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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by 1NF1N17R1P on August 26, 2002, at 23:28:31
im on medication, and i have no friends, and no job, and no wife, at twenty seven years old, im supposed to be happy. shit yeah im depressed. it sucks sitting alone all the time, not see nobody, not going anywhere. why do i drink alcohol. it is a depressant and i absoulutely hate it. i dont like the way it tastes, i dont like the way it smells. sorry to all the people i may have offended, but now i got to end it.
Posted by jay on August 27, 2002, at 1:17:13
In reply to im an alcoholic, posted by 1NF1N17R1P on August 26, 2002, at 23:28:31
> im on medication, and i have no friends, and no job, and no wife, at twenty seven years old, im supposed to be happy. shit yeah im depressed. it sucks sitting alone all the time, not see nobody, not going anywhere. why do i drink alcohol. it is a depressant and i absoulutely hate it. i dont like the way it tastes, i dont like the way it smells. sorry to all the people i may have offended, but now i got to end it.
Hey bud...I am a 32 year old guy, and still close to being in the same boat. And...I live at home. The medication part..I've been doing it for about 10 or so years, and is your absolute right.
The financial, job, and marriage situation..well I think you CAN blame that on corporate greed and corporate politicians screwing up the economy for us 'working class' folks. Seems like they want everyone to be either dirt-poor, or one of the very, very few, select, filthy rich.
Don't let the bastards grind you down...
(FARRR easier said then done..I know.)Jay
Posted by velaguff on August 28, 2002, at 20:22:59
In reply to im an alcoholic, posted by 1NF1N17R1P on August 26, 2002, at 23:28:31
> im on medication, and i have no friends, and no job, and no wife, at twenty seven years old, im supposed to be happy. shit yeah im depressed. it sucks sitting alone all the time, not see nobody, not going anywhere. why do i drink alcohol. it is a depressant and i absolutely hate it. i dont like the way it tastes, i dont like the way it smells. sorry to all the people i may have offended, but now i got to end it.
....Please don't "end it" just yet. Complain like the devil for a dozen years or so, first. I'm 44, and I'm still bitchin'. Try to stay off of alcohol for just a little while, to see if the medication works. Alcohol nearly always (so they say) interferes with the action of your meds. I believe in the truth, as I see it, no matter what. Frankly, I think that many antidepressants that are supposed to simply LIFT YOUR MOOD are essentially placebos (powerful "MAOI's" like Nardil, are less "placebic"; didn't work for me, but you may want to try that if other meds don't work). The track record of medications for bipolar and schizo is somewhat better...I think, but I'm hardly an expert. Those disorders are less prone to the power of suggestion, and the placebo effect. Some people may hate me for it, but I'll say it anyway: many more women (I think it's 4 to 1) seek treatment for depression than men, and I think they generally seek it sooner, when it's more treatable, before it gets really bad. Neuter me with dull pruning shears if you must, but I think that women are more suggestible than men. The little pills make them feel better cause Doc said they would. Still you have to give the pills a chance. Most antidepressants actually do alter your brain chemistry, so they probably do work (more than just in the placebo effect) for some people. I get mad when Docs mess with your mind by saying that alcohol is a "depressant"....technically true, but that only defines its action on your NERVOUS SYSTEM, not your MOOD. It may be self-serving to say so, since I'm a alcoholic myself, but at least alcohol is an honest "medication". No one can accuse alcohol of being a "placebo".
Posted by FredPotter on August 28, 2002, at 23:58:05
In reply to Re: im an alcoholic, posted by velaguff on August 28, 2002, at 20:22:59
The primary action of alcohol it seems to me is definitely not a mood depressant, but I found that something, presumably a metabolite of alcohol or several metabolites, gradually made depression and anxiety worse over time. I do feel better for having given up alcohol, but it doesn't magic away my symptoms completely. I've always wondered. The fact that alcohol has such a complete and perfect effect on my symptoms (in the short term) should surely point to a biochemical mechanism which could be exploited by drugs. Or is that what benzos are? If so, don't bother. They come nowhere near alcohol in efficacy
Posted by velaguff on August 29, 2002, at 13:58:18
In reply to Re: im an alcoholic, posted by FredPotter on August 28, 2002, at 23:58:05
I'd be interested to hear if your sucessful sobriety is related to any medication you're taking. It might help 1FN1 and me. My experience of alcohol definitely mirrors yours. Its antidepressant effects wane as time goes by. I've been playing this over-and-over waiting game, like this: A doc will script me for a med & say, "Don't drink, it'll inferere with your new placebo" =). Then I wait 6 loooooonnnnnggggg weeks without my precious distilled "medication". Trouble is, I've tried at least 20 meds/med combos, and it's getting harder to talk myself into waiting. I don't know of any meds I'm even interested in trying anymore. You think like me when you talk about a mechanism of action in alcohol that could be exploited. I'm a biochemistry lighweight, but rather than concocting bizarre other worldly compounds, mechanism of action unknown, the cause of developing an effective AD might be better served by trying to remove the bad things about alcohol, cocaine, speed, and opiates. They're proven in the short term, maybe some bright person can work out the bugs. I'm very cynical about AD's. On "The Beverly Hillbillies", Granny had some malodorous "Cold Cure": take this here slimy ooze, drink plenty of water, get lots of rest, and yer cold'll be gone in a week or ten days! Guaranteed! I think minor depression often resolves itself (mine is definitely major), so the shrink equivalent of Granny's Cold Cure might be the SSRI. "Take these here purty, candy-colored pills, and in 4 to 6 weeks, your depression'll be gone!"
This is the end of the thread.
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