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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 14 of 14. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2005, at 20:28:27
I know there are a bunch of "lurkers" out there that don't Post. What I'd like to know from them is if they are on meds and if they help or do you not take them because you find them not helpful, or are using alternative methods. I know you're out there how about educating us about why you don't use meds. Don't be shy, we're friendly! Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by alexandra_k on March 19, 2005, at 20:34:00
In reply to Do Meds Create More Problems?, posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2005, at 20:28:27
I didn't think that sort of discussion was appropritate to the medications board. Alternative treatments are supposed to be discussed over on the alternatives board etc.
You may have more luck with your question over on social.
Posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2005, at 20:39:25
In reply to Re: Do Meds Create More Problems? » Phillipa, posted by alexandra_k on March 19, 2005, at 20:34:00
Hi Alexandra! What I'm looking for are the people who are depressed and don't take meds for whatever reason. Did I word it wrong? Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by alexandra_k on March 19, 2005, at 21:37:46
In reply to Do Meds Create More Problems?, posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2005, at 20:28:27
Oh, I get you. Thanks for the clarification.
I don't take my meds because they don't seem to help me.
That being said I have been feeling pretty down recently.
Even to the point where I have begun contemplating starting to take them again.
Posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2005, at 21:46:20
In reply to Re: Do Meds Create More Problems? » Phillipa, posted by alexandra_k on March 19, 2005, at 21:37:46
That's funny, but not really. I'm sorry you're feeling bad. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by bart on March 19, 2005, at 22:03:25
In reply to Do Meds Create More Problems?, posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2005, at 20:28:27
I'm at at point now where I'm seriously thinking about getting off meds just to see how I function. But I just still have this slight fear of obsessive thinking returning witha vengence.
Posted by jay on March 19, 2005, at 22:19:48
In reply to Re: Do Meds Create More Problems? » alexandra_k, posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2005, at 20:39:25
I don't know about this. For some, especially 'newbies', meds are a problem. But for many of us who have been around for years, I think we live with the fact that we can 'get by', have periods of remission, to have some of the pain creep up out of nowhere...and then remission...kinda back and forth. I don't know if this is the ideal description, but I think it is close. Basically, if you have problems in life, no pill will make them go away, only your response may change. Plus, they say it can take up to 10 years to get a correct diagnosis, and often multiple meds are needed. I went through my 'denial' period...and my 'alternative medicine' period...I had the highest highs and the lowest lows. Nowadays, the waves can sometimes be overwhelming, but I can see the shore with more confidence. Basically, I work very hard on keeping on moving, moving forward. That of course is not all the time. Sometimes I am back in that pit of horror. I've learned to manipulate meds to rid me of as many symptoms as possible. You need an open-minded doc who will go the whole nine yards and be open to as much treatment options as possible. I'd rather tripple my meds than go back to those 'lost years'.
IMHO...
Jay
Posted by flmm on March 19, 2005, at 23:19:34
In reply to Re: Do Meds Create More Problems? » Phillipa, posted by jay on March 19, 2005, at 22:19:48
Been thru all that also! Just went back on an unsuccessful taper down of lexapro.I think it is helpfull to taper off meds once in awhile, for a little while, to be reminded of how bad it can feel off meds. I am sure I will do it again, but right now I am once again convinced I will need meds forever. It is amazing how subtle these meds work, they really are effective and I thank God for them. I think we will be better served if we accept our condition and be thankfull of the help available.I always think I will feel better without meds and get upset when I don't. Oh well, I am done experimenting for now and back on Lexapro, thank God for that. I think I will just be happy for awhile................
Peace Out
Posted by fachad on March 21, 2005, at 0:27:32
In reply to Do Meds Create More Problems?, posted by Phillipa on March 19, 2005, at 20:28:27
"There was an old woman who swallowed a fly. I don't know why she swallowed a fly, Perhaps she'll die."
That children’s song pretty much describes the longitudinal course of psycho-pharmacotherapy, IMHO.
You start out with a medication for a diagnosis that is realy just a technical name made up by the drug company for some type of emotional suffering that is really inherent to the human condition.
The medication causes some side effect, either right away or gradually over time. So a second med is added to counter this undesirable effect of the first med.
Of course, the second med has some unexpected unpleasant side effect, which, lucky for you, can be treated with a third med.
Now this third med is not generic and is not covered by your insurance, so it's gonna cost you a bundle, but that's better than suffering the side effect of med 2, which, all things considered, is worth it to get the (alleged) benefit of med 1. On and on it goes.
