Possibly Switching my Meds

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I have been been taking Abilify for years and I'm noticing that I'm having a very unpleasant long term side effect which is excessive blinking (blepharospasm). I hate the blepharospasm. It's getting in the way of reading, watching TV, playing video games and it makes my eyes hurt. I'm meeting with my doctor about it but I'm worried that they will take me off of my Abilify and I'll have bad moodswings like I used to.

I was recently told that I wasn't supposed to stay on Abilify forever and since the blinking has been a very stressful long term side effect I know I'm eventually going to have to go on an alternative. What if my depression and moodswings spiral out of control again? I mentioned that I could just go to my room and take my mind off of whatever is getting me worked up.

Then there's weight changes. I already have bad knees and high cholesterol. The doctor's want me to lose weight but if I go on an alternative that won't happen. It's really concerning me.

I'm worried that if I go on an alternative, I lose everything that I have worked for in life. There's no way to make any of this work. The bottom line is, I'm not as beautiful as I thought I was. I'm not as interesting and cool as I thought I was. I'm an average girl.

Express all your reservations to your doctor, and then work with him or her to choose the best course of action. You are not a helpless participant in all this - it's your life, you get to choose.

But how do you go from concerns about a drug side effect, to "I'm not as beautiful as I thought I was"? The two things seem unrelated.

They don't just take people off of Abilify cold turkey. That's wouldn't be safe. It's weaned off by gradually making the dose lower over a period of a week or so.

Yes, that's what they want to do. The want to lower my dosage and see how I do. It's still frustrating though.

There are a lot of meds and combinations of meds that work. Keep your chin up. It's not going to get that bad again. It could be a rocky transition, but you'll totally get through it.

What do you eat?

All of the successes you've racked up in life are a part of you. You carry wisdom and experience with you. Your routine might go into upheaval. Life might feel REALLY chaotic for a time. But you WILL get through it.

Women are all very insecure. It's a shame because women are all really beautiful. The average woman is gorgeous.

Look in the mirror and focus on what you like.

Your entire post was interesting and cool. It was real, it was honest, and it was written well. You're awesome.

My mom said that she won't let me gain anymore weight. I'm only 5'3 and there's only so much weight my body can handle. Normally I like how I look. I work very hard when I put my outfits and makeup looks together. For a while I was totally neglecting my appearance. I stopped exercising, washing and combing my hair, wore the same clothes all the time etc...

Now I'm finally getting back on track. I started washing and moisturizing my face at night again. Seeing a bunch of dry patches on my face was breaking my heart because I get told that I have a beautiful face and awesome skin. Seeing my hair get frizzy and matted was making me twice as upset because people love my hair.

When I stopped exercising I told myself over and over, "What's the point in exercising and eating healthy if I'm going to get so overweight there will be no way for me to lose weight?".

It's very difficult.