[Disorder7]

I feel like an idiot. I'm so afraid of med side effects, that I have trouble being compliant. For the past few days I've felt a lot of anxiety, nausea, racing heart, but I don't want to call my doctor. I lie enough to him already.

I suddenly stopped taking Lexapro, I sometimes take Seroquel as directed, but I usually reduce the dosage or skip days. I have a bottle of a Trileptal which I've never even opened.

Without the meds, I have all sorts of physical and mental reactions. I feel like hell. But I'm afraid to take everything that's been prescribed because I'm afraid I'll die.
I did tell my pdoc about my fear, but he said that's just my anxiety making me feel this way. Well......

I guess I just want to know, if any of you are completely med compliant, how do you do it????

[wiretwister]

I don't want to take a stand on either side of this because many people really do need their meds , .... but always remember psych meds can have very wicked withdrawals some permanent , ... it really is legalized addition by rx ... imo.

[Standup2me]

If your Pdoc knows the med combo, then all should be okay
Talk to your pharmacist. They are extremely knowledgeable and willing to help
The pharmacist will be able to see what you are taking and tell you what you need to know

[Victoria'smom]

Tell your Dr you've not taking them and why. Ask for a single drug for bp. I'm partial to abilify because it has a long half life its small and there's an injectable option. Once you've successfully took that he can add another if needed.

[secretgalaxy]

It was hard for me too at the beginning because I kept gaining weight. After my pdoc saw me gaining weight, she put me on Bemzotropine to stop the side effects and it works! I have no appetite, the dry mouth is gone, and I feel great.

Maybe you can talk to your pdoc about adding something similar. Also the side effects are bad in the beginning but they get better most of the time.

I hope you find the right med combo!

[BlackSheep79]

Yes I am 100% med compliant. I have taken my meds everyday since I was diagnosed eight years ago. I make my pillbox every week and take my am and pm at the same time everyday.

I take them so I can be as close as possible to stability. I take them so I don't lose everything I've worked so hard for because of a severe episode. I take them out of respect for my husband so he isn't treated like crap by me when I'm manic or mixed. It's not fair to him. I've gone through the horrible side effects and just about every med out there like so many, but I stuck with it for the reasons above. This is the first time in eight years that I have been this close to stability.

Messing with your meds is of course going to make you feel like crap. Talk to your pdoc, it's trial and error.

[raspberrytorte]

I'm med compliant. The only thing I'm not compliant about is when I take my geodon because I'm supposed to take half in the morning and half at night, but instead I just take it all at night because I don't like feeling weird and spacey during the day.

I have similar worries, about dying because of them. I can understand that anxiety.

But I don't think my pdoc would put me on a med cocktail that wasn't safe.

Luckily, with the meds I'm currently on, I don't really have any side effects. If I have really severe side effects from something I stop taking it. I didn't like the side effects from seroquel and wanted off that asap, and it wasn't working anyway. It just made me starving and sweet craving and made me gain because of that. I was not happy on it.

Anyway, explain to your pdoc your fears, and perhaps he or she can reassure you and make you less afraid of taking your meds.

[Disorder7]

Seroquel doesn't make me hungry or anything. I'm only on 100 mg because I'm scared.

When I take it I start wondering if I'm going to die from it. Then my heart starts racing and I convince myself I'm dying. Then I start having trouble breathing, or at least it feels that way. Pretty soon I'm just totally freaking out.

Thanks for the responses. This is the only place I can go where other people really get what I'm saying.

[raspberrytorte]

When I was on seroquel, if I didn't pass out right away, I noticed it gave me a racing heart beat. I don't know why, or if that's even common.

[Wildflower4]

The racing heartbeat that I could actually hear happened to me last night after I took my Seroquel. It scared me a little but I just went to sleep. Edit to add: I won't stop taking it though. I feel that my pdoc has my best interests in mind and that only happened once. I will stay med compliant because my family shouldn't have to put up with what happens if I don't.

[gina_re]

I'm completely med compliant. It also helps that I take everything at night and not throughout the day (although since we added wellbutrin that's now in the mornings). With the dosage of Trileptal I'm on, I have no choice. I will feel sick the next day, so I make sure I'm on top of it. Plus I'm the only who supports me, so unless I want to lose everything I've worked so hard for, I stay on them. I think setting reminders on your phone could be helpful. And I think about why I take them, even when I'm feeling fine, so that I stay compliant.