YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

Since before I started my latest job (October 2010) I've been meaning to get on medication. I've made up my mind that I'm making the calls I need to start this process today. Any advice for what I can discuss with the psychiatrist which might give me a better chance for getting on the correct medication the first time, or is it pretty much just trial and error?

A lot of it is trial and error, but you could ask your doctor if it's possible to start off at a half dose and gradually work up to full strength. When you go off meds you usually have to wean off, so I bet the reverse applies. One of my friends said her doctor got her on meds that way and it made it easier.

next year wrote:A lot of it is trial and error, but you could ask your doctor if it's possible to start off at a half dose and gradually work up to full strength. When you go off meds you usually have to wean off, so I bet the reverse applies. One of my friends said her doctor got her on meds that way and it made it easier.

Thanks for the advice!

Happy to help. It does take a while to feel better - sometimes you can get lucky and the meds will kick in right away, but other times it can take a few weeks. Hang in there!

Anyone have any advice on how to get past the catch22 of solving the problem of lack of motivation? I posted the OP a week ago and I still havn't fracking called. It's just making me feel even more down... Sometimes I'll even manage to take the phone out, but I just stare at it and then put it away.

EL: You really have to be stubborn. This works for me. I just don't allow myself to sit around. When I feel the urge to not do anything, I get up. When depressed/starting with meds, that combination really helped me. If you have the energy to write, you have the energy to do other things.

Second, create obligations in your life. My worst time was when I had nothing to give to anybody. However, even during those times, when I had an appointment during the morning, I knew that other people were expecting things from me and so I got up, hit the shower, and started my day.

Third, exercise. It is corny, but it really helps.

Fourth, laugh at this. If you can laugh at it, you can minimize it. My brother and I make fun of our anxiety all of the time. We actually make horrible jokes about it, but you know, it actually helps us to deal with it.

Anyone have any advice on how to get past the catch22 of solving the problem of lack of motivation?

One thing that helps me is making a list. Very simple, but it does work. When my anxiety was at its peak I even had things like "shower, eat breakfast" etc on the list. It's kind of funny to me now, but I really needed to do that so I wasn't just tunneling around my house like a gerbil all day. You also get to check things off and that can give you a sense of accomplishment. I've found that with most things in my life, the fretting and indecision is way worse than just writing it down and doing it. The anticipation is usually worse than the reality.

I like Frankcashew's advice of "get up" and "exercise." I couldn’t agree more. If you don’t exercise, just start off with a 30 min walk every day. I also try to get out for at least a 10 min walk on my lunch hour at work to break up the monotony. Endorphins – it works.

I also loved Adam Carolla's "fake it till you make it" rant. When I didn't want to go to work after a sleepless night punctuated by anxiety attacks my husband would almost literally push me out the door. "Just pretend you feel fine. Pretend you slept all night. Fake it." Sometimes I think that was the best advice I got.

Just call and make the appointment and you will stop thinking about it. Don’t beat yourself up. Asking for help is hard and it’s great that you are on this forum looking to make things better for yourself.

Yeah, I've tried the list thing too many times to count. It starts to work, but I find I just cannot stick to it. There are small things I do that I've realized get in my way too, so I feel like I've been able to whittle them down over time. A list is still the key, but I need to deice the keyhole before I can use it if you catch my drift.