My meds are messed up. I'm not feeling right. I'm having troubles in almost every aspect of my life. As I struggle, I keep thinking it has to get better. I finally got my meds straightened out today. It will take the rest of the week for levels to get up to where they belong. It was a rough couple of weeks. And clinics aren't the best places to go. With my regular dose back and in effect, I will stop hearing voices which will be wonderful. I have been plagued by them ever since I went down to a lower dose. My friends have been detrimental to me through this. They have been there and have listened to me and let me cry and let me do whatever I needed to do.

Things are getting back to normal. The depression is there somewhat but everything else is doing well......even the anxiety, which is a surpirse.....a pleasant one, but a surprise non the less. I think what I'm really struggling with is feeling worth the effort. I have to remember that my friends wouldn't be there, if I weren't worth the effort. It's just hard to feel and know that deep within....it is for me anyway...

Jedi I am happy to hear that things are getting back to normal for you. I think about you and your struggle often. I am having somewhat normal days myself. I have felt a little melancholy the last couple of days...but not depressed. My meds are still working after my last change about 6 months ago. I hope you have a good 4th of july weekend my friend.

Thank you my friend.......I could use all the good thoughts anyone wants to send my way.

can't we all!!! glad things are going better for you...

I have been doing a lot of research recently regarding mental illness, causes, treatments etc. because my youngest son has just returned from the far east as hes been suffering more and more over the last 2 or 3 yrs with hearing voices, really bad ocd's and delusions - you can have a perfectly normal conversation with him but then he gets a panic because the voices and resulting ocd's occur, its day and night - resulting in our bathroom bring permenantly flooded as he throws water over himself - and a lot of worry and anxiety on our part. in England they are loathe to give a diagnosis and put labels on anyone with these kinds of symptoms but we all know what they mean and people are usually heavily drugged, so much so they cant enjoy life. My son has been teaching english and music and is a jazz musician, has a lot of interests and things he wants to do, so too many drugs are not the answer for him.

SO............i googled a Dr Hoffer - when alive (died of old age) he promoted orthomolecular health, good diet, vitamins and minerals in high doses, and particularly Niacin, Vitamin B3 which i am buying for my son.
I have hi blood pressure and colestorol which isnt due to smoking nor diet so as i dont like taking pills, ive discovered that Niacin also lowers both of these, so we are both going to give them a go...........

just thought that may be of interest to anyone with a mental health problem. Niacin is supposed to improve dramatically any condition such as bipolar, depression etc.

Collided!
 

I can tell you that hearing voices is a very disturbing thing...it is for me anyway. I'm on a cocktail of meds and they don't make me feel drugged or make me tired. I take a drug called Invega for the hallucinations. It works really well for me and doesn't drug me out.

As far as suppliments go, I have an ex who tried to go all natural. It was a total disaster....and was very hard on me. That doesn't mean it won't work for you....but she tried this program called True Hope and it was just horrid. I have heard that fish oil is good too. And Amino acids.....you might want to give those a try.

Lady Wu~
I used to have terrible dreams like that. It's been years since I have had any like that. Do you find it helps to talk about them? That's what made my dreams stop being unpleasant. My mother died while I was growing up and that was a hard thing for me. I know a part of my illness is due to that. I certainly hope you can work through this stuff and have good dreams again. I know what it's like to be afriad to go to sleep cuz the dreams are that unpleasant.

Take care,

Jedi

Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone a little. I know it's hard...believe me.

The Dr Hoffer method so it says has a 90 percent success rate - i do know from the research ive done that anxiety problems which often lead to other more serious mental conditions are usually caused through one or more traumatic experience and/or bad nutrition which can affect the part of the brain called the Amigdala, which affects mood and the level of stress a person experiences - which can get fixed higher and higher when under constant pressure of some kind. So as its been proved the brain is malleable - then i would think that level can also be lowered..............that is my hope for my son and for anyone with these awful mental conditions which i know also affect physical health. My son is over 6 feet tall and ll2 llbs! yet he eats 3 big meals a day and snacks also. I am giving him vitamins and minerals - hes never been heavy but i think its the nervous energy hes using which is keeping him so thin.

please allow me to blahhhhh....
 

well i did get an appointment with the counceling and med center around here... unfortunately it takes a month so the appointment isn't til July 23rd... but man oh man am i having some issues...

for one... why do so many people think the meds and therapy are the end all cure all.... sometimes you are who you are to the core... and don't they realize that some of us think..... well lets face it.. we sure as hell don't think like most people... and yes meds may help alter that some... and even therapy may have some options... but if its truly a part of who you are... and if you have accepted that... they can't deal with you... because hell... i know i struggle with in myself... i know i'm a bitch to deal with even ON meds.... but in my heart... to my core... i am a devoted.. caring... loving... and understanding woman... but there's alot of shit to go through to get to that point... and most can't deal with that.... because even medicated... you have your good days... and your bad... and sometimes those can turn into weeks....

*sighs*... i'm so frustrated and wondering.... why the hell am i doing this... why am i going through all this struggle muck and shit... to still be alone???? to still not have someone tolerate me... and help me through some of these... episodes... god i'm like so messed up... and i know i'm doin this for me also... because i know i needed some changes myself.... but when is enough enough...

thanks for letting me.... let go of some of this crap in my head... peace...

Just here to check in. Hope everyone is good. Things are going well for me. I am feeling stable and happy. I am doing really well at work...in fact, I just got promoted. The only thing that sucks is that I was just denied medicaid...after waiting for almost a year on a response. I am reapplying and I am hoping for a better outcome this time.

being denied medicaid
 

sorry to hear that Chef

but good thing that you are reapplying.

take care and DON"T give up

good for you brother. congrats on going back to school.

