Posted by karaS on October 31, 2004, at 14:07:12
In reply to Re: Parnate, Morphine, and Trusting Joe Paramedic =) » karaS, posted by King Vultan on October 31, 2004, at 10:18:49
> > > I take Parnate and wear a Medic Alert tag. I'm fairly comfortable that this will protect me in most situations, and you can't ask for 100% safety in life. I'm just glad my depression is finally responding to something after 15 years of me suffering almost non stop.
> >
> > Audrey,
> >
> > How did you get the Medic Alert tag? Is it immediately obvious to anyone who sees it that you are taking Parnate (this is a good thing for paramedics but a bad thing for employers) or is it much more discreet?
> >
> > Kara
>
> I have a bracelet I got from childsid.com, I think. They have a big selection, but I got the cheapest one in stainless steel for about $20. You can have it say whatever you want. I got mine when I went on Nardil and had it say my name and city, "I take an MAOI", and "Contact info over" on the side facing outward. The contact info is on the other side. People really can't see what it says because the letters are too small, but people who are familiar with these kinds of alerts instantly recognize that it is some kind of medical thing.
> I wouldn't worry about what an employer would think. I've told a few people I work with what it's for and generally don't mind telling people; although, almost nobody really seems to notice or ask. I think the more people become aware that someone they know is taking a drug like this, the less stigma about mental illness there is likely to be.
>
> Todd
Todd,Thanks for the info. I know that most people would see one of these bracelets and recognize that it's a medical alert, I just didn't want them to know the exact nature of the alert. While I'm all for decreasing the stigma surrounding mental illness, I think it could make job hunting a lot harder than it already is. Also, I wonder if you are working in the corporate world. One of my previous employers is a big player in the financial industry. I can tell you with certainty that my acknowledgment of MAOI usage would have been a death sentence for my career.
(Of course my depression was already a death sentence for my career but that's another issue...)Kara
poster:karaS
thread:402677
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041029/msgs/409619.html