How to ask for higher dosages

[NotRealNameOfCourse]

How do you phrase asking a psychiatrist for a higher dosage of a medication without coming across as a junkie or hypochondriac? My dose of medication with my slow history of adjusting dosages is not working for me other than short term relief for a few hours after taking the mediciation. At the very least I would prefer to take it daily as the current dosage schedule is per week instead.

[Croix]

Dear NRNOC~

Thanks for your post, I see you have a conversation started on your main thread where you talk, among other things, about the health professionals you've seen.

There is a couple of things I'd mention:

First it is very easy - at least for me - to overthink the 'hidden meaning' or 'intentions' behind questions. As a rule of thumb I try to discard these thoughts and just take any questions or statements at face value.

Secondly all facets of treatment are a collaborative effort between you, the person that needs treatment, and the health professional providing it. As a result I would expect to be able to give my views as to the lack of efficacy of a current regime and have that regime altered as a result - or a reasonable explanation, based on the specialist knowledge of the professional, as to why that was not appropriate.

Also in passing whilst many medications are the subject of illicit recreational use there is no reason to suppose that you, as a genuine patient, would be a junkie, or a hypochondriac.

Bottom line - ask and see what happens.

Croix

[Broken_Biscuit_Blues]

When I was in the hospital system my experience with Psychiatrists was ask and though shalt receive.They would be more than happy to drug you into oblivion if that is where you wanted to go.

Later on I went private and the private Psychiatrist had a different approach, She said I was over medicated and she would aim for a dose that was high enough that I could function but that still left me mildly symptomatic and then she would work with me on strategies for coping with the symptoms She was a very good doctor, very experienced.

[Courtz_45]

Hi NotRealNameOfCourse,

First of all psychiatrists aren't there to judge you, I know it's a common thought but in all honesty they are just there to help you.

Some medication that's meant to be taken weekly don't really get get into your system unlike a medication you take daily. I'd definitely recommend asking, it's your body and you have every right to ask about medication dose changes.

Hope this helps in some way..

[geoff]

hello NRNOC, good replies above, but if you need to take AD's then psychologically you feel as though you need to be taking them everyday, because if you only take them once a week then psychosomatically you don't feel as though you are doing or taking any action to overcome your depression.
'As to the lack of efficacy of a current regime-as to why that was not appropriate' is a decent question that you must ask your psychiatrist, for me I wouldn't like to have my AD once a week because it just doesn't seem as though I would be doing anything to help myself.
Never be afraid to question your psych, and if for some reason you are still unhappy then find another psych, but if this happens keep seeing this current one until you can get an appointment with this the new one.
Whether a higher dosage will work is questionable, it depends on what dosage you are now taking, and if it's close to the max then you may need to try another AD. Geoff.

[Dr_Kim]

Hi there,

The first question is “Do you trust your psychiatrist?” . Do you have the sense that they have your best interests at heart and are trying to help sort out whats going on to relieve symptoms with you?

If you do, then my suggestion is to be honest with them about how you feel. Tell them your symptoms- i.e. what you are experiencing - when and to what degree. You may even need to document the symptoms in a notebook and bring in your observations of what you go through over a couple of weeks so that the two of you can look at it together. That way you can ponder TOGETHER what might be the options for you to obtain better control of your symptoms.

It may be that you need more of your current medication, or a different one altogether, or some other type of therapeutic intervention.

The thing is , you don't need to make the decisions about the doses - let them do that . But it is absolutely your job to draw to your psychiatrist's attention how you feel and think and your concerns about things including medications and allow them to discuss WITH you the options.

If you don't trust your psychiatrist to make the right decisions about your medications , then maybe you should ask for a referral from your GP for a second opinion as it is vital to have a trusting relationship when managing your mental health.