SPRINGTIME in the VILLAGE (Support for all Mental Health Issues)

[NanaNina]

Thought I'd start a new thread what with it being the Spring Equinox and all that..........and there's another reason. I'm hoping to re-connect with people who used to be frequent village visitors, but like me, seem to have fallen by the wayside. Of course everyone is welcome in the Village, so I hope more recent visitors understand my post and will not feel de-valued in any way. The stigma of mental illness is alive and well I reckon so we all need all the support we can get.

SO - CALLING

Vicar (she started the Village thread some years ago and occasionally pops in) Edwinia'sRevenge SnowyMouse (where ARE you?) SilveryPussyCat CIQ (I know you were having a tough time) Lem (once a very regular visitor) Hoochymama Pyrrghena collardove Victrix Pulled Creamhearts (previously FDG) MentalPsychiatrist KeemaNaanAndCurryOn (miss you and your wit)
FaithLoveandGrace MySpideySenseTickles

Would love to hear how you're all doing. I'm much the same, up and down, mostly down this month.

I've probably forgotten lots of people, but that's all I can bring to mind just now.

sarum I don't know about mirtazapine specifically but I was told most anti depressants and anti psychotics increase suicidial thoughts and self harm ideation. So I would not be surprised if it did. Usually takes a couple of weeks to settle down.

Morning to everyone else. Hope you have all had a peaceful night and have a wonderful easter Monday

I woke at a ridiculous hour again so now I just want my bed. Suppose to be taking DD out but I have absolutely no energy and the anti-biotics are making me feel dizzy I feel bad but it's better then me taking her out and fainting. I've plonked her in front of the tv with goodies. Mother of the year award goes to "me"
I've not even got an Easter egg yet. Voices of course are loving my misery!

Right, thanks. It was hard as I was having those feelings a lot, then the dose was doubled and it's got worse. I'm contemplating not taking them as I have no support so it's just me on my own trying to stay away from temptation.

morning all,
sarum - yes as pulled said most of them carry that warning , even my ds11 anti epilepsy meds . i guess anything that can influence your mood /brain can have that effect.

pulled - ive been referred to the pain clinic,and physio as nothing eases the pain -(dont think they have a magic wand but im up for suggestions)

easter eggs should be on offer now in small local shops .

sorry posted too early
sarum- my gp told me to phone her straightaway if i get these thoughts on starting the meds.(or higher dosage )
how long have you been on them?

Thanks wfrances that is useful to know about the Easter eggs. Oh yes I've been with pain clinic for a while been having physio. It's not working so now we will be discussing injections in the back. I was dead against them before but now I'm thinking I'll take anything that helps! I'll pass on any useful info I get out of my consultant.

A month for the lower dose, four days for the higher dose.

sarum increasing the dose definitely has an increased effect on these feelings. If it gets too much then like wfrances said call ur G.P or crisis team of you have one.

thanks, no crisis team - just me and the tablets plus the doctor. It seems to be a case of go and take the tablets and come back in a month.

Edwinia my GP said venlafaxine has a stimulating effect and as I've been having a lot of anxiety recently he thought it might be a bad idea in the early stages. I don't really know anything about it so I'm just taking his word for it.

wfrances I would say the weight gain is a side effect of having an increased appetite but it effects everyone differently. I managed to lose the 10 pounds that I put on whilst still taking 45mg mirtazapine (mainly because I was so anxious that I felt sick and therefore barely ate for a few weeks).

Hi everyone, well done to all of us for getting through another day. I found mirtazapine made me starving hungry and I put on loads of weight plus it stopped working after 6 months . Regarding suicidal thoughts the absolute BEST thing I have experienced is. Lithium. It completely switches them off!!!!!!! My psychiatrist said it is known for it. I can't understand why it's not offered to more people - the agony of wanting to destroy yourself is so hard to bear.

Nana - I've always had good experience with fluoxetine - made me lose weight too.

Big hugs to everyone

Went for a walk up my road and back without having a panic attack. Although I didnt have the dc but it is still good. Rewarding myself with chocolate for lunch.

uh oh I ate an entire easter egg. :s best not reward myself this way every time.

I'm on Venlafaxine QofK not Fluoxetine though I think they are both SNRIs. My psychiatrist mentioned lithium but said needed to try other things first.......hmm. I started the Ven yesterday and was more or less ok but I took one this morning and it's been hell - anxiety increased by about a trillion - restless, nauseas, crying........very scared as on my own today but CPN due this afternoon thank god. I'm tempted to stop the Venlafaxine but I know she'll say it's early days and I need to give it longer. Be so good to see her though cus she can talk to the psych about my meds and she's lovely (CPN) I mean, though psych is nice too.

