptions in the U.S. Lexapro is an SSRI and Lamictal is a mood stabilizer. I have not found a single iop that sells them. They both also come in generic form but generics outside the U.S. are usually very weak. I take klono and I get that prescribed also. That's the only med that's easy to get. I wrote to an iop to get Lexapro and Lamictal because I'm sure there are others like me. They said no. ?

 

[julimond]

Lol Yiddish, I love it.

But I think questions are fine as long as they aren't "give me a hand out, I'm to lazy to read" type questions. I'm not adverse to answering a few.

Are there any IOPS that carry the meds you need, so you could forego the psych experience?

No! Isn't that insane? These drugs only need prescriptions in the U.S. Lexapro is an SSRI and Lamictal is a mood stabilizer. I have not found a single iop that sells them. They both also come in generic form but generics outside the U.S. are usually very weak. I take klono and I get that prescribed also. That's the only med that's easy to get. I wrote to an iop to get Lexapro and Lamictal because I'm sure there are others like me. They said no. ?

I love the Yiddish spelling, but I don't think that generics outside of the U.S. are usually very weak. If they're very weak then they're junk and no generics.

Anyway: Welcome!!!

 

[KarenWalker]

I love the Yiddish spelling, but I don't think that generics outside of the U.S. are usually very weak. If they're very weak then they're junk and no generics.

Anyway: Welcome!!!

Unfortunately, in developing nations pharmas are not a huge revenue source. People who suffer from depression are called crazy and they don't know they are suffering from something that is treatable because it's such a huge social stigma. The ones that do seek help from doctors who provide free services can't afford the brand names like Lexapro or even the older SSRIs so they have to go w/generics. It's common knowledge that generics in developing nations are not as good as the brand. 15 20mg Lexapros costs the equivalent of US$100 in Dominican Republic. They come in blisters in a box. Poor people can't afford that. Even Prozac is expensive. I went to a shrink out there once who IMO needs a shrink. He's a long time member of the Dominican Communist Party. He advised me not to buy generic meds out there because there's no gov't agency that controls the quality of the medication. Like I said, pharma is not a big business in developing nations. Most people can't afford medications and use alternative medicine. A lot of people are hooked on benzos instead. They are manufactured out there so they're way cheaper, they relieve anxiety quickly but at the end of the day, leave you even more depressed. I should know. I've been using them on and off for 15 yrs. docs have told me that they cause memory loss. Im like GOOD, I hope to one day forget everything. I kid, of course.