Never Let Yourself Run Out: Medication and mental illness

I take Lamechtal. It is a very powerful drig. Taking it without a doctors guidance it can cause rashes even peeling of the skin similar to severe burns. Today I ran out of medication because I lost my prescription. Luckily I was able to get hold of my doctor. She saw me immediately and provided me with a new prescription that will be good until August.

I knew if I ran out, there would be severe side effects. Running out of any of your medication is very detrimental to your mental health. Keep all your appointments regularly. If you miss one, your doctor may be able to make time in their busy schedule to see you.

As with any medication, whether it be for high blood pressure or any other illness, take only as directed. Don't take anybody else's medication for any other reason. I once ended up in intensive care on life support because I took my son's anti-depressant. I thought it would help me sleep.

The doctors weren't sure if I'd make it through the night. But, I woke up the next morning able to move to a new city, to further my education. I should have taken more time to recover, but I didn't think I had the time. That was my mistake. However, with treatment and hospitalization I did recover.

Friends may be willing to give you medications such as tranquilizers to help you get over difficult times of nervousness or anxiety. Don't take those either. I recovered from my own frequent anxiety attacks through therapy.

See your therapist for help on dealing with anxiety. Sometimes you may need medication to help with that (I took Clonopin for awhile), but therapy has a better chance of helping you deal with it long term.

If you are subject to panic attacks, try to do the things that panic you a little bit at a time. Panic can be paralyzing, making it difficult to drive in traffic or be in large crowed of people. Even this can be dealt with through therapy.

At one time, I was nervous about even going to the symphony. However, I went anyway. With the support of freinds, I able to sit through the whole perfromance. I did, however, give myself permission to leave if I really needed to. I didn't have to and enjoyed the performance thoroughly.