Posted by Bob on September 24, 1999, at 22:43:46
In reply to Re: now what, posted by elle on September 24, 1999, at 7:47:34
> Does that mean you stay on meds forever?
That really sucks, doesn't it? It took me a couple of years on meds for that to *really* sink in, and when it did it put me two steps from the edge. At the time (it wasn't that long ago), I remember my GP blowing sunshine up my butt (pardon my French) telling me not to think of this as a life sentence ... he gave me this very interesting little history lesson of the progress of medicine in the 20th century ... zheesh, and he's old enough to be my little brother, not my father!
For me, it was very disconcerting and disheartening to feel that settle on my shoulders, but it faded like most side effects of the medicines I've had to take. At worst, yeah, you'll be managing your mood with, among other things like therapy and sunshine and lvoing relationships, a variety of pills for the rest of your life. But really, that's not the worst of it -- you could be faced with your depression and none of those things to help you out. Who knows? Maybe my GP is right and sometime in the next few or ten years some whizkid in a college lab is going to brew up a magic pill for us all.
Even if that doesn't happen, and you spend the next 50 years, 70 years, whatever, taking meds to allow yourself to feel happy and to be involved with your friends and family ... don't you think that what looks so bleak right now will look pretty damn good in hindsight?
I guess what finally sunk in for me, seeing as how therapy alone was not doing me a bit of good, is this: the way things are, I can either be on meds the rest of my life or go off meds for the rest of my life. The choice lies in *how long* I want that "rest of my life" to be and "how well" I would like the time in between to be.
Be strong, elle,
Bob
poster:Bob
thread:11902
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/19990914/msgs/12029.html