SYMPTOMS OF A DRUG PRESCRIPTION
Each week we tell a different story about our journey to provide you with the knowledge we believe you need before, during, and after taking a prescription drug.
This week we continue with Nikki’s journey taking a different prescribed drug.
Making this the seventh drug Nikki was prescribed, since she reached out for help a little over a year ago.
Although we wrote this post together, we have chosen to present the following story through Nikki’s experience.
Let’s begin!
Nikki's Story:
Journey through Risperidone
September 15, 2023 by Nikki and Anne Heart
By the time I started Risperidone in late summer of 2011, I was already on four other prescription drugs.
Scary as this may seem now, I didn’t even realize how many different prescription drugs I was putting into my system.
I guess this was due to the way I was advised to take them.
Some pills I took in the morning, some in the afternoon and some at night.
Frequently adding a pill or sometimes just a piece of a pill at times while decreasing another drug.
Never feeling well, but always told it was because I wasn’t taking the required dosage of each individual one.
Like most of the drug prescriptions I was on, Risperidone wasn’t any different.
I continued to have the same type of reactions including severe nauseous.
At first, I experienced crazy thoughts which was a term I commonly used for how I was thinking.
But as I increased the Risperidone from .25 mg to .5 mg, my thoughts became hateful. Thoughts that truly scared me.
Eventually, my counselor decreased the Risperidone back to my original dosage.
Still, I continued to feel depressed, moody, irritable, shaky, and very stressed.
Henceforth, she again increased my Risperidone dosage to .5 mg, but this time I took .25 mg in am and .25 mg in pm.
My anger increasingly continued to worsen until she finally withdraw me from Risperidone.
Unfortunately, as I started withdrawing from Risperidone, my health care provider prescribed a new drug, Geodon.
TIPS TO MAKE SURE YOUR PRESCRIPTION TREATMENT PLAN IS THE RIGHT ONE FOR YOU:
Number 1:
While I was prescribed Risperidone, I was on a collegiate track team, as well as an avid horseback rider.
Unfortunately, I was not aware of the warnings prescription drugs may have against physical activity while on a particular drug.
- Verify that your prescribed drug does not have any warnings regarding extreme physically activity.
Number 2:
At the time I was taking Risperidone, my health care prescriber was aware I was taking over-the-counter medication for allergies. In fact, she even recommended I take Benadryl.
- Knowledge is important regarding any over-the-counter medicines or supplements pertaining to interactions with your prescription drug(s).
Number 3:
Having blind trust in my health care provider led me not to question important factors regarding taking my prescribed drugs.
Important questions are:
- Should the medication be taken with or without food?
- Will the drug have an interaction with any drug I am currently on, including over the counter?
- Can I take any supplements or vitamins while being on the prescription drug?
- Is there any research regarding all the drugs I am prescribed being taken simultaneously?
- Should you alter the pill in anyway.
- Can you break up the dosage, such as half in morning and half in evening without any effects?
- Does alcohol effect the prescribed drug?
- How long is the withdrawal?
- Should I wait to completely withdraw from a drug before starting a new one?
Number 4:
Being prescribed several drugs at once, caused many unwanted results.
It even contributed to future inaccurate diagnoses for me.
As well as long term side effects that I still continue to struggle with.
- Can my prescribed drug or combination of drugs show false symptoms of another disorder, such as bipolar.
- Will I have long term or permanent side effects from the prescribed drug?
- What are the consequences of suddenly stopping a prescribed drug?
Learning to question everything is key to your wellbeing.
Each week we continue discussing important things that normally aren’t discussed.
The things that should be questioned, so you can have all the necessary information needed to make the correct choice for your health care plan.
We hope you will continue our journey with us.
Weekly Posts Every Friday: Journey Continues
September 22, 2023
Learn more. Live healthier!
“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”
– Albert Einstein –
FROM THE BLOG
Mom's Story: Journey through Wellness (Part 1)
Mom's Story: Journey through Wellness (Part 2)
Mom's Story: Journey through Wellness (Part 3)
Nikki's Story: Journey into Prescription Drugs
Note: All information in “Nikki’s Story” are based on detail journals covering seven years of Nikki’s life on prescription drugs.
Medical Disclaimer:
We share informational resources that are intended to help you with your self-care plan. We are not professionals. We write based on personal experience and personal research.
Nothing on this Website is intended to be taken as medical advice. The information provided on the Website is intended to encourage, not replace, direct patient-health professional relationships. Always consult with your doctor before altering your medications. Adding nutritional supplements may alter the effect of medication. Any medication changes should be done only after proper evaluation and under medical supervision.
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