Medication

This is a really tricky topic because there are so many views. It's also a topic that incurs a lot of hatred and stigma from the "you should just take medication and be fine" group.

As always I have my own views. I'd like to think I'm much more accepting having been on medication and also having decided (with consent from my psychiatrist) not to take certain medications. However, I still find myself battling my own thoughts -- occasionally -- of "just take your medication and you'll be better!"

I truly believe medication can help those of us with mental illness. I also believe that our psychiatrists do not prescribe medication just for the sake of prescribing it.
As always, there's an exception here. There are some -- what I call bad -- psychiatrists who will prescribe medication just to get rid of the patient. If you have one of those psychiatrists I'd advise you to try and find one who is more attentive and empathetic. It really does make all the difference.

Anyway, medication can be fantastic. I know of many people -- with varying mental illnesses -- who thrive on medication. They maintain their lives to such an amazing degree most people have no idea they have a mental illness.

Of course finding the right medication for each person can be painstakingly horrid. Trial and error is really the only way since we're all different and react differently to each medication. In my opinion it's this process coupled with side effects that makes finding the right medication a nasty chore. It's also why a lot of people end up stop taking their medication altogether.

I fall into that last group. I currently only take medication for reflux, a contraceptive pill and a sleeping pill. The sleeping pill is actually a medication called Seroquel (Quetiapine), which is actually an anti-psychotic drug. However in my case it puts me to sleep where normal sleeping tablets don't. It ends up being a rather expensive sleep but as I don't take any other medication sleep is essential in maintaining a positive mood.

I'm not against taking medications and when I feel I can go through the -- often disheartening -- process of trial and error again I will undoubtedly take medication again.

My medication journey isn't an easy one as I am constantly suffering pretty awful side effects! I even get side effects from the lowest doses and from the drugs least likely to cause side effects!

Now my side effects are migraines. I've been getting migraines since I was 5 years old and they are never fun. They also have the added bonus of making my mood drop. Something about the pain and chemical reaction among other things. So if you couple that with taking medication for depression, which is designed to help make it possible for you to lift your mood, the effects end up being rather disastrous.

There's also the part where the antidepressant medications I've been prescribed simply haven't worked at all. I spent about a year on Prozac even when I told my psychiatrist at the time that it wasn't working. He merely told me to keep trying it because it "had to work". He is an example of the "bad" psychiatrist I mentioned above.

In the end it came as no shock to my awesome psychiatrist -- I promise to write a shrink appreciation blog at some point -- when I discussed my thoughts regarding medication with him. I didn't stop taking it just because I could or for some whimsical reason. I waited until my next appointment with him and told him my concerns and how I felt. We agreed that for the time being I would reduce the medication with a view of stopping it. I've been without medication for about six months now.

Now here's the really important part. There's a right way and a wrong way to stop taking mental illness related medications.

The Wrong Way
Stopping suddenly -- waking up one morning and deciding you never want to take medications again so you don't is not a good way to go about it. Most medications cause withdrawal symptoms and stopping them suddenly only exacerbates those symptoms.

Not discussing your plan with your psychiatrist -- Irrelevant of how silly it may feel to say "I would like to stop taking medication" it's imperative you talk with your psychiatrist about it. Some mental illnesses really aren't conducive with the no medication thing and can actually be detrimental to yourself and others.

Listen to your psychiatrist -- This is really important. They are there to help you. It's their job to have your best interests at heart and to do things in ways that benefit your mental and physical health. They probably won't always say things you want to hear but they're not saying it to cause you more pain. If your psychiatrist explains it's not a good idea to stop taking your medication listen to them because they're thinking of your wellbeing. Explain to them why you disagree or talk about why you still feel you want to discontinue your medication.

The Right Way
Talk about your decision with your psychiatrist before stopping the medication -- Explain why you want to stop taking your medication. If your psychiatrist agrees with your decision they will walk you through a good and safe way to reduce the medication and eventually stop.

Acknowledge there may be a time you will need medication again -- Life isn't easy and neither is having a mental illness. Sometimes there are periods in our lives when we can't cope and may need extra help (medication, hospitalisation, more psychiatrist appointments etc.) It's not failing, it doesn't mean you're going to be stuck on medication forever nor does it mean you won't get better again.

Be honest when you feel bad -- There are certain things we have to do and be a little more aware of when stopping medication. You have to be willing to really talk with your psychiatrist and try to explain how you feel even if it's really hard to put into words. Without the cushion of medication feelings and thoughts can be sharper and harder to deal with. This means you need to make a commitment to yourself to be more astute and aware of your feelings so you can curb any truly disastrous episodes.

Making the decision to discontinue your medication is very, very, hard. There are many things you need to factor in and really think about before you even bring it up with your psychiatrist. It's not something anyone should take lightly and I do find that I get most annoyed with those who joke about it or whimsically decide they just don't want to take it. Of course it's their decision and I can't dissuade them, nor would I bother, but it still makes me rather angry. Oh well.

Medications can be great, they can do amazing things for mood and for healing old -- emotional -- wounds. Used correctly they can be vital in managing mental illness. By the same token some people can flourish without medications. Making that decision -- be it to take medication or not -- is one that should be made between yourself and your psychiatrist with thought and consideration.