What are your thoughts on medication?

[-Hollywood-]

hi, please be as honest and as accurate as possible:

i have been contemplating going on medication, such as anti-depressants, for quite some time now. and i was wondering, how they work, how well they work and how expensive they can be. i have heard way too many horror stories about the side-effects, but then i hear good things about them too. let me know.

cheers.

-H-

[lawyerboy11]

I'm not going to say that meds are right for everyone, but they have been a life-saver for me. It took several years to find the combination of meds to work for me. But, once I found it, it was a whole new world. I had always been shy and anti-social. I stayed in the back of rooms away from people and stayed home often just staring at the ceiling. Whenever any small thing went wrong, I would sink into a deep depression that lasted months at a time. But, now that I have finally found the right meds for me, I feel great. I have energy and motivation. I've lost weight, done better at work, and just been feeling better all together. I recommend you talk to a P-doc to discuss your symptoms and see what he/she thinks is right for you. As far as side-effects, after the first couple weeks they all subsided.

[sir sirloin]

Medication is a fix for hardware problems rather than changing your thinking to fix a software problem. If you don't change your underlying thinking patterns then all you will be doing is masking your problems with chemical reactions.

 

I wouldn't do it but I also won't judge others who say it helped them a lot.

[lawyerboy11]

Sorry, I forgot to answer a couple questions you posted. There is a website that I have found helpful in discussing how each type of anti-depressant works and the side effects of each. (link removed. With insurance, my meds (I take 2 different ones) run about $30/month.

[kellbell]

Hi there,

 

To me, meds should be used as a last resort. That is if the person is cleared from any diagnosis of a mental health condition. The diagnosis or no diagnosis should come from a psychologist or psychiatrist. It is understandable that life's pressures, stressors, breakups, and so forth can elicit much stress and can make life quite unbearable. But there are many other outlets and ways to beat everyday hassles and the blues, such as working out, talking to friends and family, rediscovering life, volunteering, helping others, eating better, taking time out for oneself, vacations, joining support groups, sleeping better, staying away from the booze, or seeing a social worker.

 

I believe the outcome of meds depends on the WHY'S of taking it. If a person has tried everything to get better but to no avail, then meds would make sense. But all too many times, people opt to take the easy way out, want a quick fix and feel popping a Prozac will fix things without taking a deeper look at him/herself.

[eyeswideopen]

I decided to go on Prozac about a month ago without seeing a therapist and to be honest, it's not really doing a whole lot for me. I still have good days and bad days because of everything. I'd probably be doing much better while doing therapy but it's very costly for my current situation so I'll just have to skip it for now. In other words, I wouldn't recommend meds alone. I did a lot of research and reading on the subject before doing it and it seems meds typically have a short term positive impact, but to have a real, beneficial long term impact, seeing a therapist is the way to go. If I was you, I'd do some research, develop some questions, then go see your general practicioner and ask for which direction he thinks you should go.

[nottoogreen]

All of you users above, Have a look at this thread and read it carefuly - long story, but you will understand much.

 

Also put yourself in charge of yourself and research the web (google).

[flower99]

Medication is a fix for hardware problems rather than changing your thinking to fix a software problem. If you don't change your underlying thinking patterns then all you will be doing is masking your problems with chemical reactions.

 

I wouldn't do it but I also won't judge others who say it helped them a lot.

 

I agree with this.

[Dako]

If your depression isn't too debilitating, talk therapy and coping skills can get you out of a slump. If not, meds are a help. They aren't a cure or an easy fix, so you still have to work on your mental approach to the problem. If you have a more profound depression, they can help.

 

One of the side effects of profound depression is wasting your life, or possibly ending it. Meds are less risky.

[Süsser Tod]

I'm an advocate of avoiding medication, just because you should not depend on drugs to be happy. Been there, done that, hated it.

 

I got to the point where the psychiatrist wouldn't let me out of the medications, he wanted test and more tests I could not afford, as he was convinced I have something wrong in my head.

 

Isht! I think there are some seriously wrong things with me, dont' know exactly what/why, but I'm doing my best to cope with it by myself, without medications.

 

In my experience, after some time, the medications will lose effect, and you'll be taking them just to be at the same state as before taking them, so you have to increase the dose.

[Scotcha]

Medication is a fix for hardware problems rather than changing your thinking to fix a software problem. If you don't change your underlying thinking patterns then all you will be doing is masking your problems with chemical reactions.

 

I wouldn't do it but I also won't judge others who say it helped them a lot.

 

I second the agreeing.

