do you take psych pills?

[DanaC]

Depression is something that I have to deal with from time to time. It comes up seemingly without connection to events or level of general happiness/unhappiness. Doctors have given me various drugs at various times, but I don't think they did much good. Nowadays I have other ways of dealing with it.

[Sundae]

I included myself as currently taking them, because I took the last one so recently.

I have no doubt that they helped me get through the worst of my depression - there were days when I sat on the sofa in pain from a full bladder unable to talk myself into going to the toilet for example. I'm not sure that I could have pulled myself out of that alone. My whole personality felt like it had been tied in a sack and dropped into the deep, dark well of my brain - I was cut off from my normal thoughts and totally hopeless that I would ever be "me" again.

I was started on fluoxetine (Prozac), but within 10 days I was back at the Doctors because I was having intense and recurrent suicidal thoughts. I couldn't even pick up the phone to make an appointment - I had to walk in there and sit in the surgery until someone was free to see me.

I settled on paroxetine (Paxil), which was increased from 20 to 30mg when it didn't have enough effect for the GP's liking. The most recent prescription I had was back to 20, and I felt I was beginning to get my life back.

I decided to stop taking them because although it's only been a short time (comparitely speaking) I hate the idea of being dependent on them for normality. I have a history of depression which has simply not been diagnosed before - this was the worst episode but I am aware they do pass.

Hence trying to work on my thinking and subsequent behaviour for the future.

I accept that some people need the medication on a long term basis - I honestly don't feel I am one of them and the previous month has helped confirm this for me.

[fargon]

Rite now I take simvastatin anti-depressent, trazadone for sleep, valium for anger managment. and cannibis to get stoned.
Alcohol is yucky!

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by fargon

Rite now I take simvastatin anti-depressent

Simvastatin is a cholesterol lowering drug (and it's engraved on my eyeballs at the moment as we're trying to switch 60% of patients on atorvastatin to simva to save money)

I wish I found alcohol yucky. I have finally decided to cut it out completely, but the decision took me a long time to implement. Teetotal total - 4 days so far.

[Griff]

I put no, never. My black moods are part of my charm...

I monitor my alcohol use pretty closely, I know I like it too much.

[Kitsune]

Originally Posted by Griff

My black moods are part of my charm...

Interesting. Another reason I refuse meds: my creativity stems directly from my issues. I don't want it to go away.

My camera is my therapy.

[Griff]

There really is nothing pretty about my moods but my reasons for living with them are similar to yours. I don't want to lose "me" in the process of becoming a socially acceptable person. Beyond the psych pills, I'm getting off of meds of all kinds now that I've reached middle age. I really don't want to end up over-medicated when I'm an oldster. Does it say something about us/me that I feel the need to explain why I don't med-up?

[fargon]

Originally Posted by Sundae Girl

Simvastatin is a cholesterol lowering drug (and it's engraved on my eyeballs at the moment as we're trying to switch 60% of patients on atorvastatin to simva to save money)

I wish I found alcohol yucky. I have finally decided to cut it out completely, but the decision took me a long time to implement. Teetotal total - 4 days so far.

Oop's I farked up it's setraline thats the anti deppresant. i have no less than meds fhat I take twice a day. Thats down from 15 I was taking.

[Kitsune]

I've come to the conclusion that proper diet, exercise, and coping methods (cognitive therapy, etc) are better for me than any meds and the side effects that come with them.

Plus, dealing with insurance companies on this is a nightmare. I had a waiver on my last policy that stems from me seeing the doctor due to heart palpitations and since the diagnosis was stress, they declined to cover me for any neurological disease of any kind from that point, forward. "Neurological disease" could include damn near anything, including cancer.

Insurance companies are run by the devil.

[DanaC]

Insurance companies are so the wrong people to be deciding on health care costs. If ever there was a case of the service users needs being in direct conflict with those of the service provider/facillitator it's insurers -v- patients.

[Elspode]

I've been on Lexapro, 20mg (max single dose) for...well...several years now. It does what I need it to do. When I am depressed, I am angry. The drug levels all that out for me, making me a considerably less angry person.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by Elspode

I've been on Lexapro...

Same here. Alot of what's been said here hits the mark. It all came to a head last year when we found out that my oldest, at 14, was cutting herself, was on the phone for hours in the middle of the night with a "kid" from Cincinnati that she met on-line, and then started to run away, to Cincinnati, but got scared and called from 30th street railroad station. It was enough to drive me to drugs. As long as I can remember, though, I've had thoughts of hurting myself, and that maybe my loved ones would be better off if I just wasn't around anymore.

[SteveDallas]

Originally Posted by Spexxvet

It was enough to drive me to drugs.

Do you mean to say that, to control your reactions to your daughter's behavior and how you dealt with the whole situation? Or are you saying you think your feelings or behavior influenced your daughter negatively? Has your taking Lexapro had any impact on her?

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

Do you mean to say that, to control your reactions to your daughter's behavior and how you dealt with the whole situation? Or are you saying you think your feelings or behavior influenced your daughter negatively? Has your taking Lexapro had any impact on her?

Yes, yes, and yes.

I think that she was behaving unacceptably, and my response was probably more severe than it should have been, which cause even more poor behavior on her part. I was sweating the small stuff, and not seeing the big stuff. Relations with my wife were tense, and that spilled over into my dealings with the kids. When things came to a head with my daughter, it scared the shit out of me, and put things in perspective, but I was on an emotional roller coaster, and could break down at any time. I would wake up in the middle of the night and have to check to make sure she was still in bed, my legs would shake, I was almost incapable of doing anything that wasn't urgent and necessary, and lost my appetite (I called it my daughter diet). After starting Lexapro, I was able to just let things go. When she acted out, I could see that she just wanted a reaction, and was able to withhold a reaction. Our household is much more relaxed now. My daughter is still a 15 year old girl, with all those issues. My wife sometimes sees "letting things go" as "losing", and letting my daughter "get away" with poor behavior, which she sees as poor parenting. But in the long run, my daughter is happier, communicates with us more, and has stopped, as far as we can tell, her self-destructive behavior. I wouldn't say that Lexapro is solely responsible for all that, but I feel like it enabled me to do things differently.

Wow, I never put that on the intenet before.

[lumberjim]

yeah. that's why the poll. i feel like the oddball because i take nothing.... other than advil for a headache, occasional decongestants and sometimes vit C if i get a cold. i try to avoid antibiotics, too.