Refusing Anti Depressents

Absolutely you can refuse them.
There are other options, but you have to look in to them.
If you're avoiding antidepressants because you think it will just go away though, you're going to be disappointed. Mental health needs maintaining just like anything physical.

 

Imo they don't mess with your brain, but help your brain function more like the way it should

 

You certainly have the right to refuse...

But:

1) are you doing other things to help yourself, like
getting support from friends/ family
a therapist/ counsellor
taking exercise
and eating well?

2) have you thought that medication might help without necessarily making you feel weird? (although some I have tried have made me feel a bit odd!!). It can take a while to find the right dose/ right med for you. It doesn't have to be for ever either..

 

I have had the anti-depressant suggestion shoved down my throat many times now. In fact, one person in my life has hit me countless times with that suggestion lately.

However, I am more than a little concerned with a drug that changes brain chemistry. I am also concerned with the way it has become the primary--and for many people--the only solution suggested. In my case, I have depression, and I feel pretty sure that one issue is problems in my life. But, given my finances, the only "easy" solution would be low cost clinic of some sort, and I'd bet all they'd be interested in doing is writing a prescription for Prozac and being done with me.

I am not alone in questioning these drugs. I read a book a few years back by a doctor who was frankly against them. He considered them dangerous drugs, and only prescribed them in absolute emergencies, and with a plan that they'd be a temporary crutch.

I won't say these drugs don't have a place. But I do think it's worth questioning them--in fact, it's worth questioning any drug. We seem to be in a culture (in the US, at least) where drugs are solution for any problem. It's easy to write a prescription. Also, being a bit cynical, it helps keep the medical industry solvent.

 

The book I mentioned reading in my last post had one case study where anti-depressants were used. As I recall, the patient was seriously depressed. The doctor decided to use a drug. He told the patient he thought they were dangerous drugs, but, in this case, would be a useful crutch. There was a plan to have the drug in use for only so long, at which time it would be phased out. During the drug use, there would be active therapy. As I recall, the program worked for the patient.

I wish I could remember the book's title... It's been a long time since I read it.

 

I suffer from Panic Disorder and am an all around anxious person.

I have definitely been told to do meds. I haven't, because I am in therapy and it really does help.

Here are my comments/questions...

1. Who is telling you this?

2. If you aren't in therapy, get to it!

I am against medication as permanent bandaid. If there are underlying issues, then work on those!

My best friend cannot function without her meds. She suffers from OCD and it can get bad. My other best friends are bipolar, and they NEED MEDICATION for this moment of their lives. Sometimes, with really good care, you can get off meds, but that takes time and effort.

I'd suggest some sort of plan. Like, tell your doctor "hey, I want to try going without meds. Can we come back later?" Also, maybe you could have an open dialogue about yourself. Like, have a plan that if you start going down the drain, you can get out of it. That really helped me, knowing that if I started to lose it, my friends and family would be there to help me pick up the pieces!

 

^This is how it should be done. In some cases you need anti-depressants to make active therapy possible.

Anti-depressants can help immensely, but they are no long term solution.

I think it's ok to take them if your depression influences your ability to function in your life. But then they should be used in combination with therapy and phased out after some time. I had to take them last year after a nervous breakdown because I just wasn't able to function normally. I took them from March - September, now I don't need them anymore. I started seeing a therapist at the same time - my doctor said the most effective way to treat depression is therapy in combination with anti-depressants.

 

You're perfectly within your rights to refuse it. While it does help some people, like any medication, it has side effects, and I can certainly relate to not wanting to mess around with your brain chemistry.

Research does support a number of non-medication treatments for depression. Even if you were interested in taking meds, ideally it would be as an adjunct to non-medical interventions.

Some of the non-medical treatments for depression are:
* psychotherapy
* cognitive-behavioral therapy
* regular exercise
* good eating & sleeping habits
* figuring out sources of stress in your life and coming up with solutions to them

 

I take anti-depressants and have for probably 10 years or so.
I have to rely on them.. I'm a WRECK without.
Sadly I assume I'll be on them for the rest of my life, so that's the only downside..
but they do make me feel better, and that's all I really care about right now. Feeling better.
You can totally refuse to take them though, but I would suggest seeing a psychologist or something at least. That would be the most natural way, instead of just trying to "deal" with it.

