[~stacy~]

I'm tired of taking meds! I take 4 at night,5 in the morning. and I'm only 18 yrs old. My dad takes 17 total I believe. I NEVER want to get to that number!!!! so anyways......I'm trying to take myself off meds even though the doctor tells me I can't and wont slowly reduce them for me. They just keep adding more saying i'm not improving. well maybe i can improve without meds........ but i'm just curious if anyone else has done this. and if so, what are some side affects to expect? aside from the obvious ones like, maybe withdrawl and such. I'm NOT addicted to my meds. help!

[Leesa]

Hi Stacy ~ You can have withdrawal without being addicted. The body gets accustomed to having the meds, and then when you stop them, the body hollers!!!

You really should NOT get off the medications without talking with your doctor. Some meds are DANGEROUS to stop -- you have to CAREFULLY wean off them, very slowly!!! If you go too fast, you could have seizures or worse!

I understand your dislike of the meds -- perhaps your doc can discontinue SOME of them, but keep you on the most important ones. A talk with him would be a good idea -- let him know you don't like being on so many. But PLEASE talk to him first before stopping your meds. God bless & take care. Hugs, Lee

[Rrae]

Oh, how I can relate! It certainly is frustrating having to take meds upon meds. PLEASE be careful! I agree with Leesa and we say this because we CARE

I've been on Wellbutrin for many years - and have recently been prescribed several others - like you say - some at bedtime, in the morning bleah bleah bleah
I recently found out the hard way what it does to 'quit' taking my meds and it was horrible! I was sick and couldn't keep anything down for 3 days - including my meds! My body spiralled out of control and I thought I was going to lose it! It was a very scary experience. It's like I was shutting down mentally and every pore of my body was screaming ANXIETY. I felt trapped in my own skin and couldn't get out. That 'creepy/crawly' feeling.
I don't ever want to go thru that again.

I know you aren't cold-turkeying your meds, but nontheless, please be careful trying to get off of them. Ask your doctor for a better explanation as to why he won't let you off of them - to try to gain a better understanding of what they are meant to do for you.

I didn't realize how much I needed my meds until this experience.
It's good to be here and talk about our frustrations. I've realized that I'm not alone and I hope others feel that way too.

I'm glad you are here, Stacy

Rae