Mark582
08-11-17, 00:18
I've been on mental health medication a lot of years. Starting to look at the future and any views on whether coming off medication going onto herbal stuff is the right option moving forward?
Started back at 16 when I had a breakdown was sectioned and they diagnosed this as schizophrenia after delusional thoughts / paranoia.
At school I had dyspraxia which I now think was more linked to my adult aspergers diagnosis.
I recovered well and was on antipsychotics of various kinds until recently.
I had more mental health breakdowns in around 2009 and 2011 these were really bad and considered psychosis by many nurses and some doctors I think.
Looking back there was a lot of discussion and surveys on whether this was psychosis or anxiety or stress.
Seems to be with me it's like a volume button (calmest - anxiety - stress - depression - worst max volume being almost psychosis or paranoid / delusional). Must state I never have heard voices or been suicidal or hurt anyone and don't think I've ever hallucinated other than taking too much antipsychotics by mistake). I think this links with the aspergers diagnosis but not had time to discuss in detail specific things.
So about 3 years ago everything got bad again with depression / anxiety. I'd say i'm not really depressed now but the anxiety and stress is bad at times. I have been on 100mg Sertraline for quite a while now.
Most recent medications were 200mg Sertraline and Abilify 10mg Aripiprazole.
So after about 2 years of therapy recently with the psychosis team I was refferred back to mind (secondary services). No psychosis found but a diagnosis of high functioning autism / aspergers.
When I came off the aripiprazole I had a few withdrawals adjustments and decided after a few months to also reduce the sertraline (was getting restless leg syndrome so temporarily on 10mg amitryptyline for a few months).
RLS went but I still get anxiety quite bad at times and get stressed badly at times.
Recently lost my job of 4 years (well it is a 0 hours contract but most of those 4 years have been good and there will be no hours for a good few months - annoyingly I need to be back on the sick in order to claim for ESA but I would be stressed and worried about being at work with the situation.
I do plan to come off Sertraline though and the doctors recommend waiting till January.
Some current medical problems not sure if their side effects or otherwise:
- Mouth Ulcers - These have gotten really bad at times they are genetic and stress linked and sleep linked and yeah my family gets them a lot but I've had some huge ones including a throat ulcer and really large lip ulcer.
- Eye discomfort (eyes want to close, difficulty focusing) - Had eyes tested and got new glasses but I had to wait a few weeks after eye test to buy the new prescription. This hasn't resolved itself yet but got new glasses only last week. I do use a screen far too much as I am either on computers, phones and video games a lot. I want to do a digital detox camp but not sure if its the screens thats causing these issues or the medication changes.
- Tight leg muscles (I've been given physio stretches to do twice a day for my right leg around my knee) not sure what this has been caused by.
- I also seem to find that I often take far too long to ejaculate and feels like I have bad sensitivity in privates.
I take a few herbal things - Kalms 1 a night and some daytime quiet life (worry, irritability, stress relief, sleep etc). Shouldn't interact with Sertraline as I spoke to the chemist about them.
Started back at 16 when I had a breakdown was sectioned and they diagnosed this as schizophrenia after delusional thoughts / paranoia.
At school I had dyspraxia which I now think was more linked to my adult aspergers diagnosis.
I recovered well and was on antipsychotics of various kinds until recently.
I had more mental health breakdowns in around 2009 and 2011 these were really bad and considered psychosis by many nurses and some doctors I think.
Looking back there was a lot of discussion and surveys on whether this was psychosis or anxiety or stress.
Seems to be with me it's like a volume button (calmest - anxiety - stress - depression - worst max volume being almost psychosis or paranoid / delusional). Must state I never have heard voices or been suicidal or hurt anyone and don't think I've ever hallucinated other than taking too much antipsychotics by mistake). I think this links with the aspergers diagnosis but not had time to discuss in detail specific things.
So about 3 years ago everything got bad again with depression / anxiety. I'd say i'm not really depressed now but the anxiety and stress is bad at times. I have been on 100mg Sertraline for quite a while now.
Most recent medications were 200mg Sertraline and Abilify 10mg Aripiprazole.
So after about 2 years of therapy recently with the psychosis team I was refferred back to mind (secondary services). No psychosis found but a diagnosis of high functioning autism / aspergers.
When I came off the aripiprazole I had a few withdrawals adjustments and decided after a few months to also reduce the sertraline (was getting restless leg syndrome so temporarily on 10mg amitryptyline for a few months).
RLS went but I still get anxiety quite bad at times and get stressed badly at times.
Recently lost my job of 4 years (well it is a 0 hours contract but most of those 4 years have been good and there will be no hours for a good few months - annoyingly I need to be back on the sick in order to claim for ESA but I would be stressed and worried about being at work with the situation.
I do plan to come off Sertraline though and the doctors recommend waiting till January.
Some current medical problems not sure if their side effects or otherwise:
- Mouth Ulcers - These have gotten really bad at times they are genetic and stress linked and sleep linked and yeah my family gets them a lot but I've had some huge ones including a throat ulcer and really large lip ulcer.
- Eye discomfort (eyes want to close, difficulty focusing) - Had eyes tested and got new glasses but I had to wait a few weeks after eye test to buy the new prescription. This hasn't resolved itself yet but got new glasses only last week. I do use a screen far too much as I am either on computers, phones and video games a lot. I want to do a digital detox camp but not sure if its the screens thats causing these issues or the medication changes.
- Tight leg muscles (I've been given physio stretches to do twice a day for my right leg around my knee) not sure what this has been caused by.
- I also seem to find that I often take far too long to ejaculate and feels like I have bad sensitivity in privates.
I take a few herbal things - Kalms 1 a night and some daytime quiet life (worry, irritability, stress relief, sleep etc). Shouldn't interact with Sertraline as I spoke to the chemist about them.