Down,
I have been on this medication for a month. I did a lot of research on the product when I first went on it and one thing they said about the rashes...It is rare to occur and in most cases (except for the extreme sensitive to meds people) it occurs in children.
I am taking 450mg of wellbutrin, 30mg of lexapro and 30 mg of lamictal all of which I take in the morning. I am male, age 39 and the side effects I am dealing with are (get this) hot flashes, tiredness and some dizziness (which has lessened).
I know everyone has different intensities where side effects are concerned...Don't let the thought of a negative effect overcome you...The combination has helped me (except in extremely stressful situations)for the most part. If you notice the start of a rash (which incidently resembles poison ivy rash) then discontinue use and call your doctor (primary care) and your psychiatrist to inform them. They will help you.
I was wondering if anyone can help me...I was sexually assaulted when I was 17 (I am 39 now). I have been in treatment for ptsd and depression for over 2 years now and things have been very slow going. I have relapses and it takes me a long time to get out of it.
The problem...
I was at a doctor's office the other day for an exam. This is not my regular doc, but one that an insurance company demanded I go to. This doctor was a neurologist who was to check to see if any of my symptoms were result of a car accident I was involved in 5 years ago.
This doctor (remember, he ws a neurologist) told me to strip down to my undershorts (which I found to be odd since I was wearing shorts to begin with). I got on the examining table and the procedure started.
While this went on, he took blood pressure and rubbed his groin against my knee...went to the other arm and checked pressure again (keep in mind for those who have had their pressure checked...the release was very slow...not the somewhat slow then fast release I am used to at my doctor's office. As he did this, he rubbed his genitals against my other knee, smiled and asked me if I knew of any reason I would have raised blood pressure...I wanted to tell him it was because he was rubbing against my knee, but couldn't move...I felt the sexual assault all over again.
He did the same thing when he checked into my eyes.
When I told my lawyer (who was behind the doctor) he thought I was exagerating the situation and that the doctor being shorter than Me caused the need to lean in. I have been examined by doctors shorter than I and they always did these procedures from the side, not pressing and rubbing genitalia on me.
I told me partner about this and he thinks I am overreacting to this as well.
My question:
Why is it that when someone does something that makes you feel uncomfortable and it is in a sexual nature, people always throw up the "overreacting" clause? This man voilated me. He did something sexual that I didn't expect nor solicit. I find this to be another form of sexual harrassment, but being a guy...I don't know what to do about it.
I feel like the sexual assault has happened all over again...
Can anyone help me???????
Thanks for your kind words (and hug). I know this is something I have to work through..I am just tired of people doing things like this and getting away with it. I spoke to a counselor and she told me if I feel the need to persue it that I better be ready for the consequences. Again...I do nothing wrong and to speak of it will bring "heat" to me. I don't know...I am just so tired of this happening.
Where does one start? I was molested by a teacher when I was very young...way before I understood what it was he was doing..."take off your shirt...it's hot in here...here sit next to me...(rubbing my back) does it feel good...this is all I can remember about the situation other than this happened when I was walking by his apartment (he was outside) and he asked me to come in for a drink of water since it was so hot out.
All throughout my life...I have been the kid last picked for a team...never to have many friends...very alone...
I was neglected by my parents for the most part...teased and picked on by my siblings and when I was 17...I was sexualy assaulted by a supervisor. I had never been so scared or ashamed so much in my life. I kept thinking I must have enticed him somehow, but later realized how wrong I was. I told my parents pretty much right away and when I told them what happened...It was never spoken of again. For 20 years I tried dealing with this...never really living...just existing. I went from being 175 lbs (6'tall) to 145 in 3 weeks, thinking I might NOT attract anyone who would want to assault me.
That didn't work...I had many men follow me while on my way home...It took over an hour of weaving up and down lit streets to get away from him...I was terrified.
