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Side Effects- ugh! Lesson Learned!

Have you suffered with the side effects of your medication in silence?

Despite the progress I've made in my recovery I still have setbacks. Recently, my doctor changed the dose of my medication and as a result I've been experiencing some side effects. Initially, I did not know I was experiencing side effects, and I assumed my concerns were happening because I was not taking my medication at the same time daily or that it may have only occurred as a result of me missing a dose.

Moreover, I noticed the side effects were starting to bother me more and more to the extent that I had poor concentration which prohibited me from maintaining eye contact with others, and my ability to read, write, or do any type of work that required attention. Although these side effects were not as bad as some that I've had in the past such as feeling jittery or having restless legs, they were still bothersome to me.

My lack of concentration bothered me very much because in the past people complimented me on my ability to maintain good eye contact. So when the concern of my eye contact was brought to my attention by a relative I don't know why, but I became embarrassed and I shied away from explaining what was really going on with me.

After discussing these concerns with my doctor I felt more confident that I was able to manage the side effects better; and my doctor prescribed me another medication to counteract the side effects. Now, I am not embarrassed anymore and I've had discussions with my family so that we all can be on one accord.

Three things I've learned from this experience: (1) to not assume things when it comes to my mental health and to share even the most minor thing with my doctor, (2) to always communicate with family and/or supporters about my concerns, and (3) to not be ashamed or embarrassed by my experiences with mental illness.

If you would like to learn more about schizophrenia visit NAMI, Choices in Recovery, or Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (Canada).
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Comments

Janet Singer (ocdtalk) said…
My son also had a tough time with side effects, and like you, didn't realize at first what he was dealing with.......glad you are back on track now!
July 17, 2013 at 8:03 AM
Chris said…
Hi Ashley,

I had a side effect. As soon as the dose time for most of the pills was switched to the evening instead of taken in the morning:

The side effect stopped completely.

I underscore that a person needs to talk to his or her psychiatrist about any side effects before giving up on the medication totally.

As of today, I have no side effects so I'm able to tell people I have no side effects.

One woman was in disbelief that I had no side effects.

That's how it is right now:

I talked to my pdoc and we executed a strategy that stopped the side effect.

I'm glad you talked to your own pdoc about this.

I'm going to write about side effects on my blog when I end my comment with you.

Cheers,
Chris
July 17, 2013 at 9:00 AM
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