Sorry I can't reach out to anyone today feel too crap but ending good wishes to all.

Hello, just checking in to see how you are, big hugs to everyone. I've been germ ridden/working. Decided to stop taking my propanolol. It was making me nauseous, last week was hell panic/anxiety/depression wise. I was peeling myself off the ceiling with anxiety just after I took each tablet. I don't know if it's worn off or what but it was making me feel worse. I'm still on the citralopram. I'm due a med review, didn't want to be told to up my meds. I'm looking into counselling at the moment and its something I'll talk to my gp about.

The propranolol didnt help me either. It seems to be brilliant for some and awful for others. Still dont know if the citalopram is helping me yet though. My mood seems better.

Bad day . DH losing patience and I'm not surprised. Feel like I've tried everything now - every drug, every therapy, every supplement. I just want it to stop. I'm so very tired now.

sorry to hear that QoK. My dh has also had enough. He doesnt really understand and he doesnt know what to do to help but gets annoyed about it.

Same here QofK - DP just asked me to look for something he'd lost in the wash, and I snapped - and said FFS - is that all you've got to worry about ..........what's your diagnosis Q - I seem to recall you've been an IP. I'm so sick of it all too, and if anyone says to me today "oh the sun's shining that should make you feel better" I might just sock them one!

Yeah I hate that phrase. My sister said 'just push through it'. That annoyed me.

My diagnosis was a load of letters/numbers from DSM but translated as "repeated severe depressive episodes with concurrent anxiety". I'm not as bad as when I was IP but it just feels exhaustingly endless. I've had some diazepam which has calmed the anxiety a bit. Just guilt now at being useless wife and mother. Sorry to hear others are having bad days - bastard illness

Hello all. Bit of a rubbish day here too. Fed up of the school holidays and weight I've put on taking anti psychotics is playing on my mind. Long day too as I had to get up at 6am with dd and be at the doctors for 7.50pm. CPN hasn't sorted a letter for my meds change in dosage , despite saying that she would yesterday. Bit low and just thinking about how things have changed badly since I first got ill a year ago.

Hello All. Just thought I would say hi. Haven't decided to get help yet - everything I read about antidepressants makes them sound horrid and not particularly helpful - just can't stop with the suicidal thoughts. I don't have a real plan as such - most of the research I've done suggests there isn't a good clean way which puts me off.

Mentioned to DH at the weekend that I just wanted to go to sleep and not wake up again. That I don't enjoy life anymore and I don't see it getting better. He gave me a hug at first saying he didn't like to hear me talk like that. But then later accused me of being selfish and couldn't I see he had enough on his plate. He is now not talking to me. So I won't be doing that again.

Glad to finally find an anonymous support.

Hugs and kind thoughts to you all. Have you considered talking it through with your gp White, see if there are any non med options? Or contact Mind maybe? You'll find plenty of support here, I know I have. Love, sorry to hear you're having a bad time Goood, I'm sticking on my citralopram for now but the propanolol is definitely finished with! Everyone else, sorry to hear of the bad times you're going through. Mental illness is one cruel, torturous bitch.

My GP said much the same, just deal with it as I was telling him that I don't like the way the tablets make me feel; the answer was a different one and a higher dose so I'm not taking them.

Just push through it GMM is really the same as "pull yourself together" isn't it. If only these people knew the torment of mental illness. I even had things like that said to me as an IP by so-called nursing assistants. One day when I was feeling "not of the human race" a stupid NA told me to "cheer up" and I somehow found the emotional energy to storm into the office to complain and the Ward Manager was appalled that this comment had been made and assured me the matter would be dealt with. The NA later apologised to me but if staff on a psych ward haven't grasped how we are unable to "cheer up" (or some equally crass comment)there's not much hope for anyone else is there.

whitehydrangea sorry you're also feeling crap. Please don't take this the wrong way - just need to sound a note of caution. Sometime last year someone was posting about a specific suicide method and was talking about actually doing it while she was typing, and it upset a lot of people and was "triggering" - so MNHQ asked people on the MH threads what they thought about talking about specific methods of suicide and the vast majority thought that whilst it was ok to admit we often felt like ending our lives (as there aren't many places you can admit to that) but not to mention specific methods. They consulted Samaritans as well and hey gave similar advice, so that became the policy.

Hope you understand.