I wanted to write about the importance of communicating with your doctors about medications. These medications your doctor prescribes you are there to help you, not to make you feel numb or out of touch with the world.
From my experience, I have been on medications where I did not know what was going on. I knew the only way to fix it was to see my doctor and tell her what was going on. Adjusting medication to fit your diagnosis is completely normal and nothing to be afraid of. Yes, there are side effects, and if you really think they are hindering your life, you need to have the conversation. I was on an anti-depressant and it made me put on weight, so I had the conversation that this was making me more depressed, and we changed it. Yes, of course being weaned off a medication is never fun and can be real mood altering at times, but it needs to be done to make sure you are stable and able to be a functioning person in society. I am super sensitive to medications, so it is tricky finding one that works for me. I have had times when they are slowly tapering me off a medication where I have been in the fetal position on my bathroom floor having an anxiety attack and not being able to go into work for weeks. That being said, though, I have never once been scared to switch medications because I know it is helping me in the long run; making me actually be able to live my life.
Yes, you may have had a bad experience with a medication, and it may have put you off from ever wanting to try a new one again, but don’t you want to wake up and get out of bed? Go to work and be productive?
Having these conversations with your doctor is so important, I cannot express that enough. I didn’t speak up at first when I knew something was wrong with my medication when I was 18. Since being diagnosed, my psychiatrist and I have such an open relationship that I can tell her when something is not working and we fix it. That is what you have to do.
Always be honest with your doctors because they are there to help you, not make your life miserable.
As my dad always tells me, “Take care of your garden.”
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