XML Feeds18. LIVING WITH DEPRESSION #5: DRINK YOUR MEDICINE!
By flip on Dec 9, 2008 | In My Story, Helpful Hints, Medical Information | 1 feedback »
Is it really necessary to say this?
Absolutely! One of the greatest temptations for anyone with depression/bipolar disorder is to start reasoning something like "I'm feeling good, I'm exercising, I'm eating well, let's cut this #%^&$@#$ pills!"
Follow up:
It's a bad idea - trust me, I've tried that, and I ended up with my face in the mud! So I ran back to my doctor, got back on track, and then I decided to go natural and tried herbal stuff. Another bad idea, deeper into the mud, back to the doctor ... Vitamin supplements. Energy boosters. Everyone has some sort of infallible advice for your problem. I tried them all. It didn't work.
A wise old man of God once called it The Grasshopper Syndrome: You jump as high as you can and fall back to earth. Then you jump again. And again. And again. And every time the landing hurts a little bit more.
Believe me, if you need ongoing medication, you need it. Get more active, by all means. Adjust your diet, get more natural light, eat bananas by the ton (it does help!), do whatever you can to help you manage your depression - but if you have clinical depression with a physical/chemical origin, your medication is all that stands between you and a grand tour of all the psychiatric institutions around you. Never ever change or quit your medication without medical supervision.
I know we hate to hear this. I hate it even more today than when I started taking medication regularly, but there's no getting away from it. I just need to remind myself what life would be like without those capsules, and I stop grumbling. So I wake up every morning, drink the stuff, and get on with life. That's just the way it is.
1 comment
Thanks for a great blog and the tremendous effort you've put in to make it happen and to inform others like myself.
Going into the festive season I always felt that I won't need medication and just have this one month without all the pills and the side effects, only to learn the hard way. I normally only recover by March and ended up twice with ECT during February to get me back on track due to my stupidity. It is not that bad and just because everyone is on leave and relaxed does not mean we can take a break as well.
Well, being on leave from today will certainly mean I will have time to post a few comments on your blog entries. Keep up the good work and let's hope more people visit your site
Hope you and your family have a wonderful festive season.
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| « 19. LIVING WITH DEPRESSION #6: SOMETIMES IT'S PLAIN SAILING | 17. LIVING WITH DEPRESSION #4: EAT YOUR VEGGIES! » |
I Think I'm An Expert By Now...
I have spent the last 30-odd years battling depression. I have been told that Christians shouldn't be depressed; that it's my fault, that something is wrong with my faith, and the list goes on.
I have made my peace with the fact that I'll live with this for the rest of my life, but I think it's time for the Church (in its widest sense) to wake up and start dealing with reality. Depression is not "negative thoughts", it is not "sinful" - it is simply a diagnosed medical condition that needs to be managed.
Maybe my story can help others. Maybe you can help me.
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In Another Land by Flip van der Merwe is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 2.0 UK: England & Wales License.
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