Medication to help with grief

[alicewasahorse]

Struggling to cope and hoping the doctor can prescribe something to help.
Does anyone have any experience of medication following a bereavement and did it help?

I’m sorry for your loss. Do you have real life support? I honestly don’t know about meditation, possibly antidepressants I suppose. Support is available here if you need it, there is a helpline and you can connect on sm too.

https://www.cruse.org.uk/

I spoke with Marie Curie bereavement support following the death of my lovely mum. The grief is insidious it pollutes every aspect of my life so sending you sympathy

I went on Sertaline after my Dad died. I looked after him and he died at home. I couldn't sleep for months because everything kept going through my head, unfortunately he didn't have an easy death
The sertaline has definitely helped.
Im sorry for your loss.

Thank you all for replying, I'm going to call the doctors this morning and try and get an appt. Hoping they can give me something even if it's just to get a sleep.

There's a med that can be prescribed for sleep that's actually an antihistamine. Sorry I can't remember the name of it but it really helped me a few years back.

If you're anxious you could get propranolol.

And, I'm sorry for your loss. Take care.

I was put on Prozac. I took myself off it last summer. It was a temporary solution but I didn't want to remain on it.

The doctor will prescribe diazepam temporarily to get you through the first few days, even if just to allow you to sleep.

I think you mean promethazine. Sending hugs op

I definitely mean diazepam.

Honestly for me I knew drugs wouldn't have helped as I had to deal with the death of my husband and then few years later my mum myself

As I said to the doctor I wasn't depressed. My whole world had collapsed via my husband dying at 37

I got through it, if that's the right word with a great cruse counsellor and support of friends and family

You carry on. Not move on

Saying all that if you feel that day antids can help do try them

Everyone is Diff

I just didn't want to get hooked on something I knew I would have to come off in the future

Lots of love and sorry for your loss 💐💐

I think it's quite usual to get a short term prescription for something that will help you sleep as that's so vital for everything else.

Sending love to you at this horrible time

Do whatever you need to, to find your way through this OP.

Your GP's response might depend on how long you have been feeling this way. If you're in a recent, acute stage of grief, they may give you a short term prescription of diazepam just to help you sleep.

If this is a longer, pervasive 'complicated grief' from something which happened a longer time ago, they might prescribe something longer term and also suggest counselling.

I am sorry you're in this situation and hope you're able to get some sleep and rest.

I’m sorry for your loss.
I found talking in an online group really helped and made several friends , met up, still friends today.
GP is a good place to start, it’s an emotional rollercoaster.

They're a double edge sword. Diazepam will make you feel as if you're lying on a cloud but it's habit forming and stops working very quickly. If I was to take it now I'd get a headache and nothing more.

Anti depressants well prozac gave me crippling anxiety, citalopram made me sick to my stomach, mirtazpinine causes huge weight gain. None of them were worth the side effects imo.

Have you tried any herbal remedies such as Kalms or nytol?

I found that they took the edge off when my husband was very unwell and I was having flashbacks and couldn't sleep. It didn't make me feel 'zonked' or 'out of it'.

Some side effects from medications prescribed by GP for either anxiety or depression can be debilitating too.

So sorry for your loss

The Doctor prescribed diazepam , 3 times a day if I need it. I only needed one yesterday and it absolutely helped. I'm going to try to just take one to get a sleep. Everyone is different but I can't imagine taking more than one , I still feel very spaced out after taking one around 4pm yesterday.

Thank you to everyone who replied, I'm
Very grateful

I would try some Kalms or Nytol if your feeling spaced out after this long after a dose.

My doctor initially prescribed zoplicone for sleeping when I lost my husband during lockdown and then diazepam for anxiety attacks - lowest dose, one a day 'as required'.

Afterwards, I found out that the zoplicone was stronger than the diazepam. I used the diazepam to taper off - and yes, diazepam did help with sleep.

The dose for diazepam was 2X3.75, but that made me groggy the next day. Cut it to one and then half a tablet, but then switched the diazepam at night and then gradually stopped taking that.

The tablets did help at the beginning, when I was at the 'screaming at walls' stage. It happened during lockdown and I was on my own.

A nurse friend advised me to take a diazepam tablet before the funeral.

I pretty much spent two years in a blur though. I think I slept away whole days, in between screaming.

Other widows have told me that that is not abnormal, but maybe they were being kind.

I don't have children of my own or siblings, so that didn't help. (DH had two kids and a grandchild, but they decided not to risk travelling to the funeral.)

Hi I am so sorry for ur loss. I'm going through the same thing but to top off the pain my neice has taken over all the arrangements and I can't say a word because it will hurt my brother oh and the icing on the cake is my eldest son is to busy to attend the funeral. I'm totally broken

I am so very sorry.

I had the situation of my husband's kids wanting input into the service even though neither they nor the adult grandchild attended. They watched on webcam. (One of them attended their inlaw's funeral a fortnight later.) It added to the stress.

Like you, I felt I couldn't say anything for fear of causing offence. Unfortunately, I finally snapped two months after the funeral...They've cut contact with me.

I hope that you have someone with you to support you the night before and en route to the service Simkaz? I was on my own. Having someone with me would have made such a difference.

I feel for you. Sending hugs.

Hi. I was given amitryptaline to help with sleep immediately after my sons death. I tried anti depressant about 6 months after, mostly because of pressure from family I had a bad reaction to them and felt worse so stopped. What really helped was attending a bereavement group through cruse. The other attendees were so supportive and understanding as we were all going through a similar experience. The other thing that helped me look beyond myself was voluntary work. Helping in a charity shop then with local homeless gave me a focus. There is still sadness every day but I now have moments of happiness too. I hope you find what's the right help for you.

My gp gave me a course of lorazepam. I'm probably going to ask for more. Just get on the phone and ask for a sedative they will give you one. My gp also wants me to self refer for some trauma therapy which I will.
They signed me off work for 6 weeks too - my gp was very supportive.

What mg did he give you? I just lost my boyfriend and I want to feel that way. I am up all night, get a couple of hours in the day but nothing like I want to be sleeping all the time I can right now

I'm so sorry.

It's usual for GPs to prescribe the lowest dose. I recall that that is 2mg. Mine said once a day, as needed.

I asked for Sertraline when DH died and my GP said no!