First Visit to GP

[ilyasviel]

So I finally visited a psychiatrist a while ago.
She was quite very odd because despite being a psychiatrist she's
also a obstetrician and a professor at a university.
Our session only lasted for 40 min. which my father said that was quite
very low. My father was medicated for anxiety and depression
but I didn't know when. He only said it once we were in the psychiatrist
room. So I probably assume that this mental disorder is probably hereditary.
After a lot of questioning and writing the my psychiatrist can't figure out
the origin of my illness. The only thing I know and she knows is that
it triggers when I am outside of my home and now it has escalated that it
brings me much discomfort that I am having a hard time functioning well
in the society.

Still most of the people here have been able to visit a general psychiatrist.
does it usually last 2hrs or more? My father said his first session lasted 2hrs
and after that it got shorter and shorter.

He didn't ask much about my daily activity or anything mostly I was asked with something that can be answered with a yes or a no. And his paper is full writting every info that I tell. But still at the end she said he couldn't find any traumatic and anything wrong with me so she asked me to get some test and
return to her after all

So I was thinking is all this test really required. I think that it's really a waste of time.
My lab test required are as follows:
-ECG
-chest x-ray pa and lat view
-cbc
-urinalysis
-fbs
-bun
-creatimine
-SGOT
-SEPT

its quite absurd even my father tells me after this. My father had anxiety disorder that came from over working since he was working 16 hrs a day.
But mine was totally unknown.

Since my psychiatrist doesn't know where it came from but she was most certainly sure that I have an anxiety disorder he gave me the same prescription as my father did but +1 more medication.

-benzodiazepines (ribrotil) 2mg/ 1/4 tablet when I have an panic attack.

-fluoxetine (motivest) antidepressant. taken every morning.

-moringa couldn't find any info much. It is used as a mood enhancer. taken twice a day.

I am quite worried since it is many, especially the lab exams. I am currently testing out the effect or ribrotil without anxiety attack and it feels kinda weird. i feel calm and sleepy.my ears area bit ringing, my muscle feels a bit funny. lastly, both medication has a drowsing effect.

Does ribrotil make one euphoric. my father said he experienced this when he was taking ribrotil. even with only a .25mg. He was only medicated for half a year probably the same expectation from me.

Well, my father decided to switch with my psychiatrist with his psychiatrist.
Which he said was really good..

Well, now I am very glad that i have medication for my anxiety. My panic attacks were so bad I can't go to school properly.

[Thirteen]

Well, it's completely possible that your Anxiety is a product of your Depression, which was probably the real case with your father. Anxiety often co-exists with Depression, or even other mood disorders.

Nonetheless, I take a benzodiazepine myself, to deal with Anxiety at work (or when my normal means of dealing with daily anxiety won't suffice). They're bound to make you sleepy, because of the mild sedative property they offer to calm the anxiety. That is why you'd feel kind if tired after taking it. Euphoric? I wouldn't think so. But, I do find that you feel a lot better after taking it, even if a bit sleepy. When I take mine before work, I find it easier to do my job, and even feel more comfortable chatting with my co-workers.

To answer the question about your appointment length, that does seem fairly short. When I've seen psychiatrists, the appointments have been anywhere between 1 hour, to 1 1/2 hours. I had an appointment before that was estimated on the forms to be 2 1/2 hours long, though it ended up being about 1 1/2 hours. So 40 minutes is a very short amount of time. If you're getting switched psychiatrists though, I'm sure you'll be able to talk to them about that.

[ilyasviel]

I'm now currently taking motivest. well, since its an anti depressant it'll probably take atleast 2 weeks before its full effect. but I'm already feeling sleepy despite of me taking it just a bit a while ago or probably some effects of ribotil is still on my body despite of taking it 10 hrs ago.. I haven't been given any meds to make me fully awake. I'm off to school now hoping that my anxiety won't comeback again. I'll be also taking some meds in case of a panic attack. I just worry about how would my professor react when they see my doctor that I'm on meds but I don't really care that much. It's just important to knoww thy my absence is very much understandable and to give me some leniency on my missed absences and assignments.

