I don't take my meds.... anyone have suggestions?

I am supposed to take my Wellbutrin daily. I'll do it for a few months, and I'll get to feeling better. Then I start thinking I don't need the medication, or I forget to take it, etc. etc. Soon I am not taking it at all until my situation starts to worsen and I can't get out of bed, or I start not wanting to go to work, etc. I'm pretty high functioning. I take care of my kids. I make it to work. I can't say I am feeling good inside my own head. Most of the time I feel like crawling under the bed.

The obvious suggestion is to take the %$# meds.

How do you keep yourself on track with your meds? Maybe I can use someone else's suggestion. I am on one of my "no-meds" periods right now and I am really not doing well. My head is telling me I am stupid, and I've been eating up a storm. I've gained about five pounds and I've started googling how long the life span would be for a 35 year old woman who is 5'5" and weighs 200 lbs., because if I keep this up much longer, I feel like that is where I'm heading.

No one gets better by stopping an antidepressant after a few months. A minimum of six to nine months is considered standard before even considering weaning off and that's if you've had only one episode. Most of the time, people need to stay on it for much longer, sometimes for life.

I think you need to discuss these issues with your psychiatrist and explore what your issues are here.

Therapists, doctors, OBGYNS, psychologists, psychiatrists, and LMFC are all cool, I have several of each different type of doctor. Hell, I even have a plastic surgeon.

I thought maybe a fellow sufferer would have some advice about what THEY do to stay on track. Counselors don't generally share with the patient if they are on meds etc. This seemed like a nice way to connect with my depressed (?) comrades.

You state in your posting that you "don't know how to stay on track with your meds". The best way is to use a pill box and take the medication every day at the same time.

But I have a feeling the problem is not that you don't know how to keep track of your meds. It's that you don't want to be on the meds in the first place and you find reasons to get off them. So, my point is you need to take responsibility for getting well and exploring in therapy why you are doing that.

Sometimes we have to accept that we need medication to stay well and this is OK. There's nothing wrong with that, but there is something wrong with stopping the medication and then acting out by eating, drinking, shopping or whatever.

My suggestion is to take the *#@*#@ meds :). Glad you have a sense of humor about this. It is all about choice. If you want to get better and be better then take the meds and make it a purposful act. The best thing is to take them at the same time each day and make it part of a pattern of behavior. I take mine at night. When I get ready for bed I take out my contacts, brush my teeth and take my meds.

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Stronglady4me

Hi, Boston--

Here's how I look at it: If I had iron deficiency; I would take iron. If I were diabetic; I would take insulin. I am depressed; I take lexapro.

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Living in the Republic of Texas minus a gallbladder, appendix, uterus, and 18" of colon; but living with my wonderful husband, 2 dogs, 1 cockatiel, and 2 gold fish. 

I think the problems runs much deeper than only forgetfulness. You are the only one who can maintain consistency with your med program. Ask yourself exactly what are you getting from not taking the antidepressants? Really is it the side effects? Try another one. Are you feeling forced to maintain a schedule and appearances for the rest of the world? Do you think you are worthy of health, absence of depression or whatever level you are able to achieve with AntiDepressants? Are you uneasy with the thought of being self-sufficient? Even with the help of a therapist you still need to take an active role in achieving your goal. This is a passive approach by thinking someone can give you a magic routine or peptalk. If you need help with other issues--find help, look for help, tell a friend, tell a mental health worker. And I know everyone says exercise but it does help especially after work. It helps to bring life into perspective. Bring the kids along. You'll be developing good habits with them. Same old cliche --- proactive not reactive but it's true. It's hard I know. I'm not speaking from the perspective of someone who has never experienced depression. Sometimes a different antidepressant may be what you need. Some antidepressants cause weight gain so talk to the doc.
I've tried every single antidepressant known to womankind but it hasn't been until two years ago one of the newer SSRIs finally worked moderately well to me. Keep trying and count what's right with your life. Just by reaching out to this forum you've made a step. At one particularly bad period I started keeping a diary and I just wrote one thing that went right that day. It helped. vmarier

Hello...I'm visiting from the Bipolar forum.

I agree with the pill box idea! I don't know about you but have control issues in that I don't like being controlled by anything be it a person or a medication! I don't like feeling "trapped" or at the mercy of something. I don't like being dependant, it makes me feel"weak" and vunerable.

I'm a stubborn survivor WHOO AH!!

So I do the pill box thing and it works for me. I have box#1 in my kitchen and I take the meds at breakfast. I just dump 'em out and put 'em in. Fast and simple. Box#2 in hidden away in my bathroom, those I take before I go to bed.

SO THE ENTIRE DAY IN BETWEEN BELONGS TO ME AND ME ALONE!! AH HA!! TAKE THAT you nastly lil' pills!! LOL

I fill my boxes once a week and then hide the bottles out of sight so I don't have to be reminded that they're there!! once again TAKE THAT! YOU NASTY LIL' PILLS!!

I WIN THE GAME!! YOU DO NOT CONTROL DIANE...that much.
Sometimes head games are necessary in order to get the job done...ANYTHING you can do to keep yourself from being overwhelmed and still stay with the program.

My doc said to me, "If you were diabetic would you stop taking your insulin? I'm sure you'd be ok for at least a few days." It got through to me.

Redrose

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Undiagnosed symptoms for many years. Dx in 12/06. Sm. Bowel resection (60cm.) 1/07
currently on 50 mg. Imuran, 40 mg. pred., vicodin for continuing pain