[krissy702001]

This seems like a really simple thing, but does anyone else here have trouble keeping up with taking their meds? I am on zoloft, ativan, and just started abilify.

I will do good for a few days and take them as prescribed, but then I fall off of the wagon and then don't take them for several days. Of course, I know they are not effective if they are not taken properly. My depression is getting worse,and I know simply I need to take them regularly. I do take the ativan regularly as my anxiety is overwhelming. My mind just seems fuzzy, and I can't concentrate. Does anyone have any helpful tips?
Thanks.

[Angelique67]

You could set a smartphone or clock to help you remember to take them. I sometimes forget too. Used to go off them all the time and may again if I can't find a doctor by next month.

[ChangingMyMind]

Well that was never a problem for me because not being depressed was motivation enough. What prevents you from wanting to take the meds? Are they possibly not the right ones? Perhaps if they were more effective you would take them more regularly like you do the anxiety meds?

[geis]

Is the problem more that you're having trouble remembering to take the meds, or is it more that you don't want to take them, so forgetting becomes a convenient excuse? They're two very different issues that require very different solutions.

If the problem is simply memory, there are a lot of possible solutions. If you have a smart phone, there are some really good apps to remind you. I use one called Mango, and it keeps sending me reminders until I tell it I've taken my pills. Before I got a smart phone, I used a weekly pill box. I always set it on my nightstand right next to my glasses. My vision's so bad I can't function without my glasses, so when I'd grab my glasses, my meds would be right there to remind me.

If the problem is more that you don't want to take the meds in the first place, that'll require a more nuanced approach. You have to figure out what exactly taking the meds is bringing up for you, and from there, you'll be better able to figure out how to change that if you decide staying on the meds is worth it. But not taking psych meds is also a valid choice for a lot of people.

[CamW]

You could also use a rosette or another daily/weekly container that you keep next to your sink in the bathroom where you will see it when you do something that you do every day, like brushing your teeth.

This can help remind you to take the medication.

The smartphone reminder is also another good way to tweak your memory.
I hope that this is of some help.

- Cam

[Altered Moment]

I have been having a problem the last two weeks. It has nothing to do with forgetting for me. I think about it and don't want to bother. Some kind of mental block going on. It is strange because I have always been med compliant. Twenty years I have been taking them and it is usually the first thing I do. Once in awhile though I will go through this where I just don't want to bother taking them. Right now it is probably because I have been doing very well for nine months but have slowly falling into a deep depression. I can't consciously pin point anything but maybe I think why bother, whats the point, nothing will help, and all of that......losing hope again. I force myself to take them because I have not made a decision to go off meds and I know it will mess me up worse if I don't take them. If I were to decide to stop I would do so with my pdoc and to a slow taper. This is just some mental block.

[CamW]

Seems that you are beginning to cycle to another low. I've been there and it's not fun. This is the time to be sure that you are taking your medication, because if your don't the downturn will just get worse.

Sometimes you have to force yourself to take them. You have to head off this fall as best you can. Let your psychiatrist know of this downturn and he/she may be able to help with a temporary increase in one of your meds.

As you know, these downturns don't last forever, you just gotta ride it out.

You know that the "nothing will help" feelings are just that a feeling brought on by the relapse. You have to get back on that horse and crawl out of the whole. The medications will help with this.

As you know there can be no rhyme nor reason to a relapse, but without the medications they will come more often and be more severe.

I know that these are just words, but this too shall pass. Force yourself to take the meds on a regular schedule.

Also, make sure that your doc knows what is happening, he/she needs to be aware of the relapse so he/she can help.

[Altered Moment]

I do force myself to take it. I am hesitant to up the dose. I started 40 mg Fetzima last March and have done very well on it. Better than any other med. two months ago I went to 60 mg. I have very cyclical depression. This time of year is my worst cycle. I want to get as many miles as I can out of this med because they always poop out. Either it is losing effectiveness or the depression is over powering. I don't have lots of options left when it comes to meds.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CamW]

Just hang in there, buddy. Apparently you know the drill.

[vital]

Originally Posted by CamW

You could also use a rosette or another daily/weekly container that you keep next to your sink in the bathroom where you will see it when you do something that you do every day, like brushing your teeth.

This can help remind you to take the medication.

The smartphone reminder is also another good way to tweak your memory.
I hope that this is of some help.

- Cam

Yea, get one of these pill organizers from your local drugstore

Slide Cover 7 Day Pill Organizers - HealthAccessories.com

and set them out ahead of time. That way you'll never have to wonder if you forgot to take something or not.

[Disorder7]

Don't worry about forgetting Abilify. It has a loooooong half life. 20 days for total clearance. As I posted on a different thread, I take it every other day because I feel less foggy than I did when I took it everyday.

I take Prozac with breakfast. So it's become very routine. Coffee, cereal, Prozac.