Anti-depressants

[s_lone]

I put this thread in Science and Environment, but it could also be in Spirituality and Philosophy.

What do you think of anti-depressants? Do they do a favor to the person taking them? Or do they worsen their situation by burying even more deeply the root of their problem?

Any experiences to share?

 

[karrie]

I put this thread in Science and Environment, but it could also be in Spirituality and Philosophy.

What do you think of anti-depressants? Do they do a favor to the person taking them? Or do they worsen their situation by burying even more deeply the root of their problem?

Any experiences to share?

They're like everything else in the world of pharmaceutical drugs, they have their uses, but they're largely overused. When I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, my docs refused to believe that I was not depressed, and would not attempt to address the autoimmune disease until I agreed to go on a trial run of anti-d's. They made me suicidal. I had never been clinically or seriously depressed until put on the anti-d's. Once we realized what was going on, I quit cold turkey, and went through two weeks of gut wrenching withdrawal. Once I moved and had access to a new doc, my explanation of why I'm so hesitant to try new meds ws met with horror. She was appalled that someone without depression would be put on anti-d's, 'just to see'. my pharmacist was also mortified.

I've also seen docs prescribing antidepressants when someone suffers a loss in their family. It's never made sense to me why you would give medication for clinical depression, to someone who is depressed for an external reason. Is it going to honestly help with the loss of a loved one? Or is it just going to delay having to face it? I don't know for sure, but, in my case, I'd rather feel the loss when it happens rather than later.

When used for clinical depression, someone who is depressed all the time, honestly and deeply depressed, I have seen these meds do great things.

 

[Tonington]

I was prescribed paxil 4 years ago. I had just quit smoking and was having some problems. I went to the hospitol and talked to somebody for about three hours, she wrote down everything I said. I actually just wanted to talk to someone about what was going on. The doctor comes out and tells me I have a general anxiety disorder and it was causing me to go into a depressive state, and that the best thing for me was drugs. I really didn't want to go on them but he convinced me it was best... so, so wrong.

I wasn't suicidal or anything, but I did think of suicide more, if that makes any sense. The drugs made me worse, and after three months or so, I quit and havn't looked back.

That said, I do have a friend who was on them, and he's been in a state of psychosis for about 5 years now. He was on the paxil too, but he got off of it, but he hasn't gotten better. He's seeing a psychiatrist now, and hes completing a degree in psychology of all things. I think he's come to terms with it now, and he even is giving the idea of drug treatment consideration, and I think it could benefit him. I think in most cases it's best to go into counseling first before drugs, unfortunately the resources aren't always there.

 

[karrie]

I wasn't suicidal or anything, but I did think of suicide more, if that makes any sense. The drugs made me worse, and after three months or so, I quit and havn't looked back.

Paxil was what I was on too, and what you're saying makes total sense, although it's not the way it happened with me. I was numb from the meds, and then one day, I woke up and was absolutely elated. Just like that, I had decided to kill myself and I was EXCITED about it. The thought of getting to sleep forever was so nice. I was on my way to the store to buy everything I needed, when I realized I would need to get someone to babysit my two babies while I went.... and then realized that someone would need to watch them once I was done too.... reality came crashing down and I realized how ludicrous and artificial the whole thought process behind it was.

 

[Tonington]

That is why I don't think drugs should be prescribed so lightly. I was thinking things like, I wonder what it would be like if I did this...or, I wonder which way would be best... I mean I've always been a happy fella, except for this period before and after the paxil. I attribute it to the drugs and alcohol I was consuming.

Numb is exactly how I felt, but it was a really depressing numbness. Some of the side effects weren't very good either. Sex had no end, at least as long as my body could stand to keep moving before I would collapse from exhaustion.

 

[hermanntrude]

only ever felt that depressed once. tried to talk to the unviersity counsellor about it but he never answered the phone. Then one of the members of my research group sprinkled cyanide on her own food. Kinda changed the way we all looked at our lives

 

[s_lone]

Numb is exactly how I felt, but it was a really depressing numbness.

I've never taken any these drugs. Am I right to say that their aim is to numb your emotions? To stop you from feeling?

