Currently I'm in therapy and my therapist asked me if I wanted to take meds a few weeks ago if I can remember correctly. I'm very unsure of this. On the one hand I heard they might help and maybe reduce symptoms and stuff. But on the other hand most of them do have some massive side effects that I clearly don't want to have as well. Anyone with experience or advice? Would be awesome!! Thanks in advance
I would advise you to look at your diet instead. Try eating organically grown foods, drinking water that has been properly purified of toxic compounds such as sodium fluoride (incidentally, they actually put fluoride into many psychotropic drugs, as if we were not already dosed with it far above what is healthy for the body), and eating more fresh fruit and veggies, salads, whole grains etc. What we all know but don't always apply, but in your case it might be worth making the necessary effort. There are lots of natural, safe methods to improve mental wellbeing that don't involve taking drugs with questionable benefits but often very nasty side-effects. Did you know that sometimes patients actually get worse after taking meds? Or that sometimes meds can actually make someone suicidal? Please consider these issues. If a drug ends up making someone worse or even killing them, doctors are indemnified against any wrongdoing. Drugs that are either unsafe or given to the wrong person or in the wrong manner, actually kill thousands of people every year. Thousands. But you won't see this reported in the mainstream media.
I was on meds to stop some phobia-related hallucinations for a few months. If your condition or symptoms are affecting your life, like like being so afraid you only sleep due to exhaustion or not going to certain rooms, then I'd say take it and if the side effects are too much to cope with, ditch 'em. The only side-effect I experienced was sleepiness after taking 'em. I just had to take 'em at night instead of when I woke up, no biggie.
I agree with Damien. While it depends on the medication and your body chemistry, medications tend to do a lot more harm than good, ESPECIALLY anti-psychotics and anti-depressives. Even lithium, which is supposedly one of the most natural and safe mood-stabilizers on the market, has a few nasty side effects. It's used mostly for bipolar disorder to treat mania, but it's also used for depression and schizophrenia. If there's one good thing I can say about it, it's that it actually lowers your risk of committing suicide rather than raising it, which is something I haven't heard of in other mood-stabilizing drugs. If you're hell-bent on taking meds, lithium may be a better option, but I recommend doing what Damien said about eating better and drinking purified water beforehand and see if that makes your symptoms improve.
I had read about this, but only recently did I really make the effort to eliminate all the chemical-laden junk from my diet (just read all the unpronounceable ingredients, many just numbers which you would have to look up to know what the chemicals actually are, and what they do) on any packet of chips or many sweets. I stopped drinking soft drinks, too. I put the money I was saving, into actual, healthy food. I noticed that while my depression did not vanish overnight, that the intensity of it lessened within just a few days. I was amazed; I did not expect any effect so soon. I keep doing the same thing now, every time I'm tempted to eat junk, I take the money I was about to spend, and buy myself something healthy with that money, even a healthy snack or treat, but something without added chemicals, in other words, actual, natural food. If I crave a soft drink, I don't just 'deny' myself, I find some fruit juice I really like instead, and buy that. I've found that just 'denying' yourself does not work long-term, what you need to do is learn to enjoy eating and drinking healthily. From my own direct experience, I have found that food and mood are very closely related.
I'm a strong advocate of healthy eating, including fluoride-free water and organic produce. But it's really important here to separate fact from fiction and provide accurate information. There's zero correlation between fluoridation of water and any psychological issues. There is a correlation between fluoridation and a small but measurable increased risk of cancer, but that's the only known risk factor according to the credible literature the last time I checked. There's also no correlation I've seen in any of the scientific literature between the pesticide or fertilizer residues in commercial produce and any sort of psychological issues. What is true is that there appears to be a pretty good correlation between high-fat, high-sugar diets with a lot of refined carbs and various hormone and biochemical changes that can cause depression, anxiety, and other problems. Eating a healthy diet with fresh, minimally processed foods, and limited salt and fats/oils does, for some people, seem to have a positive effect on mood. However, I would not advocate this sort of dietary change as an effective treatment for psychological issues. It is also true thet some medications (of all types) have pretty severe side effects. But many psychotropic meds can be lifesavers for some people. The key is in how severe the problem is. The American population in particular is grossly overmedicated according to a number of studies and research. Doctors are quick to prescribe drugs because it's faster than spending the time to understand the root of the issue, and doctors in the US are severely limiited in the time they can spend with each patient. So with regard to your particular issue, my suggestion is to discuss with your therapist just how serious the issues are for which you're considering medication. If the quality of your daily life is severely impacted, meaning, you are having difficulty functioning, then medication may be an appropriate course of action. It also depends on what the circumstances are; medications for depression are generally only slightly better than placebo, while certain herbal supplements appear to have at least as good, perhaps better, response than their pharmaceutical counterparts. Medications for anxiety, psychosis, bipolar, and OCD, on the other hand, are often very effective and, if the dosages are carefully adjusted, often have minimal side effects. In any case, avoiding drugs, if possible and practical, is frequently a better solution in the long term *if* you are getting regular therapy and working on the issues. Therapy, over time, helps to rewire brain pathways and eliminate the need for the medications, so if you can hold out and manage reasonably well without the medications, you are often better off in the long run.
Did your therapist offer an opinion or recommendation or is it very much your decision? Pay attention to your own feelings, but be guided by the opinion of your therapist.
