Seroquel???

Well, I have had it! I'm switching neuros...I had appointment today while suffering from a stupid horrible migraine. My doc is such an ^&*!#$. They were rude and incosiderate by slamming doors and not even trying to talk quietly. Anyway, to get to the point...

He suggested that I try Seroquel. He starts off by telling me it's not approved for migraine treatment, but it is for schizophrenia. It's expensive, and in order to get the insurance to pay for it, he will tell them that he is treating me for schizophrenia!!!!!!

UGGGHHH! So anyway, then he goes on to warn me that there is a law suit against the drug for causing diabetes, weight gain (one guy was suing for gaining 150 pounds in 6 months!), stroke and death. I am horrified at this point...then I tell him that I don't want to take this since I already have diabetes running through my family like wild fire. You know what he says to me??????

"The only side effect worth not taking this drug over is death. So unless your husband brings in your death certificate, I don't want to hear you complaining about side effects, otherwise you don't want to get better. And, if you keep thinking negative thoughts about the drug, then your brain won't allow it to work anyway!"

WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH! I should turn this prick into the medical board! First he's trying to give me a drug that's not approved for migraine treatment, lie to the insurance company, then have the nerve to tell me that if I'm not willing to freaking DIE over a medication I DON"T WANT TO GET BETTER??????

I am trying to find a decent neuro that ACTUALLY understands what the hell I'm going through and will actually try to make my life a little better? What the hell do I have to do? Right now I am just at my wits end. It's not like I can run away! The stupid migraines will follow to the end of the earth, not to mention the fact that I seem to wind up with these moronic doctors who received their medical license from a cracker jack box, and doesn't know their head from a hole in the ground!!!

I suffer 16 days each month (192 days a year!)of this torture! I want a treatment plan that is not going to make it worse than it already is! I fell for that shit once before when they talked me into a hysterectomy which was going to take my headaches away...NOT MAKE THEM TWICE AS BAD AS BEFORE!!!!!! Now after they screwed up, they skip merrily home, and I am forced to go home and suffer! I feel angry, sad, betrayed, misled, and so very, very, frustrated! Most of all I feel absolutely HOPELESS!

Dawn

Hi Dawn, I hope this vent has been effective.



What your doctor is suggesting is wrong. If he is not able to find a legal way to use the medication off label, then he has no right ordering it.

Seroquel has various off-label uses and has been a very helpful medication for many people without psychotic symptoms. It works wonders for anxiety and agitation in smaller doses (25mg) without the negative issues that benzodiazapines can have.

Many of the neuroleptics have major weight gain as a side effect. It is a very serious side effect and it does not appear to level out, so those who gain weight on seroquel seem to keep gaining weight.

Seroquel may end up being a helpful medication for some of us with migraines. You never really know. I personally don't see it happening, but who knows.

It sounds like your doctor was very tough on you today, and said some very inappropriate things.

I hope you are able to find a new doctor that can be more sensitive to your needs.

I'm sorry if I offended anyone out there suffering with schizophrenia. That was not my intention. I will edit the post. I'm sorry.

No Dawn, you have every right to vent!

I desperately wanted to reply and make the point without taking away from your vent. You have most certainly had a tough enough day.

I really think you are very correct about skipping seroquel if you have a family history with diabetes.

I hope you have a good night.

Dawn,

Your neuro and my ex-neuro must have missed the medical school day where they learned how to work with their patients and not against them. Oh and not violate the hippocratic oath or violate laws.

I posted a vent in another thread "well that could have gone better". I had a blow up and a melt down at the neuros office. Then after finding what they were planning on doing with the medications, I refuse to go back. A, they were too expensive (which they didn't think they were) and B, he gave me 2 antidepressants originally and when I called to complain about the cost, he cut it to 1 leaving me to wonder if 2 were ever necessary. Oh the blow up was over the fact that they refused to give me pain meds for the days I was ready to walk in front of a bus or jump out the window and wouldn't work with me any longer if I demanded pain meds.

I went back to my gp and he got things straightened out. Pain meds and a triptan I could afford with the possibility of getting 18 of those babies a month. Oh and he concurred that after preventative hell, they don't work and the neuro was a failure.

Hope you feel better. I would seriously find another neuro if possible. This one sounds like a crackpot and in need of the meds rather than you.

Sending good thoughts your way.

Becky

I would call the AMA and turn him in. What a turd.

Hal

I love Hal. He's always succinct and and to the point.

Your nuero had no right to speak to that way and he said some very inappropriate things, in particular that the only acceptable side effect was death. Some of these medications have such severe side effects that they can destroy a person's quality of life, without killing them - a case of the cure being worse than the disease. I'd like to see this dr. subject himself to something like that. If he will, then and only then does he have the right to ask his patients to do the same. Until then, he needs to rethink how he expresses himself. Not only is it unprofessional, it's inappropriate. To be honest, though, unless you report him, he will keep on bullying and victimizing his patients. You could consider filing a report for that reason if not for the reason that he treated you horribly.

I'm very sorry he spoke to you and treated you that badly. As Hal said, what a turd.

Aunti,

I love you too. You put a smile on my face and make my day.

Hal

What an incredible A@@. I can't believe a anyone would talk to you that way, especially a doctor. We are entirely within our rights as patients and thinking people for God's sake, to refuse a treatment that has such serious side effects. Especially when one of those side effects can trigger a condition that is already hereditary.

If I had known that Lyrica would make me gain so much weight AND give me moderate to servere edema, I wouldn't have taken it. Now I have to taper off it, take water pills to get rid of the excess water, lose 35 lbs and find another medication that will work without causing more health issues. When I told my neuro I was gaining a lot of weight, she was not concerned at all... if the med was working it didn't matter... My GP one the other hand, if telling me to get off it as it is causing more problems than solving.

We have a right to be informed and not take something that scares us. We have the right to be treated well when we refuse a dubious treatment and not be told that if we don't follow their advice that death will be the result. I'd report his arrogant butt to the AMA or his hospital. I feel sorry for his patients.

hugs

I have reported a doctor. Sometimes it is very appropriate to do so.

Thanks everyone...My hubby and I are in the process of shopping for a new neuro. Hopefully the next one will be better. We are also reporting him. I feel it is my duty to stand up and say something about his behavior. I cringe at the thought of him treating his other patients like he treated me!

Dawn

Dawn,

Are you "Red Dawn"? If so, I haven't heard much from you for awhile. How are you?

Hal

I am very glad you posted. A lot of us have had negative experiences with doctors. Myself included. We tend to take these negative experiences personally. But they're not. There are some, unfortunately, idiots out there. Your post, inadvertantly, made me feel better. Just because they are 'educated' doesn't mean they are not biased. I commend you on reporting him. Good luck!!