 

You always have a right to refuse treatment (although many places have laws that allow forced treatment if you are deemed to be a danger to yourself or others. If you're not actively suicidal or homicidal then you shouldn't have to worry about that). I can certainly relate to not wanting to mess with your brain... I also refused antidepressants, among other things. If you feel like you can manage without them then you should be OK... just don't let it get to the point where not accepting help (of any kind) is causing problems. And maybe see if you can find someone to talk to who isn't pushing drugs on you. You don't need to do this alone.

 

Don't let anyone force you into taking those things. They can really mess you up, and make you suicidal. Psychiatry is unfortunately far from the perfect science some psychiatrists would like to present it as. I've been to enough of them, I know how they operate.

If you ever do try any anti-depressants, remember only you know how they are affecting your body and mind, make sure you remain in control and stop if they're making you feel worse.

If you really want to try some sort of medicinal solution, maybe try experimenting with some herbal anti-depressants like St. John's Wort. (Don't mix it with prescription anti-depressants though).

But definitely find someone to talk to, that can make a big difference in your life...

 

Everyone reacts differently to medication.

I was tricked into taking anti depressants for like a month in high school after a psychiatrist my mom forced me to go to told her I had one of the worst cases of depression she'd ever seen and wanted to see me every week. I had refused to go more than that one visit. I didn't even talk to her. I refused to. My mom would slip them into dinner when she'd make it. They didn't help at all. Sure, I still have massive issues with it, but honestly, it's better than risking the side effects.

My mom and sisters all have had suicide attempts because of their anti-depressants after being on them for a few months. I will never go on an anti-depressant.

However, as I said, everyone reacts different. Some people do amazing on them. No one can ever predict how you will react, and all anti-depressants react different to everyone. One may cause you to have suicidal thoughts, whereas another could cause you to have very few issues with depression anymore.

 

Antidepressants are an appropriate treatment option for some people who have a temporary situational depression or who suffer from repeated bouts of depression.

However, they are not the only treatment and too often they are prescribed as a first line treatment before any other options have been tried.

As an competent adult, you have the right to refuse any treatment. The next time your doctor brings the subject up, explain that you don't want to go down that route. If you continue to feel pressured, then change doctors.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with refusing them. I won't even take the vitamins that are supposed to help with mood like SAMe or anything because it bothers me. I just don't like the idea of being dependent on medication to make me happy. Honestly I'd rather be miserable without them than have to take them just to put on a fake smile. So no, it really isn't wrong to refuse them and I don't think anyone would judge you for not wanting to take them.

 

Well yeah, that's why I said psychiatry is far from exact science. It's basically just try pill x, see how that works, if that doesn't work then try pill y, if that doesn't work, switch to pill z and see what it does to you. And in each case there's always the risk that the pill will make things worse and make you want to jump off a bridge, so if you're going through that kinda cycle you've always got to stay alert to how you're feeling on them and how it's changing you.

I've been on and off anti-depressants for both depression and social anxiety, and nothing has ever helped either problem. Now these people all had MDs, but none of them could explain to me the exact process by which what they were prescribing me would fix depression or anxiety, cause there's just way too much we still don't know about these things.

 

I'm surprised how many people are recommending therapy. It was one of the most pointless experiences of my life.

Back to your point though, you can absolutely refuse any kind of treatment.

 

Don`t throw all kinds therapy into one box. There are different types of therapy and very different therapists. I`ve had 3 therapists and tried 3 different approaches. One was a waste of time, which ended when the guy suggested I took up a new hobby, like fishing. You don`t suggest to a person considering suicide to go and do some fishing. That was the only type of help he could offer. The other person didn`t even care enough to give advice. Both were so called talk-therapists. Maybe it works well with a good therapist, but it didn`t for me.

Then I met with a cognitive therapist (Cognitive Therapy is it`s own branch) who I stayed with for a year and a half, and she changed my entire way of thinking and processing things. Now, 4 years after that ended I still sometimes use the techniques she taught me to keep a healthy mind set.

So, yeah, therapy can be useless until you find the right kind of therapy and the right therapist. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries to get it right, but it can change your life and how you deal with things. And therapy works best with other supplements like self-help books, healthy eating, enough sleep, exercise, enough sun light, etc.

 

I definitely think they all work differently ..I tried one that didn't work at all...however, my OCD is so bad that I can't function without my meds...and in this case I don't let myself feel weak for not being able to "deal" with it on my own