Medication Non-compliance

[Lucycat]

I am aware that many of us with mental health difficulties will have been prescribed medication. I have also read many posts about people then not taking the meds, or adjusting the doses without medical advice and support.

I am reluctantly taking Citalopram ( and willingly taking quetiapine). Every time I see my GP she asks if I am still taking it. I am truthful - yes I am. I totally denied that I was suffering from depression, and although I am feeling better I am still not convinced it is depression. If only there was a blood test to prove it one way or another.

How do others deal with this? Are you always honest with your prescriber? What reasons do you have for not taking the advice given?

I always tend to think that I know best. However I think this is part of the illness. Side effects are certainly a concern, but I am one to frighten myself by reading every possibility however remote. Fact is I am more at risk of getting run over by a stray space ship than suffering some of the side effects. Getting hit by a car for others.

Then there is the issue of 'being controlled'. I don't like to feel that the meds are controlling me, just as I did not like being controlled psychologically and physically by my abuser.

For now I am taking them. Actually I am scared to stop as I don't want to destabilise myself. However I don't want to keep on with them. I have bought myself a 'pill cutter' so that soon - when I feel ready - I can reduce them in very slow increments. I will keep my doctor informed, but don't promise to precisely follow their advice if it does not suit me.

I guess for me, I need to feel in control of my life in all aspects. Taking meds - or not- is just one aspect of that.

 

[Nyx]

I have a long history with medication. I have started and stopped anti-depressants many times. Each time the issue was not trusting the doctor prescribing them. Let me tell you you are wise to not stop. It does destabilize you. Badly.

I have been taking anti-depressants and mood stabilizers for 11 months now, I also take Quetiapine at night, because I have finally found a doctor I trust and can talk to. I told him about all my fears concerning this type of medication, I have told him I refuse to be sleepy or good for nothing during the day, I have told him I refuse to become addicted. He has prescribed accordingly. I was doing very well until I have entered an auto-destructive stage and stopped the medication all together for about a week. I became suicidal again and am barely coming around after one month of restarting with the pills.

My advice? Don't stop them. Depression is treated slowly. Listen to your doctor if you want to get better in the shortest time. By stopping the pills I have ruined 9 months of treatment...

 

[my3sons]

I am taking Doxypin to sleep & Clonazapam to be normal. Well I do not care it makes me 'normal' if thats normal? At first Drs fought against me having Medication 'its addictive' and let me live for years in anxiety panic attack hell! Then when I overdosed finally I was given Medication! All it does is help me sleep a bonus and help me be able to go to parent teacher interviews etc,without being a sweating heart pounding mess! Thanks to the druggies I had to suffer for many years. So drugs booze took the place of medication. One Dr even told me to drink for my panic attacks ! Can you imagine how much I would drink? hahahaha ok had to laugh at that one :) .

< Edited for basic grammar. Please see the rules to aid readability. Full stops and gaps between sentences are essential. Full posts quoted are unnecessary and deleted. Please use a spell checker.>

 

[rainbow1]

I have taken anti-depressants on and off for 15 years. I try to think of it like taking any other medicine. I take the contraceptive pill to stop me getting pregnant, I take pills to stop heartburn and I take anti-depressants to stop depression.

I understand the need to feel in control, but I think of it as me taking control of my life, by choosing to take medication that will help improve my mood. ;)

Having said that, my GP recently tried to put me on an additional tablet to help with symptoms but I couldn't take them. I saw her 2 weeks after she prescribed them and when she asked how I found them I initially said they helped. Then admitted actually I hadn't taken them and didn't want to as they scared me a bit. :oops: She was ok about it though and we talked through other options instead. I guess its about choices and being allowed to say yes/no to a particular medication.

 

[Lucycat]

My advice? Don't stop them. Depression is treated slowly. Listen to your doctor if you want to get better in the shortest time. By stopping the pills I have ruined 9 months of treatment...

One of the difficulties I have is that the doctor suggested reducing the Quetiapine because I was complaining of being too sleepy since starting the anti-depressant. I had reduced it before, but then after my last blip 2 months ago went back to the full dose and at the same time started the anti-depressant.

So my doctor has suggested reducing, I am terrified of doing so, but feel I should. T says that I know what is right for me :confused:.

Actually last night I did reduce by half a tablet, because I am expecting to return to work this week. It is a bit of a crazy time to be messing about with doses but at the same time I want to be able to stay awake at work! I am seeing both GP and T tomorrow so will see what they say. I certainly don't want to undermine what I have already achieved.

 

[Nyx]

Anti-depressants don't necessarily need to make you sleepy. I take Zoloft in the morning and afternoon and it doesn't make me sleepy at all. Quetiapine, in stead, makes it really hard for me to get up in the morning. I would have gladly given it up, but my doc said it's not the time to. Maybe you could ask for some different anti-depressants if the dose of quetiapine helps you?

 

[Lucycat]

I decided not to tell my GP yesterday that I am tentatively reducing the Quetiapine. I did not want her to reduce the prescription in case I increase it again and then run out.

However I did tell T. I am unsure about his response. He just smiled and said to be sure and let him know when I increase it again. I took that to mean that he does not expect me to cope on the reduced dose. However Rory said it was simply an acknowledgment that I am in control. I don't know. I should have asked him to clarify at the time but it is one of these things you think about afterwards.

GP has suggested we plan for me to stop the antidepressant in August. That sounds reasonable. If I were to change to another one I would have to start from scratch so I think I'll just work with it.

 

[MedicAsh]

I am taking fluoxetine, bupropion, and trazodone. I also have over the counter stuff I take everyday. I used to be awful about taking medication. I felt like it was something I would be dependent on. Now that I had to go back into the GP so I wouldn't breakdown, I have been compliant. I will miss a day every once in a great while, but I have found with the help of my GP and my therapist the medications help me. If I am not on them, I am very depressed to the point I am suicidal. When I am on them, I can make it through each day even though it may be hard some days.

 

[Lucycat]

I have moved on another step in my non-compliance :oops:.

I have now reduced my Quetiapine down to just half of one tablet. A mere 12.5mg. The smallest dose since I started it over 2 years ago and so far so good.

Additionally I took the executive decision to halve my dose of Citalopram. I am well aware of the side effects of withdrawing from this one so will be very cautious. My T has never criticised my GP, but he did indicate this week that the psychiatrist would not have started me on Citalopram anyway. He cannot encourage me not to take it but I feel he would support this decision of mine. I will see him again in 2 weeks and tell him then. I am not seeing GP for 4 weeks, so I would love to be able to tell her I am not taking anything at all - and still well!

 

[Lucycat]

Oops. Not a good night's sleep last night. Finally gave in and took a Quetiapine at 5 am, so here I sit this afternoon feeling absolutely lousy. So tired from little sleep, but also tired from taking a pill so late.

On the other hand I took no Citalopram at all either. I am pleased with that.

 

[Lucycat]

Well, I gave up on the Citalopram completely but decided to continue on 25 mg of Quetiapine. Basically T said he would not be able to do further EMDR if I was not on a stable dose of meds. So I took his advice.

I told my GP last week that I have stopped the Citalopram and she said she was surprised I took it as long as I did. I was so worried what she would say as I felt that I was not taking her advice, but she was great.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

My T had the same view yours did, Brucielucy. He did not refuse to give me therapy, but it was definitely almost pointless, wasted months becasue I was just not stable enough for it to have much of a effect.