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New York, 5:32 PM
Wed Nov 25
61 posts in the last 24 hours
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08/10/09
Your Mum may mean well by offering up the excercise defense, because it really does work for some. But I have a friend who has taken anti-depressants for ten plus years who would probably punch me in the face for offering that advice because different things work for different people and meds have changed her life for the better.
08/11/09
08/10/09
My anxiety was getting so bad that I could no longer anchor a newscast. That's my CAREER. I couldn't meet new people without shaking and experiencing rapid heartbeat. My now husband was amazed that, after hosting a Thanksgiving dinner everyone seemed to enjoy, I cried for hours because I was worried no one had a good time.
There's a difference between taking a pill to get high taking a pill (I do anti-depressants) because you can't function. Because your brain doesn't want to work that way.
08/10/09
"I dunno, Mom," I say. "Is Dad going to stop taking his blood pressure medication any time soon? He's been on stuff for, what, 40-odd years? Maybe he should go off it and see if he can manage. And, P.S., are you going to stop taking your Arimidex? I know it keeps your cancer from coming back, but does that really outweigh the side effects?"
That usually holds her for six months.
Meanwhile, she's having trouble sleeping, but is too worried about getting hooked on a sleeping pill to do anything about it.
"You know, Mom," I say, "I mentioned my sleeping problems to my psychiatrist, and he prescribed me something that's specifically not habit-forming. Tell your doctor. There are also over-the-counter things you can try."
She says she'll think about it, but she was hoping that exercising more would do the trick.
Moms. It's like there's a course they all take.
08/10/09
Now that I'm on fluoxetine (Prozac), I can see that I've needed it the entire time. I am physically unable to stop the downward spirals--it's my brain chemistry. Even when I thought I was happy, I wasn't--my happiness was always based on something that would cause depression if it went away. I didn't know how to be happy on my own. I couldn't function, and I never knew how people could be so happy. I've never known "normal" life until recently.
Therefore, your bias against medicines disturbs me, because it appears that you believe that all people that use them are weak, which was the very same bias that made me afraid to look for help. I can only hope that you are far, far away from the healthcare field.
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08/10/09
However I think the most important thing about any kind of drug for a chemical imbalance/mental problem should be some kind of therapy to help you cope or manage in your life, rather than just prescribing a drug and letting someone fend for themselves. Sadie is lucky here to have a psychiatrist, when I was prescribed the drugs I was just sent away to deal with it alone. If a person doesn't get help then they stay dependent on the medication indefinitely and I really feel this doesn't always have to be the case.
08/10/09
Having said that, I've had xanax and valium prescribed too - they have helped me at very difficult times, and my doctor has always been there to control my use, and I've always been very careful.
Being on meds does not equal addiction, or weakness. Some things just can't be cured with a brisk walk or a good night's sleep.
08/10/09
But as someone who has struggled with depression and has chosen, for a variety of reasons, not to use prescription drugs to treat it, I can tell you the stigma goes both ways. During the darkest days of my disease, I had plenty of friends and family members express exasperation and a, "Can't you just take a pill and stop being a pain in the ass" attitude. Some people see turning to medication as a sign of weakness, others see it as an obvious cure-all. Quite often, for people with mental illness, there is no winning in the eyes of others.
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If fact I would be willing to bet most men would be more open about any AD or anti-anxiety meds they were on than with erectile dysfunction.
Just because there are more commercials, doesn't mean it's less stigmatized.
08/10/09
except that it doesn't, and she's regularly made life a living hell for the rest of our family. we grew up in a house where she would rage, scream, thrown things, and slap you, only to turn around literally 5 minutes later and cheerfully suggest you go to the movies for some mother-daughter time. some people desperately need medication and a 'brisk walk' is never going to be enough.
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08/10/09
(Klonopin, which is highly addictive, really saved my ass when I went through a traumatic/anxious/depressing experience a few years ago. I am eternally grateful to it.)
08/10/09
I think the "take as needed" form of Xanax is probably much more dangerous when it comes to addiction/overdose. I've seen it happen with people I know and I'm so grateful my doc was informed enough to suggest something that helped without becoming a crutch.
08/10/09
Having been on both anti-anxiety and anti-depressants, I can say that they both work wonders when taken for the right reasons and in the right dosage/combination. They are not "happy pills" like some people think they are. They're the thing that, when needed, can help you get to a point where you can put one foot in front of the other and begin functioning on your own - because in the end, it is YOU who has to decide to take steps toward mental health. The pills won't do it for you.
I finally, after 5 years of being on meds and talk therapy, got to a point where I could come off of them and try this whole life thing without them. Been off of them for over a year now. Was it easy? Fuck no. Was it easier than it would've been 6 years ago? Absolutely. Do I still suffer from depressive and anxiety symptoms? Yup - every now and then I really get into a shitstorm of it, but nothing like I was. I am 300% better than I've ever been. And for me (this is my personal experience), exercise does help. I use it instead of going back on my meds - but this is after years of sorting it all out and that's what works for me. Everybody's gotta find what works for THEM. Wellbutrin XL fucking saved my life.
