Jessica hasn’t been doing great. Her anxiety is really bad. Her face has that tight look that scares the
hell out of me. What also scares the
hell out of me is that she just told me that she has stopped taking her antidepressant
– Effexor. Apparently she has spent the
last month weaning herself off of it. Since
her last hospitalization in May 2012, she has been prescribed Geodon (and antipsychotic)
and Effexor (an antidepressant) and has mostly stayed on both. By mostly I mean she takes the Geodon, but
less than the doctor would like, and until recently, was taking the Effexor. I'm not entirely sure the latest downturn in her well being is connected to going off the Effexor, as she has had problems even while taking it, but it certainly can't help.
She has always been resistant to medication. She says she doesn’t want to become addicted
to them and rely on them for her health.
I’ve tried to use the argument that if she had a heart condition, she wouldn’t
worry about being addicted, but it doesn’t go far with her.
I can tell she is in a very bad place right now. She is starting to apologize for feeling bad –
which is a bad sign – and is worried about functioning if I am not home with
her – a terrible sign. I don’t know what
to do for her. When I try to convince
her she to take the full dose of Geodon, or to go back on to the Effexor, she
accuses me of just trying to push medication on her without regard to her
getting better.
Like your wife, I have schizophrenia and am on an antipsychotic and antidepressant. I hate the fact that I must stay on medication to maintain stability. I think when I am older and my child is grown I might try alternative forms of treatment- but that is a long way from now, so until then I will continue to take the medication.
ReplyDeleteIt may help if you remind her of why she takes the medication- to avoid hospitalization, anxiety, etc., if u haven't already.
I really think there are good alternative treatments, but I think like you said, timing is everything. I get scared when she wants to go off medication, and I'm always afraid that I will show that fear as anger -- which has been a habit of mine. This is an extremely unproductive way to deal with anyone!
ReplyDelete