Fed up of keeping on taking them and all the side effects.
I'm on a very high dose of dothiepin and I keep getting mouth ulcers which I am sure is related, plus I can't wear my contact lenses any more because my eyes are too dry - I'm sure this too is related. I also take escitalopram which probably contributes to my anxiety. No word from thehospital on psychotherapy so I feel like they don't want to help me through that route. I might as well give up on all help really. Not getting anywhere. I've been on meds for over 10 years now and the depression keeps returning. Seems to me I might as well stop them all and let nature take its course.

[LMo]

As long as you wean from them under a doctor's supervision, then nobody can really argue.

What does your family think of the idea? As you might have read in the "off my meds" thread, your family members might have a perspective on whether it's a good idea for you or not.

Haven't talked to my dr about this.

Not talked to family either.

[LMo]

Personally, I do not think that ANYONE should make a decision to stop psychiatric medication without the support from both their doctor AND their family.

I have yet to hear of any POSITIVE cold-turkey withdrawal stories, either from family members or from patients themselves. I belong to another support forum for people who have spouses/significant others with depression/bipolar, and believe me, quitting meds is the NUMBER ONE concern.

My first experience with someone stopping their psych. meds cold-turkey was when I was 8. Our family was about to leave to drive to Disneyworld, and I called to remind Mr. Luchesi to feed my fish while I was gone. Mrs. Luchesi answered the phone and said "Lee Ann, I'm sorry, but Mr. Luchesi will not be able to feed your fish". Me: "oh no! why not?". Mrs. Luchesi: "because he is dead. I shot him.".

Me: "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!"

Mrs. Luchesi stopped taking her meds, cold-turkey, and got some great idea in her head to kill her husband. She was arrested and spent the rest of her life in a prison psych ward.

If that story isn't enough reason to convince people NOT to quit without support of both their doctor and family, I don't know what is.

[Lexicon78]

I'd suggest not taking any action until you speak with your doc first. It may do more harm than good to just stop taking them.

[bipolar_bear]

I think it would be a wise choice to get the input from your doctor and your family before doing somthing rash. Please don't rush into something you may regret.

[Maven]

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Personally, I do not think that ANYONE should make a decision to stop psychiatric medication without the support from both their doctor AND their family.

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While I agree, you should wean off meds under a doctor's care, I don't think you need him or her to agree with it being a good idea, and the same goes with one's family. Some families aren't very supportive. I know plenty of families who see someone on meds acting like a zombie, and it makes them happy, because the person is now out of their hair. Not all families are like this, but some are. In some cases, families think a person is "better" when they're on meds, because they aren't having so much trouble with their mental health symptoms, but they don't get how difficult it is for a person to live with certain side effects. One of the things most people don't get (including other mentally ill persons) is when a person doesn't want to be on meds because it lowers or completely rids them of their sex drive. Sex isn't important to some, or they think it's worth it to get the benefits of the meds, but sex is important to some, and I'm sick of people who think those who think those who really enjoy sex have a trivial opinion because they're not willing to give it up.

Going off meds is a big step, and it must be done with caution and care, but some people can handle it.

Thank you all for the input. I did read it all and think about what you said. I have written to my GP to tell him how I feel and I have started reducing my anti-depressants.

C

[Larry_Hoover]

May I suggest that you remain on your normal dose of escitalopram, and discontinue the dothiepin first? Two reasons for that. One is that you will be able to experience the escitalopram as monotherapy. And the other is more pragmatic. You will have fewer adverse effects during withdrawal if you remain on the SSRI. You should probably anticipate some rebounding. Problems sleeping, for example. Listen to your body, with respect to the pace of withdrawal. The more gradually you taper the dose, the less likely it is that you will suffer adverse effects.

Lar

[Butterfly_Faerie]

Caroline, please talk to your doctor before deciding to quit meds.
Side effects are not fun AT all, but we all have to go through them for a bit, it's our body getting used to the chemicals.

It can be frustrating, but please do not do it cold turkey, you need to be weened and monitored by your doctor, doing cold turkey could be asking for problems.

I'm sorry to hear that you are having such a hard time... Hang in there.

Thanks again.
sundance, I have been on these meds for over a year (though at a lower dose) and have ahd the side effects continually. I am reducing relatively slowly though, and Larry I am reducing the dosulepin first and keeping on the escitaloparam. It's not even wholly about the side effects - I just feel like giving up fighting this depression altogether.
Caroline

[Larry_Hoover]

That's a different story. Now, dothiepin is one of the dirtiest (side effects) of the tricyclics, but sometimes it's used to ward off anxiety, or to help with sleep. Nonetheless, you'd do just what you are doing now, if you were directly under a doctor's care.

You need to tell your doctor, or therapist, what it is you're doing. You've confided in us. You could print out your messages from here, if that's easier.

You've not thought this through. There is all kinds of help for you.

Talk some more, please. I didn't understand what you were facing, and now that I have a sense, I'd like to talk some more about it.

Lar

Yes the dothiepin has been used to tackle the anxiety and lack of sleep as well as the depression. I have told my GP by letter what I am doing, but I can't get to see him for another 2 weeks (I had an appt on Thursday just before the letter from the hospital came through which started all this). I see the psychiatrist on Thursday of this week but he won't be nay help. According to the last letter he sent to my GP (the one I got Friday) I was "very cheerful" - even thought he sentence prior to that said that I was "quite understandably distressed" that the hospital had refused treatment. I am glad a friend came with me - I checked with her whether I had been masking my feelings but she said no, and that I was crying for most of the appointment.

I'll tell the psychiatrist too. But I can't keep on fighting like this and being shown by the hospital that they feel I do not deserve help.

[Genevieve]

Caroline, I doubt it's a case of the hospital not thinking you deserve help, so much as their failure to recognize the extent of your distress. First of all, please don't give up -- you've got the right idea, that getting adequate treatment is the key, it's now just a matter of fighting your way through the bramble patch. I know it's unfair that you gotta do it just when you have the least ability to do so, but you can do it and you deserve to get that help.

First, a lot of people present very well, which isn't always in our best interests. Even the marriage counselor my husband and I have seen for two years can't tell when I"m falling apart. Makes it hard to me to get help when I most need it. I've been released from the emergency psych unit without any treatment several times, simply because I was too articulate, and the doctors thought that meant I was OK. And a good friend of mine was several weeks into a very severe psychotic episode that his T and his pdoc both missed -- as well as the cops who were called a few times to pay him a visit -- again, because he was too articulate. You're in good company, at least...

As for what to do now, asking your GP to write to the pdoc and tell him that you're worse than that letter implies might be a good first step. Telling the pdoc, when you see him, that his letter did not reflect your actual state -- although I'd recommend reframing it that you hid how badly you were really doing, because sad to say, pdocs have very delicate egos...

Good luck, whatever happens.

I'm tired tired tired of fighting.

I didn't present well. Got contact from hospital today (after much more fighting) - it was a "typing error" - "cheerful" should have read "tearful". Funny how there are so many typing errors - some significant ones in every contact I have from hospital. (ie 100%).

I've writtent o and phoned GP and wait to hear from him. He is one of only 2 good points. But am giving up. Leaving. Let littles take over. Let myself drown. Down from 225mg to 75mg of Dothiepin now.

C