 

[Tonington]

Well, Paxil is a selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor. Basically it allows more of the seratonin to remain in the synapse longer, thus having a better chance of stimulating the nearby neuron(s). The majority of the seratonin goes back into the neuron which sent the signal in the first place. The theories go along the lines that this neurotransmitter causes depression when there is shortage.

So, it's meant to help with depression and anxiety, but I experienced numbness in the whole range of emotions. The aim of the drugs isn't to make you a zombie, and I'm sure in some cases it is effective in curbing depression and anxiety without too many of the other side effects.

As to one of your original questions, I do think that drugs alone are only a band-aid solution. I'm not convinced that the problem is just in the neurotransmitters, and I think talking with a therapist can help the patient deal with many of the issues which they may be hung up on as a result.

 

[karrie]

I've never taken any these drugs. Am I right to say that their aim is to numb your emotions? To stop you from feeling?

Their aim is different according to the individual med you take. Paxil, the one we were discussing, is a serotonin reuptake inhibitor. By taking it, you help to increase the amount of serotonin present in the synapses of your brain. A lack of serotonin in these synapses is generally what causes depression. The 'numbness' may just be a side effect of being on the wrong medication or the wrong dose, creating the wrong chemical amounts in the brain. If you were on the exact right dosage, in theory you should have the same emotions as anyone else.

 

[karrie]

Well, Paxil is a selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor. Basically it allows more of the seratonin to remain in the synapse longer, thus having a better chance of stimulating the nearby neuron. The majority of the seratonin goes back into the neuron which sent the signal in the first place. The theories go along the lines that this neurotransmitter causes depression when there is shortage.

So, it's meant to help with depression and anxiety, but I experienced numbness in the whole range of emotions. The aim of the drugs isn't to make you a zombie, and I'm sure in some cases it is effective in curbing depression and anxiety without too many of the other side effects.

okay, that's creepy... have we developed a psychic link toninton?

 

[Tonington]

Hehe, now see something like that would freak out my friend I alluded to earlier.

It's been a while since I took any psych classes. After the Paxil thing I developed a keen interest in how drugs work. We don't get into it much in Org. chem, maybe the biochemistry course I take next year will get into that.

 

[s_lone]

Thank you both for sharing your experiences...I know it can be a delicate subject.

My ex-gilfriend, which is still my great friend, was on medication for a good while. She eventually decided to stop because she said it was killing her creative mind.

We had many discussions on the subject because I have always been extremely suspicious of these type of medications. At one point she was telling me her depression was genetic, that there wasn't much she could do about it but accept it... That it was all because her brain was chemically unbalanced. She was comparing her situation to a diabetic who has to take his insulin shot everyday for the body to maintain its balance. I always feel the psychological causes to depression are grotesquely avoided.

 

[karrie]

Hehe, now see something like that would freak out my friend I alluded to earlier.

It's been a while since I took any psych classes. After the Paxil thing I developed a keen interest in how drugs work. We don't get into it much in Org. chem, maybe the biochemistry course I take next semester will get into that.

my experience on it helped cement my decision to start psych courses so i can hopefully one day become a counselor, so that people aren't bullied by docs who see them for five minutes, into making such drastic choices.

It must be hard for your friend to cope. I get severely paranoid once a month (I hope that needs no further explanation), and it's hard enough coping with that day or two of altered conciousness.

 

[karrie]

Thank you both for sharing your experiences...I know it can be a delicate subject.

My ex-gilfriend, which is still my great friend, was on medication for a good while. She eventually decided to stop because she said it was killing her creative mind.

We had many discussions on the subject because I have always been extremely suspicious of these type of medications. At one point she was telling me her depression was genetic, that there wasn't much she could do about it but accept it... That it was all because her brain was chemically unbalanced. She was comparing her situation to a diabetic who has to take his insulin shot everyday for the body to maintain its balance. I always feel the psychological causes to depression are grotesquely avoided.

Well, she's right in that some people very simply have a physiological flaw, no underlying psychological problem needs to be there for someone to have depression due to chemical imbalance. i think those people are much fewer and far between than the docs realize though.