Im new to this thread but I have a depression problem though its not bad, I still struggle with not wanting to get out of bed and such but I am doing pretty good.

Thanks bud, everything seems to be falling into place so I'm glad for that :D

Hi, chef.

I work with some people who have Medicaid (in mental health, actually), so I thought I would take a peek as to what your State eligibility is (every State is different)

You may want to check out this site:

http://jfs.ohio.gov/ohp/consumers/whoqualifies.stm


This will tell you if you qualify for Medicaid or not. If you google, you will find some sites with info., as well. It looks pretty standard, mainly looking at your income, but one thing I noticed about Ohio is that you also have to qualify as "disabled", as well. It appears as though you automatically qualify as disabled if you get SSI, but I can't find any information on how one can prove their "disability status" if they do not get SSI (or SSDI, for that matter). As a side note, this is the first time that I have seen a state require one be "disabled" (however that it is that they define disabled), for eligibility for Medicaid...usually it is income/children as a starting point.

Anyway, I don't know your situation, but appears to me that the main things are:

1) income
2) disability status
3) resources - how much cash you have in the bank.

One and three you can quickly figure out from the charts online. If you get SSI (I am not asking you if you do...that is personal), then it shouldn't be a problem. Otherwise, you need to find out if you meet the requirements for disability status (but, I didn't find the requirments anywhere, and I don't know if you define as disabled, anyway).

A couple of other tidbits:

- In the two states I know about if your employer offers insurance, you cannot qualify for medicaid (didn't see that in the Ohio stuff, but may have missed it).

- Also, around here you typically find out within 30 days if you qualify. So, this not finding out for a year thing? I would check into it...just doesn't seem right.

- A lot of States now have programs for people whose income is a bit too high for Medicaid, but they qualify for something similar, and just have to pay a small cost.

(You may already know all of the information above, but in case you didn't, there it is! I was thinking that checking into it yourself would keep you from the waiting game!)

Good luck and congrats on your promotion!

Thanks for the information Dapper. I was actually denied SSDI because I am able to work. I have reapplied for state disability and medicaid. However, with my promotion I might not meet the income requirements. It is tough to get medicaid in Ohio. I will just have to wait and see what happens.

Welcome....and feel free to post anything you need support on or anything hat comes to mind. We're a very supportive bunch here. Please come back and stick around.

Dapper.....thanks for the help. It is much appreciated.

Figure out what you will make a year with your promotion and check out their chart/call. You will quickly know if you qualify or not. If you are over the income limit, make sure that their isn't a program where you can still get insurance through the State that works the same as Medicaid, but you have to pay a small premium for it. I have noticed that workers are not always forthcoming about this type of program (no idea why?), so it is good to ask if your State has one. I have had more than one client who didn't know about it and then qualified after I suggested they check into it.

Also, it is possible that even if you meet the income requirements that you will still be denied if insurance through your employer is available.

Good luck. If I can be helpful in any way to you as you wander through this hairy process, let me know. I find that a lot of people are not always given all of the information they need from social services in order to get the entitlements that they qualify for.

hello and sorry
 

i also take geodon..and it works wonderfully. however i have had a significant weight gain. like 60 to 70 pounds. i am trying to not let it get me down, i really enjoy being stable so the weight is a small price to pay.

checking in... started new meds... abilify.... hoping it helps... more meds to be added i guess... moving again... really bad situation developed when i moved here to indiana but i'm glad that i found out after 11 years... so now i'm moving in with other friends and they have found me a place about 3 doors down from them so... *sighs*... i guess its good in a way... bad in others... but i'm staying positive and working my ass off... got a job and been working as much overtime as possible... hey at least i know how to use my manics... hope all is well with ya'll...

will check back in soon...

Good to see you Apache

Just a quick note and I'll come back another time.

Diagnosis [plural]:
PTSD
Borderline Personality
Bi-Polar Rapid Cycling NOS
Atypical Depression
Anxiety NOS
PMDD

Meds:
Lamictal 200 mg - daily
Effexor XR: 250 mg - daily
Xanax: 1 mg - prn

Therapy:
Weekly w/ Ol' Glass Ass

I am a hot mess it seems. Oh well. More to come, I'm certain.

I've actually just had this conversation with my roommate. I cope with mental illness, but that doesn't negate my right to a bad day. She helps keep me accountable with my meds, if left to my own devices I'll conveniently forget them for days on end; so the asking if I've taken them is appreciated but don't assume just because I've got a case of the grumps that I haven't medicated myself.

So, she made a board for each person in the house:

Today Is:
A Good Day
A Bad Day
A Meh Day
A Sad Day
An Okay Day
A Forgot to take Meds Day

with a box to check beside each one and a corresponding face to illustrate.

Seems silly, but it works for us and it's a way to check in without asking the dreaded "Did you take your meds today?"

just checking in. hope evreryone is doing well. i have had a busy week at work but with minimal stress. still taking my meds regularly and seeing my therapist.

mental illness
 

Hang in there! It will get better.

I think you fit right in with us. Please come back and share more with us.

Prozac?!?
 

Prozac is one of the drugs I am on. It has been steadily increased lately and I have been noticing that with these increases my strange dreams are becoming more vivid and more apparent. Does anyone else on Prozac experience these crazy dreams? It's not like the dreams are scary or anything like that........just strange and vivid.

Thanks for joining us and please post more soon.