It makes your pee smell funny.
Shocking. :rolleyes:
Clearly you aren’t up-to-date on your medications. Risperdol has been approved for use in Bipolar I for somewhere around five years now. It was the drug of choice for schizophrenia for a longer time than that, but then researchers found it aided significantly in… wait for it… the reckless, hallucinatory, delusional behaviors that come with a manic episode. We’ve been prescribing it to the kids at work throughout the 4.5 years I’ve been here, and aside from very, very infrequently having to prescribe an additional medication to control muscle tics and always making sure they’re slathered in sunblock before they go outside in the summer (a good idea anyway), we’ve never had a problem or complaint (and believe me, these kids will complain loudly and often if they don’t like their medication).
Your side effects, whatever they were, however long it took for them to show up, were not caused by one tablet of 1mg Risperdol. That particular medication does not metabolize within the system as quickly as you are implying, and 1mg is the lowest therapeutic dose.* Oh, and it’s designed to not make you high, which is why it didn’t. Sorry you were disappointed.
One last thing- if your evil-turned-formerly-evil psychiatrist is offering to continue a relationship with you outside of the bounds of therapy- that is, as your Official Tech Guy- he is violating several codes of ethics and can be sanctioned by several licensing boards.
[sub]* Note that I am NOT saying that a negative reaction is impossible, or that people don’t have negative reactions to medications with just a small dose- my mother can’t come within 50 yards of IVP dye, and DH is hugely allergic to Cipro- but the definition and timing of “side effects” and “allergic reaction” are light years apart.
It’s a matter of semantics, really; since AS falls under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders/Austism Spectrum Disorders, it is therefore technically considered a disorder as well. However, some folks prefer the less-stigmatizing “Syndrome” since AS is typically diagnosed between 5-11, and it’s easier to get a child on board with treatment when you approach the symptoms as something that needs to be “tweaked” a bit, rather than “cured/fixed.” Even the experts toss around Disorder and Syndrome interchangeably, so it’s not like you have to use one or the other.
I am not speaking for Batboy, obviously, who may have his own reasons for the preference.
Well, that answers that question. But I’m still unclear as to how some M.D./social worker managed to diagnose me with Bipolar I during a 72-hour involuntary hold, during which time (1) I spent at least 48 hrs in Intensive Care for a MEDICAL PROBLEM, (2) they did not consult my “official” psychiatrist, and (3) THEY APPARENTLY NEVER ASKED ME WHAT MY OFFICIAL DIAGNOSIS WAS. Because if they had asked me that question, I would have answered, “Asperger’s Syndrome.” Apparently, nobody bothered to ask me was my major malfunction was (aside from nearly dying from ketone overdose…)
You’ve been hooking little kids on potentially dangerous drugs?? How nice of you, Herr Doktor. (Yes, I can tell you’re a “shrink” now.) You should be ashamed of yourself, and if you think the kids ain’t complaining, it’s because YOU ARE NOT LISTENING to them and you don’t give a fuck about their future medical problems. (Question: How much of a kickback do you get from Janssen-Cilag, or their parent company Johnson & Johnson? Is it just free pencils & notepads? Free samples of medications? Or is it…more than that?)
Bullshit, motherfucker. I know what I felt, and I know I’m especially sensitive to certain types of medications. Especially when my whole mind & body has been thrown out of whack… (and I can’t reach my chiropractor or aura healer today, which is pissing me off…) Everything I felt was right there in the “possible side effects” printout from Rite-Aid, do I need to fax you a copy?
Apology accepted. Think I’ll stick with weed, TYFM.
Cite, please? (Because I’ve heard differently.)
Quite so! I probably should have made it clear that I wasn’t making any factual distinction. Perhaps it could also be a little bit location dependent: here in the UK you don’t often hear ‘Asperger’s disorder’.
I’ve been hesitant to participate in any autistic spectrum/Asperger’s threads on this or any other forum, as I feel it is one of the most commonly misunderstood medical fields on the internets. Probably in any media. It doesn’t help that so many sites/forums set up especially for people with AS are populated by people who have self-diagnosed and (in my opinion) quite fancy a label for themselves. In this thread, with all due respect, even our OP, although professionally diagnosed, seems a little in the dark.
I think it’s important in this and most instances to realise that Aspergers Syndrome is a collection of symptoms which present in people at one point on a continuum on which we’ve all got a spot. If you have enough of these symptoms, then rather than listing them each time your particular set of problems needs to be described, you can be said to have ‘Aspergers Syndrome’.
