Medication

It occurs to me that I did not sufficiently credit my medication for my current state of clear-mindedness. I am strongly convinced that my recovery was facilitated largely by the medicine. I was started on my current regimen back in May after suffering from psychosis and a depressive crisis. The time between May and September was spent slowly coming back to my senses and beginning to come out of the tailspin. I kept developing and by November I began working and started the Happiness Project. Now it is March and I have a life, as previously noted.

I would not be in this recovery period without the effects of my anti-depressant, Effexor XR; my mood stabilizer, Lamictal; and my anti-psychotic, Saphris. They are very necessary to my proper functioning. I've had times when I was unable to get my meds for a few days, and they were not pretty. It takes about a week to normalize for every one day that I miss. I'm not willing to give up that much ground, so I'm very, very careful to make sure that I take every dose and get my refills far enough in advance that I am not caught in between again.

So yes, my depression is part of a cycle, but medication shortens that cycle tremendously and keeps it from being as deep, as well as keeping me from going deeper into illness. I just wanted to make sure I said that.