THE RIGHT DOSE OF MEDICATION FOR YOU

How do you know what is the right dose of medication?  I've already talked about the fact that doses are often established based on statistical averages.  This means that a percentage of people [32%] are more than one standard deviation above and below the mean.  These people will need doses that may not fit the usual dose range for a medication. Also, even if your dose is within the normal dose range, your specific dose is still important to determine as the success of the medication will depend on determining the optimal dose for you.  

So, what can you do to help your physician find the best dose of medication for you? You can write down symptoms you are having and check the internet to match your symptoms with specific diagnoses.  You can then share this information with your Doctor and then see which symptoms your Doctor feels are related to your diagnosis. Then you can keep track of the symptoms as you take the medication. You can then see if there is a dose that reduces or eliminates your symptoms.  If no dose is helpful, let your Doctor know so you can try a different dose until you find the right dose for you. Sometimes you might need to go down again with a dose and then raise it again to determine the best dose.  As a 23 year old patient of mine said recently: "I'm the best person to determine the optimal dose for me because I'm the only person who is me."  

The optimal doses of the vast majority of medications are based on the clinical response to the medication.  Your clinical response is what we've been talking about.  Your role in determining your response to medications is critical.  If your Doctor does not listen to your input regarding your response to medications, you may need to change Doctors.

TRUSTING YOURSELF

When I was in college, I used to frequently change answers on tests.  Almost every time I ended up changing a right answer for a wrong answer.  Studies have found that abut 80% of the time we change right answers to wrong answers.  I only stopped doing this after one of my professors would go over my test in front of the class and point out the number of times I did this.  So, I stopped changing answers on tests but I then caught myself analyzing things and using a pros and cons list or getting the opinions of a number of people, to help me to make decisions. None of this seems to work.  I have come to believe that my first impression is the best one to go with.  I have had to learn to recognize my first impression or intuitive understanding of things as I can quickly think of another answer and tell myself that it is my first impression.  

I believe that our brains have stored lots of information that is ready for us when we need it.  We just have to trust these first impressions and act on them, even if we don't have a paper trail of how we came to this understanding.  Try it and see what happens.