Depression or when it gets too far

[kindy64]

glad to hear you are doing better.

[JohnMusic]

I'd rather be a zombie than a jack ass. And wanting to kill yourself is not normal. These anti-drug activists seem to not understand what psychiatric drugs actually do for people.

Or is it that drugs are bad period.

[kindy64]

I'd rather be a zombie than a jack ass. And wanting to kill yourself is not normal. These anti-drug activists seem to not understand what psychiatric drugs actually do for people.

Or is it that drugs are bad period.

I believe it's more that the actual effects of these drugs, and interactions are not really as sound a science as perceived.

The whole field of psychiatry is a guessing game in that the subject has to self report symptoms, the collection of which are matched against "known" patterns, and then a diagnosis is made. No brain scans, no test of naturally occurring hormones or compounds in the brain to see if there is something physically wrong. Just, well you describe having A, B, C, D and E symptoms, and we've found that 80% of patients who report this have X as a diagnosis. Here, take these chemicals which have proven effective for symptoms A, C and E, in 34% of patients.

That being said, there are some conditions for which medication is the proper and time tested route. I was on antidepressants and antipsychotics for a while. They never really cured me. They provided a crutch to allow me the space to heal myself, if that makes sense. I consulted with my psychiatrist when I wanted to ween myself off the meds, and doing so did definitely get rid of the side-effects of these drugs.

[JohnMusic]

I believe it's more that the actual effects of these drugs, and interactions are not really as sound a science as perceived.

The whole field of psychiatry is a guessing game in that the subject has to self report symptoms, the collection of which are matched against "known" patterns, and then a diagnosis is made. No brain scans, no test of naturally occurring hormones or compounds in the brain to see if there is something physically wrong. Just, well you describe having A, B, C, D and E symptoms, and we've found that 80% of patients who report this have X as a diagnosis. Here, take these chemicals which have proven effective for symptoms A, C and E, in 34% of patients.

That being said, there are some conditions for which medication is the proper and time tested route. I was on antidepressants and antipsychotics for a while. They never really cured me. They provided a crutch to allow me the space to heal myself, if that makes sense. I consulted with my psychiatrist when I wanted to ween myself off the meds, and doing so did definitely get rid of the side-effects of these drugs.

I am not saying these drugs can NOT be bad. Or misprescribed. I am saying that they CAN help in certain cases.

[kindy64]

I am not saying these drugs can NOT be bad. Or misprescribed. I am saying that they CAN help in certain cases.

Same here...

If it helps, then more power to you. But, as with any medication or drug, be aware of the side effects and risks, what it's intended to do, etc...

[JohnMusic]

Same here...

If it helps, then more power to you. But, as with any medication or drug, be aware of the side effects and risks, what it's intended to do, etc...

My bf told me one of the side effects for some anti-depressants is suicide. That sounds very uncool.

[InbetweenDreams]

I think the medications are a tool to be used and not the solution. They can help someone out immensely, a the same time they can equally bad and cause someone to go over the edge. That's why I advocate going to see counselors and so forth because it can be equally or more effective than the medications. I've been through the whole thing, tried medications, did counseling. That being said not all counselors and therapists are equal and can be like the medications and sometimes it doesn't work and sometimes you don't find a counselor you can really connect with and feel comfortable.

That being said I think like others have indicated the drugs have side effects, the problem is they are prescribed like candy. My doctor would have had me try 45 different anti-depressants until something worked. That just seems insane to me. She literally told me there's over 100 medications and we could try them all.

So no, I'm not anti-drug or pro-drug, I think they are stepping stones and ought to be that way but a lot of times people get on this stuff for 10...20 years and then they get other complications that may or may not be related to all the medications they have been on.

However to the person who needs it, they're nothing thinking about the side effects, they just want help and to feel happy again and not want to feel worthless...

[Camfer]

I'm so much better than I was

Very true, and so great to see you say it!

[Confuzzled4]

I was adamantly against medication because I was worried about what it would do to my mind, and admittedly it's not where I would like it to be. However, the fact that I don't have thoughts of hurting myself is tremendous and medication in conjunction with therapy is the reason for it. I needed medication, when I went into decline I had a terrible panic attack. A month later I had another panic attack and almost had to go back in before I was prescribed medication that would bring me down from my attacks. When I felt one coming on I would take it and not get to the point of involuntary shaking. It's scary, you really think you're about to have a seizure any second. So really, there's no shame in medication because some people just need it. I needed extra help.

[InbetweenDreams]

I was adamantly against medication because I was worried about what it would do to my mind, and admittedly it's not where I would like it to be. However, the fact that I don't have thoughts of hurting myself is tremendous and medication in conjunction with therapy is the reason for it. I needed medication, when I went into decline I had a terrible panic attack. A month later I had another panic attack and almost had to go back in before I was prescribed medication that would bring me down from my attacks. When I felt one coming on I would take it and not get to the point of involuntary shaking. It's scary, you really think you're about to have a seizure any second. So really, there's no shame in medication because some people just need it. I needed extra help.

Man panic attacks suck ass! I haven't had one in about 2 years. That's another reason why I swear by exercising and a good (not perfect) diet. What you eat over the long term has a huge effect...vegitables aren't always the tastiest and whatnot...and give you gas but over the long haul all that stuff does seem to help... My panic attacks would feel like I was having a heart attack, chest pain, can't breathe, dizzy and sometimes numbness and tingling.... I first went to the ER and had the whole workup done. Not fun.

At any rate glad you are doing better!