Meds

"There are no drugs without side effects."  Dr. Parks

 Today I was talking with a friend who was hospitalized last weekend for heart problems. She has had heart trouble for years and it follows a predictable pattern. "I know why I end up in the hospital. I take the drugs that they want me to take for awhile but then they start making feel bad, so I quit taking them." Eventually she ends up at the ER.   After experiencing my own week of drug-related horror, I can relate.

It started simply enough. On Saturday, I e-mailed my MS doctor, asking for a drug to replace the antidepressant that I have been taking for seven months or so (yes, unfortunately, people with MS tend to be depressed sometimes). By and large the drug worked pretty well, but there were a few side effects I hoped would go away if I took a different drug.

My doctor responded immediately and prescribed a different medication, which I picked up on Monday. Ron left Tuesday for a business conference in Florida, and I naively hoped that by the time he returned on Saturday, I would be a better, happier person.

But if you want God to laugh, tell Him your plans.

I started feeling bad on Tuesday and by Wednesday I had come down with a bad cold so I stayed in and rested. I was lonely and miserable, but fortunately by Thursday I felt better. I was so busy I didn't notice the weird symptoms I was experiencing:  vivid nightmares, severe and frequent hot flashes, crying jags and nausea.

That night I went to dinner with my book group, then to hear humanitarian Greg Mortensen speak (our group read his book Three Cups of Tea).  Something was amiss though: Mortensen didn't talk very long, but I felt so uncomfortable and fidgety I wanted to jump out of my skin.

Friday and Saturday I helped at the Rochester library's used book sale, but then came home and collapsed. Ron came back Saturday night, but my condition continued to decline.  I wondered if this was what Hell was like.

On Sunday night, I finally cracked and e-mailed my doctor, telling her about the side effects I'd been experiencing.  What she said in response surprised me.

 "I don't think the side effects are from the new drug.  I think they are more likely from stopping the old one." Basically, I was going through withdrawal.  Wow, no wonder withdrawal horror stories are so common. My doctor recommended gradually taking a pill of the old drug every other day for a week then every third day for a week, weaning myself gradually off it.

I jumped on her advice and today I felt much better; however, I learned a lesson in caution. Nothing is free, least of all a cure for the age-old complaint of depression.  Take all drugs with care, realizing there are tradeoffs. Every benefit comes at a price, and it's up to us to determine what we are willing to pay.