"You Don't Need Medication!"

[Dakhur]

I have an issue that complicates it even more -- I process all drugs at about triple the speed of others.

So, that means when I have a single 45mg tablet of Mirtazapan, like normal people, it wears off in about 2 hours. I'm on between 4-6 tablets a day, just to sleep and to slow my mind down to normal levels, and I'm still faster than most people.

I also don't sleep, so I need sleeping tablets. Hence, I've been on Zolpiderm for over a decade. We won't even discuss the doses of that I need if I DON'T take Avanza with it.

Now, imagine trying to find doctors that understand these issues and work with you on doses and scripts and regimenting and mixing medications. And who understand that in summer, the heat and work stress can shorten effects so you need a higher daily dose than otherwise.

Luckily, the GP place I go to has 3 understanding docs who realised I wasn't an idiot or mad, and I always see them, so I don't have the problems I once did. I have to see one of them once a month to make sure I'm still alive and kicking and not OTT and get new scripts. They, in turn, let me fly somewhat under the radar at the clinic and let me work with what we know works.

The kicker? I do all this with no thyroid. The doses I'm on should leave me comatose. Instead, they barely touch the sides.

I never tell people what I'm on now. They usually freak out. I've been accused of being a "drug dealer" by chemists who refused to believe I need the scripts they way I did (that's another story!), or had docs want me on weird combos that I've tried in the past and don't work. I hate idiots who try and declare, knowing nothing of my past tries and meds, that I need to just do nothing.

I tried that. Madness is not good for ones social calendar.

[crashhelmet]

God, despite that degree, I sincerely hope you don't actually practice psychology. It's people like you that drive those who legitimately need help into hiding their symptoms because the one person that was supposed to listen to them dismissed them, instead.

Gawd no. I don't have the patience for it and you can't do much of anything with just a Bachelor's. I originally majored in Music Education with a minor in Psych to bolster the education background. I felt it might help my students. It turned out that because of my education requirements, I only needed three more classes to turn that minor into a major. So I ended up double-majoring.

I live with someone who has a physiological reason for his inability to control his temper and responses. It took thirty-five years before he found a psychologist capable of putting two and two together and actually recommend effective treatments because all of the ones that came before were judgmental assholes who thought they knew better than their own patient about why he was the way he was.

But, hey, that's only twenty of his most productive years down the shitter because the people who were paid to help him made decisions about why he acted the way he did before the ever even met him, much less actually listened to what he had to say.

You insult me with the "people like you" comment, but yet you confirm the argument I've been making here all along. Psychiatrists aren't diagnosing. They're serving their own personal interests, if they bother to care at all.

Quacks make more money from 15 minute sessions, just long enough to say hi and write you a script, than 1 hour sessions where they'd take the time to find out what's wrong and start the proper treatment.

There has been an incredible shift in the number of people diagnosed with disorders that Big Pharma has a pill for and these doctors get kick backs.

[crashhelmet]

So, to sum up: "It could be a rare misdiagnosis"?

Yes, so could literally anything else. Also, Meige's and Postural Tachycardia Syndrome almost exclusively affect women. As for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, that has always been one of the more difficult ones to diagnose.

Any rare, complex condition can lead to a misdiagnosis or a delayed diagnosis as other factors need to be ruled out. You could make that argument about literally anything. Because that's how medicine works. Process of elimination.

If you go to the doctor and complain about stomach pain, he doesn't immediately skip everything and diagnose you with cancer.

I suppose what I'm getting at is that your proclaiming the sort of opinion that comes across as a dismissive jerk to people that actually have or have had depression or anxiety. You know, the one everybody was complaining about in the thread. -.-

I'm saying it could be anything. There are a number of issues that it could be and if the doctor doesn't take the time to figure out what it is, they could end up misdiagnosing the patient.

But as I've said time and time again, a lot of these doctors don't take that time. They diagnose you before you've even walked in the door.

[bainsidhe]

Blas, I wish you well and hope you continue on your path of improvement. Anxiety attacks suck ass. My attacks are like a big shot of adrenaline and that can be pretty terrifying. I'm a lot better now that I've eliminated the main stresser that contributed to my attacks, but it never goes completely away. Even now I'll sometimes feel an attack coming on when I'm feeling overwhelmed or stressed by something.

This is going to sound silly, but I used to enjoy watching spooky/creepy movies and I can't watch them anymore. Having my nerves on edge during the scary scenes is too much for me and I just can't watch it. Too bad, because I used to like watching ghost movies.

[Gravekeeper]

But as I've said time and time again, a lot of these doctors don't take that time. They diagnose you before you've even walked in the door.

But that's a systematic issue in the health care system itself. Its not exclusive to these particular conditions. Yes, the use of antidepressants has risen dramatically in the US over the last 20 years or so. But that coincides with the actual development and release of the majority of the drugs in question which it the market mostly in the 90s.

You combine increasing awareness with an effective product and an increasingly stressful pace of daily life you're going to get anxiety/depression. With the US especially, you factor in the terrible economic conditions for many people where even accessing said doctor for 15 minutes is more than they can afford.

High intensity jobs like mine, which is what led to my anxiety disorder, simply did not and could not exist 20 years ago. The pace of society and technology has increased the level of stress the average person tends to endure. Throw on shitty economic conditions for the hopelessness of it all and you have yourself a depression party.

[bara]

Im glad your meds are helping you. It took YEARS before the doctors were willing to give my dad anything for his depression. It was a refreshing change in him. I saw my dad from back before he was injured for the first time in nearly 7 years. I mean, he was still injured but he was dealing with it way better emotionally.

[protege]

You combine increasing awareness with an effective product and an increasingly stressful pace of daily life you're going to get anxiety/depression.