If you should decide to discontinue any of your meds, you will then have rebound symptoms of whatever that med was doing (e.g., if it was a sleep med, you will have rebound insomnia; if it was an anxiety med, you will have rebound anxiety) plus you will have all the weird physical symptoms that come along with d/cing a psych med, plus you will have the inevitable emotional destabilization (aka, coming apart, meltdowns, etc.) that accompany an even ultra-gradual taper of a psych med.
The Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly (children's song)
http://www.poppyfields.net/poppy/songs/oldwoman.htmlBrain Candy (1996 film on the psycho-pharmacetuical industry and it's customer base)
http://imdb.com/title/tt0116768/
Posted by Phillipa on March 21, 2005, at 16:43:44
In reply to Of course they do, There was an old woman who..., posted by fachad on March 21, 2005, at 0:27:32
That's exactly what happens! Well Put. Fondly Phillipa
Posted by flmm on March 22, 2005, at 21:52:01
In reply to Re: Of course they do, There was an old woman who... » fachad, posted by Phillipa on March 21, 2005, at 16:43:44
You people are a little to negative for me! No wonder chronic depression is rampant! I think I will find a more positive site............
Posted by Phillipa on March 22, 2005, at 22:39:22
In reply to Re: Of course they do, There was an old woman who., posted by flmm on March 22, 2005, at 21:52:01
I feel most of the responses have been positive in that most feel that meds are not always the answer, at least longterm. That there are other effective modes of tx and that we sometimes need to experiment with let's say CBT, drug holiday,etc. People have moods also, and a drug is not always the answer over the long haul. you can't just sit back and relax you must work for your sanity, and sometimes a sense of humor works wonders. Sorry you don't like us. Fondly, Phillipa
Posted by fachad on March 23, 2005, at 0:36:33
In reply to Re: Of course they do, There was an old woman who., posted by flmm on March 22, 2005, at 21:52:01
> You people are a little to negative for me! No wonder chronic depression is rampant! I think I will find a more positive site............
Well, I was *trying* to be funny, in a jaded, sardonic sort of way.
You know that "been there, taken that, got the side effects, but slept thru the (purported) therapeutic effects" kind of cynicism that one only acquires through years of dogged persistence in an attempt to treat a character trait like dysthemia with medication.
My experience is only applicable to me. As they say, YMMV.
Please do not take my whining as absolute truth; by all means be optimistic, as that most esteemed philosopher and metaphysician Dr. Pangloss teaches.
Try medication(s). Possibly your condition will be responsive and you will maintain that response indefinitely. Possibly you will respond to a second or a third medication to augment or catalyze the primary medication.
But at some point, if you feel that you are on a wild goose chase, or if you get the feeling that you - like the medieval alchemists - are seeking the Medicine of Medals, the Elixir of Life, that which will bestow True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness then you may want to consider reading "A Subtle Allegory concerning the Secrets of Alchemy" written in 1617.
***
A Subtle Allegory Concerning the Secrets of Alchemy (1617)
http://www.rexresearch.com/alchemy/maier1.htmBrain Candy (1996)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00003CXAV/qid=1111559129/sr=8-1/ref=pd_csp_1/104-6424535-4495136?v=glance&s=dvd&n=507846
Posted by Sarah T. on March 23, 2005, at 2:13:19
In reply to Re: Of course they do, There was an old woman who., posted by flmm on March 22, 2005, at 21:52:01
I believe it's best to read about and listen to all viewpoints. Only then can one make well-informed decisions. It really is important to know the facts, the truth, and that includes both positive and negative reactions to medications. Most of us on this board do not represent pharmaceutical companies. Occasionally you'll find a pharmaceutical representive here. Sometimes they identify themselves and their affiliation; sometimes they don't. My feeling is that if I want to hear only good things about drugs, then I can pick up a medical journal any day and read hundreds of ads placed by drug companies. On the other hand, if I want a more balanced viewpoint, I can come here. By the way, in 1999, the seventeenth edition of "THE MERCK MANUAL" was published. This edition, the 100th anniversary edition, was sold in a package together with a copy of the first MERCK MANUAL, which was published in 1899. Reading through that first MERCK MANUAL provides an interesting and shocking lesson in history and perhaps a lesson for the future. Smoking tobacco was prescribed to treat asthma and bronchitis. Ammonia and arsenic were recommended to treat baldness. Formaldehyde was prescribed to treat the common cold. Sulfuric acid was prescribed to rid women of female sexual urges. Strychnine was used to treat diptheria, and iodine and turpentine were used to treat meningitis. Supposedly, we've come a long way in the last one hundred years, but I suspect that in less than one hundred years, perhaps in the next 25 or 50 years, people will look back in horror at the medicines we're prescribed today.
This is the end of the thread.
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