I've been nonexistent on this blog for a while. I've decided that once Halloween draws near, a mother's schedule seems to speed up into a bit of a blur. Thanksgiving is hiding right behind the pumpkins and Christmas carols, lights and lists of giving take over from there. This is all certainly true for me but this year has been a little different as my anxiety has crept back in as well. I'm not really surprised because I've been on the same medication/same dose for about a year and a half.
I find it interesting that psychotropic medications help once you get a great balance, but there is always the knowledge that at some point it will probably stop working for some reason or another and it will be time to tweak it a bit or try something new.
So, my husband and I began to pray. That is always where we turn! Our Father in Heaven has always lead us in the past and we knew he would again.
I was sort of expecting for guidance at the psychiatrist office; maybe I would receive inspiration on how to describe what I'm now experiencing so my meds could be corrected. But, I kept having the feeling we needed to visit with a friend about some supplements she started having her son take a while back. The son was diagnosed with Bipolar and after a year of taking these new supplements is a whole new person. He no longer has that diagnosis. It's been a miracle for them and I've stood on the sideline and watched. I've seen him transform!
This families experience just kept coming to our mind. It was no coincidence when my husband happened into their home for something else and found the mother and father there. He set up a dinner date for the following week and we went.
We picked there brains about this Canadian company called True Hope. It's been around since 1996 and is also known as Q Sciences. They sell micronutrient Empower Plus. These are nutritional supplements packed with a balance of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that our bodies need. They've been shown to be a mood stabilizer for many people that have psychotropic issues but also just plain out stressed. What Mother or Father isn't stressed?!?! We knew I needed to try it. Our only hang up was cost. It's pretty handy to have insurance pay for Psychiatrist visits and only have copays for medications each month.
In our research and trying to solve our money issue, we came across the fact that True Hope Empower Plus is the exact same as Empower Plus-Q96 supplements. We figured out a way to get the supplements and support for less money! (still learning more about this...details/links to come)
Can I just tell you right now that after just 7 days of taking these and still on my same medications I began to see a difference. Remember I said my anxiety and panic attacks were creeping in on me again. My moods were starting to control my days again. I was probably feeling the chest tightening, hard to breathe thing a few times a day...having to turn to my Lorazepam (take as needed medication) at least a couple times a week. In these 7 days, I could see my panic, tight chest feeling hadn't been there. I'm floored it began to work so quickly and after questioning the support staff have been told it's not uncommon for people to see results like that in the first 7 days.
The support phone calls that are available when you buy the supplements are helping me go off my medication now. It's been 2 1/2 weeks and I'm now taking half of the medication that I was when I started. It's only been 2 1/2 weeks!!! I haven't really skipped a beat. I'm feeling much better than I was. Honestly I kept debating over and over whether I should wait to do this switch until after the holidays and then finally decided that really "it's never a good time" so I jumped in. I did not expect to keep on with my daily routines as normal for a while.
So, here I am again just sharing a secret that I've literally been lead to. Let me make clear that taking medications and receiving therapy have been a huge blessing in my life! They have paid a huge role in leading me down a path of healing and help. I just want to share the progress and experience I have with learning about a more natural way of receiving help now that I'm at a place that I can actually see through the clouds. I share all this because it is therapeutic to me to hope that maybe someone else out there may benefit. As I learn, I'll share many more details here. Feel free to follow...
