Remember the old adage, “Better Living Through Pharmaceuticals”? Well, I have always believed that a mix of holistic and scientific medicine is the way to go. If I have an infection, I’m going to take an antibiotic. I get vaccines, take something called meloxicam for my arthritis. Also, I use food as medicine, herbs as supplements, etc. I’m really open to anything that I can research and decide, for myself if it’s something I want to try. Luckily, I have a doctor who really listens to me and is open to talking about natural treatments.
I’ve done a lot of work with talk therapy and trauma therapy for the last few years, but still something wasn’t right. Recently, I was diagnosed with ADD and a mood disorder. The more I learn about ADD, the more I can’t believe that I was never previously diagnosed, but I’ll address that in a future post.
Follow Up
Anyway… The psych nurse (I just love saying that, it’s so “Ratched”) asked me if I was willing to try medication and I absolutely was. She prescribed 50 milligrams of Lamotrigine, once a day for two weeks. Week three bump it to 100 for two weeks and then come back and see her. I was feeling more stable, not as “all over the place”, emotionally. It was better. I asked my partner if he noticed a difference and he made some sort of dramatic gesture (he thinks he’s a comedian). But I definitely was feeling better and it was noticeable.
My next appointment, she asked me how I was doing and I told her that I was definitely better. I told her that my mood was more stable and my creativity was doing really well. One of the things I was afraid of was that my creativity would dry up. In actuality, I’m more able to focus on things and that has helped me to be even more creative. I told her that I still felt like I might do better with a bit of a higher dosage and she agreed. They do all these assessments at every visit and based on my score, she agreed.
How It’s Going
I’ve been on 150mg for about two weeks and I can not believe the difference. I’m still quirky, but I’m more likely to consider the situations that I’m in and have balanced reactions. I don’t panic when something doesn’t go exactly as planned. I’ve had some really difficult family situations and well, let’s just say it’s not hitting me the way it used to. I’m able to discern what is in my sphere of influence and more importantly, what is not.
My Take Away
I’ve done a lot, no really A LOT of work on myself, my therapy, my trauma and I would not be where I am without that work. But there is a place for medication in my mental health journey. I’m feeling so much stronger, calmer, able to recognize what I need to react to and what I don’t. I’m writing about this in the hope that someone else who is considering asking for help, will. I’m certainly not saying that everyone has to be on medication. Whatever path you choose, your mental health needs to be a priority. And, I do believe there definitely can be “Better Living Through Pharmaceuticals”