Last week I met with my psychiatrist to discuss my progress. I keep a journal each day to document my mood on a scale of 1(low) to 10 (high). I began doing this several years ago to recall my progress between appointments with my psychiatrist.
Earlier this year my mood was between 4 to 6 which lasted for three months. Consulting with my psychiatrist he recommended adding a medication as a booster to help my depression. After taking it for six weeks I noticed a positive impact on my mood. I still felt moody and sad but at least I was at a 6. The Psychiatrist did a slight increase and after two more months, I felt my mood slightly improve.
When we met last week I wondered if we did an increase again I might experience a consistent 8 or even 9. He wanted to do a few blood tests to make sure my current dosage was not causing side effects to my liver and thyroid (I take medication for this). The results found everything in the normal range and I thought the Psychiatrist would increase my medication. However, he recommended we stay the course with the current level prescribed.
There are two reasons I am sharing this with you. First, it is important to advocate for my health needs because I am the expert on what I need. In fact, I emailed my doctor to clarify our agreement. If blood work comes back normal I could increase the amount I am taking. If I notice no further therapeutic benefits I could go back down. Second, I need to manage my expectations for my mood. Accept that my mood at a 7 or 8 is good enough. Right now I may be receiving the maximum benefit from medication. Medication is a piece of the pie, not the entire pie. Other pieces of the pie include; spiritual, peer support groups, therapy, eating well, exercise, and socializing with others.
I am sharing with you my recovery process and some considerations I struggle with as I maintain my health and well-being. Do you experience similar situations in your own Recovery?
Peace
Larry
email: ljw@superhumanbeing.net
website: https://superhumanbeing.net/