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That being said... I have to say this: I get very frustrated with the fact that I think people LIKE the idea of being "depressed" or having mental disorders. Because there is just no way on earth that 80% of people I've met have "chemical imbalances" (which by the way, can't even be tested for). Yes, some people can't get out of bed because they're depressed, but some people are depressed because they don't get out of bed all day.
I also tend to not believe that they actually have them when they get deeply offended by the mere insinuation that some kind of cognitive behavioral therapy might be helpful. I think it is helpful, probably more helpful, in the long run, than taking pills. Then again, I liked "Now, Voyager" better than "The Bell Jar."
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As inabook said, the best combination for being put on meds for the first time is a combo of therapy and pills. Hopefully, after a while, one or both will become unnecessary.
08/10/09
08/10/09
whether it's an old school benzo, ssri or snri, most people have had to try different drugs and find the right one by trial and error. there's no universally-accepted treatment paradigm that gives doctors a map to follow when prescribing (a long-term study is now attempting to create one). doctors prescribe drugs with which they are familiar. period.
few people have their serotinin or dopamine levels measured, but even if we did, the brain/person has a bit of unlearning/relearning of habitual and/or automatic physiological responses, so some level of talk (which can be behavioral, depending upon diagnosis) therapy is almost always more helpful than meds alone. unfortunately, most people's medical coverage severely limits the amount of counseling some need--but they rarely refuse anyone an antidepressant.
08/10/09
08/10/09
also, why is it that people get so "judgey" about this type of medication? do you judge someone for taking other kinds of medication? i myself was really anti-drugs until i myself had to take them. It was an incredibly difficult decision on one hand - as soon as i got the prescription i just broke down crying - and i avoided it for as long as possible. but on the other hand it was the easiest decision ever - i was unable to live my life; i was having panic attacks all the time, and i simply couldnt function anymore. i knew i had to change something. And lo and behold, with the help of drugs and therapy, something changed. And its not a fix-all -- I still suffer from elements of depression but now I know how to more aptly handle them, and I feel confident that I can go off of the drugs and do on my own what I needed them to do in the first place - help me stay above the darkness, and fight.
08/10/09
The bottom line is that prescription meds, when properly dosed and allotted, are a lot like anything good for us, like food or sex. They are good in the proper amounts, for the right reasons, at the right times. When they're abused, it can be hell to pay.
As a lowly psych major studying for my masters, I can say that a good deal of the problems associated with prescription abuse can be solved by scrupulous doctors who actually care more about your welfare than their paycheck. The other half comes from changing how we view the use of drugs--taking away both the allure and the irrational puritanism and instead moving forward into an educated understanding of both the risks and rewards.
Once again, Sadie, you nailed it. Thank you so much for sharing your story and your thoughts. You have no idea how much lonelier the world would feel without voices like yours.
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And my mom - she's a shrink :)
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It's very important to remember that the experience of this writer, who seems to have become hooked on the Rx drugs to the point of abusing them, should not be used as a reason to condemn proper, therapeutic uses of antidepressants. Also, Valium is an old-school sedative, not an SSRI or SNRI, and much easier to develop a tolerance to.
08/10/09
Both personal and professional experience working with patients in an acute psychiatric facility have led me to believe benzodiazepines are a short-term solution with long-term consequences. It's the old band-aid analogy in which a prescription is a more cost-effective use of time and resources than helping individuals develop coping skills to manage their stress and anxiety to difficult situations. The irony is that individuals prescribed xanax, valium or klonopin [for something other than a specific phobia] generally have found it difficult to cope with the emotional discomfort of stress or anxiety in the past, and eventually are going to have to learn to how to cope with these feelings, even if they do not abuse these drugs.
I've taken SSRI's and neuroleptics continuously for the better part of seven years, I did not develop a tolerance or abuse prescription medication until I was prescribed Klonopin and Adderal in graduate school (Klonopin following a traumatic incident, Adderal for ADHD). Unlike what you read about all the celbutards out there, my tolerance to Klonopin developed quickly and continually increasing my dosage over the next year and a half led to the Adderal abuse. Under my psychiatrist's supervision, it took six months to get off the Klonopin in order to avoid the physiological side-effects of withdrawal (which are much different than SSRI's or similar classes of drugs -- think more like the nausea, sweats and constipation you associate with illicit drugs).
Unlike the other medications I'm prescribed to treat my mood disorders and ADHD, I believe the Klonopin served no therapeutic purpose a month after the trauma. It allowed me remain a passive operator as difficult or stressful situations in my life would unfold. Even today, I still have difficulty coping with emotional discomfort and acknowledging my true feelings.