Let Me Shove a Pill Down Your Throat

[NateSean]

Had to start my own thread for this, because I didnt' want to hijack Jester's.

Long story short, I've been going through a tough period. Some of this time has lead me to having more frequent melt downs. A bit more anxiety over the situation, etc.

Now, everytime I see some professional the first thing they try to do is shove a pill down my throat. Less dramatically speaking, they ask me if I think medication would help.

I tried seeing a therapist. I made it explicitly clear during the intake interviews that I didn't even want to hear the word medication. The reason I was seeing a therapist was so I could get crap off my chest. In two seperate sessions the guy suggested medication. Now, to be frank I don't fucking get what was so hard about, "Don't even mention medication."

So, here's the post I'm responding to. As it basically culminates every suggestion of medication I have recieved. So I don't want the poster thinking I'm upset for their remark, but I want readers to understand the motivation.

Don't necessarily rule out the drugs without trying them, but they aren't for everyone.

Now, once a few years ago, I had a nasty anxiety attack over not being able to find a set of keys to my apartment. I had to go to work that morning.

Those who know my CS.com profile know that I worked at Rank Aid drug store for almost two years and that almost every day, if it wasn't customers giving me a hard time, it was my coworkers. Managers who were always siding with the ridiculous customer complaints. Assistant managers who were basically friends with the manager and could get away with intimidation (Please spare me the "you should have done this" comments, as that's not what this thread is about), side sniping and all sorts of bullshit.

So, all of that just caused me to snap. I went to the hospital that morning and I agreed to take anxiety meds for a few months.

It didn't do shit. Oh, it curbed my anxiety for a while. But it didn't stop customers from getting loud and belligerent. It didn't stop one of the assistant managers from coming down on me when I called for back up to the registers, and because the back up took their sweet ass time, the line was much shorter than when I called.

Anxiety came right back. The pill didn't do crap, because my anxiety had a damn good reason to be there. What was I supposed to do? Take more than the recommended dosage and risk my health?

So, that alone is a pretty good basis for my feelings regarding medication. They do not cure real life.

If you're seeing Elvis in your refridgerator, or if you think Obama stuck an implant in your brain and is watching you pee, then yeah. I'd probably go ahead and take a couple pills if I were you.

But my anxiety and my depression are for real reasons. I'm not depressed every single day. I'm not so depressed I can't do things I enjoy. I'm depressed because I can't fucking afford to do the things I enjoy. I'm just so tired of the "my pills will solve all" mentality that every fucking professional I meet has been trying to shove on me since I was twelve.

[AdminAssistant]

Try seeing a psychologist instead of a psychiatrist. Psychologists cannot, by law, prescribe medication.

[NateSean]

Well, I have a neuropsych evaluation coming up. I'm hoping a second diagnosis of Asperger's will help me in the long run, since my last DX was literally fourteen years ago.

[telecom_goddess]

Well, I have a neuropsych evaluation coming up. I'm hoping a second diagnosis of Asperger's will help me in the long run, since my last DX was literally fourteen years ago.

First off I applaud your decision to not do meds. I was on an anti depressant for about 10 years until I voluntarily went off it 4 years ago. I went thru a withdrawal I never want to experience again. And now...with depression and anxiety taking over my life as well...I'm choosing therapy with a psychologist. Yup meds can't be part of the equation. However I may consider anti anxiety meds....with a different dr..not sure yet.

If you do get a second diagnosis of Asperger's please update us. I tried getting a first diagnoses a while back and it came back inconclusive....they said there was no real way to test for it in adults like they can in kids....so I still don't know if I have it or not. And it bugs me because I really do believe I have it. This came from a clinic specializing in it by the way.

[Andara Bledin]

Another thing to do, if you haven't already, is have yourself checked out for two things: Allergies and vitamin deficiencies. There's a lot of different things that diet effect that doctors haven't even started looking at (becuase meds and prescriptions are more lucrative) and it's one of the easiest things to adjust in your life with the most long-term benefits. Also, regular exercise is important for the psyche as well, and is often overlooked as well.

However, I would suggest not refusing meds as an absolute. There are some times where medication is very much called for and refusing it out of hand is counter-productive to your overall well-being.

^-.-^

[NateSean]

Bottom line is I don't want them. Period.

I had enough side effects with the antibiotics they gave me for the cellulitus that put me in the hospital last month. And even if I did want them, I'm not in a position where I'd be in control of them.

I'd have to hand them right over to the shelter staff as they are considered to be "mind altering" drugs. Then I'd be on their schedule, all ready being aggrivated by the fact that I'm in line behind people who aggrivate me with their constant whining about how the shelter is not in fact a Hilton.

You know, it's like, if meds help you get control of your life...how is handing those meds over to someone else to control when I am allowed to take them going to help me? It defeats the purpose all together.

So no. It's one more thing I don't need in my life.

