How are things progressing Isap

[Isap]

Hello Debs

Thanks for that post. It is encouraging that a friend had to wait ages for her mirtazapine to work.

The psychiatrist here told me you need to give it three months. I always assumed that 6 weeks was the longest you had to wait. I do believe that you need a good event to kick start them working and hopefully it was the witness showing up at last and the realisation that my lawyer was the main cause of my awful mental state. For a while she had death threats and a police escort which made her paranoid and she was offloading her negativity on me. Not to mention her constant lying and money grabbing. I'll be pleased to see the back of her too. I think most lawyers are scum.

The reason that they put my cellmate in the clinic cell is because they were worried he might do something to himself if put in the TB cell with the real lowlife. But as you said, still a humane solution, and respectful towards me too.

I tried contacting a helpline here, I rang off after a minute because all this woman was doing was collecting data on age, country, other stupid details. I texted to tell them to call me because it was costing and I had one missed call 40 minutes later. I know from reading Geoffrey Archer that the Samaritans train prisoners to act as listeners for other prisoners. They are a uniquely British institution we can be proud of.

God bless

Chris xx

[caro]

Hello Chris

I am so pleased that your witness showed up, and that it was a positive for you.

I struggle with the child rape cases. Too close to home for me to be objective.

I too love animals, especially cats. We have two, and they are my best friends. I struggle with people ,but my cats give me so much love . Stroking them always calms me down.

I hope your meds are finally kicking in. That would be a major improvement for you.

Thinking of you xx

[Isap]

Hello caro

Thanks for your nice post. I think I need a week of not feeling awful to say that the meds are kicking in. when they do it is so often followed by a setback.

You wouldn't like the jail cats. Some are real savages.

Chris xx

[Isap]

Hello Debs and caro

My wife's medications from Japan were delivered to the door of my JW yesterday. Just as well, because he was unable to find any of the three in the main pharmacies.

I posted on another forum about my positive experiences using Tramadol every three days. True to form, I got slated for it by amateur experts. This is the same forum where a majority of posters agreed that prisoners should not be allowed to watch TV. Incredible hypocrisy and ignorance. Many people are in UK jail's because of mental problems.

I looked at threads on this forum and found none I could help with.

Hope you are both coping ok and are as well as you can be under your circumstances

God bless

Chris xx

[deb1960]

Hi Chris

The way you take your tramadol makes sense but most people go by all tthe exact recommendations and can't imagine other possibilities. Most people can't think for themselves.

The crap they're saying about TV in prison shows their small mindedness. I was reading just today the work Samaritans are doing in prisons to help those with mental illness. Apparently people in prison are 10 times more likely to commit suicide.

I hope you're okay with my telling you that. I am very sensitive to talk of suicide. On Sunday a friend told me of a neighbour and yesterday my husband heard that his brother's grandson had killed himself at just 17. In order to help myself cope I have a black sense of humour which annoyed my husband quite a lot. The thing is I can remember suicides I heard of years ago and still get upset for them and their families.

I have a crazy head when I'm not good and I think the worst. I can also momentarily think things that are, as I said, crazy. One evening last year i realised Snuggles the hamster wasn't up from his bed. In a moment of panic I worried that he'd killed himself. I'm happy to say that he died naturally some months later.

I hope your slightly better mood continues.

God bless
Debs xx

[caro]

Hello Chris

Thank goodness your wife got the meds to you. How awful that you are having to worry about getting the medication on time.

I feel for you about the issues on another site. I think we have to be very careful with forums.
I know for me, one negative post, or thoughtless comment, can make me spiral downwards quickly.

Don't overthink the tramadol. You need it right now. You know how to take it, and are wise enough to not keep upping the dose.
Yet again the media here are talking negatively about Tramadol. I totally understand the risks, but they fail to point out that some of us benefit greatly, and are sensible enough to take it properly.

Take care xx

[Isap]

Hello Debs and caro

Thanks for your supportive posts, as always.

There is a horrid guard on duty today so I expect trouble getting allowed out for bible study and to get my meds later. It's power harassment and nothing else but hopeless trying to insist on your rights here.

That forum I posted on, no more panic.co.uk, has some horrid members. The reason I chose to post there was to annoy them more than anything else. 9 replies so far which I won't read. As caro said, one negative post can have a nasty negative effect on you.

My lawyer asked me for money yesterday because it is her 50th birthday. She really is losing the plot. I politely refused. No more money for her until she's got me out of here.

Suicide is a reality but I still hate reading about it.

God bless

Chris xx

[Isap]

Hello Debs and caro

Today is a Tramadol day and it will take more than ignorant scaremongers on an internet forum to stop me.

After 3 months on venlafaxine, it does appear to be helping. At yesterday's JW bible study, my pastor said it's the first time he's ever seen Mr with an upright body (instead of slumped over in a miserable heap).

The reason it took so long to have an effect is probably because I was taking other stuff with it, clonazepam and quetiapine. I've slowly reduced morning dose of quetiapine from 300 to 75 and will ask the psychiatrist next week if it's ok to stop completely. I will still take 50mg at night for sleep.

Caro, you said you were once on venlafaxine, which is an SNRI. Were you ever offered the SNRI Cymbalta (duloxetine) which treats fibromyalgia too?

Debs, is the pregabalin still helping? The jail doctor who visited Mr said any drugs ending in -in and -am were bad. To be honest I don't see the connection.

A lot of cellphone searches recently so have to be very careful at the timed of day I use it.

I'm coping ok without my Danish cellmate in isolation for TB. He is a 'trustee' and I paid him to get us water. There is no running water in any cell and always a shortage. I've been managing to get up at 6 and deal with the water mafia, of course I have to pay them to deliver it to my cell because I'm not allowed to get myself from the outdoor tap.

God bless

Chris xx

[caro]

Hello Chris

I hope your Tramadol day was restful and helpful for you.
You certainly need all the help you can get, given the awful conditions you are having to live in. How on earth you manage is beyond me.

Regarding Duloxetine, yes i have tried it. I responded quite well to it, but i got terrible migraines. Other than Venlafaxine, it is the only modern antidepressant med that has touched my mood. As you said, it is also used for pain, and i found it useful for that, although not as good as Amitriptyline.

I think my experiences towards medication may be different to most, because I am autistic.
Apparently it is normal for autistic brains to not respond, or respond differently to medication. Our brains are wired differently, so i suppose it is not surprising.
I definitely can not take SSRIs, and only need small doses of my medication as i am so sensitive to them.

Thank goodness the venlafaxine is working for you.
Good news xx

[Isap]

Hello caro

Thanks for your kind and interesting reply.

What you said about autistic brains being wired differently is interesting. Me and you definitely respond differently to the same medications. 300mg of non XR quetiapine made you drowsy, while it gave me awful leg cramps and "postural vertigo" or dizziness when standing up. I'm now down to 75mg and will ask psychiatrist on Wednesday if I can come off that dose in one go.

I probably never mentioned that I have twin brothers who I suspect are autistic but have never been diagnosed. One has social anxiety and has never worked. Bring up the subject of getting help and he goes away and hides. He had a daily routine which hasn't changed in years.

Yes, the venlafaxine is working although I still have a long way to go. I'm on 3 x 37.5 capsules every morning. That means I have scope to increase if necessary.

Take care

Chris xx