You can have two people with Asperger’s with very few symptoms in common, both equally Aspergian.
Unfortunately, some of the more debilitating symptoms of Asperger’s Syndrome are potentially the least visible from the outside, and this, in my opinion, doesn’t help our collective understanding of the condition and it’s diversity. These symptoms aren’t wishy-washy matters of opinion either. They can include pretty significant sensory impairments among other things.
From a neurological point of view, it’s not difficult to see why there is such a potential for comorbidity in Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Clinical Depression, Bipolar II and even Schizophrenia aren’t a million miles away symptomatically in certain cases, with certain combinations of symptoms. I’m not a doctor (yet, got a few years to go) but several of my close family are, and work in mental health. Also, (as though you didn’t see it coming,) I’m an Aspergian too! (A real one 
)
Just once more: Risperidone is prescibed in some cases of Asperger’s, ADHD and related disorders. Usually in far lower doses than would be prescribed for Schizophrenia. The ‘antipsychotic’ label can be misleading in some cases. It’s often prescribed in tandem with other types of antidepressant. When it comes down to it, it’s just tweaking the way your brain handles Dopamine and Seratonin.
KGS, it seems as though your doctors are treating you for a Schizoaffective disorder. I’d like to echo someone else’s sentiments earlier in the thread by saying that, if you can reconcile with the pharmaceutical side of things, the types of symptoms we all seem to be talking about are some of the most treatable. Just the other day a very well respected doctor described Bipolar as ‘the best one to have’.
Hope you’re feeling on top of it all.
I’m with you there. Indeed, my Bipolar symptoms virtually vanished as soon as I started smoking weed on a regular basis (which is now officially prescribed by a licensed doctor under Calif. Prop 215, as I mentioned earlier.) That is the only “medication” I require to control the Major Spikes and Deep, Dark Depressions that plagued me even when I was imbibing “normal” medications such as Lithium, Prozac, and Serzone.
I do want to clarify one thing: When I said these “Manic Events” happen on a regular basis, what I meant was they occur on the order of 2-3 times a year. Under normal circumstances, I fly high for a few days, then coast in for a safe landing. No depression, no hospitalization. This recent “Matrix Event” was triggered mainly by the current news (economic crisis, historic presidential race, etc.) plus major events which I suspect occurred behind the scenes (no cites, it’s going in the novel whether it’s true or not – yes, I’ve put the novel aside for now until things completely settle down) and especially the fact that KGSMom was visiting from out of town. I won’t say more about her – privacy matters and all that – but I’m convinced that she has at least a touch of Dissociative Personality Disorder, and I think I know why, too.
No worries, mate. Honestly, I feel like a million bucks today.
Fantastic, I’m glad to hear it!
If you find it hard to work it into that schedule, there are several items in that list that I suspect are lower on the scale of efficaciousness than a psychiatrist…
Such as…?
You admit that you don’t remember signing paperwork, then go on to say that it’s possible you were interviewed by a mental health professional. Unless they do things very, very, very differently in CA, and unless you were unconscious when they brought you in, you were evaluated at least three times; first by the ER doctor, who would then call in the crisis assessment team (who are required to be called in to do an assessment on every hold, voluntary or otherwise), then by a psychiatrist who will oversee your treatment while you are on the hold. If you think that a psychiatrist will take a look at a medical file, make a diagnosis, and write out a prescription without ever talking to the patient, you are truly delusional and nothing anyone says will convince you otherwise. Based on your writings here, when you claim you’re feeling like a million bucks, I can only imagine what you were like in the throes of a manic phase.
I am not a doctor, we are not “hooking little kids on potentially dangerous drugs,” I am most definitely not ashamed of myself or the work we do here, and believe me when I say that the kids are more aware of their physical, neurological, and psychological modes of being on and off medication than you could ever hope to be. Are there concerns about sometime-in-the-future medical issues? Sure. But I- and they, and their caregivers, and their guardians- am willing to take that risk when it balances out a certain early death from their uncontrolled behaviors.
Additionally, I- due to the nature of the work I do with the kids- am more interested than most in any kind of nasty side effects, because it can put everyone involved in my group in physical danger. So try another line.
And I wish we got kickbacks. Then maybe we could offset the financial damage done by our dumbass governor, who thinks that people don’t need access to mental health treatment.
