Posted by karaS on September 21, 2004, at 15:23:20
In reply to No More Anti-Depressants for Me, posted by L McLean on September 21, 2004, at 14:08:31
> No More Anti-depressants
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> For Me!
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> Everyone Needs To Know
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> My name is Lenard. I have been dealing with major depression for about 3 years now, and I am going to win the fight! I have been hospitalized, and treated by several different mental health agencies. They all provide little counseling, and quick prescriptions. They tell you that Depression is a serious problem, (and it is). However, they tell almost everyone who has a mental disorder that the disorder is due to a chemical imbalance, and write out a prescription. Often the prescription is for a drug that is very new to the market, or has had little wide spread use.
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> However, from my experience, MOST people do not need these risky drugs. They talk of the amazing effectiveness of the drugs, but usually skip over the stories of the people who have had negative, and even deadly effects from the medications. Let me tell you, there are many problems with some of these substances!
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> I use the term SUBSTANCES because, often these drugs have delusional, and even addictive effects. At the same time, these drugs usually do not offer the groundbreaking results that the manufacturers boast of. You might even go as far as to say (some of the pharmaceutical companies) just out-right lie, or misrepresent there narcotic like products.
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> As I stated, I have battled depression for several years. I have been prescribed about three different Anti-depressants (who’s names for legal reasons, I cannot say). However, I can tell you not one of them have done me any good. They have even caused mind boggling heart rate fluctuations, and very disorienting euphoric delusions, and that’s just the “expected reactions” while you are using the drugs. It can be night-mayorish to withdraw from these substances. Hell in a Pill. That’s my view of these drugs now.
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> Just surf around the Internet, and you will quickly find message board upon message board telling of the horror stories of these drugs. Yet the drug companies keep pumping them out, doctors keep prescribing, and people keep taking these drugs. So, the hell continues, and usually, so does the problems. This is clearly a case of searching for that ideal quick fix. Courage in a pill, but that just isn’t what most people get.
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> I have said all of this, but I should say that there are a few people who are ravaged by mental illness who benefit from some of these drugs. However, the most common situation is people like me who just needed to change their living situations, and habits, and not the frightening side effects of some of these substances.
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These medications and the system we have for prescribing them are far from perfect. It's hit or miss and the consequences/side effects can be quite bad. I can appreciate your decision to never use antidepressants again based on your experience but I don't think it's fair to generalize so much about the ramifications for others. There are tons of people for whom these medications have been life savers. Many of them post on this board and I have known quite a few myself. Many of these people had horrific reactions to medications before they found one or a combination of ones that worked for them. Maybe all you needed was to change your lifestyle. That doesn't mean that is the answer for everone else though. It's a very personal decision to keep trying medications with all of the possible side effects - a constant cost/benefit analysis that each individual has to make for themselves.
poster:karaS
thread:393374
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040921/msgs/393387.html