Medication To Do List

Like everything else on this blog this comes from my own personal experience so if I am saying one thing and your doctor is saying another chances are you should listen to the MD. That being said depending on the doctor it is always a good idea to do your research and if you want to scare the hell out of yourself go visit Google and enter the following "Name of med + lawsuit". On with the list.

1. Fiber is your friend. Seems like every single med or med combo I have ever been on tends to dam up the inner working. I have tried a variety of prescription meds to ease this situation and turns out the best solution is Raisin Bran or the knock off version.

2. Watch your diet. So you battle depression for six months and finally the fog is beginning to lift then a new situation presents itself. Nothing fits and some how you managed to put on a lot of weight that is not easily accounted for. I have no idea whether it is the way the med effects the metabolism rate or it is tied into eating the depressive way (basically anything that is quick and easy) but ending one battle and starting another one is not a whole lot of fun.

3. What the hell was that. Started a new med and all of a sudden your suicidal thoughts are through the roof and ideas a week before which made no sense what so ever all of a sudden seem like a great idea it is time to go back and see the doctor. The first month or so on a lot of antidepressants is what led to the black box warning being posted on the side of the box. The wrong antidepressant can lead to a world of hurt.

4. Alcohol. Well this is automatically a no brainer but most people seem to do it anyway me included. In my experience what happens is the alcohol acts like a multiplier so two beers feels closer to seven or eight. If you are going to drink keep the amount very low and drink very slowly. This is not an experiment you want to try in public by the way.

5. Getting off of the damn things. First thing first get your doctors approval before stopping any medication. The next step is to research out the med to see if it is one that requires a tapering program such as Effexor or Paxil for if you stop them cold turkey you could get really sick really quick. The discontinuation syndrome is brutal and after many lost lawsuits the big drug corporations are finally admitting some of their products are addictive. Something I have seen over and over again is a person finally starts to feel good so the decision is made to stop the medication only to find out the drugs are the reason for their better mood. This decision should not be taken lightly.

Well I am sure there is more but I am drawing a blank at the moment so that is it for now. Take care.