[Andara Bledin]

I'm not in the legal profession in any capacity, but I'm fairly certain that the shelter requiring that you hand over prescribed medication could be considered some form of HIPAA violation. I would seriously ask the pharmacist if that's even legal.

^-.-^

[Nyoibo]

Anti-depression and anti-anxiety meds are not a cure, anyone who says they are are aeither a moron, lying or trying to sell something. They're meant as a stop-gap measure to lessen the severity of symptoms to enable people to try to make positive changes to adress the root of the issues, unfortunately society as a whole is always looking for the magic pill that'll cure everything and there are plenty of people out there who are willing to overmedicate people.

[tabbyblack13]

I can agree not wanting medication to control your depression and anxiety. There are time I wonder if I should be taking them myself but I am always concerned with side effects you and some of them are really nasty too. The only way meds will work is if you truly have a chemical imbalance in your brain.

NateSean, you have been really intelligent in being honest with yourself on why you have your problems and what has caused them. You know what you have to do but the "doctors" you have been going to have not listened to you. Keep trying to find someone who will listen and help you get better.

Good luck!

[Hyena Dandy]

I don't understand what you mean by finding the root cause of depression. There are times the root cause of the depression is a chemical imbalance, not anything going on in your life or your past.

[Sleepwalker]

Meh, I hate people who hate on pills. Shit, I was one of those kids who was basically a pharmaceutical guinea pig. Put on 80 billion different meds with bad side effects, that didn't help. Now? Zoloft has made my quality of life so much better.

I completely understand you hating on the therapists who want to drug first, ask questions later. It's bloody stupid and irresponsible to drug a problem you know nothing about. But I personally hate people who make their lives, and so MY life, harder because they refuse to medicate. Take your fucking pain pill, take your fucking cough syrup, and sometimes? Take your fucking psych meds. Do us all a favor, quit the woo woo 'mental problems are only caused by environment, and so should only be treated by changing the environment' and judge the fucking pills by whether or not they make you feel better.

This sorta ran together on addressing various posts, so, yeah.

[linguist]

Do us all a favor, quit the woo woo 'mental problems are only caused by environment, and so should only be treated by changing the environment' and judge the fucking pills by whether or not they make you feel better.

i have to agree with this sentiment 100%, and add "don't judge all pills as bad because one didn't work for you." there are dozens of different anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds out there, and no one of them is going to be effective for everyone.

The only way meds will work is if you truly have a chemical imbalance in your brain

untrue. meds can work wonders in even situational depression. when my first wife and i split, i fell into a deep depression, and eventually sought out therapy to help me through. after six months of talk therapy treatment with no discernible results, my therapist suggested we add meds to the mix. after trying a few different ones, we eventually found one that worked for me. the meds evened things out for me, so that i was able to focus on what was going on in the talk therapy, and i started seeing actual results after just a couple of weeks. i took anti-depressants for two months, until both myself and my therapist came to a point where we agreed they'd served their purpose, and i haven't needed them since. but without them, my therapy likely wouldn't have been effective, or at least as effective.

[Boozy]

meds can work wonders in even situational depression.

You're right, but I'd like to elaborate if I may: Situational or episodic depression actually changes the chemistry of the brain. Some depressive episodes begin with a chemical imbalance which can lead to other life problems. Sometimes they begin with a life problem and lead to a chemical imbalance.

Either way, meds should never be ruled out without serious consideration. They can really get you over the hump while you're in therapy. If you have side effects from one, try another.

[NateSean]

Shit, I was one of those kids who was basically a pharmaceutical guinea pig. Put on 80 billion different meds with bad side effects, that didn't help. Now? Zoloft has made my quality of life so much better.
.

And if that works for you, fine. If there is no other reason in the world for your depression and the medication is what helps you, fine. But I stand by what I say in that pills will not help my situation. And that is what gets to me.

Time was, people were so gungho to perscribe vallium that the general mindset was that all psychological problems could be cured with a pill. Psychoanalysis was as dead as the dinosaur.

Then came the problems of over dependence. People taking vallium every time something stressful came up and couldn't handle it. Doctor's perscribing it when all someone needed was an ear to get crap off their chest.

But my stance is this: Pills don't cure reality.

[AdminAssistant]

But I personally hate people who make their lives, and so MY life, harder because they refuse to medicate. Take your fucking pain pill, take your fucking cough syrup, and sometimes? Take your fucking psych meds.

Ugh, THIS. My sweetie, whom I love, will bitch and bitch about an ache or pain, but won't take anything for it. Just...because. "Ohhh, my back hurts" "Why don't you take an ibuprofen or Aleve?" "No! Don't wanna! Ugh, my back hurts...." Seriously? Take something so that you will feel better! Ditto students who are sick but won't go to the student clinic. Which is *free.* No excuse. But, no, they don't go, they just sit there coughing and sneezing and contaminating my classroom.