In this 39-minute podcast, I go over some of the problems of going off medications without consulting your family doctor, your psychiatrist or your pharmacist. I try to give advice that has worked for me for my 35 years of living with symptoms of schizophrenia, bipolar and anxiety. I want to encourage people who listen to this podcast to live their very best lives. Eat well, cherish your loved ones and friends. Do as much exercise as you can, even if it is just a weekly water fitness class at your local pool. I feel there are some essential things one must do when they live with a mental illness and take medication. The first and perhaps most important thing a person with a mental health diagnosis has to do is accept the fact that you should never again touch alcohol or drugs. These can only worsen your symptoms and wreak havoc on your mental and physical health.
The next thing is to not worry so much about getting directly back to work after leaving psychiatric care. I made this mistake at 18 and soon found myself with no job and very few options. It ended in disaster, with me hitch-hiking all over North America with no money or contacts and there were many times I could have easily been killed or harmed.
Next is that you should do your best to eat as healthy as you possibly can, get your fruits and vegetables, get your leafy greens and minimize your sugar intake as much as possible (always read labels) you really don’t want to develop diabetes, it can be a millstone around a person’s neck. The next step is to find work, which I often say could start with a volunteer job that works its way up to a paid position. Consider the fact that you may never be able to cope with the stress of full-time work. Once you are active, eating well, complying with your medications and staying away from substances that can harm you, consider therapy, especially CBT or Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.
Find a psychologist, counsellor, or even hospital chaplain that is willing to work with you at your level of financial ability. There is also the alternative of studying from workbooks or videos one can get from the library (These are called “The Great Courses” and are a series of DVD lectures and actual counselling sessions) by Dr. Jason M. Satterfield where you can work on getting your mental health in peak shape. Then all you need to do is maintain things. Get all the rest you need, many people on medications will find they need extra sleep, there is no shame in it. Take walks, go for swims, work out. If you can discipline yourself to eat a healthy diet and burn off any calories you take in that are more than you need, you won’t have the difficult situation of weight gain, which is a side effect of many psychiatric medications.
Remember now that medications need to be taken just as prescribed, and taken at the same times each day. There are very few reasons to go off medications but if you feel you must, get medical or psychiatric consultation immediately. All the best to you, please join my chat and let me know how I am doing with these podcasts, I look forward to hearing from all of you.
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