Jane: Starting and changing medicines – Complex medication regimes

Jane
Female
Age at interview: 53
Number of medicines: 8
Cultural background: Anglo-Australian

When she first started taking medication for depression, Jane went away with her husband to give her space to become accustomed to it. She was admitted to hospital at a later time to learn how to manage a new and complex regimen.

Jane:

And just being removed from the situation for a week, my husband and I went away and beginning to take the new tablets was really, really helpful.

Jacqueline:

So, you went on holidays to start new tablets?

Jane:

Mmm. I saw the doctor and we started those and, at that time, we couldn't afford for me to be in hospital, so we went away, we got ... We divided our children up to four different homes and David, my husband, took me away for the weekend … oh, for a week up to the mountains and there were no pressures. It was quiet. I could sleep. And that was ... I guess that was the beginning of me resolving that episode of depression. 

And then the other tablets that I went on after that, I guess ... I was really unwell when I went into hospital and very confused and miserable. And I guess I went into hospital because it was going to be quicker in adjusting my medication and getting that on track and I had four teenage children at the time. Yeah, life was quite difficult and stressful and, although that was a hard place to be, I think it was helpful to be monitored, um, but I did feel sometimes that I didn't have a clue why I was taking what I was taking and having to line up to get your meds and things and really not knowing what was what. I was aware of what I was taking, in that I was told the name of it ... with the lithium, I was given a patient information sheet, but the other tablets, I really didn't understand what I was taking and probably didn't really care. 

I just wanted to get well as quickly as I could. And I still had the not sleeping at night. I would wake up at 2.05 in the morning, every morning. And there was juggling with that, because my doctor had said to the staff at the hospital that I was to be given a sleeping tablet then and they didn't really want me to and were trying to talk me out of it, so I felt like I was in a cycle that I was out of control of. Then once that was resolved, I think I was more relaxed about it and left hospital just maintaining the doses of those tablets that I was on.

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The Living with multiple medicines project was developed in collaboration with Healthtalk Australia.