Of Sanity and Shame

So, it's 1:15AM. I'm about to down my night time prescription cocktail. 250Mg of Seroquel, 40mg Lexapro. Which equates to 5 pills. Why not 2? God only knows... Sometimes I think they want to see how many pills they can split 2 medications into before I freak out. But I digress.

Well I'm sitting here reading through the forums and I'm thinking how many tempers are in the same boat as me. It's a fleeting thought, because I'd rather not ask and in the process out my self as the “crazy.” That's harsh I know, and that's what spurs me to give it further thought. Before I know it I'm stuck contemplating two logics, somewhere between Blake's “Shame is pride's cloak” and Pascal's “The only shame is to have none”. Then I wonder if maybe there's some temper who thinks themselves “crazy” because they take pills to maintain in a less than sane world and maybe they are far less forgiving of self transgressions.

So, this is it: bare. Hi, I take medications for insomnia, obsessive compulsive disorder and last but not least: mild psychosis. In addition to the 250Mg of Seroquel and 40mg Lexapro that I take at night, I am greeted by a bit of Wellbutrin in the morning, a pick-me-up if you will. My life resembles a roller coaster of sorts, for months I can function at near genius levels. 3.8 GPA, Honor classes, offers to study abroad, awards and so on and so fourth. But relapse is never too far off, I crumble inward like a building being demolished. Some times this results in the changing of my medications. I never play around with that gradual reduction bullshit. If the doc says I need a switch then I go cold turkey. Withdrawal is in essence, suffering incarnate. I have came down off of medications cold turkey, that doctors have likened to the withdrawals felt from heroin. These are my worst weeks and months. I am paranoid, my blood itches (hard to explain), sometimes I hear voices and a darkness swells in my chest nearly uncontrollable. But I maintain. Then I rebuild. That's my life and without a doubt it will continue to be; a cycle of highs and lows strung together.

You may wonder if perhaps this is a joke, I assure you it is not. What preceded is my attempt to vanquish the part in me that says “no don't post that.” I believe that a man is only as genuine as his vanity will allow, so I present this as proof of concept. My hope is that it might resonate with someone else on the board, someone else who's closeted a part of themselves out of fear of being branded.

Comments

Prophet, you may need help sleeping - but if it matters, I think you're one of the most intelligent tempers to grace the forums! :lol:

I too have got may troubles sleeping. There's just always something else I could be doing. There's always a game I could be playing, TV I could be watching, iPod I could be listening to, or a computer I could be browsing the internet from.

I wouldn't call myself "crazy", maybe just a mild form of insomniac and an addiction to this community...

But, brother, I'm on the same boat as you are, and if you could give me something to take away these "obligations" to the site and community (such as sleeping pills), I'd take it right now.
 
Wow. You ARE intelligent... one of the most well written posts I've seen here on the Temp and the internet!

I'm amazed at how you manage to survive on a day to day level. You've gained my respect.
 
i have also felt a crushing, suffocating, darkness and despair similar to the one you are describing. After the highs and lows i have become rather numb in comparison. I used to take welbutrin and prozac as well as sleep aids. I had recently found out there is a disorder linked to antidepression withdrawl. I dont take any pills anymore. I still have trouble sleeping and my life is filled with emotionally bright spots on a black background. Don't mess around with taking large doses of them until you know how it affects you on its own. Being someone who has had to deal with these problems first hand i feel for you with the utmost sympathy. One thing that helped me understand my own problems is talking to family members with similar problems if possible. I commend you for not letting it affect your grades and performance, It often can.

I don't really talk about this often anymore. I still get the thoughts but i have changed the way i respond to them over time. For instance, is they were self-loathing, i will ask myself why i thought it, it takes a while to do it instinctively. I hear random voices too, i found out while talking to my mother that paranoid-schitzophrenia runs in the family. They are pretty easy to ignore, if you feel you have to listen to them its time to let your psychologist know. Another good way to get yourself out of the slumps sometimes is to pray or meditate. Focusing your mind helps in weeding out those feelings that might mislead you.

If its possible to i suggest you also gauge your depression levels while you are coming off and on of medications, sometimes the withdrawls from those drugs can make you feel much worse than you could even imagine and affects your body for about 3 days on average after you stop taking them. You definitely have someone who understands. PM me or leave me a comment if you just need someone to talk to.
 

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