@Damien, usually I'm eating very healthy. I've been vegetarian for 2 years and managed without meat. Hardly McDonalds or junk food. So healthy food isn't the problem but thanks for the advice @PatrickUK, he just asked 'ever thought about taking meds?' and I just kinda answered that I need time to think or sth. But he didn't bring it up again so far. So you guys say they can cause a lot of stupid side effects but can also help? I'm just heavily confused and clueless. Maybe I just just ask my therapist....idk damn Thanks for your advices guys. I appreciate every
I've been on one or another form of anti-depressants for the past nine years, some far more effective than others. I started off on Zoloft, which worked great for a while, but I would always level off on whatever dosage I was on. In the end, I maxed out on that particular medication (started at 25mg & I gradually increased to 200mg, which is the max dosage they can prescribe for it). Next was Lexapro/Cipralex, which I am still on at the moment. That one has lasted me about 4 or 5 years now, I guess. It definitely made a noticeable difference in my life, but in the past year or so, I was starting to sink deeper into my depression again and I was beginning to feel hopeless. Luckily, my GP is an absolute sweetheart, whom I trust implicitly and who knows my history, and she prescribed me another anti-depressant called Wellbutrin XL. Now I am taking both the Lexapro and the Wellbutrin XL and I honestly have not felt so confident and balanced in years. I'm not saying my depression is gone, it never will be. Mental illness is something that those of us who have it will have to live with forever, but we don't have to suffer with it. I am a huge proponent of anti-depressants, not only because of my own experience with them but because I have talked to umpteen people over the years, many of them close friends, whose lives were positively changed by medication. It's nothing to be ashamed of, honestly. Of course there is still a certain level of stigma in our society surrounding mental illness, but you just have to tune it out. The fact is, more people than not have some form of mental health issue. In this day and age, how can you not? In an evolutionary sense, our bodies and minds are not built to deal with the speed and intensity of modern life. We are bombarded with sensory overload every single day and there's no real escape from it. To me, the so-called "normal" people are the ones to be wary of. Anyway, I've gotten a bit off-track. I recommend you go back to your therapist and ask him/her which medication(s) they are thinking of prescribing you. Then, go home and do as much research as possible on that medication, including any side effects of course, and then make the decision that is best for you. If you are truly depressed and you feel hopeless, worthless, and/or suicidal on a regular basis, I would say - what have you got to lose by trying an anti-depressant? If it doesn't work for you, you can go off of it. The thing is, for those of us with real, crippling clinical depression, meditating and changing our diet alone don't even scratch the surface. I can understand where the proponents of the natural methods are coming from, but for a lot of us, it just doesn't work that way. Whatever decision you make, I wish you the best of luck. Do keep us updated. PM me anytime if you want to talk.
They *can* cause a bunch of side-effects but it will most likely help you. I only got sleepy after taking it, don't let the long list of possible side-effect deter you. You eat healthy already so if the problem is such that it's impacting your life, take the pill~
Take them. Most side effects are manageable, and you can do a cost-benefit analysis if the benefits of the meds outweigh any side effects.
I disagree with taking medications myself, but I'm not a doctor so I can't give you medical advice. I would advise you to read Let Them Eat Prozac by Dr. David Healy if your therapist proposes antidepressants. There are some parts of this book online for free on the author's website. There are side effects associated with antidepressants, and I think after-market studies have shown that they have a higher incidence than the studies that were done originally by the companies who manufactured them. ---------- Post added 28th Nov 2014 at 10:57 PM ---------- Here's an article you might enjoy reading that is by the author I mentioned above: The Persecution of Heretics | Mad In America
Hi there CharlsOn! I graduated with my psychology bachelor's a few months ago. In my last year, I had some problems myself with anxiety and depression that were building over many years, but thankfully I have gotten through it, and I'm now the happiest I've ever been I started taking SSRIs, which are a relatively safe drug to take. They have mild side-effects in a small percentage of people, and I was started on a very small dosage and this was gradually picked up when they weren't making a difference. The drugs never did anything for me, actually... I never felt any positive or negative effects from them. I think, many people could benefit from combing medication with therapy. Studies show that CBT when combined with medication tend to be the most effective treatment for a lot of people's problems with depression, though this may not be what you're going through. Actually... what helped me most, was beginning self-compassion meditation which I combined with my yoga, and being strict in my metacognition. Correcting myself and reevaluating my thoughts rationally, and compassionately, with love and kindness towards myself which naturally means you love other people around you more and realise that we are all the same at our core, and all go through these periods of suffering, so there's unity in that and you're never alone. Whether you begin taking medication is something you should definitely discuss at length with medical professionals, and your therapist too. It could help, and is more likely to help than to hurt. Ultimately I just hope you approach whatever path you take with hopefulness, and know that you're a very brave person. Everyone has fears and inner demons, but you are facing yours. Best of luck xx
I've been depressed for a period of about 4 years and started to take citalopram three months ago. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you realize that medication will not make you "normal". The purpose of medication is to relieve the symptoms of depression that are interferring with your ability to make healthy changes to make you feel better. You still have to do all the work, but the medication will make the work seem like less of a burden. With that said, if you're severly depressed, take them! Anything is better than the crippling condition that is untreated depression. My only side effect is delayed ejaculation.
