Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 267329

Shown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.

 

Thought-provoking concept

Posted by Harvester of Eyes on October 9, 2003, at 13:49:29

Reading this board, one is struck by all the accounts of drug successes and failures.

Each drug has a target, or set of targets. For many of us, when it hits the target, it does not adequately address the condition.

This raises the question: Is depression a constellation of diseases, or a constellation of symptoms so varied that even taking four or five medications is often insufficient?

 

Re: Thought-provoking concept

Posted by stjames on October 9, 2003, at 14:00:11

In reply to Thought-provoking concept, posted by Harvester of Eyes on October 9, 2003, at 13:49:29

Mood is a very very complex system. Treating depression requires several things to be changed it this system. This can vary from person to person.

 

Re: Thought-provoking concept

Posted by ctc on October 9, 2003, at 14:33:05

In reply to Re: Thought-provoking concept, posted by stjames on October 9, 2003, at 14:00:11

> Mood is a very very complex system. Treating depression requires several things to be changed it this system. This can vary from person to person.

I was doing great for over 5 years on my cocktail of Effexor/Trazadone/Doxepin (with a couple of minors thrown in)including weathering a horrible job with really miserable boss) and confidently expected my move to a new state to be promising. Apparently, the move, subsequent job search usw. was just too much. I was right back where I was 10 years, 20 years and 30 years ago. At least I have learned to stay out of hospitals!!!

I think we can reach a level of (not) happiness but, safety, security...release from terror, but can be blindsided by non-physiological events.

 

Re: Thought-provoking concept

Posted by stjames on October 9, 2003, at 17:04:04

In reply to Re: Thought-provoking concept, posted by ctc on October 9, 2003, at 14:33:05

> I think we can reach a level of (not) happiness but, safety, security...release from terror, but can be blindsided by non-physiological events.
>

Totally. I used to be able to deal with high stress very well. I still can, during the stressful event, but I will fall apart after.


 

Re: Thought-provoking concept

Posted by utopizen on October 9, 2003, at 18:59:25

In reply to Thought-provoking concept, posted by Harvester of Eyes on October 9, 2003, at 13:49:29


> This raises the question: Is depression a constellation of diseases, or a constellation of symptoms so varied that even taking four or five medications is often insufficient?
.>

Depression is depression. It could be spurred on by other medical conditions, and has been proven to increase the likelihood of physical illnesses when left untreated.

Maybe, let's say, someone's narcoleptic, so they're tired all the time. It takes 7 years, on average, for someone to be diagnosed for this condition. Because doctors tend to assume everything must somehow relate to depression, they hear the word "tired" or "insomnia" and throw out a "depression" diagnosis (it's also a self-fulfilling prophecy for the doc, since untreated sleeping disorders WILL lead to depression eventually).

So maybe some on this board have something else. But combining depression meds with behavioral therapy is a good idea for someone who's not working out w/ depression, I'd be suspicious to a doc who didn't refer a patient out to also see a therapist before contemplating something like Oxycotin for depression.

If someone's on 4 or 5 meds, they should have at least tried combining these meds with therapy, since irrational thought is obviously, as we all know, the underlying reason why we have mental illnesses. I have just social anxiety disorder and ADD.

 

Re: Thought-provoking concept » Harvester of Eyes

Posted by KimberlyDi on October 10, 2003, at 13:12:14

In reply to Thought-provoking concept, posted by Harvester of Eyes on October 9, 2003, at 13:49:29

Guess it depends on how mis-wired your brain is, and how many Side Effects you have to deal with.

I'm not thinking about crashing my car into a tree anymore. I consider myself a success story for Effexor though now I'm quitting it due to high blood pressure.

I also believe that some people are looking for a superdrug. One that will make their life seem perfect. Real life is out there, and nothing will make it fair.

KDi in Texas


> Reading this board, one is struck by all the accounts of drug successes and failures.
>
> Each drug has a target, or set of targets. For many of us, when it hits the target, it does not adequately address the condition.
>
> This raises the question: Is depression a constellation of diseases, or a constellation of symptoms so varied that even taking four or five medications is often insufficient?

 

Re: Thought-provoking concept

Posted by Harvester of Eyes on October 10, 2003, at 17:50:58

In reply to Re: Thought-provoking concept » Harvester of Eyes, posted by KimberlyDi on October 10, 2003, at 13:12:14

> Guess it depends on how mis-wired your brain is, and how many Side Effects you have to deal with.


That raises a new question. If a brain is mis-wired, to what are we comparing it? What is the non-mis-wired brain, and how do we identify it?

I was once badly burned, and given Demerol the first day. Obviously, Demerol is not something one wants to take for any reason other than trauma, but while I was in the emergency room, I felt better than I did in my whole life. Similarly, I felt better on caffeine, nicotine and alcohol (all of which I now boycott).

Is the goal to stabilize and stop the intense suffering, as one person wrote above? Or should we shoot for something higher, and how do we know when we get there?

 

Re: Thought-provoking concept » Harvester of Eyes

Posted by David Smith on October 10, 2003, at 21:31:40

In reply to Re: Thought-provoking concept, posted by Harvester of Eyes on October 10, 2003, at 17:50:58


> Is the goal to stabilize and stop the intense suffering, as one person wrote above? Or should we shoot for something higher, and how do we know when we get there?
>

We know when we stop searching. For many of us that search will never end, but as they say:
"It is the journey and not the destination."

Those are very important questions and I suspect Dr.Bob will attempt to incorporate them into his final conclusions from this experiment.


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