Irony is this post coming right after the last one.

[xyzzysqrl]

So I ran out of antidepressant meds yesterday. Okay, I have refills. That's fine.
Except... oops. It's been a year, and my psych has moved away, so they're having to fax him for approval to refill the prescription. Except that he's HARD to get in touch with. So I may be without medication for a while.

See, I'm only as likable as I am (for what that's worth) because of powerful drugs. Without them, I become sharp, bitter and hateful, like bad tea or good cheese. I don't want to expose myself to you guys without that bit of help. So... I may or may not be going net-quiet for a while. Just a heads-up, I'll post again if I do decide to go off and huddle until this blows over.

Comments

Sharp, bitter and hateful

[kiruppert.livejournal.com]

Like good cheese?

[relee.livejournal.com]

Be careful hon. Suddenly going off antideppressants can cause Bad Things to happen, including seizures, suicidal urges, suicidal tendancies, suicidal actions, and suicide. You maybe should have someone tie you up for safe keeping.

[xyzzysqrl]

Words can't express how INCREDIBLY COMFORTED I am by this.

[relee.livejournal.com]

Comfort is comfortable but it won't save your life. Be careful and don't take yourself seriously if you start thinking "God I suck and should die" or something like that. You're not in your right state of mind! Or just get tied up, that also works. I think getting tied up would be best because it's a demonstration of love that would be healthy right now! FOR THE SAKE OF LOVE. TIE HIM UP! Or something.

Good luck my friend! May you weather this storm and one day get more medication!

[ladyperegrine.livejournal.com]

I second this: suicidal thoughts are a concern. It hopefully won't happen, but if it does, get yourself to a doctor. A general practitioner generally can prescribe an SSRI too, so you might want to go to one of those asap. It's probably easier to get an appointment than with a psychiatrist.

There's also something called 'ssri discontinuation' that you can read about here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SSRI_discontinuation_syndrome. Basically, you may have symptoms while your body's trying to adjust to not having the medication.

("A 2000 study at the Department of Psychiatry at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia constructed a diagonistic criteria for SSRI discontinuation syndrome. These criteria are 2 or more of the following symptoms developing within 1 to 7 days of discontinuation or reduction in dosage of an SSRI after at least 1 month's use, when these symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment and are not due to a general medical condition or recurrence of a mental disorder: dizziness, light-headedness, vertigo or feeling faint; shock-like sensations or paresthesia; anxiety; diarrhea; fatigue; gait instability; headache; insomnia; irritability; nausea or emesis; tremor; and visual disturbances.[13]")

I can vouch for this when I had to stop taking my antidepressant because I was pregnant (unplanned). It was not fun. Tapering is your best bet any time you want to decrease your dose or go off meds, and then with a doctor's supervision.

[bunny-hugger.livejournal.com]

Second this -- in my experience general practitioners are happy (perhaps too happy) to prescribe antidepressants.

[vulpisfoxfire.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you're just into bondage, here. :-)

[baphnedia.livejournal.com]

'k. I'm going to second relee on this one. Only because I'm on an expensive cocktail myself. Although I'm very outward, friendly and things like that when I'm on medication. Oh, and the medication is killing my liver, and I'll probably need a new one in the next five years. Bleh. Neither here nor there.

As it was told to me (about taking the meds that I'm on)... you can undo lots of things, even get a liver replaced. You can't undo dead.

[shaterri.livejournal.com]

I'd also like to point out that if your psych is no longer in the area, the first thing to do is find yourself a new one -- drugs are a critical thing by themselves, but they're best in conjunction with the occasional talk, and IMHO at least it's really relevant to have someone local who can evaluate you, suggest new prospects, adjust dosing slightly, etc. Get the prescriptions refilled ASAP, please -- but talk to a new psychiatrist just as soon, if you have the opportunity.

[vulpisfoxfire.livejournal.com]

As the saying goes, 'this'--if nothing else, you need someone contactable/seeable for the occasional re-evaluation and adjustment of your script. I'm kinda surprised that you've gone for a full year *without* some sort of checkup, but then again I don't know that much about how psych meds work. :-/

[foxish.livejournal.com]

I'm going to get some advice from a housemate who's done a cycle of on-and-off antidepressants for a number of years; mayhaps she can provide some good information.

Whenever I'm online, I'm always around if you're in the mood. You've friends, don't forget.