Are you taking any form of anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, mood-altering drug?

[Skip Intro]

Poll question: Are you taking any form of anti-depressant, anti-anxiety, mood-altering drug?

Simple question.

Yes, I have a story to go with it...

I was laid off about a year ago, house is in foreclosure (but my bankruptcy lawyer tells me that with a new job and proper timing, I can save it), and was just generally freaking out about being in such a position, while getting older than I ever thought I would, and the embarrassment of it all. Something happened, I posted about it here a few months back. Felt like the bottom just dropped out of me. Had no energy. Felt faint. No appetite. No interest in anything. Extremely worried that I was dying. Doc prescribed pills. He called them anti-anxiety, but net searches term them anti-depressants. I was leery, but damn, I felt like I was going to die. Posted about it here, people said take the meds, and thanks to all that did. I finally started taking them and now several months later, my financial situation hasn't changed much, still no job, house still in foreclosure, still getting older, but I feel like I got my old self back. I'm happy. Well, happy might be a bit strong. But at least I'm happy I came through that swamp. Never, never want to sink that low again. And the pills. Well. They must have helped. I still take them. Other than my improved mood, I can't really tell a difference, no weird side effects. Except for the strange and vivid dreams, but I count those as a plus. I'm having some awesome dreams, full 1080p, 3-D even. Bla bla bla.

So tell me, am I the only one here on such mind/mood-altering prescription drugs? If not, tell me what lead you to take such a drug, and how has it changed you, your perceptions, your moods, your dreams? Do you feel better, like I do?

[Kali]

1. not taking them, but I just wanted to say

I am glad you are feeling better. Sorry you are going through so much other shit, but at least you function now. That has to be a huge burden off the shoulders.

[Skip Intro]

2. Thanks Kali. I had a scary few weeks. DUers told me to take the meds. I did. I'm a lot better. But

you know, it didn't change who I am. I'm more myself now than I've been in a long time. I even apologized to my doc (who still sees me despite my lack of insurance) for not taking his diagnosis seriously the first time. A deep well, and these pills helped me climb back out. Still a scary time for me, but now I have surf board, and I will ride out these waves that are coming at me, rather than going down for the count. Mixed metaphors. Doncha love it?

Seriously, thanks for the kind words. And I wish I could thank all those DUers who told me to take the meds to start with. I've always been leery about any pill that would supposedly rescue me from myself. Good God, never wanted to be a Prozac zombie. But these are mild, I have no idea how they work. He told me they'd correct a chemical imbalance. I was so skeptical. But he was evidently right. I feel great, but not irrationally euphoric (dammit!). But I know I'll be fine. And that's me, the resilient attitude I've had all my life. Something went wrong, and now it has been corrected. And maybe I am a bit less anxious too. Again, bla, bla, bla. Me me me.

Thanks, Kali. I will ramble here no further.

[Kali]

3. it is really amazing how a tiny bit of chemical can affect your whole being

husband was almost literally dead this spring after suffering for two years with some "allergy" - turned out to be very low thyroid. Turned him around in about 10 days. A tiny little pill.

Body chemistry is delicate and easily knocked out of whack. Who knows how much people suffered in the past?

[kalli007]

43. Really glad that you decided to take the meds.

I havent taken any rx meds, but after an emotionally devastating breakup this summer I was considering it - however a friend recommended that I try the natural route first (St Johns Wort, Valerian Root, Melatonin to sleep). I can never be sure but I do believe they helped, I was able to pull myself out of the black hole within a few weeks. However I think that in many cases a rx strength drug is needed, and would definitely have gone that route had the natural method not worked.

[Bertha Venation]

4. Better living through chemistry.

Ask anyone who knows me well. You don't wanna know who I am without the drugs. I'm crazy, scared, and scary.

[LeftyFingerPop]

5. Yes, and they saved my life.

Similar to your story Skip... they brought me back to the way I always was before I was depressed.

People used to say that I was "crazy", but in a good way. Always smiling and joking, life of the party, made people feel good, etc.

When I became depressed, I lost all of that. I found nothing humorous, never smiled, and could barely function well enough to take care of my personal needs.

The pills just brought me back to my normal.

I still slip back occasionally when circumstances in my life turn grim, but I am able to pull out of it relatively quickly now.

My meds saved my life, and I'm very happy that you were helped also.

[Avalux]

6. I went through a crisis at the beginning of the year and needed help.

The bottom dropped out of my life much like yours and a 15 year relationship ended (not my choosing). At that point, I was not able to imagine any kind of future for myself because where I thought my life was going and what my future would be changed in an istant and I couldn't cope. I saw a doc and even though I am anti-medication, felt I should try something just to be able to function for myself and most importantly for my kids.

After trying several meds that made me feel horrible, my doc and I finally found something that worked for me. I took them for as long as I needed to then discontinued. Now I am myself again and my life, although completely different than I thought it would be a year ago, is full of possibilities and I am happy.