[Jorus Cbaoth]

One of the side effects of depression is the pressure of a gun against your teeth. One of the side effects of Prozac is the pressure of nausea in your abdomen. I know what I would choose.

[darklich14]

Uhm, well, from my personal experience, I'd been on drugs all through my childhood. At some point, I was like "screw this" and decided to quit. But after my first real breakup and a year of college, I got so depressed, I was crying for no reason and eventually started thinking about suicide. Antidepressants literally saved my life... But the next step was to figure out what I needed to do to get off them and never get back on them. I got busy, made conscious efforts to solve the problems I thought were out of my control, etc. 3 years later, I've got a job secured, and I'm about to graduate from GA Tech with a 3.3. I didn't need them other than for a short period of time and I know that nobody should need them more than a few months at most -- MAYBE a year if they've really gone way down.. But I'd consider considering suicide considerably way down : P. Be strong, use them as little as you need, and keep your psychie updated on how you're doing and all.

 

God bless you!

[VeganBohemian]

I take Xanax for anxiety...it is just like a sedative for panic attacks. SSRIs like Zoloft and Prozac are good for depression, just be careful to monitor the side effects. People make way too big of a deal about medications. They really do not even do that much. And if they happen to make you a happier, more calm person...what is the harm?

 

Xanax is addictive and has bad withdrawl symptoms and doesn't attack the real issues...but SSRIs are a good route to go for depression, OCD, and many other illnesses because they DO attack the real issues...if the issues stem from a chemical imbalance. I had tremendously decapitating OCD as a child and teen...I do not now...but boy do I wish I had medication back then. Psychiatric disorders such as OCD are chemical disorders...there are chemical inbalances...thereforeeee correcting the chemicals with medications CAN practically stop the symptoms of the illness.

 

Occaisonal depression or anxiety are not worth taking meds over. I do not recommend medication unless you have a concrete, diagnosable mental illness.

[Jorus Cbaoth]

Xanax is addictive and has bad withdrawl symptoms

 

So an anti-depressant has a side effect of... depression, in a round about way? Very counter productive, a little interesting. I learned something new today.

[VeganBohemian]

Xanax is not used to treat depression. It calms the central nervous system...much like a sleeping pill. The original poster would not be prescribed Xanax for depression. It is for panic disorders and social anxiety disorder.

 

Also, SSRIs are usually not addictive and have less side effects.

[Wimpy]

Having struggled with depression all my adult life I finally did something about it 4 years ago and am VERY glad I did - it saved my life. I'm in the UK so they didn't cost me anything other than the perscription charge and I have a fantastic doctor who recognised that the person she was seeing in front of her wasn't the person she'd known for a few years.

 

People here have said they aren't a fix or solution to your problems - I think of it this way...if you broke your leg would you avoid getting a plaster cast on it and healing? Would people think you clever for going without? To me clinical depression which is very different from reactive depression (e.g. something bad happens and you are down about it) sometimes needs some intervention.

 

I went on Prozac for 18 months and I had NO problem coming off it. I was a bit apprehensive in case I nose-dived again but that was 2 years ago and I have been fine - I think the chemical imbalance has been reset and I feel much better - although I do still have occasional down times - I personally haven't felt the need to go back on Prozac.

 

The side-effects lasted the inital 6 weeks - please remember it takes about that long for the drug to start to have any affect at all. The side effects were a little unpleasant - nausea, twitching legs, yawning, bad nightmares...however compared to what I was taking them for the side-effects were nothing. They more or less disappeared after 6 weeks and I was fine - no weight gain or loss.

 

The biggest thing I found was that for everyone who said "they're horrendous" there was someone who said "they saved my life". At the end of the day it came down to the fact that I trusted my Doctor and am glad I did. She told me they aren't a quick fix and that you normally stay on them for at least a year.

 

It has affected insurance - a history of depression seems to do that but I wouldn't swap my decision. I didn't tell anyone in my family I was on them for months - some I didn't tell until I was coming off them.

 

Hope that helps in some small way...any questions feel free to pm me.

[nottoogreen]

Also, SSRIs are usually not addictive and have less side effects.

 

I am afraid that this is effectivly false as our brain is way to complex and does not like to be tempered with. You are not treating haemorhoids The potential effective sideeffect when applied wrongly of taking SSRI's is manic depression.

 

Please see this post and read the whole thread from the beginning if possible. Sorry it's long, but it is a real life scenario.