Nope. But if you take a look at your own timeline, based on your posts, you can see why I (and others here) highly doubt your claim. You were discharged on 10/29. Let’s try to keep the math simple and say they discharged you at 4:30pm. Your OP, timestamped 10/30 at 4:38AM, was 12 hours later, enough time for you to have taken “one pill just to see if it got (me) high.” At 9:14AM you claim to be “experiencing blurred vision, hot flashes, and profound thirst” but it doesn’t keep you from prolifically posting throughout the next several hours, including a close repeat of the 9:14 post- sans, importantly, any mention of symptoms- at 1:27PM.
Again, I say: one dose at the lowest end of the therapeutic dosage scale does not cause side effects. One dose can cause an allergic reaction, but allergic reactions typically do not closely follow the medication’s list of potential side effects.
The ACA and APA (admittedly for counselors) have a specific timeframe for establishing post-therapy relationships with clients (never for sexual relationships, 2-5 years for other things). The Psychiatric Association has the “never” rule for sexual relationships, but the APsychA has been consistent about interpreting that rule as “Once a patient, always a patient” and discourages any type of post-therapy interaction. Look it up yourself- I already provided your cites earlier and am becoming uninterested in doing your work for you.
I’ve already described how much I remember. Finding these signed documents really surprised me, because I’d assumed I was merely unconscious the whole time. But now I’m wondering – was I in a “Fugue” state? That’s not normal for me…but it’s happened before.
For certain, however, NO MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONAL talked to me during the final 36 hours, except to give me medication, or conduct the exit interview. Hell, the hospital deacon made a greater effort to connect with me (or pray for me, or convert me, or whatever – I don’t think he expected my “Taoist/Pagan” remark, I could literally see his brain think, ‘Hmm, I have no response to that!’")
AFAIK, no psychiatrist ever spoke to me. I’m sure the hospital CYA’d and backed up the social worker’s “For The Rest Of Your Life” speech with a signature, but other than that, they merely assumed I was Bipolar I instead of, you know, asking me what my condition was.
And please stop using the word “DELUSIONAL” as if you know what it means! I am a writer, I create illusions & delusions all the time for people to read and experience. Ever sit down in a movie theater to watch, oh I dunno, 3:10 To Yuma? To enjoy the movie, you suspend your disbelief, and allow the fiction to become Reality. In other words, you allow the movie to create a Temporary Delusion in your mind, for the sake of experiencing an alternate reality. That’s what makes my so-called “Delusions” much more different than others – I know it’s Fictional, but sometimes it’s a necessary Fiction to believe in (like what happened in the Credit Crunch last month – for a few weeks, banks worldwide lost faith in the Fiction they previously knew as Mortgage Bonds, etc.) and even if it’s NOT reality, it’s fertile ground for writing one hell of an apocalyptic novel. In other words, you’re seriously jonesing on my profession, ya know? Creative Writers are the psychiatrist’s mortal enemy, good buddy.
Obviously, you’ve never experienced a Manic Event in your life. Ask your patients and they will tell you – it’s sheer Heaven. It’s pure Ecstasy. It’s like Magick pouring through your veins, even during the scary parts. And yes, that’s what makes it potentially dangerous. Normally I can handle my “Matrix Events” just fine, this one just got a little out of control and I wound up crash-landing. Oh well, it all worked out fine in the end.
What are you then?
Hey, at least people don’t mock your state for electing The Terminator as head of our State…
Gotta run now. More talk later, maybe if I feel like it.
I’m in a different Time Zone than you, idiot. My OP was posted at 1:38AM PST, a few hours before I noticed blurry vision, hot flashes, etc. The sudden “crash” (and possible embolism, which Dr. Irishgirl has reassured me via PM was unlikely to happen) took place at 9:30AM the next morning, which is why I didn’t post for another 12 to 14 hours – I called KGSMom and asked her to come over RIGHT NOW and watch me just in case I collapse and can’t dial 911 in time. Bless her heart, she came over right away.
Why don’t you take a dose and find out for yourself?
I’m not going to have sex with my former psychiatrist. He’s a 68-year-old man, for chrissakes. I mean…eww. And FYI he’s already crossed the doctor/patient boundary several times because he thought it would help my therapy. Perhaps he was right, perhaps he was wrong. But I think it’s time for you and everyone else to STFU about this guy. Stop pretending to act Omniscient, especially since you’ve already admitted you are NOT a doctor (and again I ask…what are you??)
This thread has long left the realm of group venting and wandered into the realm of personal therapy/let’s play internet doctor, so I think it’s time we shut it down. KGS, please take any questions you may have on medication to a medical professional. Nothing personal, I hope things look up for you soon.