Search the Community

I regret not dropping this tdoc after the 2nd session. There are great therapists and terrible ones....just because they have a PhD and experience, doesn't make them brilliant or amazing. Who's on your bad therapist list? The patronizing, blaming, insensitive ones? Or ones that don't listen, understand, or communicate clearly? They make assumptions, judgements, no clue. I kept my cool, dignity and respect, despite getting shut down with an earful of patronizing comments (obviously trying to trigger me or chase me out of the clinic, one of the two). Invalid assumptions about me, none of which resonated at all, not true to my experience and dude left me no space to interject. Simply expressing disagreement with him means I'm "oppositional" Hmm. OK. 2nd session was told I have a "lack of commitment and effort" toward my mental health. How insulting, great. Are you f&cking kidding me? 20 years of therapy, loads of self-help, discipline, hospitalizations, med compliant, healthy lifestyle. I've DONE a lot of work. Stuck with all therapists consistently. I keep going and continue to try. WHY ELSE WOULD I PAY AND COME SEE YOU 6 TIMES? The reply....."(gives exaggerated sigh) Obviously, you've never had any therapists that have challenged you before, they probably let you talk... this is why you haven't recovered. I'm experienced, LOADS of my clients fully recover in 3-6 months" How presumptuous, you know nothing of my previous therapists or me yet, maybe I'm not like "all your clients." 🙄 [Edit : Endnote] The session ended on a most dis-empowering note. He said (with a pity look in eyes) "Maybe you won't and can't get any better, or change, maybe you should give up, you shouldn't even try...." I have never in my life had a therapist encourage me to give up and not try. In fact, that comment is exactly what pushes a vulnerable client AWAY from seeking help. A client like me, who has struggled with decades of hopelessness. Thanks for nothing insensitive asshat. Many ways to lose a therapy client. End of Rant.

Hey all, I wanted to post about something that has been a nuisance ever since I started taking antipsychotics consistently. What happens for me is that whatever receptors are necessary to experience a buzz from alcohol are blocked off from the medication. I'm not a doctor so of course I don't know the exact mechanism of action, but all I do know is that If I take medication long enough I will not and I do mean NOT be able to achieve a buzz from anything. This includes even caffeine and nicotine. Also over the counter sleep aids such as melatonin and unisom stop working...they're like sugar pills to me. No match for the all mighty antipsychotic. So I thus have to succumb to things like ambien and trazidone. I could drink a ridiculous amount of alcohol and you would never know I had. I would act, appear, and feel completely sober (because I would in fact be.) This side effect started happening to me after I had been on antipsychotics for about eight months. It occurs no matter which antipsychotic I take, new, old, atypical, typical, blocking the receptors, stimulating the receptors, low dose, high dose...It's all the same and it's a big big bummer especially to a young 30-yr old such as myself. Now for those of you naysayers I already know what you're getting at. Yes of course it is a bad idea for any person with mental health issues to be partying but I think that I am very responsible about it. I limit myself to one day of the week, except for holidays and special occasions. I don't feel that I should have to give up being a young adult and enjoying myself just because I have mental illness and I am on medication. I know this side effect is kind of rare and does not occur in everybody. (Leave it to me to always get the rare and unusual side effects lol) My question is: Does anyone know of an antidote or something to counteract this side effect? What would be ideal, would be a med that I could take only the occasion that I am drinking, and for that short time it would undo this side effect. Then discontinue at all other times. I know there are other pills that work in this way. For example Welbutrin is very good for counteracting sexual side effects of antipsychotics and other meds. But I have not yet heard of a pill to counteract a buzzkill because you will never find a psychiatrist who cares or agrees with this sort of thing Understandable because mental health has to be their number one concern. However, I feel that people with mental health issues deserve a full quality of life and normalcy in all facets, whether that means still having a sex life while on medication, not suffering some of the other frustrating side effects that I won't mention, and having a nice drink every once in a while with friends. Obviously we are no where close to even being there with these medications. But, on the bright side, it is a lot better than it used to be in terms of side effects.