Here goes.
I am 46 yr old female, married children still at home.
Background started to suffer anxiety over 15 years ago,finally found a dr. 8 yrs ago that knew what was happening what a relief.
On Lovan for approx 6 mths miracle was fine.
Husband injured himself 7yrs ago chronic back injury unable to work again.
Followed him on the downward spiral of depression on various drugs the last 8 mths. Tried to take overdose approx 3mths ago.
At present have just been put on Dothep 2x 75mg nightly.
I also have a big problem with cannabis. Just about used daily.
I would your advice as to want lenghts I need to go to stop the merry-go-round, before I do something stupid again.
I hope I have explained myself properly.
As I live a a sml town it is hard to get other professional help, without the whole town knowing your business. I do not want my children suffering from this.
I was also warned by the local chemist that the drug Im on is highly dangerous (overdose) she asked me if i would like to pick my meds up on a weekly basis (which I had been on once before) this does scare me at times as i get a mnths worth at a time.
Thankyou for your patience.
Witch63
Thank you for writing to us with your questions. They are not easy ones to answer, but they are very important.
Firstly, the advice from the pharmacist is sensible and I would recommend you take up the offer. Weekly pick-ups of Dothep are often used, as it can be dangerous in overdose, especially if there are children in the house who could take it too.
Secondly, it would be useful to get more professional help and support. It is often invaluable to take antidepressant medication, but it sounds as if there are lots of other issues that need to be addressed too. These include your daily use of cannabis; non-medication treatment for your anxiety and depression; your relationship with your husband; his depression and chronic pain; adequate care of your children if you are both depressed and doing it tough; your suicidal feelings and your fear that you might “do something stupid again”.
Cannabis is very very bad for mood. In the short-term it can make some people feel better, often by making them feel a bit numb or detached from their troubles. But every time you use the cannabis, it will actually push your mood down further, and it works against the anti-depressant medication. In addition, if you are smoking the cannabis, you are probably using it with tobacco, which is itself rotten for mood and increases the risk of impulsive suicidal behaviours. Getting your use of cannabis under control will definitely help your mood. Everything I have said about cannabis is the same for alcohol. You don’t say whether or not you use alcohol as you do cannabis, but if you do, you can re-read the paragraph above with the word ‘alcohol’ substituted for ‘cannabis’ each time. Suicide is NEVER an answer. It always makes things worse, especially for those you love. It is clear from your letter that you know this, and that it is not something you want to do, but it is still important to be reminded of it.
As a first step, taking the pharmacist’s sensible advice is a good way to go. At the same time, toss out any medications from your house that you are no longer taking. Knowing whom you should go to for help is difficult, as you say you are in a small town. The person prescribing your anti-depressant medication is probably a GP. He or she will be the best place to start. Why don’t you go back for another visit and take a paper copy of this letter with you. It might help you start up a new conversation about what help you need, and how best to get it. If you take along this answer as well, it can help open up a discussion about how to get help with each of the issues, including the cannabis.
Other places you can go are your local hospital; the closest psychiatrist (eg for an assessment and advice for your GP, even if the psychiatrist is too far away to consult regularly); a community mental health team (often located via the local hospital); or your local Emergency Department (but best to keep this for emergencies and use the other avenues first). Another excellent website is the one below, which has advice and tips for accessing help depending on where you live. http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?
The most important thing is ensuring you get more help and support. The best place to start is your GP, who already knows your history and circumstances, but you might find it very useful to get some extra advice from experts in mental health, like some of those listed above. Good luck.