I have just totally messed up. I’ve taken 2 doses of effexor this week and I was supposed to be taking a dose every morning. But I kept forgetting and then it was too late…so I’d say I’d take it next morning then forget again. Whoops. Also I ran out of my prescription for my birth control and didn’t realize it…so I’ve missed a few doses now. Honestly I’ve been so unreliable with taking it lately anyways I’ve considered going off it completely, (I’m not sexually active) but I don’t want my cramps to come back >_<
The first day I took effexor it made me drowsy and I fell asleep. Today when I took it I took it on an empty stomach and today whenever I’ve eaten food it’s made me nauseous. In fact 10 mins ago I walked into the apartment and just the smell of my roommates food made me nauseous and I had to leave the room. So I’m going to make sure to take it with food from now on o.O
I am so terrible at taking meds. Someone suggested injections to me before and I am seriously considering it because I suck so much at taking meds on time and remembering them. I will probably bring it up with my therapist today. Do they even have antidepressant injections though or is that just APs?
Get a cheap pillbox from from wal-mart or a drug store to help you remember if you’ve taken your meds for the day yet. Each pillbox should have at least 7 slots, one for each day of the week. You should be able to find one for under $5.
Get in the habit of taking your meds at the same time every day and fill up your pillbox with the weekly pills you need to take every week on the same day/time. Eventually you’ll form a habit and do it without thinking about it everyday.
Granted, I think injections might be the best bet for you since I get the sense that you really don’t want to take your AP’s. The new bill that just passed congress, “The Cures Act”, makes it easier for you doctors to get a court order for you to stay compliant on your meds. You might as well get accustomed to taking your meds now, otherwise you’ll have to deal with the legal ramifications. You’ll be much better off handling your mental health situation between you and your doctor and not having the government get involved in your life.
It’s doubtful that anti-depressant injections exist, since most traditional anti-depressants have a success rate similar to the placebo effect of patients taking sugar pills.
That’s upsetting about the antidepressants, but yeah we learned something similar to that in my psychopharmacology classes. Why do I even bother going on them?? Ughhh. Still better than nothing…
It’s worth a shot. Perhaps you’ll be in the lucky 1/3 of people that find anti-depressants’s helpful. I found that prozac and other SSRI’s helped with my social anxiety and made me much more talkative. The SSRI’s didn’t really elevate my mood level to a non-depressed state though.
The only thing that has helped elevate my baseline mood to a “normal” level is exercising, healthy eating, getting my hormones at optimal levels (testosterone was low for me), and finally getting quality sleep (I had sleep apnea so needed a CPAP). After finally figuring out the physical causes of my depression, I finally feel motivated to do things again and no longer experience anhedonia.
Have you tried taking fish oil before? There’s more evidence behind fish oil supplements helping people with depression than SSRI’s. Granted, that’s assuming that you’re not getting enough omega 3 fatty acids in your diet. Obviously if you’re already getting enough omega 3 fatty acids, the fish oil supplement will do you no good.