Stopping my meds. Any advice?
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you might have thought to ask your doctor about this first. I mean for advice. You could have asked him if he knows of any programs your city might have established to help pay for expensive medicine. also he could have given you advice on how to stop taking your meds.
While what your experiencing could be anything it is possibly withdrawl. While you may get a lot of answers the best person you could have talked to would probably have been your doctor. You may have even asked him if there is a cheaper drug out there that could have given you similar benefits.
One thing you might try would be to contact your city's voc rehab office, they know and have all the numbers to programs that help people with your problem; I mean not being able to afford your medicine. And just to let you know these programs are paid for by taxpayers.
All this is in hope that yo are in the US because I have no clue if there are such programs anywhere else.
Other than that if your symptoms get any worse, contact your local poison control, or head to an emergency room.
hope I helped,
KDII
Herbs > Drugs
Hope you have a nice recovery.
You should never stop taking your meds without discussing it with your doctor. If you need help getting the meds, your doctor can help you find help. I suggest you start your meds, call your doctor and find a better solution. You aren't feeling better, so this is a dangerous pattern.
please,please get back on your medication better yet see a doctor ASAP there should be some help in your community if you cannot afford it call your local health department and tell them your problem. Nothing is more important than your health. What you are doing is dangerous if you have family members ask for their help.
You should never quit medication cold turkey without consulting your physician. Side effects will occur.
Talk to the doctors office there are places who can assist with the cost of medications. Sometimes even the manufacturers have programs to assist with the cost.
Where I live the Hunger Coalition helps people who can't afford there meds.
FIRST OF ALL, DO NOT EVER STOP MEDS Without the help of a doctor. With all of the drugs listed above. YOU MUST go down very slowly. Of course you feel like ****. These drugs are not meant to be stopped cold turkey.
Do not play doctor. GO see one and do it the right way. You are going through withdrawal and the symptoms may only get worse.
You should call your doctor Monday and explain the situation. You may be able to get free samples to tide you over for awhile. Your doctor can discuss other medicines that may be cheaper. Often at Wal-Mart and maybe other pharmacies you can get medicines like those for four dollars without insurance. If those are too expensive, your doctor can prescribe similar ones that are cheaper. I had the same concerns because I lost my job and that is what my psychiatrist told me. Also you can see your doctor maybe based on a sliding fee--based on your income. So discuss that when you call. If your doctor or that office is not helpful, seek another doctor. If you feel totally helpless or just want more information about all this, contact your Department for Community Based Services--social services and they can help you. You need your medicine. Make sure you fight to get it.
See "the road back: Lexapro" and the antidepressant websites, and read page 2, on depression treatments, at http://www.ezy-build.net.nz/~shaneris... and self harm, on page 4. WalMart has generic antidepressants for $4 for 30.
My advice: Don't stop..
More practically since you can't afford them, talk to your doctor and see if perhaps you are elligible for them at a reduced cost though any type of program. Perhaps they could even get you samples.
Lexapro doesn't have any crazy withdrawl effects that I know of and Wellbutrin when coming off of it made me feel like crap for about a week I want to say with headaches and stuff. Lexapro I went of at my doctors suggestion because of the type of disorder I have and Wellbutrin didn't work as well for me. I don't know anything about Ativan.
If you depression is a chemical imbalance it will be more difficult to function without medication, as you might be more susceptable to triggers or events. Lexapro and Wellbutrin is a good drug combination and Lexapro also helps with anxiety. Wellbutrin is an SSRI which affects how seratonin is reabsorbed in your brain which in turn affects your mood.
Talk to your doctor or psychatrist and see if they have any suggestions. It annoys me to no end that mental health is not generally given as much priority as other illnesses.
I wish you the best...hang in there...
Agree you should only get off meds with the assistance of your physician. Stopping any benzodiazapine like Ativan is dangerous. What dose were you on. The danger is seizures and can be life threatening. You should consider going back on this medicine and talk to your prescribing doctor to help you wean off.
The other most common problem is a withdrawal problem with the serotonin reuptake inhibitor (Lexapro). Although not very common, stopping cold turkey can cause a withdrawal issue that can make you very sick. (worse culprit tends to be Paxil, but, all of these medicines have some risk) Again, best thing to do is begin taking the Lexapro again and to slowly wean off. People usually feel better in about a day if this is the problem.
I must stress again, it can be very dangerous to do what you are doing. Please call your doctor and let them know your predicament. Tell them you can not afford meds and he/she will help you with instructions to get off of them or, even better, they should help you find a way to receive meds. This can usually be done through the pharmaceutical companies indigent programs where you can get free meds if you qualify.
You're going to suffer; the key is knowing how to suffer, so that you don't suffer.
My advice is to suffer consciously, really feel it all the way. go into the suffering. 100% experienced
. the withdrawal symptoms can be reduced by taking Power Barley Formula.
And if you drink a lot of water---8 cups daily---and eat seafood daily, there will be noticeable improvement in 4 months.
Don't eat tuna more than 1 time a week.
Stopping your meds is not a good idea. But if you cant afford them, try talking to the drug companies to see if you can get them free. I don't remember their names, but the pharmacist at the drug store may know of some. Make an appointmnet with the medical doctor, and see if there's something in the same catagory that is less exspensive. For example tums or the (purple pill). The syptoms that you are having, maybe the flu, but then again, its the med. If you have depression, it will get worse, and you may fall back into the same pattern as before., that's why you need to talk to the doctor, even if it is the nurse at the office, at least the doctor will know that something is going on..I am no doctor, but you may have several other problelms that are going on. so talk.so talk.. so talk..so talk...so talk...so talk....so talk...so do you get my point. It wont be easy, its going to be hard not to get overwhelmed, but keep talking to the doctor, and if he/she doesnt listen, then talk to another. When thoughts of self mutilation is started, then it becomes an emotion. With my daugther she too is a cutter. She gets emotional and upset with things in her life, then she cuts. She is going to a professional counsler and has weekly sessions and group sessions. .You need help. keep looking for it. and you will be amazed of what you can do if you set your mind to it.
You should never stop taking these drugs cold turkey like this. You really need to speak with your prescribing doctor immediately. There can be severe withdrawal symptoms, including seizures. You are supposed to slowly wean yourself off them and it can take a few weeks. Also, you are more likey to slip back into your old ways of depression b/c you stopped the drugs so abruptly. There is a warning on all these drugs about this. Please talk to your doctor and go with his advice and tell him you stopped taking your meds. There could be serious problems now, so get some help.
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