Posted by LyndaK on November 14, 2002, at 0:05:25
In reply to Does anyone hold a career while on meds??, posted by kelranji on November 13, 2002, at 22:27:52
In answer to your question, I have held on to my career through all the mucking around in the trials and tribulations of different medications. It's been difficult. There have been a fair number of sick days taken because I just couldn't get myself together emotionally that day. Some drugs had side-effects that were creating as much dysfunction as the depression, but when the depression got so bad I felt like killing myself, the drugs kept me alive ... and kicking and still trying. I'm FINALLY on a drug that I tolerate well (Remeron) -- the sedating side-effects were horrible at first but resolved with time. I am fortunate to have a supportive supervisor who I was able to be upfront and honest with. She was much more able to work with me when she knew what was really going on. I realize not everyone is in that kind of a work situation.
I guess the decision of whether to go the medication route depends on how bad the condition is. If you need to be on medication, use your vacation/sick time to your advantage when getting used to a new drug. I understand the issue with driving -- gave me a real empathy experience with senior citizens. Just take it easy and stick to the slow lanes for a while.
I don't know much about alternatives to medication. There are others on this board who do.
Best of luck to you.
Lynda
poster:LyndaK
thread:127542
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021108/msgs/127555.html