Make a request?

[TeriAdele]

I have a check up on the 23rd of June and I was wondering if a patient can ask to be on a certain medication?

I am currently on Lamictal and want topomax to be added as it was the second most effective medication.

 

[Soniag]

i recently saw my neurologist and asked if she thought it was a good idea to add keppra to my lamotrigine. she agreed that it is a good idea and i will be starting it soon. you can ask them just so see what they think

 

[C0urt]

it is your body, and you know how you feel the best.
you can always ask, they only notice trends.

 

[Belinda5000]

I've ask to be taken off medications, so there is know reason why you can't ask about certain medications.

I've ask my neuro about certain medications before Sabril and he wouldn't hear of it because of the problem with vision.He just didn't want to take that chance with me.

 

[daviscy60]

i recently saw my neurologist and asked if she thought it was a good idea to add keppra to my lamotrigine. she agreed that it is a good idea and i will be starting it soon. you can ask them just so see what they think

I guess if you are still having issues with seizures....okay. I've was switched from Dilantin to Keppra last July thru August. My experience. I do not understand why anyone would ask to be put on Keppra. Was on Dilantin for 30 years. It improved my moods and memory. I was a good person. Started having issues with the side effects. So I was switched. Now I'm depressed bad memory and anger problems. Have to remind myself to just keep my mouth shut. Because of all of this I don't feel like communicating with people at all. Feel as though the quality of life that Keppra has given me makes my life not worth living. Soooo why would you ask to be put on this. My hope rt now is if I can manage to cope with this for another 3 yrs just maybe I can get off of everything. I hate all of it.

 

[Soniag]

I didn't actually say I WANT to go on it, just if she thought it was a good idea. She said I probably won't even get side effects, but if I do they will not be bad and will soon dissappear

 

[daviscy60]

Side effects yes and after almost a whole year they are still there and probably what causes the depression.

 

[lindsayschu2]

You should absolutely feel at liberty to participate in your own healthcare. If you have done your research and think that might be a good option, suggest it. Your doctor should know your history and should know if that is not a good idea for some reason, and then you would have a discussion about it. But it is your health, and asking about it, or asking questions about anything, and even questioning a decision they are making, is an important part of managing your own health. Good luck at your appointment.

 

[valeriedl]

I've asked to be taken off of medicines because of the side effects and my neuro has done that. I've asked to be switched to other meds, not knowing exactly which one, because of the same reason.

I have asked to be put on additional meds because I felt I may need more medicine to help with my seizures. I've discussed different meds with my neuro because I wasn't sure which one would be good to add and seen what he suggested.

Recently I found saw there was a new med out there (sorry but I don't remember which one, memory's not that great) and asked what his opinion was about me going on it and taking me off keppra. He told me that since it was such a very new med that he wanted to find out some more information about it before putting me on it. He really didn't want to start messing around with my meds and end up causing more problems.

 

[kirsten]

Doctors have a lot of patients, whereas we are familiar with only our own case. The meds that have worked best for us are not always at the forefront of their minds-- they forget. For that reason, we often do have a better idea of which medications have worked better than others. I always give my opinion when there are medication changes in the pipelines. My docs and I have a sort of negotiation, where they tell me why they want this med and I tell them why I want that one, and I listen to what they have to say and they listen to what I have to say. If, at the end of that discussion, the doctor still wants me on their med choice, I go with it because they have the experience and the knowledge to back their choices. But I always make sure that they know, for example, that Topomax was 'the second most effective medication' before I concede to their choice. There has been one time when I insisted on staying on a medication that I doctor wanted to change. I'd been taking it for years and it had literally worked perfectly without negative side effects. For some arbitrary reason my doc wanted to change it. I said, "No. Absolutely not. Are you crazy?" She respected that, and that was that.

Doctors of today behave differently than they did 10 years ago. A decade back, they were in control and didn't expect patients to participate in their healthcare. Today, they do expect to have a two way relationship and it simply doesn't work, in my experience, if the patient fails to participate. Giving your opinions is not only accepted by good doctors, but appreciated and respected.

 

[Cint]

You should absolutely feel at liberty to participate in your own healthcare. If you have done your research and think that might be a good option, suggest it. Your doctor should know your history and should know if that is not a good idea for some reason, and then you would have a discussion about it. But it is your health, and asking about it, or asking questions about anything, and even questioning a decision they are making, is an important part of managing your own health.

My neurologist now asks me if it is ok with me if we add/lower/change a medication because I've had so many problems with so many meds. We are the ones living in our own skin and we know how we feel. When I was on Sabril for a drug study, I called my neuro and almost demanded to be taken off because it was making me suicidal. And when I first heard of the VNS back in the 90's, I asked if I was a candidate for it, before the neurosurgeon had learned the procedure.

And just yesterday, I emailed my neuro because of the blurred vision from Potiga. That med could potentially cause blindness. :bigmouth: onder: It does cause retina problems, so we'll see.

So, yes, it is absolutely more than okay to make a request. After all, you are the one living in your own skin.