Posted by med_empowered on August 1, 2005, at 2:27:50
In reply to Re: Do you know what pisses me off beyond belief??, posted by linkadge on August 1, 2005, at 1:48:54
hey! I'm considering going back to doing recreational drugs (I did in high school and part of college; I'm 21 now and haven't done anything in a while) b/c prescription "medicines" seem to be less effective, more expensive, and cause more problems than illicit "drugs". Pot was OK for me--sometimes it made me anxious while smoking, but the great thing was the STRONG mellowing, anti-depressant and yet, strangely energizing effect I get when I smoke pot now and then. I go from sleeping all day and doing nothing to finally reading again, going out again, that kind of thing. NOTHING rx'd has done that for me--not stimulants, benzos, antipsychotics, or antidepresants. Even better are 'shrooms...small amounts are soooo relaxing, and they really help to bring me out of a "funk" (for me though, I think a "funk" would qualify as a full-blown depressive episode.) I thought about it today, actually...I could spend over $100/month on my co-pay for drugs that don't really help, but do cause considerable problems, or I could spend the same amount (or less, I don't get stoned daily or anything) for something that would have some real use for me AND would be fun. And yet...its illegal. When I really think about it, it makes SENSE that pot, 'shrooms, and things like that are illegal: who is going to make money off of it? You can't patent and sell plant-based meds, at least not in the US. You CAN,however, patent and sell ridiculously expensive and inexpensive crap all you want. Look at the "hard drugs" we have...coke, meth, speed, etc. They were ALL pharmaceuticals once. When there was money to be made off them, drug companies and doctors pushed them like crazy; now that there are newer (supposedly "better," but mostly just MORE EXPENSIVE) meds to push for the same conditions, the drug companies and the government are all about keeping them underground. And when daring shrinks do try research with "hard" drugs--like LSD therapy in the 50s and 60s--they get scorned by their peers and the research is ignored. It makes sense; if severely disturbed patients can recover enough from one or two LSD-sessions that they are able to enjoy life and become productive citizens, they won't need shrinks anymore. And they won't need meds, either. Sorry to ramble, but this issue bothers me so much...it also bothers me that so many psychiatric "treatments" really seem to *SUBTRACT* from the personality--patients become less spontaneous, less intense, less *human*, really.
poster:med_empowered
thread:536229
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050728/msgs/536279.html