One of my closest friends in town, (my barber) came over tonight. I decided to explain to him about my mood swings and about the Tegretol I am taking in an effort to get them under control, ie. stop feeling suicidal every night. Since he wants to learn English, I asked him to read the following paragraph from
http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Carbamazepine.html about carbemazepine, to help him to understand my challenge and my situation:
Recommended dosage
When used to treat seizure disorders or psychiatric disease, the recommended initial dosage of carbamazepine is 200 mg two times each day. If needed, the daily dosage may be increased by 200 mg once each week. Total daily dosages should not exceed 1,000 mg in children between the ages of 12 and 15 years. Total daily dosages for adults should not exceed 1,200 mg. Carbamazepine should be taken with meals. http://www.minddisorders.com/Br-Del/Carbamazepine.html
Wow! I have been taking 200 milligrams of carbemazepine a day for over a year, not realizing that this might be a nearly uselessly small dose. I've been taking one sixth of the maximum recommended dosage, and one half of the recommended starting dosage. I should have talked with my psychiatrist about this months ago, but I was afraid that if I divulged the thoughts that were making me uncomfortable then my psychiatrist might think I should be hospitalized. I'd much rather die than be hospitalized again, after a "bad trip" on on the last occasion.
My barber asked me why I was sharing this intimate information with him, but I told him that in any new town one has to take a small few people into one's confidence. I've chosen him, and two other close friends.
He admitted that he had learned a lot of new words in the process. He said that 20% of the words in the text were new for him, so I said that talking with me about my psychiatric situation is a good way for him to further his English learning. He also thanked me for sharing this confidence with him.
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