How responsible medication use can help

Today I started knitting a scarf, and it's been relaxing, and keeps my thoughts focused on my work. I'm using a finer yarn than I've used before, Alpaca. The pattern requires some concentration, with a small cable on each side of a larger one. Such nice soft yarn!

I finished a sweater the other day. I used Patons wool. It's really warm! Being stuck at home in a wheelchair means I have more time for knitting and reading than I normally have. Usually I spend a good part of the day outside or in the shop.

I have a service dog who gives me a lot of support. She keeps a pretty close eye on me.

Thank you, Teresa, for standing up for me.

Jim

Wonderful! A great tool and skill!

I love being out in the garden. Thank goodness I planted perennials - hydrangeas. I have not been able to tend to them. So glad they take care of themselves. I just have to make sure they are watered.

I’m so glad to hear you have one. That is pure medicine! Having a pet to shower you with affection. They are pure love. Their licks and attention is very meaningful. I used to have a cat and a dog. I miss them dearly.

💜

So many things could be called medication, couldn't they? A pet surely qualifies, the power of the mind, the arts, nature, a close relationship, exercise, rest, faith, a social group, a healthy place of worship, and the list goes on!

Does everything on my list act as effective medication for everyone? I think not. But there are endless non-chemical things that serve as medication.

Then there's the field of pharmacology, which manufactures an ever increasing superabundance of products. My first 50 years, I took almost none of them, except for aspirin. Then I hit 50! Over the next ten years I began having a variety of health challenges, and needed to take medication for some of them.

Taking medications responsibly becomes important, in terms of benefit vs. risk, in terms of interactions, knowing when to say no, being aware of the effects of a medication on your body and mind, taking it as prescribed, knowing when you can get benefit from a lower dose. Another list that goes on and on.

Mental health meds can be ones that require responsible management. It can be easy to take more more than we need. When an antidepressant starts becoming less effective, an add-on is often prescribed. Then there's the need to treat a second mental health issue, which requires a different type of medication. And along comes a physical problem that might be treated with a medication that's also used for mental health. Balancing those kinds of combinations can be become a challenge.

I use Drug.com as a resource, for one thing to check interactions. That helps me weigh the risks of what I'm taking. Sometimes, as the information paperwork that comes with every prescription says, "your prescriber may determine that the benefit outweighs the risk", after they've listed a bunch of scary side effects.

I didn't intend to write this much. My own history is complicated, and doctors sometimes don't know what the best treatment would be, which tends to result in lots of trial and error. So often I'm supposed to start a new medication at the same time as something else is going on that clouds the process.

Juggling multiple medications is something that requires wisdom, research and organization. I look forward to my future home in heaven where no medication will be needed.

Y'all stay safe with your meds.

Jim

So many things could be called medication, couldn't they? A pet surely qualifies, the power of the mind, the arts, nature, a close relationship, exercise, rest, faith, a social group, a healthy place of worship, and the list goes on!

Does everything on my list act as effective medication for everyone? I think not. But there are endless non-chemical things that serve as medication.

Then there's the field of pharmacology, which manufactures an ever increasing superabundance of products. My first 50 years, I took almost none of them, except for aspirin. Then I hit 50! Over the next ten years I began having a variety of health challenges, and needed to take medication for some of them.

Taking medications responsibly becomes important, in terms of benefit vs. risk, in terms of interactions, knowing when to say no, being aware of the effects of a medication on your body and mind, taking it as prescribed, knowing when you can get benefit from a lower dose. Another list that goes on and on.

Mental health meds can be ones that require responsible management. It can be easy to take more more than we need. When an antidepressant starts becoming less effective, an add-on is often prescribed. Then there's the need to treat a second mental health issue, which requires a different type of medication. And along comes a physical problem that might be treated with a medication that's also used for mental health. Balancing those kinds of combinations can be become a challenge.

I use Drug.com as a resource, for one thing to check interactions. That helps me weigh the risks of what I'm taking. Sometimes, as the information paperwork that comes with every prescription says, "your prescriber may determine that the benefit outweighs the risk", after they've listed a bunch of scary side effects.

I didn't intend to write this much. My own history is complicated, and doctors sometimes don't know what the best treatment would be, which tends to result in lots of trial and error. So often I'm supposed to start a new medication at the same time as something else is going on that clouds the process.

Juggling multiple medications is something that requires wisdom, research and organization. I look forward to my future home in heaven where no medication will be needed.

Y'all stay safe with your meds.

Jim

Your doctor is absolutely right! Drugs never cure depression or anxiety; they only block therapy and should never be taken because they cause huge problems when you try withdrawal. I am 95 and was dependent Equanil for anxiety. I began seeing a new psychiatrist who used Bio-Energetic therapy. He made me quit the drug because he said drugs simply delay recovery. He used massage therapy and special exercises to treat my anxiety and it worked remarkably well. That was thirty years ago. I am now 95 and in fairly good health, use my computer six hours per day, have had many traumatic experiences, but have resolved them all without drugs. I would never use drugs to solve problems again because my psychiatrist was right; they only delay recovery and their withdrawal symptoms are frequently horrible; causing hallucinations and suicides. Try to find a Bio-Energetic psychiatrist. Modern psychiatry is completely wrong on its chemical methodology. It killed my sister. Go online and read about the terrible trauma caused by drug withdrawal.

Your doctor is absolutely right! Drugs never cure depression or anxiety; they only block therapy and should never be taken because they cause huge problems when you try withdrawal. I am 95 and was dependent Equanil for anxiety. I began seeing a new psychiatrist who used Bio-Energetic therapy. He made me quit the drug because he said drugs simply delay recovery. He used massage therapy and special exercises to treat my anxiety and it worked remarkably well. That was thirty years ago. I am now 95 and in fairly good health, use my computer six hours per day, have had many traumatic experiences, but have resolved them all without drugs. I would never use drugs to solve problems again because my psychiatrist was right; they only delay recovery and their withdrawal symptoms are frequently horrible; causing hallucinations and suicides. Try to find a Bio-Energetic psychiatrist. Modern psychiatry is completely wrong on its chemical methodology. It killed my sister. Go online and read about the terrible trauma caused by drug withdrawal.