"You'll always have to take meds."

Questions and experiences with prescription medications
LyndaLu
Posts: 794
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:43 pm

Re:

Post by LyndaLu » Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:14 am

WW: Thank you for the clarification between mood disorder and bi-polar :) .
Lynda

LyndaLu
Posts: 794
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:43 pm

Re:

Post by LyndaLu » Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:27 pm

I just read every page of posts on here ! No one writing on here right now but me.

I am still weaning myself off of my medications at this time. I am trying to wean myself off
of all six of my medications at a slow pace because I don't want to " crash ". I think my
Abilify prescription will be the first one that I run out of. I was not initially taking this medication
at the beginning of my treatment, but it was added later on.
I think that my Lamicatal will be the second medication that I run out of as I am going through
my "weaning" process. Next to run out will be Seroquel and Lunesta. The two drugs I have plenty
of are the Bupropion and the Clonazepam. My Clonazepam was added later on
in my treatment too, I had not been taking that since the beginning ( 2007 is the
beginning ). I am taking my medications until I run out of them AND
lowering the doses as I go along. I have not seen my psychiatrist since January 2012 as I no longer
have health insurance and an office visit would cost me money that I just don't have
( I am unemployed and living off of the unemployment insurance benefits, at least for 4 more weeks ).
Everyone has their own opinion about lowering their medication doses and then totaly eliminating them
from their life. I think I DID mention the weaning off of medications to my doctor in the past and he
did not seem to say anything negative about it, actually he told me a story about a patient that was
on many medications that had to go off of them for some other medical reason and that she did fine.
I have not talked to my psychiatrist any further about it since that conversation.
I am going through the program for the second time and I am on Session Seven, in addtion to this
I am trying to help myself also by reading some inspirational and self-help books. I want to start
meditation of some sort, if I can get the hang of it. I would also like to try letting God back into
my life, as He has been missing from my life for some time. I know that religion or spirituality has
helped many people along in their lives and I figure it couldn't hurt to study up on my old
religion that I grew up believing in as a child. I am not seeing a therapist, I tried that route a few
years ago and it did not do anything to help me. That is all I have to say about medications for now.
Would love to hear from some people who have success stories to share, this would be really helpful right now.
April has been a bad month for me emotionally and I need a little hope.
Stay Strong,
Lynda Lu :)

ropersue
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:11 pm

Re:

Post by ropersue » Sun May 06, 2012 12:12 pm

I have been on meds for a year and two months. Last fall my Dr tried to taper me off, and I got to a half! With anitdep! Then in December I had major anxitey, and he made me go back to a full pill. UGH!! Then this last week with the help of the program I was able to go back to my half, and have been doing great until today. I had the what if thoughts creep in. I know that I have only gotten to session 4, so I am just telling my self I can do this! FIngers crossed, I can be off them by summer time! I have found that I cannont get preggo while being on them. And my husband and I have been trying to for the past year. So I am hoping that through the program I can get off of them and be able to start a family! Good luck to all of you on your endevors of getting off! :)

LyndaLu
Posts: 794
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:43 pm

Re:

Post by LyndaLu » Mon May 07, 2012 3:44 pm

dear ropersue:
I wish you and your husband the best of luck!
I am trying to understand why doctors are always raising and lowering the doses of peoples medications.
They go up and then down and then up. How is a persons body supposed to acclimate to these changes ?
How long does a drug stay in your "system" after you have totaly stopped taking it. I absolutely think
antidepressants are great for the short term but that a person should seek some additional counseling,
or work on a CBT based program.
I don't think medications work just on their own to help us reach our full potential.
This is my experience at least. I have been taking several medications for 5 years
and it is really the time to stop this medicine madness. I am a zombie ?
Some medications are really meant to only be taken
short term. I am hoping that my very slow approach to weaning myself off of my meds will be the best
road taken. I have been weaning my doses down for about four months now on some of my medications.
I am sick of just "existing" and I want to start "living" !
Stay Strong.
Lynda

deegray11
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri May 04, 2012 4:37 pm

