In crisis and not my fault

[MotherofBingo]

I ran out of my antidepressants on Friday, I'd filled in the repeat prescription request on the Monday before but the pharmacy didn't have them. They only prescribe me 7 days at a time so if the pharmacy dont have them I've slowly been declining since Friday with nightmares, physical side effects like disorientation, confusion and dizziness and irritability and now I'm suicidal today and struggling with self harm thoughts. On the one hand I know this is because I need my tablets but on the other I'm really struggling with the thoughts I'm having.

I'm scared of ringing the crisis team because they'll tell me off for not taking the medicine but its not my fault I ran out, and I don't want to admit how bad things are because I'm scared they'll ring social services or something which is probably irrational but I can't think straight. I can recognise I'm really not well but I don't know what's going to happen and I can't tell what is logical and what isn't. I don't want to live like this anymore, I've been so stable on the antidepressants but this has happened purely because I ran out and couldn't get anymore.

Is it possible to ring the doctors, speak to the receptionist? Or is there someone who can do it for you?

Please ring the crisis team, it's what they're there for

Hopefully they can sort you out having more that 7 days at a time. That sounds like it's inevitable you'd find yourself in this situation.

Having been in that exact position, what I found of most help was phoning the GP and getting a same-day urgent prescription.

My pharmacy lets me have a few tablets to tide me over if the script hasn't arrived yet. Try asking for that?

@MorrisZapp @ClawedButler
The chemist has the script but they're out of stock.

@MotherofBingo please ring the crisis team, its what they're there for. They maybe able to help with the meds. I'm sure they won't judge you.
I assume the whole thing about social services is because you have children and you're worried about them being removed? I'm a community mental health nurse and yes I've had to contact social services when there are concerns about children, but 99% of the time it's because I think the parents need some additional support rather than having the kids taken away. So a Child In Need plan rather than a Child Protection plan.

Why are you only issued your meds weekly? Are there concerns you may take an overdose? If not ask for them to be issued monthly or every 2 months.

I know things look worse when your mental health is not great, but things will improve, it's a blip x

The chemist has the script but they're out of stock.

That's how i read it anyway. I may be wrong.

I've had someone ring for me and they've managed to find me some, but it's a different brand. It's the same drug though so I'm sure that's fine. I just feel awful because I was horrible to someone I care about before I realised that I'm not thinking straight (I have apologised now, but one day they are going to be tired of this).

I took an overdose 2 years ago, the nurse on the ward then was quite blunt about social services being called and it terrified me. I haven't done anything since then, but my mental health got really bad again a few months ago (which is when they changed my antidepressants) and so I think the 7 days is just a precaution, I'm really hoping they start trusting me again soon. I have been really stable up until today when I've crashed.

The different brand should be fine, it's essentially the same active ingredient.

Yes, if it's a different brand, it will be the EXACT same active ingredient - they have to prove, before it goes onto the market, that it is the same molecule, works in the same way, and has the same effects as the 'reference' product.

Even if the pharmacy is out of stock, speaking to a GP urgently is the quickest way I found of getting a suitable replacement. I was bandied from pillar to post, dismissed and actually laughed at when I tried to call crisis services, but if you have a specific crisis team I imagine it would be better.