[VeganBohemian]

What was false about what I said? Xanax is used to treat anxiety...my doctor told me it has not been approved for depression. Also, she said that SSRIs have less noticeable side effects. I mean, if I am wrong...fine...I am just saying what my doctor told me.

 

I too believe that you need both therapy and ADs in order to get better. You can't just have meds.

[nottoogreen]

What was false about what I said? Xanax is used to treat anxiety...my doctor told me it has not been approved for depression. Also, she said that SSRIs have less noticeable side effects. I mean, if I am wrong...fine...I am just saying what my doctor told me.

I edited my original post to eliminate the confusion by leaving the first paragraph and adding: The potential effective sideeffect when applied wrongly of taking SSRI's is manic depression..

 

I made this strong statement so people think. Thus, it is effectively false to say that SSRI's have less noticeable side effects. It misguides into believing that SSRI's can be taken casualy and fix it all.

I too believe that you need both therapy and ADs in order to get better. You can't just have meds.

Concur fully and emphasize that SSRI's are very powerful "wonders" and must be applied with great caution in support of therapy under proper supervision.

[sir sirloin]

if you broke your leg would you avoid getting a plaster cast on it and healing?

I'm sorry but this analogy doesn't hold any weight. 100% of the people with broken legs can't walk. ??% of the people have "undiagnosed" depression and still function normally if not optimally. If you showed MRI activity scans that were the same with all "depressed" people like they are with Alzheimers or other real diseases then I might be convinced. But those don't exist.

 

I wish the whole "depression" cult could be put back into the bottle. The pills are an attempt at a quick fix for what needs to be a long term(years) solution. And a way for pharmaceutical companies to suck more dollars out of taxpayers.

 

People just need someone to talk to, unfortunately most of us aren't attractive or successful enough that others are truly interested in listening to us. We have to pay people to be our friends and suspend our disbelief so we can pretend they actually care about us. Therapist, masseuse, bartender, * * * * *, etc.

 

For me, I know I have problems but I'de rather suffer them and maybe fail and die than put my faith and life in anyone elses care. Whether they are God or some guy with a bunch of letters after his name and a handful of magic pills. And just maybe, if I'm strong enough, I'll succeed. When I do I'll know my victory came from my own power and not someone elses idea of what "normal" is.

[Wimpy]

Well of course you are entitled to your opinion....I'm not about to justify myself or actions to anyone - certainly not here on this kind of forum.

 

I was endeavouring to answer the question originally posted.

 

As for your logic about sorting things out yourself without help or pills - then I wish you all the best. It's whatever works for you at the end.

 

I choose 18 months on anti-depressants and I don't regret that decision. They aren't the answer to everything but they gave me back a degree of perspective I'd lost.

[nottoogreen]

Wimpy, 18 months seems long. 3 - 6 months should be enough including sorting causes out.

 

Diversity and openess are major strengths of this forum.

 

Please have a look at post #18 and follow the links.

 

It may well be worthwhile for you to read some of the threads started by sir sirloin! You can access them via his public profile.

[Dako]

Just a thought.

 

My 61 year old brother is manic-depressive, and has struggled all his life with impairment that edges up to psychosis. I've intervened in suicide attempts and violent scenes and he's done some pretty strange things not fit for these threads. He takes meds now and works as a machinist, pays his bills and babies his dogs.

 

His AA colleages convinced him that meds are a crutch, and any REAL man would stop hiding behind drugs and deal with it. He stopped his meds all right, and I spent 3 hours on the phone talking him out of going postal with his big gun collection. He went back on his meds.

 

If his neighbors knew about him, they might become fans of SRIs.

 

Before you blame going off the meds as the trigger, rest assured that having this guy in my life since birth convinces me that this is how he just is without meds.

 

I've been depressed since my teen years, around 40 years of being visited by this gloom. It's been a long haul, and I've learned many coping skills from books, docs and other depressives. It's been an education that never ends.

 

No point here, just observation.

[nottoogreen]

A part of the answer here is that he seems (hopefuly is) balanced, so his brain won't program itself for the worse at this time, possibly even programs itself for the better. Another part is that his med's prevent him from getting too mad about his past and Dubja and his ex(es) and whatever.

 

He will remain volatile though and must be closely supervised, and I would not let him keep guns...

 

Dako, I have been there too, You have done your own research, when you read my posts in this and linked threads, (The) one important point is to eliminate the pain by balancing. You know what imbalances you and only you can take the steps it takes to fix it. I cut off a business I loved and two out of three women in my life, it hurt, no it really hurt, and it still hurts, but it worked.