To think I’m not starving myself!?

[LellowYedbetter]

Last year I put on a stone in weight. Coincidentally around the time I started taking quetiapine.

I’ve recently gone cold turkey on the bastards and the weight is falling off me. I’m not trying to lose weight, my appetite has just gone back to the way it used to be.

So yesterday I had a cereal bar for breakfast. A few quality streets for lunch and a portion of fish and chips from chippy for tea ... although I only ate half of that and have saved the rest for today.

Today I didn’t have breakfast but had the left over fish and chips at 12. Tonight I’ll have a homemade burger but I don’t want chips because I’ve gone off them and I know I won’t be hungry enough.

Typical day during the week - cereal bar for breakfast. Mackerel on toast for lunch and 2 fajitas for tea.

DH drinks from red cups when they’re mine says I’m starving myself and should see a doctor. Since when did it become abnormal to only eat when you’re actually hungry?? I’ve always had a crap appetite. It’s normal for me

The mental health issue is clearly the most important. You must try again to access suitable help, it’s the only way to make yourself feel better in the long run.
In the short term, your diet is poor, but it’s what you say in justification which makes it seem more than an appetite issue - fruit is ‘too sweet’ but you can eat chocolates and cereal bars and also you ate chips yesterday, will eat them at lunch time but can’t have any with your burger because you have ‘gone off’ them. Can you see these are poor justifications which make no sense and suggest issues with your eating?

Ok the nausea is likely rapid withdrawal from the medication and that doesn’t mean you should continue cold turkey. It’s also probably partly because you’re lacking nutritionally and you’re body is asking for more food. You end up in a viscous cycle with that one.

The cups thing and the not letting anyone help you is suggesting to me that you are not in any way doing better with your MH. It’s suggesting the opposite. Very frankly, it sounds like you need a change of drugs.

It's shocking that mental health services are so underfunded, but you aren't helping yourself by stopping taking drugs without talking to your GP, eating a crap diet and refusing to take in some of the sensible advice on here.

I'm not keen on fruit so I rarely eat it, but I love vegetables, so I eat loads of the. They are better for your health then fruit anyway.

It sounds to me that your mental health issues are clouding your judgement of what constitutes a healthy diet.

Red cups, whatever they are, even when they are being swiped by the husband, sweets and yesterdays crappy fish and chips sounds a mystifying and unhealthy diet! How about slow release energy food, fresh fruit and vegetables?

I think you need to see a doctor as stopping quetiapine is not wise and you are eating way too less and it's not healthy!

OP, my DP went cold turkey on MH drugs and was fine for six weeks... then he wasn't. This was in September 2016 and he is still suffering the after affects now.

Please go back to your GP.

Using specific cups/cutlery/plates is a sign of disordered eating. You can maintain in a healthy way.

Continuing on like this will lead to brittle nails, skin issues and hair loss.

I'm just appalled that you can eat chip shop fish and chips the following day. I'm all for reheating leftovers but I draw the line at fish and chips.

I appreciate everyone’s advice and I am taking it in. I have an appointment on Monday anyway for something unrelated so I’ll mention it then. Non red cups make me feel sick. They seem to smell funny and I know that sounds nuts but it’s how I feel. I don’t eat from red cups, that would be worrying 😂 I eat from the red plates

Btw should probably mention that I have aspergers which probably explains the cups and plates

Malnutrition a definite possibility. You don't sound mentally healthy enough to stop your medication, Lellow, if you cannot see what is wrong with your eating habits.

You were already a healthy weight by BMI when you were a stone heavier. You're still in the healthy range at the moment, but if you continue to lose weight through not eating much, that won't be for long, especially as you've lost 14lb in a month already, as that's double a safe rate.

You're not eating particularly healthily. There is more sugar in a cereal bar, even one without chocolate, than in a piece of fruit, never mind the sweets.

If your DP is worried, I think you should listen to him and see your GP again.

Yep that could explain the cups and plates but it could be other things to if you’re usually taking MH medication. That’s why it’s good to talk, so you can unpick it. If it’s a part of you then fine but if not, you may be able to change it. Definitely talk to your doctor. Going cold turkey can be quite dangerous.

Presumably you were on quetiapine due to experiencing psychosis/psychotic symptoms. It is dangerous to stop without speaking to your mental health team.

By discharged, do you mean from an inpatient unit or from the service? If an inpatient unit then that is incorrect, you should have had a 48 hour and a 7 day follow up.

If your consultant is not getting back to you then call again and leave a message explaining that you are no longer taking your medication. If they wanted to increase your dosage then presumably your symptoms are not alleviating and this will have been done with good reason.

Do you have insight into your mental health? Could the red cups/plates be linked to your psychosis?

Please speak to someone. There are other antipsychotics you could try, but you need to speak to a professional.

@Ellenborough the thread has moved on. The OP has stopped taking antipsychotics without telling her doctor.

I suspected you were autistic as soon as you mentioned about the cups.

Eating disorders are very common in people with ASD. Take it from a fellow sufferer, though - a poor diet makes everything so much worse.

You need to use that appointment to discuss you coming off the medication and the effect it is clearly having on you. You are not well. You mustn’t stop medication like this without the advice and support of a doctor.

I don’t even know as they never explained it. I had a sudden MH breakdown. Had an emergency assessment and then appointment. Was put on quetiapine and then discharged. I was supposed to be getting counselling and a follow up appointment and I got nothing. They haven’t even done the monthly bloods that they were supposed to be doing. It was the GP that wanted to increase it after I had a meltdown at work but I also had significant stress at home at the time too

Hi Lellow
Glad to hear you are going to mention it. Hope you get sorted.
I don't think you are starving yourself but nausea and lack of appetite... you shouldn't have to just live with that.

Hi I came off antipsychotics very rapidly once and it made me incredibly ill. I went from pretty well to full blown psychosis in about 6 days. it can be very dangerous. You need medical advice immediately. Monday may be too late. Your DH is probably concerned you are not eating enough as this can add to the potential of you being ill. TBH he sounds like a good DH and is looking after you. are you sleeping okay?

OP I know engaging with healthcare when you have MH problems can be an exhausting battle, when you have no energy. Can you get in touch with a charity such as Mind to see if they can offer help? There's a lot going on for you, and you do need help to get through it.

I would say that a Quality Street is many times times sweeter than some fruit, eg raspberries. The examples you have given of what you eat are really not going to sustain you or improve your health or energy levels and quite honestly the thought of eating cold, left over, fat laden food like fish and chips the next day is revolting.

I don't even begin to understand the red cup issue and you really should not have stopped taking your medication without at least talking to your GP.

The nature valley ones are 197 calories and almost 12g of sugar. The ingredients are oats, sugar, oil and honey. To me they are crappy.

^This.... so many people on Mumsnet mention Nature Valley as if they are a health food. They are fantastic and I love them - for heavy duty hiking. They got me through a 11 day trek across the Hardanger Plateau in Norway carrying tent and all provisions. One of those with a cup of tea and you can walk for 4 hours.....

I think you maybe need to discuss your disordered eating with the GP along with discussing your mental health issues. Everything is interlinked.

Don't you know your MH diagnosis?

No, he never gave a diagnosis. Didn’t believe in labels apparently. He referred to it as “unstable emotions” /PTSD traits.