Again...this all was kept inside.
it wasn't until the 20th anniversary of the assault that I finally gotten myself into therapy. This has been a very slow process as I have been in it now a little over 2 years. Things didn't progress...they got worse so I decided to go on meds...If ya can't work out the issue...why not mask it with some meds?!?
I have been on meds now for 1 1/2 years...I have some good days and many bad days. The last couple of weeks or so were going great...the new meds were working and I was having many more good days. That is until I was sent to get an "independent study" by a neurologist. He had me strip down to my underwear (which was strange since I was only wearing shorts. I sat on the table and while he took my blood pressure from my left arm...he rubbed his groin on my left knee...He moved to the right arm and did the same thing...took my blood pressure and rubbed his groin against that knee. Smiling at me he asked why I thought my blood pressu
Where does one start? I was molested by a teacher when I was very young...way before I understood what it was he was doing..."take off your shirt...it's hot in here...here sit next to me...(rubbing my back) does it feel good...this is all I can remember about the situation other than this happened when I was walking by his apartment (he was outside) and he asked me to come in for a drink of water since it was so hot out.
All throughout my life...I have been the kid last picked for a team...never to have many friends...very alone...
I was neglected by my parents for the most part...teased and picked on by my siblings and when I was 17...I was sexualy assaulted by a supervisor. I had never been so scared or ashamed so much in my life. I kept thinking I must have enticed him somehow, but later realized how wrong I was. I told my parents pretty much right away and when I told them what happened...It was never spoken of again. For 20 years I tried dealing with this...never really living...just existing. I went from being 175 lbs (6'tall) to 145 in 3 weeks, thinking I might NOT attract anyone who would want to assault me.
That didn't work...I had many men follow me while on my way home...It took over an hour of weaving up and down lit streets to get away from him...I was terrified.
Again...this all was kept inside.
it wasn't until the 20th anniversary of the assault that I finally gotten myself into therapy. This has been a very slow process as I have been in it now a little over 2 years. Things didn't progress...they got worse so I decided to go on meds...If ya can't work out the issue...why not mask it with some meds?!?
I have been on meds now for 1 1/2 years...I have some good days and many bad days. The last couple of weeks or so were going great...the new meds were working and I was having many more good days. That is until I was sent to get an "independent study" by a neurologist. He had me strip down to my underwear (which was strange since I was only wearing shorts. I sat on the table and while he took my blood pressure from my left arm...he rubbed his groin on my left knee...He moved to the right arm and did the same thing...took my blood pressure and rubbed his groin against that knee. Smiling at me he asked why I thought my blood
I am having a hard time dealing with the fact that the people in my life (friends, family etc.) have had enough of my depression and really cannot help me or in a lot of cases...won't return calls or even make the "haven't heard from you in a while" call. I feel as though I am suffering from social leprosy.
I make it a point when I do talk to someone of NOT discussing my "illness" as to not end the call sooner than expected. This has become such a lonely disease. Get support from friends and family...something that all depression web sites and therapists talk about. What does one do when no one really WANTS to hear what is going on in my head. I cannot even discuss with my "partner" my feelings as I have to have a "reason" for feeling the way I do. I can never just be depressed.
It took me 37 years to talk about my issues...get help for my depression...and now that I have started (2 years now) to open up, people have pulled up anchor and moved on. There are so many times that I wish I hadn't gone through therapy...kept everything in it's respective place and just continued living my lie. I would not have so many evening sitting home alone...
I have tried support groups...I just never felt that anyone understood where I was coming from. Even my therapist...I feel all I do is talk, talk, talk and not get far. Don't get me wrong...I know I have made a lot of progress in therapy...It is just not fast enough.
The meds I am on (and have changed...and changed...and changed) seem to make some things in my life much more difficult. The hot flashes...headaches...at times, facial twitching...all getting in the way of work. I cannot stand it.
