Ok, enough of this stuff!~

[hoops]

I'm a bit crazy and that makes my frustrated, i think. for the secod time in 3 days i have forgotten to take my morning meds. now, it's simple enough to remember, the pill box is on my bed table, where i have my mom's pic that i kiss every morning when i wake up and every evening when i go to bed. The box is about 1 ' long and about 4 " wide, it's hard to miss.
Things start to happen about an hour or so after i forget to take my meds. My stomach gets woozy. But since i had my surgery, my stomach is always a bit "off". in about 4 hours my head becomes less clear and the stomach gets worse, i get shakey. Silly thing is, these are also the side effects of being on the meds. usually i notice around the 6 hour mark where i begin sweating beyond control, i get chills and my other symptoms get worse. these things also happen when i have a hot flash, except the chills of course. something needs to be done.
I first take my meds. smart move. This doesn't clear up the symptoms for at LEAST 24 hours. What it does do is make my thinking very fuzzy cause now they chemicals are working against eachother to do what they do. fuzziness is not helpful to my already compromised short term memory. I feel like i am taking a slow ride to dementia, seriously. in fact, this post is no where near what i wanted it to be, but i can't remember who i wanted it. So, I've got all my meds, my cat is sleeping pressed against my backside and I'm in love, which makes all things better. have a good one,
peace
hoops

[Wildflower Fever]

Hang in there Hoops, I know meds can suck, but I guess it's whether they outweigh the effects of not taking them. Feel free to vent:)

[Puppy lover]

Hoops, I've been privileged to have read writings of yours for several years, and if you're not clear thinking I don't know who is. There are all kinds of things like stress, illness, lack of sleep, meds/lack of meds that can throw us off of our best game. Just because your short term memory is poor, don't jump to any conclusions. You've been taking those morning meds for a long time and without a reminder of some kind, they can be easy to forget--even if they're in plain sight. How about a note on the fridge or a watch alarm or a reminder call from "Steve"? I can assure you that many people forget routine things frequently. Did I lock the door, turn the iron off, check the fireplace, put out that cigarette, take my meds. Whatever it is, we've all done it at one time or another.
And yes, having a loving pet and a loving partner can make anything better.
Take good care of yourself, you've got lots of folks rooting for you!

[Elliott]

Do you have a Monday thru Sunday pill box? Sometimes I can't remember if I took something or not, as it gets so routine. If you have the day by day pill box, and the pills are not in them, then you took'em. Leave yourself a note out the you can reuse every day. Make it a routine. I know these ideas are simple, but they might help if you're not using some kind of reminder. I think you're great..... Love, E

[Eva]

I know how you feel Hoopie. Forgetting medication and then suffering the consequences later sounds very familiar. I can't give any better advice than what the others have said. Take care.

Eva

[hoops]

thanks everyone, for letting me vent. rudies are the best
peace
hoops

[Eva]

If I look at your posts, you sound pretty coherent to me. I think you're doing well. Hug!

Eva

[TiminOhio]

Before meds they gave people electric shock & insulin (sends a lot of people into seizures) - my Dad was a victim of barbaric practices.
Hoops you need a network to remind you - like that cell pone company's commericials!

[hoops]

Tim, i had shock treatments, and they are the cause of much if my memory loss. it's no mistake that many psych meds are off label use seizure meds.
peace
hoops

[DaveM]

Approximately 100,000 people undergo "electroconvulsive therapy" every year. There is no independent evidence that it provides any benefit, and unlikely to ever be, since the sole textbook on the use of the procedure was written by the manufacturer of the Thymatron shock machine, which may be the only one still on the market (there is or was another made by Somatics, but I do not know if they are still in business).

In at least one case during the 1980s, a California hospital treated patients for more than two years (with their charts invariably noting improvement) before it was discovered that the machine had never worked (reported in Omni magazine). In a small study done at about the same time, a group of patients scheduled for shock were divided into two groups. One received shocks, the others got the usual pre-medication (tranquilizers, anesthesia, etc.), but were not shocked. Follow-up reports by both hospital staff AND patients noted equal improvement in both groups (same source).

Some of you may be familiar with a somewhat famous 1979 study, "Sanity In Insane Places" in which a group of "average" psychology students checked themselves into state hospitals, then acted as they always had. The average stay was six weeks, and virtually all were placed on medication, which none took. Without exception, however, their charts indicated that they were responding well to the drugs.

Sometimes sanity is in the eye of the beholder. Not a comfortable thought when the beholder has the authority to pass potentially lethal amounts of electricity through someone's brain.

[hoops]

Dave, I aquired my chart about a year after my ECT, because it wasn't until then that I was coherent enough to make such a decision. I also had a journal filled with my daily goings on during that time according to a friend who called me every single day and visited me every other day.
While i quickly lost who i was, who i knew, my own mother's name, and any memory i had of the year before, and resulting in the full year after. While My friend journaled that I was going down the tubes, forgetting, days, months, where is was, who i was, who she was, the medical chart recorded how well i was doing, who i had my full memory and spacial awareness. The medical charts say ECT was the only thing that had worked since i started medical treatment for my mental illness. I still have all the info, I would have sued but i wasn't in my right mind. I Bilateral ECT every other day! They don't even do that anymore, and you're right there is not a single study that says that it is a viable form of medical treatment. my memory continues to grow worse, i have not gained back any of what i lost and now I truly believe it is effecting my short term memory.

[saxman]

Hoops my daughter got me a pill box that has morning AM side and Night PM side i dont know how i ever lived without it . i dont forget to take my meds anymore i take about 10 -12 different meds a day and i have a 2 week supply in the pill box . She also got me a pill container for my key chain that has a water tight seal and holds about 1 day supply in case i forget or im out for the day without my meds. Hope you feel better

[Sara]

My maternal grandmother was given ECT for depression back in 1969. My family didn't talk about it much so I really don't know too many details. I thought it was barbaric even back then.

Oh, and hoops and Saxman - I forget things all the time. Can't remember exactly what . . . :o

[hoops]

Saxman, thanks for the advice. i do have a nice pillbox. I have put up a board on my wall with all the days of the week on it and AM, Noon, and PM on each day, my pillbox is right under it on a table with a marker. Now whene i take my meds i put an X in the day and time i took them. so far so good, thanks so much
peace
hoops

[Randy & Betty in Pa]

Hiya Hoops....

Don't you make me come down there and do real shock therapy!!! Real shock therapy is seeing me in the shower.... Worse then that is when I sing.... Now are you willing to risk that? Take your meds, we need you happy and healthy...

Best

R from Ca.... (What was it we said about short term memory loss....)

Ps... Everynight Betty staples the next days meds in a pill bottle to my farhead so I will see them when I shave.... but, but, but.... When I shaved the other day i found 6 of those pesky bottles attached... Guess if I take my meds I might remember not to forget to shave...So I can find my meds and take them.... And after all these years I still need to be reminded what day the garbage goes out....