Becoming my own healthcare specialist...

On Tuesday I had a little phone chat with my doctor. I'm not going to talk about what a nightmare the call was but it ended up with him giving me a prescription for a different antidepressant that, in his own words, "is not really like Cymbalta but sort of". I was struggling with deciding whether or not to start taking another antidepressant (I actually wrote an entire post about it, even asking you for your opinions, but OnSugar has chosen not to publish it because they think it's SPAM!) but I have since made a decision regarding the Effexor.

I'll put it simply – absolutely not, no way, never. I did my own research and have yet to find one piece of information (in either professional medical documents or patient forums) that suggests it works for Fibro pain. It is essentially an antidepressant and I am extremely anti antidepressants from here on out.

I was never depressed. I was put on an antidepressant that has been clinically shown to be effective for pain relief, and to some extent it was. Since quitting said antidepressant I have become depressed. I feel like it has completely changed my personality and I'm miserable. Is this caused by the withdrawal process, a month later, or did the medication permanently change my brain chemistry? I hope it's option A.

I am going to take over my heath care and personally figure out what works for me since I have never found a doctor willing to help me do so. I have found natural supplements for fibro relief and have already started taking one. They're natural, affordable, and I have a feeling they can't ruin my life more than an antidepressant could. I'm going to stay on my prescription Lupus meds as well as my sleeping meds. I'm going to start taking natural muscle relaxers and use my oxycodone sparingly.

Do you think it's a bad idea to be your own healthcare specialist? I'd like to hear your thoughts on self medicating/supplementing.

Maybe one day I'll be able to find some real help, obviously after I get reinsured because most doctors who are knowledgeable refuse to see uninsured patients. I can't tell you how angry this is making me. Where is the help for people who really need it? I just don't understand.