CLOSED // Topic Tuesday // Medication

Hi @snoopy and @NikNik

yes the doctor and the mental health worker agreed to try half the anti anxiety meds but keep taking the antidepressants , we kept a diary over so many weeks but he was started to do things like he did before he was on meds , so he didn`t like it so he went back to the full meds

Evening all 😌 @Former-Member, I've almost had the dreaded seratonin syndrome. Fortunately my local pharmacist was alert to the possibility, and when I rang her with concerns she was able to assist me and also let my gp know. Since then I have had a total medication overhaul. The seratonin syndrome is very rare, and pharmacists will check with you if there are indications that you may be at risk. There are preliminary symptoms before the full on seratonin syndrome hits most of the time. I'm told that as long as medicos all know what one is taking, and you get all your meds from just one pharmacy and you trust the pharmacist enough to have regular conversations about your status, the risk is low.

Thankyou so much for sharing your story @Hazelle. I think your story is a great example of how psychotherapy can complement the use of medications. I’m really pleased to read you have made leaps and bounds in your recovery. Also great you spoke with your doctor about decreasing your dose. I always like to err on the side of caution and recommend never adjusting dosages yourself. But please let your doctor know the changes you have made.

Hi @Hazelle

I also have BPD, depression, PTSD and anxiety. I am currently doing DBT therapy and it is helping. It's good to read that DBT therapy is helping you and you can see your triggers. I can too see my triggers; I just need to control my emotions and thinking pattern.

Good luck with it all.

Salutations splendiferous folks,

Medication? Absolutely! Would not live without them. For me it chemically cuts off suicidal ideation, it allows me to be the best person I can be for myself, my husband who also has has Bipolar and to our children. Medication empowers me to live the way I choose to, rather than be pulled into changing and flipping directions.

I used to be on antipsychotics and they were metabolic positive. Much, much heavier, it took me five years I think, and a change of clinician to muster up the wherewithal to say, 'this isn't working, what else is there?' Now, I am on mood stabilisers and are working a treat.

For me, being on medication, I get to write my life story, I'm in control of my life in the best way I can be when everything else is in balance. For me, there had to be more than just a diagnosis and in many ways, a strength in vulnerability and courage to take lifelong medication. This was hard for me because I fought against taking paracetamol or any analgesia. Perceived weakness and self stigma, I think, can be tricky to navigate. Would not contemplate living without them.

Can I ask a silly question @snoopy and @NikNik

I sometimes think that I make excuses to not get better so I can still have my support. It sounds selfish and stupid?

And maybe that's why I stop my meds every now and then - just to see how I will react without them. I don't know; it's just a thought.