Ribrotil makes me numb. I took one before going to sleep and kinda battled the sedative effect. But I love the feeling of like electrecuting my nerves. A tingling feeling on my nerves was quite good. hehe. I honestly think that it would make me euphoric but my father told me it depends on my mood but it does make you euphoric. I'm still getting sleepy because of my 2 meds. But still this is heaven compared to my day to day anxiety attack. hoping that it would really help me.

I'm scheduled to go to my psychiatrist this saturday. The psychiatrist my father used to go. I'm really looking forward to it. I want to know how good she is despite my father told me that she is probably very old. Well, anyway thank you so much. I almost got suicidal last saturday. thankfully I was crying so much that after a while I felt drained and sleep all of a sudden. Guess my mind did its work in protecting me from further damage. Still I'd rather go suicide than to feel anxiety everyday...

[PSY]

To answer a couple of your questions...

Length of Appointments: Unfortunately, I am only familiar with the typical length of appointments with therapists... and those tend to be around 45 minutes in length. So coming from my future profession, 40 minutes isn't all that short. Perhaps your psychiatrist is planning to spread the intake session out over several sessions, vs. having one or two longer sessions. If you have any concerns about the length of time, I encourage you to talk to your psychiatrist!

Your Dad's Experience: The reason why I encourage you to talk to your psychiatrist, and not necessarily your dad, is because everyone's experience will be different. Your anxiety won't be the same as your dad's anxiety. There is a hereditary component with many mental illnesses; however, the ways in which they manifest are different for everyone. So while a 2 hour intake session may have been necessary for your father, it may not be necessary for you. Your dad's psychiatrist will not be the same as your psychiatrist. There's nothing wrong with talking to your dad about what's going on, but try to remember that he's not the professional, and his experience isn't necessarily going to line up with yours... so it may not be in your best interests to compare your treatment plan with his.

Psychological Tests/Assessments: I realize that all of those tests may seem pointless or over-the-top, but anxiety is a complicated mental illness. It involves both psychological AND physiological/physical/biological components. I am not familiar with all of those tests, but it seems like your psychiatrist is trying to gather as much information as possible in order to give you an accurate diagnosis and to develop an effective treatment plan. That's a good thing! So as annoying as it may be now, I encourage you to give your psychiatrist the benefit of the doubt. After all, what harm can these tests do? None, except for wasting your time. What benefit can these tests provide? Quite a bit, depending on the results.

Medication: This will affect everyone differently, especially when you are using a combination of medication. Sometimes, there are unpleasant side effects for a few weeks/months, until your body can get used to the medication. If the side effects do not go away after a considerable amount of time, or if your anxiety/depression worsens, tell your psychiatrist immediately so you can discuss your other options. Some of those options may include lowering the dosage(s), increase the dosage(s), or switching medication. Whatever you do, do NOT go "cold turkey" (or stop taking your medication altogether) without discussing everything with your psychiatrist first. Going "cold turkey" can result in severe side effects and/or a worsening of anxiety/depression. When in doubt, ask the psychiatrist. A psychiatrist is, in fact, a doctor, so they are expected to know quite a bit about medication and how it can affect you.

[ilyasviel]

I increased my dosage of benzodiazepine (rivotil) from .25 to .5.
I still had anxiety attack after taking .25 so and tried to take .5 without the
doctors permission which
clamed me down. The problem is I experienced a severe drop in concentrating
on class and drowsiness but the drowsiness wasn't that bearable. And I also
experienced a severe disorientation when walking. I wan't walking normally
my balance were greatly shift. I was wondering if there are any med out there
that could help me increase my attention without affecting the effects of my
anxiety meds. It's very painful to study under those condition.

Another note:
My memory has greatly blurred when on meds sometimes I really have to think
what I did yesterday. It's kinda like on a robot mode. is it normal?

I really don't like the side effects of the meds but it is far more better than
having those panic attacks. At he very least even with disoriented balance, a bit memory blur, and drowsiness it's still better than that painful feeling of panic,