![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Buckeye Fan on May 10, 2004, at 7:59:59
I have only been visiting this site for a month..so if this has been discussed before please forgive me.
I can relate to many of the posters here.
I remember NOT being on ANY meds, other than maybe Ibuprofen for the first 40 years of my life.Then after a series of "out of the blue" panic attacks, with agoraphobia...I went to see my MD
and he gave me xanax.Talk therapy helped me understand WHY the panic attacks came on...but did not allow me to stop them from happening.
Then about 2 years into this...my MD finally convinced me to take Zoloft.
The panic attacks stopped...my mood improved...and all seemed well. I remember even thanking him.
Now we are 4 years later....and I still take xanax....I switched to Effexor...and now am tapering off. (the Effexor)
I wish I had NEVER taken an anti-depressant.
I have weighed the pros and Cons...and for me...it is no contest...depression os BETTER than the effects of these powerful mind "numbers."
Seriously...that is all they really do...is they Numb you to the pain.So after a few years of living your life like a Zombie...no real feelings..no motivation..you decide to go of them.
Yeah right.
Just "try it" the Drug Companies are privately saying. ( I know that sounds paranoid, but its really not)
So where do we draw the line?
No drugs? No Insulin? No Hormone Therapy?
No pain Killers?I have no answers...only questions.
I will close with this however.....
If we lived in any other time period, we wouldnt even be having to choose...cause the drugs wouldnt be avaliable. So would we all be drunks?
Probabley.I bet the best thing for all most of us, would be to graduallly come off these anti-depressants..and eat right and exercise.
IMHO
Buckeye Fan
Posted by finelinebob on May 10, 2004, at 10:14:46
In reply to Getting Off All Meds...Where Do You Draw The Line?, posted by Buckeye Fan on May 10, 2004, at 7:59:59
First of all -- it doesn't matter if someone posted a similar topic in the past ... you need to talk about this now and your take on it is going to be different from anyone else's experience. No apologies necessary.
Have you followed any of the threads talking about coming off of Effexor? Your mileage may vary, but a lot of people have withdrawal symptoms. If you are having a rough time coming off of it, look to those threads for ideas or ask here on your own thread for specifc advice. Xanax can be even worse when it comes to withdrawal -- same advice applies.
On a different thread recently, someone was, well, rather adamant about getting off meds and managing depression or anxiety with nutrition and exercise. Better nutrition and more exercise is a prescription most of us could benefit from! If it works for you, that would be fabulous. Definitely give it a go if you want to stay off meds.
You may have a pretty good shot at that being successful, too. If you were fine up to 40 and then something in your life brought on your panic attacks, if you have been able to address what caused them with talk therapy, then yes -- restoring whatever brain chemistry imbalances you had through lifestyle changes may do very well. People can build up a dependency on Xanax and other meds, so you may need some patience on getting back to "normal". You body is going to need to readjust to living without those chemicals in your bloodstream.
So, if you're going to give it a go, good luck. Keep checking back here if you need the support.
flb
PS. I was 35 before I started on meds. I was almost 38 before me and my pdoc finally found a combination that worked well. My life on THESE meds is far better than my life off meds, but the time in between -- when I was going through about 11 or 12 different med combos looking for what worked -- at times, life was pure hell. Some people get lucky and respond to the first med their doctor prescribes. I wasn't that lucky. Maybe you weren't either. But I have to wonder what I could have made of my life had I known at 18 that it wasn't my character that was screwed up but my chemistry.
PPS. One thing meds will never help with -- that feeling you get when the Buckeyes lose that last game of the football season. Go Blue!! =^P
Posted by Sebastian on May 10, 2004, at 17:37:49
In reply to Getting Off All Meds...Where Do You Draw The Line?, posted by Buckeye Fan on May 10, 2004, at 7:59:59
I've been thinking how I would like to get off these drugs. 7 years now, I'm 27, my sex life sucks. Do feel like a zombie. My fear is going crazy if I stop the meds. I was self medicating with drugs and alcohol for many years, on top of meds, and not. Then they say the drugs might have created the problem. I was realy sick many years ago. I try geting off meds now and, right, I feel bad, I call it withdraw, addiction, another drug. I stoped the bad ones 2.5 years ago. Just means I take more meds. Soooo.... how do I get off the meds and get my life back.
I was sad and depressed many years ago, then I smoked some pot again after a year off it and sober in college. I got dillusional, went back to school, lost my mind and ended up on meds. For the last 7 years. What happened? Am I crazy
...............................................
Posted by Buckeye Fan on May 11, 2004, at 8:31:46
In reply to Re: Getting Off All Meds... » Buckeye Fan, posted by finelinebob on May 10, 2004, at 10:14:46
> First of all -- it doesn't matter if someone posted a similar topic in the past ... you need to talk about this now and your take on it is going to be different from anyone else's experience. No apologies necessary.
>
> Have you followed any of the threads talking about coming off of Effexor? Your mileage may vary, but a lot of people have withdrawal symptoms. If you are having a rough time coming off of it, look to those threads for ideas or ask here on your own thread for specifc advice. Xanax can be even worse when it comes to withdrawal -- same advice applies.
>
> On a different thread recently, someone was, well, rather adamant about getting off meds and managing depression or anxiety with nutrition and exercise. Better nutrition and more exercise is a prescription most of us could benefit from! If it works for you, that would be fabulous. Definitely give it a go if you want to stay off meds.
>
> You may have a pretty good shot at that being successful, too. If you were fine up to 40 and then something in your life brought on your panic attacks, if you have been able to address what caused them with talk therapy, then yes -- restoring whatever brain chemistry imbalances you had through lifestyle changes may do very well. People can build up a dependency on Xanax and other meds, so you may need some patience on getting back to "normal". You body is going to need to readjust to living without those chemicals in your bloodstream.
>
> So, if you're going to give it a go, good luck. Keep checking back here if you need the support.
>
> flb
>
> PS. I was 35 before I started on meds. I was almost 38 before me and my pdoc finally found a combination that worked well. My life on THESE meds is far better than my life off meds, but the time in between -- when I was going through about 11 or 12 different med combos looking for what worked -- at times, life was pure hell. Some people get lucky and respond to the first med their doctor prescribes. I wasn't that lucky. Maybe you weren't either. But I have to wonder what I could have made of my life had I known at 18 that it wasn't my character that was screwed up but my chemistry.
>
> PPS. One thing meds will never help with -- that feeling you get when the Buckeyes lose that last game of the football season. Go Blue!! =^P
************************************************Thanks for the encouragment!
Alot of truth in your post.
You seem WAY TOO smart to be a Michigan Fan! lolGotcha!~
Buckeye Fan ( You know...defending Champs 2002?)
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.