Re:

Post by deegray11 » Mon May 07, 2012 3:56 pm

thats good news for the ones like me who dont want to rely on meds. When your on them you feel like your gonna need them for the rest of your life. At least i think like that. I really hope this program works, I am looking forward to being anxiety free:)

LyndaLu
Posts: 794
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:43 pm

Re:

Post by LyndaLu » Mon May 07, 2012 4:19 pm

dear deegray: I don't know if we are ever completely anxiety free. Anxiety happens to everyone at some time
in their lives. I think by working on the program we can become more aware of how anxiety
affects our daily lives and work to control how we react to it. We need to react to it in a more positive,
healthy, non-catastrophizing way. Lucinda says she is recovered, but I don't see how someone can
be 100 percent free of all anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression are just a part of life, but
the trick is to learn how to deal with it and not let it overcome our entire lives. Once we learn the
skills then we can attack the anxiety and depression head on and lead a more productive and happy life.
Wishing us all luck on learning the skills to keep us in a more positive state of mind.
Lynda

ropersue
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:11 pm

Re:

Post by ropersue » Tue May 08, 2012 8:07 pm

Thank you Lynda Lu!

Best of luck with tapering off your meds! I know you can do it! :)

LyndaLu
Posts: 794
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:43 pm

Re: Re:

Post by LyndaLu » Wed May 09, 2012 6:27 pm

ropersue wrote:Thank you Lynda Lu!

Best of luck with tapering off your meds! I know you can do it! :)
Well, I will find out in about 6 months how I am really doing, that is about how long it will

take me to wean myself off of my medications. I don't really have a choice whether to

stay on my medications at this time, though, either. You see, I have been unemployed

for quite a while now. And my COBRA health insurance expired in February. I am at

that place in my life where I never thought I would ever be, without a job and especially

without health insurance. I cannot take any more pills because I cannot afford them without

having health insurance. I am taking SO many medications that it is not financially possible

for me to take but only the very neccessary ones ( like my high blood pressure medication

and my colon medication ). I think it will be a "god-send" though, going off of the pills, because

I have been taking 6 prescriptions for the psyche type medications for the past 5 years. I

have heard of folks on this website that have taken psyche medications for years and years,

but I think 5 years sounds like a long time to me. All my psychiatrist does is talk to me for a

few minutes during each of our visits and then he writes out a script for the exact medications

I am already taking and the exact dosages. That is all he does. Well, that is just how I feel

about the whole medication thing and my doctor. Thank you for wishing me luck.

God Bless,

Lynda :)

JR5
Posts: 76
Joined: Fri Aug 29, 2008 1:34 pm

Re:

Post by JR5 » Thu May 31, 2012 8:12 pm

Lyndalu,
so glad to hear that you are tapering off slowly. I always say the slower the better :)

LyndaLu
Posts: 794
Joined: Sun Oct 03, 2010 4:43 pm

Re: Re:

Post by LyndaLu » Thu Jun 14, 2012 11:04 pm

JR5 wrote:Lyndalu,
so glad to hear that you are tapering off slowly. I always say the slower the better :)
I have just recently ran out of one of my psyche medications and I am not taking it any longer.
It is the Abilify. It is the first of six medications that I am working on eliminating.
I am still taking my other 5 medications, but at lower doses. I have a large supply of
Bupropion and Clonazepam. I have smaller supplies of the Lamicatal, Seroquel and Lunesta.
I have recently FELT like I have experienced some feelings of anxiety that I have not
experienced for some time. I am a little concerned about this, but not overly worried. I know
what the symptoms of anxiety are now and I can recognize them and deal with them as they
come along. I don't have to panic. I must continue to work on the program along with
eliminating the drugs or I will get nowhere. I am trying to work on Session Nine now.
Thanks for your support !
Lynda

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