Today's frustration

[Pedef]

My Vet fell and is having back pain, so with doc permission he's taking hydrocodone and a muscle relaxer. Temporary.
So today I take him his pills, "I'm not going to take my PTSD (mood) drug.
'Why not?'
"I'm taking these other pain meds."
'Is that what they (VA phone contact) said?'
"No, I'm just not taking it, it made me feel funny."

At this point I just came outside and grabbed my cellphone to post and vent.
There is no way I will be able to convince him to call and ask about taking his meds.
So now he will be off meds.
This is the second day without, so I can anticipate more fights, more stress. More blaming me for anything that goes wrong with his day.
Aaaaaaaagh!
'

 

[Uze]

I hear ya. I can not tell you how many times mine got on me about my own meds, remembering to take them, how I need them, how I'm obviously better with them, that I need to check with my doc before changing...and refuses to even consider them for himself. Or, if something makes him feel off, he just wouldn't take them at all (that is, the meds he WILL deign to take - it was a fight to get him to try meds for nerve pain because drugs!), without talking to his doctor. He had problems with a heart medication, and it was a weekly conversation "Did you talk to your doctor about this?" "No." "Are you going to?" "No, I'm just going to stop taking them." "......ok then."

One of the many things I Just Don't Get. Or, well...I get it. Anxiety does that - when I wasn't on my own anxiety meds, I didn't like the "idea" of being on meds. Just about everyone I've known, before they were on some sort of program for mental health, didn't like the idea, for one reason or another (sometimes, the same as mine - "This is how I am! Warts and all! f*ck society for expecting me to be neurotypical! I'm not going to lose control of myself!")

Anyway. Yeah.

 

[Pedef]

Thanks Uze. It's true about the "..dont need them" phenomenon.
While writing I also remembered that one of his traumas from Viet Nam (don't know if he sees it this way) was becoming addicted to morphine ampules and the coming off cold turkey in the field. He hates to take pain medications and I think fear plays a role.
Maybe making a trade off lets him feel better about the hydrocodone. Its an unfortunate trade!

 

[Tejis]

My vet's on so much medication, including morphine and xanax, that when he f*cks with it, all hell breaks loose.

Would it help him to know polytrauma guys take their psych meds even when they're on morphine pumps and dilaudid?

 

[Jemaw]

He probably already knows that but thanks for your idea. He spends lots of time with other vets.
I think that as Uze said, he really isn't comfortable taking drugs for his mood. Besides that, I'm the one who sets up the pills and reminds him to take them. I thinks he resents being reminded, by me. He doesn't jump up in the morning looking forward to taking pills, whether for mood, diabetes, bloodpressure or whatever.
I resent taking my pills of various kinds but I am able to accept logically that I need to. I'm not overwhelmed by emotional issues that get in the way. I'm fortunate to have lived a pretty trauma free life.