Posted by SLS on August 6, 2008, at 18:21:13
In reply to Medication ..to treat the symptom not the disorder, posted by Amanda29 on August 6, 2008, at 15:56:28
> I am confused.
Me too.
Probably your doctor, too.
> My psychologist and I are in a "battle" with one another because he is telling me that I dont have the disorders that I think I do...(even though he DIAGNOSED THEM TO ME 3 years ago).
Doctors often revise their diagnoses along the way based upon the observations and information gleaned over the passage of time.
I agree that it is stupid to take drugs if you will not benefit from them.
From what I can see, certain drugs attack the disorder globally, while others treat symptoms only. For example, one can use Xanax to treat the anxiety that often accompanies depression, but will not act to reduce the depression. However, using Effexor would attack the disorder itself, and both the depression and anxiety would resolve, along with the somatic symptoms that may exist. That said, if the doctor has been frustrated for not hitting the global target with a series of drugs, he might opt to treat the individual symptoms to reduce the illness load placed on the patient.
That's how I see it, anyway.
- Scott
poster:SLS
thread:844615
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080805/msgs/844651.html