Factor in that the negative stigma associated with depression (and other mental problems) has lessened over the past couple of decades. That stigma tended to keep people from getting treatment. They were fear

[MrsEclipse]

Blas, I usually only get grief from people who don't know me very well and don't know how broken I truly am, so I'm not sure how well it would work for you or how to change it to to fit your situation... But whenever anyone who isn't my doctor tries to tell me I don't need to be on medication because reasons, and won't drop it, I say something like, "Look. You don't know me, you don't know my mind, you don't know what I've been through, and you don't know my doctor. I work hard to know and to do what is best for me, and I've found it. This is not currently up for debate. You need to drop it."

[Rageaholic]

what you describe is attention-seeking, more or less, and indeed is not ( as such) a mental illness. It is NOT the problem in ADHD. ADHD is basically where you cannot concentrate. what you describe is when you don't want to concentrate. do you know how difficult it is when people just call you an attention-seeker, a troublemaker? when you have little-to-no idea why? let me tell you, it can destroy you. It makes you feel like the whole world is against you. Kindly do not generalise in saying that ADHD is an ego or narcissm problem. it is NOT.

I apologize if I seem to be a bit harsh, but I had to go through years of people saying crap like "he's just an attention seeker" when I genuinely do have ADHD. It's one thing above anything that triggers my temper.

Even after being diagnosed with learning disabilities, I still find myself beating myself up for not doing what comes easy for other people. Knowing that I have a legitimate difficulty has brought some relief... and that's why I hate it when people deny that those difficulties exist.

It's why I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt when they're struggling with something. Chances are there's a reason they're struggling.

[gremcint]

This is not something I say all that often but I probably should be medicated, my best guess would be mild anti anxiety and maybe a little ritalin. It's weird when there's a lot of stress like right before a deadline for an assignment I can buckle down and kick some serious ass but small ongoing stress just messes me right up and I find it very hard to work.

[blas87]

Wow, I shouldn't go back to work and not read the updates here. Good stuff, people.

In all honesty, I do give most props of my improvement to my meds. A year ago, I could barely control my mouth anymore at work. Even with my other medication, I was losing my filter with my ex mistake.

Of course I do realize that I did have to quit playing victim, realize that I as a woman have a responsibility to "Not chase em, replace em!" or as the other saying goes, no need to seek attention or love, if it's not given freely, move on.

To this day, I still have a tendency to hold slight grudges or still blame some things, but I had to move on and make my life better.

[Racket_Man]

But that's a systematic issue in the health care system itself. Its not exclusive to these particular conditions. Yes, the use of antidepressants has risen dramatically in the US over the last 20 years or so. But that coincides with the actual development and release of the majority of the drugs in question which it the market mostly in the 90s.

.

To site that this is not really a first if you will.

Sherman set the Wayback Machine to the late 1940's. "wonder drugs" such as Valium and amphetamines were given out like candy to workers, housewives, and any Joe on the street for depression, tiredness, lack of energy anxiety, etc..

Also in the late 50's early 60's the basic research for ADD and ADHD was being done. I should know. I had and still have ADD. WHen I was a small child the Doctors tried to tranquilize me. HMMMMM did that work???? HELL NO. This is the ONLY "legal" medication I have ever been on. Yes I did self medicate on "other substances" for a while as an adult. never got addicted.

My parents had LOTS of medical test performed on me and dragged me to several psychologists to little effect. I think the psychologists were more for their benefit than mine.

Yes I do still operate under the umbrella of ADD to this day. Over the years I have found "coping" stratagies and finding things that I can latch onto meanin g making something i9nteresting enough for me to "stay on task".

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

I'm saying it could be anything. There are a number of issues that it could be and if the doctor doesn't take the time to figure out what it is, they could end up misdiagnosing the patient.

But as I've said time and time again, a lot of these doctors don't take that time. They diagnose you before you've even walked in the door.

I agree that in those cases, there is a huge @#$%ing problem and it is either a case of a lazy doctor or a doctor that is in bed with a pharmaceutical company.

But on the other hand, there are just as many cases where a doctor does take the time to diagnose a patient and work on treatment.

As Blas87 points out, the doctor tried and dialed in a medication and a dosage that seems to be doing the trick in treating the problems at hand.

In my case I really did have ADD as a child (still have it to some extent) and while I was put on Ritalin, the psychologist took the time to make sure that it was the case, monitored my progress, suggested ways to improve my ability to study and as I improved, decreased my meds until I was on nothing but a program of self-study improvement classes (which were fun) and so I consider myself successfully and properly treated. They didn't hand my mother a bottle of pills and sent her on her way, they stood by my side and helped me. First taking care of the immediate problem of the inability to pay attention in class with the medication so I didn't fail my classes followed by working on non-pharmacological means to get the same results.

I do agree with you that some doctors are lazy @#$%ers that hand out pills like candy, but if a doctor works with a patient and actually comes up with a solution that actually works...

Is it really right to condemn them just because they handed out the correct pill at the correct dosage to correctly treat the condition?

[crashhelmet]

Is it really right to condemn them just because they handed out the correct pill at the correct dosage to correctly treat the condition?

No, it's not right to condemn them if they did everything correctly. There are people out there that legitimately have these disorders and/or diseases. I'm not denying that.

[fireheart17]

No, it's not right to condemn them if they did everything correctly. There are people out there that legitimately have these disorders and/or diseases. I'm not denying that.

I think what crashhelmet is pointing out is (in particular) kids who are given medication for psychiatric issues or adults who are given medication as a first-line treatment instead of as a last-resort. Some doctors are just "prescription happy."

Some teachers and parents are also prescription happy. I am aiming to be one of those teachers who tries every trick in the book BUT suggesting medication.