5. Side Effects Are Making Me Miserable
There are plenty of side effects that mean you need to stop taking a particular medication: signs of tardive dyskinesia, a serious movement disorder; blurred vision that doesn't go away; fainting; muscle weakness or pain, and many others. Still, unless a side effect is immediately life-threatening (in which case you need to get to the nearest emergency room), you should not stop taking it abruptly -- that can often cause more complications. Know the serious side effects of your medications and call the prescribing doctor immediately if you experience them.But there are other side effects experienced by many people that are very troublesome but not dangerous. Karen, Ralph and Susan don't have dangerous side effects, but they are common and problematic. Karen has gained 50 pounds from her psych meds and is so depressed and angry about her weight that she wants to stop her meds altogether. Ralph has lost his sex drive and has the same reaction. Susan feels groggy and listless all the time.
All three of these people need to talk this over with their doctors. Susan almost certainly needs a medication change. But what about Ralph and Karen?
The first question they each need to answer is: How well do the medications work for me?
Ralph attempted suicide twice before starting on meds, and hasn't felt suicidal at all since then. His depressive episodes are rare and not severe. Karen lost three straight good jobs due to out-of-control manic behavior including hallucinations, and now has held the same job for four years with one promotion with no more psychotic symptoms. She is sometimes mildly hypomanic but never manic. Their medications are doing a great job.
Ralph's psychiatrist may be able to make some changes or additions to his medications that will improve his sexual desire and performance. Perhaps they will decide to try substituting one new med for another to see if the new combination is as effective as the old but doesn't have the sexual side effect. The one thing that would be completely irresponsible would be to simply stop taking his prescribed medications for this reason. But if the new medications don't work as well, Ralph may just have to choose between suicidal depression and a diminished sex drive.
Weight gain from psych meds is a huge problem. Those of us who started out slim and are now just plain fat know how depressing that is. Again and again we hear, "I've tried everything to lose weight, and nothing works." And it's true that although being seriously overweight isn't immediately life-threatening, it can have dangerous health effects in the longer term.
Karen needs to know that it is not impossible to lose weight while taking psych meds. Just being aware of this may help her. Research has proved that people can lose weight even when taking such pound-packing medications as Seroquel (quetiapine) and Zyprexa (olanzapine).
In Karen's case, too, consultation with her prescribing doctor is essential, but in the end, she will have to decide whether she'd rather go back to uncontrolled mania that causes serious life problems, or continue battling with excess weight.
So there you have it -- five bad reasons for not taking or discontinuing medications. In every case, the big question to be answered is, "Is it worth it to avoid meds and have miserable and/or dangerous moods?"
