How do you react when you stop taking your medication?

[ElasticMagnetic]

I ask this because I just realized I haven't been taking my meds since Wednesday and everything seemed to come together; why I was feeling so utterly depressed and out of it. I take medication for my clinical depression and ADHD. When I don't take them, bad things happen. Without the meds I take for my ADHD, I find myself trying hard to grasp what's going on around me. And without my anti-depressents, I get this sense of utter helplessness and that I should should just sit and rot away.

 

What happens when you skip a day or stop taking your meds all together? Does it throw you off completely or do you manage? Do you become a comepletely different person?

[just M.E.]

Every person is different but for some you can have mood swings, outbursts and anger, depression, it all depends on each person and their original temperament. I have always heard to quit through a Doctor's supervision, that you should quit slowly so your body can adjust to the chemical change.

[metrogirl]

I had abruptly stopped my meds once a few years ago. I had to be checked into a facility as I had suffered a nervous breakdown.

 

As time went on and I was feeling better, I couldn't just stop the meds cold turkey, the doctor had to wean me off them slowly so that I wouldn't have a relapse.

 

If you have missed a few days, just start taking them again, but don't take more than you usually would. Just take your dose at your regular time and continue doing that each day.

[KG]

EM,

I had run out of Lexapro, and the Health Care co., couldn't get approval....long story short, most meds stay in your system for quite awhile. Just do what MG^^^^ said!

[Seraphim]

This is very dangerous! Depending on the medication it can make you suicidal or homicidal. There is a reason they gave you these medications! My husband went cold turkey off his medication and he ended up cutting his wrists and having a nervous breakdown and was in the phych ward of the hospital for a month. Take your medication as the dr advises.

[SchecterGuy]

Does it bring youto normal state or do you fall below what you normally would be without. In general I have a steady personality. Up until possibly needing them I was calm, never got worried, or had emotional outbursts. Now that I am thinking of taking them in my dark hour right now I am worried about being worse after using them than before.