 

[s_lone]

Well, she's right in that some people very simply have a physiological flaw, no underlying psychological problem needs to be there for someone to have depression due to chemical imbalance. i think those people are much fewer and far between than the docs realize though.

I still wonder how much the concerned scientists are really certain that the flaw is inherently physiological... I mean, were these people literally born with this physiological problem or perhaps it is the way they grew up, their education, their traumatisms that created the apparently irreversible chemical patterns in their brains... ???

 

[Tonington]

Karrie,
My friend actually stopped by last night. He goes to school in Cape Breton, about 3 hours from here. He was home this weekend for a funeral, he seems to be doing OK. He wants to do the same type of thing you're focusing on. He's worked in the mental health field for about two years now and decided to go back to school, to get a better job and better hours. I've been telling him for the past couple of years that he should go see a psychiatrist, I knew he didn't want to go back on drugs, but he's more open to that now if need be. He's been dealing with a variety of issuews since he was in high school and I think for the most part he hasn't dealt well. He was also into the drugs and alcohol which only makes things worse. It's funny how in that state people are self-medicating all the time, but not willing to try medication, not that I'm advocating for drugs, but I do feel they work for some people, probably a minority of all those on the prescripted meds.

 

[karrie]

I still wonder how much the concerned scientists are really certain that the flaw is inherently physiological... I mean, were these people literally born with this physiological problem or perhaps it is the way they grew up, their education, their traumatisms that created the apparently irreversible chemical patterns in their brains... ???

Well, one can never be certain I suppose

 

[karrie]

Karrie,
My friend actually stopped by last night. He goes to school in Cape Breton, about 3 hours from here. He was home this weekend for a funeral, he seems to be doing OK. He wants to do the same type of thing you're focusing on. He's worked in the mental health field for about two years now and decided to go back to school, to get a better job and better hours. I've been telling him for the past couple of years that he should go see a psychiatrist, I knew he didn't want to go back on drugs, but he's more open to that now if need be. He's been dealing with a variety of issuews since he was in high school and I think for the most part he hasn't dealt well. He was also into the drugs and alcohol which only makes things worse. It's funny how in that state people are self-medicating all the time, but not willing to try medication, not that I'm advocating for drugs, but I do feel they work for some people, probably a minority of all those on the prescripted meds.

I totally get what you're saying about people being willing to self medicate and yet unwilling to seek a doctor's medication. Personally, I find there is less stigma associated with drinking and doing drugs, than there is with going on anti-d's. People still hesitate to admit they need help.

 

[Tonington]

I totally get what you're saying about people being willing to self medicate and yet unwilling to seek a doctor's medication. Personally, I find there is less stigma associated with drinking and doing drugs, than there is with going on anti-d's. People still hesitate to admit they need help.

Absolutely. Also, it's easy to think rationaly from outside of the problem, much harder when you're in the pits of hell. I think the worst part of my paxil trip was the after-effects I'm still feeling. I never had a migraine in my life until I was taking paxil, that was near the end, and was one of the catalysts for me to get off the drug. I still get them from time to time now. I don't know that they're necessarily linked, I'd need to see some more studies. I do know there can be episodes like this when you go off abruptly.

 

[karrie]

Absolutely. Also, it's easy to think rationaly from outside of the problem, much harder when you're in the pits of hell. I think the worst part of my paxil trip was the after-effects I'm still feeling. I never had a migraine in my life until I was taking paxil, that was near the end, and was one of the catalysts for me to get off the drug. I still get them from time to time now. I don't know that they're necessarily linked, I'd need to see some more studies. I do know there can be episodes like this when you go off abruptly.

Well, it's easy to want to blame some of the things that come along with stress and aging, on the anti-d's. I know everytime my doctors have to try a new medication to try to control new symptoms of my illness, I can't help but wonder if the Paxil added to the worsening of the symptoms. For example, needing to be on antispasmodics.... since quitting the paxil cold turkey, going through massive withdrawal (which caused 'the zaps'), my muscle twithces are much more pronounced... but that could just be my illness progressing due to age too. Hard to tell.