Posted by Simcha on October 20, 2002, at 13:09:43
In reply to am I a walking bomb?, posted by Prima on October 20, 2002, at 12:49:59
Prima,
I know it sounds like a lot to deal with. I felt the same way when beginning meds and reading all of those labels.
The labels are made so that you can't sue the drug companies for not warning you of side-effects caused by the med or caused by the med in combo with outside agents. In our litigious society we have forced this issue and there is no therapeutic courtesy to spare those of us who might be frightened anyway due to our illness.
Personally, I have stopped taking Tylenol because the general public has been warned about its action on the liver. I use good old-fashioned aspirin when I have the rare headache. The newer OTC analgesics just have not been around as long and we don't really know how they will affect us in the long-term...Like our psych meds.
I just try to remember that while I'm on at least three different medications that I need to be careful in adding anything to that mix. My organs are working hard enough to eliminate these medications from my system. I'm careful not to tax my system any more than need be.
I think your pdoc had you stop the herbal stuff because there have been studies that show that those herbs might interact with psych meds in a bad way. There are many more agents in an herbal preparation than in regulated medicine. Here are some things I have learned not to take on my combo, (Celexa, Wellbutrin, Klonopin)
I do not take:
St. John's Wart (Might increase seratonin to a level that I get Seratonin Syndrome)
Kava Kava (They are warning people about this herb who aren't on psych meds. Also I have read that this herb might interact with what I'm on.)
Valerian (This is supposed to interact badly with the medication I'm on.)
Ephedra, Muang...and the Chinese stimulants.. (These too might change the brain chemistry so drastically that I may not find a baseline for treating my illness.)
Also I'm starting to question my use of caffeine. This is a powerful stimulant. So far my pdoc has said nothing about its use. I love coffee so much but I have lived without it before.
I'm not drinking alcoholic beverages because alcohol is a depressant, it makes my kidneys and liver work harder, and I can live without it quite nicely.
I'd like to reassure you that you are not a "walking bomb." I have just come to accept that as a person with a mental illness there are certain self-care items that I must attend to. This means I need to be more careful of anything that might affect my mood whether it is chemical or just life situations. The medication works only so well. Therapy is a must and I've come to accept that some lifestyle changes are and have been necessary for me.
Good Luck!
and Take Care,
Simcha
poster:Simcha
thread:124370
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021019/msgs/124373.html