Looking for Positive Stories Regarding Medication

Ponder · ‎06-03-2019

Our Daughter is staying at our house with her 4 yold autistic son. He is a great kid and has all the support he needs. Unfortunately our daughter has been resistant to receiving support in the past and thus has developed a genitive outlook when it comes to taking on or making any effort towards recovery. It's a full house here with my other daughter staying here as well. I myself am on a mental health program with supports that come and go regularly to me house. My wife is also on a disability pension for a debilitating condition that gives way to it's own form of depression. These revelations only just scratch the surface to much of an embedded systemic cycle within my family but more over I am tending to reveal just how 'full' our house is at this present time.

With this in mind, I totally get my daughters despair and it makes me glad that even despite our presently full house, that she wishes to stay with us in order to avoid the isolation she experiences in her own home. That is a very good acknowledgment on her own part.

But here is the thing -it is her wish to google and read up on all the meds she has been prescibed and as a reuslt she is about ready to stop taking them from all the negative stories that abound online. Sid effects, Coming off Meds and associated complications, Obesity, suicidal tendencies and so on. Both my daughter and I are not keen on meds. I myself have my own history, however given the repeated breakdowns and the lack of will to both with alternative lifestyle methods, I with my wife our encouraging our daughter to at least give the meds a try.

So it is that I ask:

Would someone be kind enough to link as to a couple of positive stories that discuss the benefits of medication when used responsibly in conjunction with positive lifestyle changes. I think most of the negative stories are where people just take the meds and continue to sleep all day and not make any changes.

I'm not trying to control my daughter ... I just want to help her ... help herself. I feel there is too much emphasis on self referral these days that leads into too much pressure with complacency leading the way. As parents we have been pushed away by virtually all the services. My daughter my not be asking for help here, but I am and by answering my questions you could well be proving my daughter with helpful assistance.

Where are the positive stories an how to make medication work?

Cheers & TY

quirkywords · ‎06-03-2019

Ponder.

What a great topic. You certainly have a full house and a plate full of challenges and I guess your house is full of love and compassion.

My story in as a condensed form I can manage.

I was diagnosed at 16 ( many decades ago) with bipolar.

I spent the next 16 or so years in denial and during that time I had a very chaotic time and my studies were affected as well as relationships

I married with in a few months of meeting my then husband and had 3 children.

When my youngest was a toddler I became very depressed and reluctantly agreed to take medication.

Gradually my moods started to even out. I had put a bit of weight on and still had ups and down but only the type most people have.

My medication has helped me and I returned to study. About ten years I started doing volunteer talk to community groups and a few years ago gave talks for Beyond Blue.

I explain to people that the 4 Hs help me, Health, Honesty, Hope and Humour.

I have been taking my medication for over 25 years and it has given the stability I never thought I could have.

Feel free if you want to ask me any questions.

Quirky

Ponder · ‎07-03-2019

Thank you for taking the time to reply. That sounds like really great advice.

Sadly my daughter has decided she is unable to endure the initial process of starting medication. Given it's been a few times now that the system has responded with prescriptions and my daughter having now repeatedly gone back to the hospital for mental health assessments, I have explained that not taking the medication will now have her seen as 'Non - Complaint.' From there it tends to get messy. A parents we are not Privy which gives way to deception ... quite the opposite of the 4 Hs. Sadly the system has done more to isolate and disconnect.

Is all good ... At least our daughter is back in our home where she seems to want to be, and we are not the type to chant 'Earn OR Learn' ... those ideals like the term non-complaint lead only into more blame and shame.

Sorry I could not be more positive. I think my daughter finally understands that she can't keep running to the hospital and seems to be heeding my story on Non-Compliance and where that kind of authority leads.

I am with you on the 4Hs ... I will just do my best to work on those. : )

Thanks again.