Despair *potential trigger: abuse*

I'm glad you shared your secret with us @hiddenite and keep us updated on how it's going. I am very worried - so I hope you understand why the 'nagging' side of me is coming out.

Please do keep that Medicines Line number close by. It won't hurt calling them and they will give you a lot of information so you at least know what to anticipate and be careful with.

Would you like to join the 'Friday Feast'? @Jacques @WombatBoots @PeppiPatty and @Crazy_Bug_Lady are all over there having a bit of a friendly friday chat (and sharing pictures of dinner and pets).

Just click here if you wish to jump over to the discussion.

Also, it would be interesting to hear about any experiences other members have had coming off medication and what advice they have...

If you're going to go off your meds altogether, then please try to do so slowly. Suddenly stopping them could spell disaster. I know you really don't care right now, but someone will and you'll definitely find yourself back in the MHU again if you go off them too quickly.

All the best with it no matter what you decided,

Ellie.

Hi Karen,

I'm soooo feeling for you at the moment, I'm sending as much postive energy as I can.

Pls stay safe

and as @NikNik said I would love you to come over for a chat at friday feast

at least come and look at the picture of my silly pup that I posted

I want you so much to be better Karen, there are 2 beautiful little souls who need you.

Stay safe and strong

Matt

Hi @hiddenite (Karen, my best friend),

looks like we are both stuggling together, i have gained a lot of weight 40kg + in the past 6 months, and lost all motivation, i know how terrible the side effects can be, but you have managed to hold on this long, i am just so happy to have found you again, i am still in shock, i really never thought i would be able to speak to you again, i mourned losing you for months, i missed you so much, our little talks, our stories, our struggles.

Please write back, i am really looking forward to getting back into our conversations.

how are the Crystles? do you still have your broken one?

how is the 4X4 going?

have you been able to get any further to your goal of a little house to do up?

Have you done any more trips to the Beach?

and no unfortunatly i have not been able to put in the pond, i am hoping to do it this summer. the frogs need a bigger place to live!!! , renovating the house is just so expensive and time consuming.

i was so excited to see you are well or at least ok, i could not sleep last night.

i know things are tough, they are for me too, but we need to fight on, you are such a strong and brave Woman, all you have been through, you really deserve happyness, we must strive for you to be happy again (or at least some happy times)

Hi @hiddenite Karen,

I'm sorry havent been around much, i'm a bit scared to hear you are stopping medications without help. It really can be dangerous, i hope that you are around your mum and dad at least so that they can be aware of anything. If you are stopping, try to cut back slowly if you can, to limit the danger.

hope your day is going ok,

LJ

dear @NikNik

My oldest son will not take medication. Ive actually got two things to write re: son. He and i zpoke to each other on not taking medication.

1: he spoke to me about how he hears voices :

2: i said....'.oh.

..........

Thats so creative and intricate. I love hearing that..but ...it sounds a little crazy? Do you think so?

He agreed but still refused to try medication. I said...sounds like your life is going to be very difficult if you refuse medication. But we could discuss how to replace activities...so you dont decide to go to bed all day and chain smoke.

What would you like to do? He chose to work....so, whenever i can get him on the phone....he tells me hes seeing a psychologist and works a lot.

the other 'news' which i think is noteworthy is that my oldest son idolises my oldest brother. He doesn't know this but my oldest brother called me this morning...first phone call in about a year.

My brother was speaking about his big breakdown..and how he didnt want to be on medication. I told him im a proud consumer which means i have had the courage to access mental health agencies in the past. I said that it would be good next phone call from him to say something like that ......i dont know.....it may be good for him to say that to my son.