Happy Dance! :D

[fireheart]

For those of you who are unfamiliar (which is probably 3/4 of the CSers) I've been on antidepressants since about the middle of last year due to a incident that I won't repeat here (PM me for it) but basically it left me a sobbing wreck to the point where I actually dropped the F-bomb at work and then was sent home due to being a said wreck (I didn't get logged for that).

Anyway, I've recovered from that almost (I'm no longer bolting past the kiosk where one of the causes works-or used to work I should say) but I was almost due to get a repeat from the doctor for the prescription of antidepressants.

So the doctor and I discussed three options: either wean off and stop completely, continue with the next course entirely, or go for another month or two. After much deliberation and my admittance to forgetting to take the medication on occasion, we decided to keep it going for another month after I'd finished the current course, more to help me settle back into uni, since I'll be overloading for one semester. (overloading-normal second-year timetable consists of 3 classes per semester, overloading means I'd be taking four instead)

So this means...I'll be off the medication in March! :D

I'll still need counselling though and that's easily sorted, but to all of those out there who have been through a rough time with a guy (or girl), there is hope out there and there are people who will support you.

[persephone]

Good for you! I'm glad you're doing better and getting help. That's important and also, to be honest, very very hard to do. Helping yourself is one of the hardest things you can do.

So yay for you and congrats! I wish you luck!

[Der Cute]

Yay!

And in my humble opinion, the best way to treat deep root mental issues is a combination of drug and counseling therapy.

As long as you understand that there is no magic pill to fix you, and that the issues will not be dissolved by said pill, you're on the right track.

How I wish I could stop these pills, sometimes...but with a lifelong chem imbalance, it's kind of like chopping a leg off. REALLY screws me up. As for you - good. Good job for taking care of yourself. Now go have a brownie.

Cutenoob

[BookstoreEscapee]

Yay! Congrats!

Can I ask which medication you're on? (If you'd prefer to PM me, go ahead.) I'm on one myself and I have a doctor's appointment in a couple weeks. Mostly just a checkup, but last time I saw the doc (which was a different doc who is no longer with the practice) she asked if I planned to try to get off the meds at any point. I want to discuss further....

[fireheart]

Bookstore, I'm on Lexapro, or it's generic equivelent Esipram. It's an SSRI as well.

Cutenoob, thank you, I have a Betty Crocker microwave cake in my bag that I'm gonna whip up as a treat :)

I don't think that the pill necessarily dissolved the issue, but it at least enabled me to still function without turning into a sobbing wreck during tutorials and/or work. I think the only major issue I had was during an exam when I kept getting flashbacks of one of them during the incidents. Granted, they were sitting in the same exam. Now I've learnt to ignore them.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I take Effexor. The withdrawal effects are similar, I think. (Part of the reason I haven't seriously considered getting off it is because everything I read about the withdrawal symptoms frightens me. I might consider waiting until I can schedule some vacation time and start when I don't have to worry about getting to work. That would be a few months, though.)

I had to laugh at this, though. I googled Lexapro and found a website that lists side effects, one of which is "Fall - to suddenly lose your normal standing upright position." Wow, good thing they defined that one...:lol:

[fireheart]

Eep. I haven't looked up the withdrawal effects. If I do though, I'm gonna pass on a copy to work, so they know what to look out for. I informed most of the supervisors, including my manager, so that wasn't an issue.