17 Tweets That Get Real About Mental Illness Medication

Editor’s note: Please see a doctor before starting or stopping a medication.

Anyone who’s taken medication to manage a mental illness knows the process can be less than straightforward. In fact, sometimes the first medication you try isn’t right at all, and you’re forced to go through… a dreaded med change. For those who eventually find the right medication for them, this process is ultimately rewarding. For those who don’t, it’s frustrating. And overall, psychiatrists need to do a better job showing compassion for patients they’re putting through these med changes, which means being honest and clear about possible side effects, believing the person when they explain how they feel and seeing the person as more than the sum of their symptoms, but as a fellow human who wants to improve their overall quality of life.

We have a long way to go.

That’s why it’s important for people in the mental health community to open up about medication, and why #ThisIsWhatAnxietyLooksLike creator and Stigma Fighters CEO started the hashtag #ShoutOutYourMedChange. All last week people have been taking to Twitter and using the hashtag to a start dialogue about how different medications affected them.

It’s important to note that not everyone reacts to medication in the same way, so it’s not always wise to take anecdotes as gospel. But, hearing fellow medication-takers discuss how medication affected them can give you tools to talk to your own doctor, and will at the very least remind you you’re not alone if you can relate. You can see much more specific tweets about medication by checking out the #ShoutOutYourMedChange hashtag.

Here are some of our favorite conversation starters:

1.

#ShoutOutYourMedChange When you have an overflowing box of psych meds because they keep getting changed and adjusted.

— Meghan Zadow (@emmmaolive) April 7, 2017

2. 

Been through about every antidepressant and mood stabilizer in the book, not ashamed to admit it, either. #ShoutOutYourMedChange

— Sassy Scientist Katie ????????‍???? ???? ???????? (@SnarkDivine) April 7, 2017

3.

I take 7 daily meds at this point so I designed a pillbox for myself(and anyone else!). #ShoutOutYourMedChange https://t.co/KJMTwfoFgD pic.twitter.com/gGjS9kDkP0

— Schizophrenic.NYC (@SchizophrenicNY) April 8, 2017

4.

I take medication for mental illness and I will not be ashamed#endthestigma#youarenotalone#shoutoutyourmedchange https://t.co/ULieAEbkad pic.twitter.com/MFA63bhwj7

— EndTheStigmaBadges (@ETSBadges) April 7, 2017

5. 

#ShoutOutYourMedChange stick with it until you find what works for you. It's not fast, or easy. pic.twitter.com/7GF78Sjv1g

— Mental Health Editor (@cynchazen) April 6, 2017

6.

#ShoutOutYourMedChange It's taken me 11 yrs to get the right medication & dose which is why I'm so happy. I've taken most mood stabs around

— ???? Sakinah???? (@TheMuslimHippie) April 6, 2017

7.

Prescribed a combo anti-anxiety/anti-depressant only to become more anxious/depressed about the resulting weight gain.#ShoutOutYourMedChange

— R. Flowers Rivera (@RFlowersRivera) April 8, 2017

8.

I had an insurance hiccup in January and went cold turkey for about a week. Migraines, vomiting, intense desperation. #ShoutOutYourMedChange

— rhett is my gentleman friend, yes (@brokenpencil__) April 8, 2017

9. 

These #ShoutOutYourMedChange tweets are so, so important for shrinks to read. And it's why I stay in super close contact with my pts. https://t.co/DsdNNF1eU6

— Mark W. Wilson, MD (@markwwilsonmd) April 7, 2017

10.

For 16 months, I have never missed a day of medication twice daily. This week I already missed twice. #ShoutOutYourMedChange

— Kai’s Creations: ALightInTheDarkness (@alightinthedrk) April 7, 2017

11.

i'm super sensitive to side-effects #shoutoutyourmedchange

— Amy Steele (@msamysteele) April 7, 2017

12.

#ShoutOutYourMedChange frustrating to go through med changes. I sometimes feel ill flu-like, but it is so worth it to have a working mix

— Lori Bernstein (@lorib641) April 7, 2017

13. 

When you see a new dr and she asks for your med history…and you can't even remember all you've already tried #ShoutOutYourMedChange

— Erica (@eschwa319) April 7, 2017

14. 

I guess now is a good time to say openly & with freedom: I take an antidepressant & sometimes doses gotta be changed. #ShoutOutYourMedChange

— Jess Davison (@justjazzyjess) April 6, 2017

15. 

When your bathroom counter is filled with empty RX bottles and the trash can is already full. #ShoutOutYourMedChange #justdoitalready

— Jessica L Scarlett (@Scarlatti0521) April 6, 2017

16. 

Meds keep my mood swings less dangerous, but I hate the weird side effects like forgetting words and scatterbrain. #ShoutOutYourMedChange

— jamie ™ (@prettyviolent11) April 6, 2017

17. 

Worst thing to me about med changes is that you don't know if it will work and you usually need to "give it time." #ShoutOutYourMedChange

— Rachel Lynn Brody (@girl_onthego) April 6, 2017