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A few months ago I weaned my self off the meds against GP's advice

Kelee
Community Member
ive taken antidepressants on and off since my late teens I'm mid 50s now. A few months ago I weaned my self off the meds against GP's advice. Now I can't eat or sleep. I felt confident that I could manage this and even though this is the lowest I've ever been I'm unmotivated and too disorganised to cause any harm. The wight loss was initially good but now I'm just starving. I work nightshift so the insomnia is kind of working for me. Family members are voicing concerns about me. I'm feeling emotionally strong even though I'm on edge and distracted. It's the physical symptoms that are bothering me most, no eating no sleeping. I know I need to ask for help but I'm over the doctors and councillors.
7 Replies 7

white knight
Community Champion
Community Champion

Hi, welcome

So, logical question...why not go back on your meds?

Tony WK

demonblaster
Blue Voices Member
Blue Voices Member
Kelee hi

Good you're feeling emotionally strong, you may not be sleeping cause of your hunger.
The body goes through a process to break down the food, uses energy and food creates it too.

Even if you don' t eat much, best to try and have small bits here and there. You'll end up physically sick which you don't need

Over GP & counselors ok but you're in bad place atm. Maybe you need help for now.
I went long time without meds too, thinking I could do it without, Bipolar (BP) and eventually gave in, don't think they helped untold (Psych wasn't sure either, late diagnosis) and over yrs have started with Docs approval reducing, I think it's in us too but there are times when we do need help

All best hope you let us know how you're going 🙂

Hi thanks for responding, I believe the medication is making my head shake and making me emotionally numb. I was a nurse for 30 years had the keys to the pill cupboard I've tried pretty much everything to relieve the anxiety and depression as a result I've had problems with addiction.

Thank you for responding to me.

smidgen
Community Member

Hi Kelee

Did you come here because you wanted to talk things over. I'm about your age and have felt like I've been dealing with a lifetime of anxiety and depression. I'm wondering if you don't eat because you're not interested in food or if it's because it makes you feel sick or causes pain?

geoff
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni
hi Kelee, I have read your comments back to Tony where you say that you have an addiction to pills and could quite easily happen on night shift, no one around and the chance to take whatever pill you want and then become addicted to them, that's a trap which could happen without anyone knowing about and pretending to give it to patient C.
Antidepressants are not addictive if that's what you are worried about, it's not the feeling that an alcoholic has that they have to have a drink, you don't get that with AD's, although if you do miss out on taking them and they have been working, then you suddenly fall back into the black hole, knowing that you have to take one, this has happened to me a couple of times when I've run out of pills.
There's a fine line of distinction here 'between need and have to', the latter meaning an alcoholic must have another drink, compared to need, where this means to help control an illness, others may have a different perspective.
Have you asked your doctor about trying another AD where you will be given a low dose just to see how your body copes with them, because if you are put back on the same AD then what's stopping you from not taking them. Geoff.

EdenF
Community Member

my first question would be why were you on anti-depressants to begin with? Sounds like you've been on them so long your brain wiring has built pathways that are no longer there when the drugs arent helping causing the distractions and such. Think of it like the anti depressants told your neural pathways to go left instead of what they used to do which was go right. so without the drugs to aid you, your brain has to work hard to get the same effect as before. sort of like a detour on a highway.

Sounds like you need to learn how to be you again but without the drugs. Try meditating, it will take a long time but it will help build those neural pathways again but from a more experienced driver point of view.

hope i can help.