Medically proscibed drugs did me
I suffer with chronic pain after some extensive and painful surgery a couple of years ago that severed a few nerves. That surgery saved my life, but it came at a cost that although not always fun has had some silly moments.

The surgeon says wisely "Oh yes, some patients can suffer with nerve pain, take these drugs!" and he hands me a script for Gabapentine, a Neuro-suppressant and anti convulsant. I start shovelling them down my neck as instructed and start to get the odd side effects of Zombification... I was at work in my Lab and was working on some Electronics with a soldering iron in my hand when I passed out and fell from my chair to the floor. Work went Health and Safety Bananas and I was not allowed to work with hazardous materials unsupervised.

A few days later I was sat at my desk and everything went dark. When I woke up I was sat on the floor leaning up against my Fume cupboard with my Mum who worked in the same school looking really worried.

Turns out I was allergic to Gabapentine so I had to stop taking it. However my dosage was so huge, if I just stopped I was at risk of seizures. Hmm... seizures or black outs, nice choice. Fortunately I did not suffer a seizure, but I was quite ill.

Pain was still immense so I was proscribed Pregabeline. Another variant of the Epilepsy drugs above and I was assured that I would be fine. Cue more zombification and drowsiness. This time the dose was huge and yet the pain did not stop. I cried on my GP who informed me that I was suffering with depression. Add to my drugs a dose of the lovely anti depressant, Citalipram and I now needed a box to tell what drugs to swallow and when.

Nothing was working and I was also being bullied at work. Things came to a head and I was put on the sick for twelve weeks.

Time to come off of the drugs. Cue much vomiting, nightmares, flu like symptoms and more vomiting. I was so nauseous that anything could set me. I puked in the street so often, I lost any embarrassment of my foul bodily functions, with my new girlfriend (who bless her nursed me through all of this shit and still claims to love me!).

I am now clean, but it took three months to get rid of the addiction to proscribed drugs. However my pain returned and I collapsed in my new job after a week. to their credit, they have got used to me now and when I hit the floor, they don't worry any more (well not much because they are a really lovely bunch) because I explained I just need a time out to rest for a minute or two to get my breath back.

So I decide to see my new GP and tell him what is going on. He looks concerned, amused when I tell him of my chemical adventures and he sends me off to the local pain clinic (first appointment next week!), but not before writing out a script for another neuro-suppresant. This time it is bloody Tegretol.
I do wonder what part of him was listening when I said that I did not want any more dependency forming drugs?
( Rev. Jayneflakes Buy my book, I need the cash for drugs and hookers, Sun 21 Dec 2008, 0:11, 2 replies)

ew
Citalipram is horrific, but talk of savior partners is even worse.
(Popiella Jones, Sun 21 Dec 2008, 0:38, closed)

Well...
I've been on citalopram and quetiapine (a silly anti-psychotic) for a few years now: I can relate to the zombification! Horrific. I'm not half the person I used to be but, on the upside, at least I've stopped trying to kill myself now!
(mr major no thanks, I don't use the horse, Sun 21 Dec 2008, 19:05, closed)