Medicines: An Update - 11/11/24

My feelings remain the same in spite of the difficulties involved. Medicines are often necessary to help us with the comorbid mental health challenges we face. In my case, there are at least two:  OCD and some kind of explosive disorder. To treat the explosive disorder, my doctor started me on Abilify. It’s been like a miracle for me. Since I started it, I’ve had only one minor incident, and that was over a month ago. Before I started it, I had about thirty or forty incidents a month. 


The difficulties are twofold: firstly, getting the exact right dose is tricky. Two little, and I’ll have an incident. Too much, and I can’t stay awake. Secondly, there are side effects. In my case, too big a dose led to the development of something called akathisia. It’s a feeling that you absolutely must move, no matter what. Let me tell you…it’s awful. So now I’m being treated with medicine for that. 

But in spite of all this, I believe I am feeling way better. Each day I wake up, not dreading the day. The anticipation of the inevitable episode made me incredibly stressed. 

So yeah, the process of getting medicines right is hard, but so worth it.