With all of this going on...while continuing to "heal" I have a medical doctor rub his genitals against me during an exam (I have written about this before). Talk about your 1 step forward and 20 steps back. I am having a difficult time figuring out what to do...whether to report it or let it go.
Why does this stuff continue happening????? I've called hotlines, spoken to my therapists...spoken to MY doctor...nothing is making me feel any better about the situation...
There are too many times that I fear I will wither away to nothing right in front of everyone with no one noticing...kind of like being the pink
I have taken effexor for only 5 weeks and decided that the side effects were deepening the depression I experienced. I don't want to scare anyone with the effects of my coming off of the med even after a short amount of time...and I don't think these are related in any other way other than bad timing, but in case it is...I thought this should be brought up...Here it goes...
Two Friday's ago, I took my last dose of 37.5mg of effexor as a step down from 75 mg. I had only been on the med for 5 weeks, but the doc thought it necessary to step down so I did. Friday afternoon I started having what I equated to side effects of coming off the meds...dizziness. This got worse every day after taking the last dose-so much so that I would have trouble keeping balance. I called my GP doc and he told me to contact the psychiatrist to see if this could be from coming off the med. I got the reply from the psych that it is "possible."
The following Tuesday morning, I drove myself (I know...not smart, but needed to keep focused on something) to the ER having extreme dizziness, excrutiating headache and numbness from the left side of my face, down the neck, shoulder arm and hand. I also had mild numbing in the left leg. After numerous tests over a 2 day period (an overnight stay at the hospital) all tests showed up clean and they couldn't say if it was from coming off of the med or; and at 39...this scared the heck out of me...I had a mild stroke (a t.i.a. they called it).
I saw my psychiatrist this past Tuesday and after a 45 minute med check appointment (which we all know is usually only allotted 15 minutes) including some fast paced med reference research...It was determined it "could" have been a withdrawal symptom, but not listed as a possibility....needless to say...we still have no idea. As it is, I am being treated as a person having a mild stroke and put on low-dose aspirin therapy
My reason for bringing this up? I want anyone who is on the med and thinking of coming off of it to really discuss this with your docs. I would hate for anyone to have this happen and their not knowing what "could" possibly happen.
It was pure hell, and I wish this on no one...I am still having side effects from this "episode" as the doctors are calling it. The dizzin
Hi all...I posted some of this on the med info section, but was having another problem that I thought I would discuss here...
I just came off of effexor and after 5 days of dizziness, which increased with each passing day, and the added numbing of my left side, headache, difficulty speaking etc...It was detemined that I either had a mild stroke (tia) or just my body's reaction to coming off of the meds...I am 39...having a very difficult time coping with the fact that I may have indeed had the stroke.
The issue...
I have been in phone contact with my mother every day since I came out of the hospital. I have heard nothing from my father (and yes, they are married still and live together). One of my siblings I haven't spoken to since she sent me a hateful email telling me that I wasn't raped or molested as a teen...I enjoued every minute of it which is why I decided to live a gay lifestyle today- another story for another time...maybe.
I have always been the best son and brother I could be over the years, dropping everything whenever someone needed something. I never complained...I am at a point now where I cannot get past things said or done to hurt me- even if the person who is doing the hurting has no idea of the affect on me.
The sibling described earlier has also written and said some unforgivible things to my sisters and parents. things I cannot believe my parents have "forgiven" and "forgotten" about when they took my sister "back into the fold" when she was beaten up by her husband.
This happened to her this time last year, and although I couldn't stomach the thought of being in her company-nor did I have any real feelings towards her (after her telling me that I was dead to her)I told my parents to invite her to their house for Thanksgiving and I will make alternate plans thinking she really needed whatever family she had "left" that had any concern for her.
I have never been the type of person who got jealous of what my parents did for one over the next person in the family. I pretty much allowed myself to hide in a shell and live the best life I could. I am very fortunate to be able to say that I have been given absolutely no help from my parents when I moved out. I was able to take care of myself, unlike my other 4 sib
