Lived Experience Forum

[Former-Member]

I started new meds during a hospital stay in february. I spent four weeks stabilising and adjusting to a low dose of the new meds and since then the psychiatrists plan has been to continue upping the dosage until i get to what he wanted me to take which is fine. But since the last increase I've been feeling incredibly sick and vomiting in the afternoons. my gp doesnt want to change the meds because its the psychiatrists plans but I dont have a telemed (live in the country) for another month. 😞 these meds also have only helped to a certain point and the increases havent helped my mood improve noticably. Have now moved to a new area for safety reasons and finding it so hard to adjust to being mum again and managing everything. There was supposed to be support

[Baboo]

Hey there lisajane,

Apart from a gp and psychiatrist are you linked in with any other mental health support services?

Having a case manager with a support service i think is such a good help as your going from hospital to home.

For example: you can take support workers into doctors appointments at times- if your vomiting and feeling really unwell from new meds- a support worker can help advocate this.

You at least need a good explanation as to why its making you so sick- or why they haven't offered you any thing else to take to stop you vomiting 😞

What state do you live in? i can help you by looking up some services if you like.

[Alessandra1992]

Hey @lisajane, get your GP to ring your psychiatrist or ring your psychiatrist and let him know what is happening. I am pretty damb sure the psychiatrist would need to know this, and then adjust plan accordingly. Your psych can also fax info to your go or email it..this is what I would call a necessary thing to do given the gap between appointments..
Also, ask your hospital from where you were discharged for a referral to community health or an MHCSS referral..that is in Victoria you can get one on one support, for Mental Health Community Support Service (MHCSS). You might need to ring Intake and Assessment line for your region..call VMIAC if you find the hospital cant help with referral.
Google MHCSS and Intake and Assessment..maybe you have been referred in meantime but pretty sure now you have to refer yourself.
In some regional areas you can ring up local community health service and ask if they have a PHAMS team, Personal Helpers and Mentors.. Federally funded and you don't need to have a specific diagnosis..
VMIAC is the peak consumer organisation for mental health folks like us, www.vmiac.org.au they might be able to point you to a service near you..I think they have a toll free number for country folks..
Good luck...

[Former-Member]

sorry, some of my post went missing! crazy tired brain! The hospital had me fill out forms for community health support and i have spoken to the social worker there a few times but i am still waiting for an outcome to see if I can get home based help from them. The social worker there is also the contact to the psychiatrist but she forgot to book me in for a tele med meeting when i left hospital so she has just booked me in yesterday for four weeks time now as that is the next available appointment time. The social worker is nice but she said she is extremely busy with a full case load and taking on someone elses workload who is on leave too so she hasnt even read my file properly. She said to make an appointment back with my GP to talk to her about side effects but i can't get in with her until next week. I feel kind of like they will wait till i am so bad i am hospitalised before they do anything. I see a psychologist once a fortnight and i didnt even think to mention my physical reactions to the meds to her. We talked about my mood and other therapy stuff and I have family court coming up as well as criminal court (for domestic violence offences against my ex coming up - though he is now saying that my recent hospital admission is proof i'm a bad mother and making up stories about him 😞 ) I can't even go back to the previous dosage of meds because they wont give me the 30mg tablets again, so if i did cut back the dosage i'd be halving it 😞 Sigh! Thankyou for your suggestions, I will see if I can leave a message for the social worker again. Feel like im being a pain in everyones you know what 😞

[Former-Member]

also i'm not in Vic, in SA

[Baboo]

I wouldnt be worried about being a pain in the ......... to your workers- you just need to politely remind them that you actually need a bit of a hand- and the sooner the better.

Can you ask your social worker if another staff member can help you out this week while they cant?

Do you have assistance with legal aid for court?

[Former-Member]

Thanks Baboo, i don't know if there is anyone else working in mental health here or not. I dont want to upset her by asking either. With the court stuff, no I havent been eligible for legal aid because up until i got so sick at the end of last year i worked full time and wasnt eligible. Now i'm not working at all, just fell completely to pieces at the end of last year/start of this year and couldnt cope anymore, so have gone onto a parenting payment so now finances being another major stressor at the moment. Sometimes life seems like one long exhausting nightmare.

[Baboo]

If your on parenting payments now you can you re-apply for legal aid?

Can you ring the doctors clinic and ask them to type a note to your doctor to remind them to discuss the vomiting next time you visit? Or write your self a note to help you remember?

What family and friend support do you have?

[Former-Member]

hi Baboo, I have no family at all, but i have one close friend who lives nearby and helped so much while i was in hospital, she looked after my children for the month i was in hospital and I initially stayed with her when I left hospital and was waiting to find a new place to live, where my ex hopefully wont find us for a while. she has been amazing and I feel so bad for how much she's done. My old boss is extrememly supportive and has become a good friend too, have been so lucky to have her, but she also lives an hour away now that i've moved.

I dont know if i can reapply for legal aid i wil have to check with my family court lawyer when i see her next, but i have a feeling they use your last tax income as the reference, so maybe after June this year.

yes, i think that is a good idea to get the receptionist to write my dr a note for my next visit. thankyou for your help.

[Baboo]

lisajane,

Oh dont feel bad for your friend helping you out- feel happy that you have them 😄 That what good friends are for- and im sure you would want to do the same if you could for them.

Im so glad you have 2 people in your life for support- much better than having no one at all. And it doesnt matter if your friends are far away- a good chat on the phone can lift your spirit's any day.

I applied for legal aid last year, they based my support eligibility on my savings account- i got assistance, i work and get a payment off centrlink aswell. Please do ask again.

I hope you have some nice relaxing ideas planned for this week while you wait for help from your workers

Baboo