Good luck to you and I hope your job and house situation improves soon. :hi:

[MilesColtrane]

7. Booze/cigarettes/caffeine

[snooper2]

8. just smoke a joint...cheaper and better for you

From licensed psuedo professional pot smoker Snooper :P

[PassingFair]

10. +1....soon to be legal in an area near you!

Hopefully.

[realisticphish]

9. I'm on phentermine

for weight loss, which is apparently a highly-abused drug in the medical field. I don't notice any mental health issues with that, though, so it must not be as high a dose as they take :shrug:

[Fire Walk With Me]

11. Yep, I take pillz for a neurochemical imbalance.

Definitely a positive result, although the side-effects are troubling. These days I mock the endless list of side-effects of pills hawked on the tele; often they do one positive thing but ADD a dozen or more even worse results! And there's a pill for that side effect of that pill, and this is a pill for the side-effect of the pill that fixes the side-effect of the other pill...a bit circular ;)

[BarenakedLady]

12. Yes and maybe always will

I've probably been on most of the well-known anti-depressants at one time or another over the past 20 years or so. Some have worked better than others. I'm at a point in my life now that I think I may not need them, but I'm hesitant about going off them again. My life is so much different now than when I was at my lowest point.

[liberaltrucker]

13. I've been taking Effexor for about 10 years

Say what you will about Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, they
did at least one thing right.

[Brickbat]

14. I went through some moderate depression that came on out of the fucking blue. I tried a lot of other

things like exercise, teas, yoga and de-stressing, and it didn't chase away the black dog. So I went to the doctor and went on Paxil, which I took for a couple years. Worked like a charm. I know others have problems with it, but I went on it, took it, went off it gently, and it worked. I will never forget the day I realized I had a problem, and I will never forget the day I started feeling better.

I'm glad your pills work for you, too. It's a helluva feeling, where all of a sudden you realize you're not yourself any more.

[Throd]

15. Beer

[Fire Walk With Me]

16. Is there anything it can't do?

(Homer Simpson drool effect)

[Lyric]

17. I took Wellbutrin and Trazadone for a few months when I was 16.

Nothing since then.

[tandot]

18. I started SAM-e a couple of weeks ago

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Adenosyl_methionine

It is over the counter and I get it at Costco, 90 pills for under $40.

My mood has improved and I have more energy. It is widely used in Europe and the US is just now catching up.

[leeroysphitz]

19. I'm listening to 808 State. n/t

[mix]

25. nice nt

[JTG of the PRB]

20. Other: took them for 6 years and they supposedly worked, but I'm not sure I ever needed them.

I was diagnosed as bipolar in high school, and I took a pair of medications for almost six years before stopping them completely when I graduated from college. Turns out, the doctor who diagnosed me diagnosed almost everyone as bipolar. So, who knows it I was bipolar, or if it was just teenage hormones working in unison with depression. :shrug:

[proteus_lives]

32. "but I'm not sure I ever needed them."

I would guess 7 out of 10 people who take them don't.

[lightningandsnow]

35. I definitely needed them.

When I was off meds, or on the wrong ones, I would go from being absolutely suicidally depressed, to feeling like I was on top of the world, spending all my money, and wandering around campus late at night. I would also get extremely paranoid to the point where I thought people were conspiring against me. I was constantly nervous, had frequent panic attacks, and missed a lot of school. The difference in my life now is amazing.

[proteus_lives]

40. Some people do need them but most don't.

[JTG of the PRB]

36. I mean, they certainly helped during my junior/senior years of high school.

That's when my depression was the worst. I took them still during college and my depression was less and less than in previous years. I was talking full doses before I graduated, then stopped taking them altogether right after I graduated, and I didn't notice any change at all after a couple months off them.

[Odin2005]

21. Paxil, 10mg, for anxiety and OCD.

[bigwillq]

22. Not currently

I did for a span quite a few years ago.

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. Yes, I'm bipolar 2. Wish they did a better job evening me out, and I have had some

bad reactions to some of the scripts I went on. But still I guess it's better than trying to get by without them.

[lightningandsnow]

24. Lithium and Zoloft for Bipolar II and anxiety.

Works like a charm - I'm feeling better than I have in years. I'd been on multiple medications in the past, and nothing has even come close to working as well. I was miserable before, constantly nervous, with really volatile moods. I feel so much better now. I'm still the same person, it's just evened me out a whole lot.

[mix]

26. yes, yes, and yes

no stories, just solidarity and love

[Digit]

27. Yes, last Friday night I had a full blown panic attack

I could not breathe and fell over my bed gasping for breath. This was after I had been "spoken to" at work about my performance. This whole thing had been a set up from the onset once they questioned me about my disability and they have been systematically chipping away at my confidence ever since in an attempt to make me resign.
That day I had been informed that the main "attack dog" would be sitting with me EVERY DAY to see what the problem was. Intimidation to be sure. It was not until that evening that I guess it hit me. I thought I was going to die and almost called an ambulance. Then at 4am I awoke again with the breathing issues and wrote an email to my supervisor saying I would not be in.

I managed to get to my doctor before noon and told her what was up and she gave me Klonopin. My blood pressure was also off the charts and now I have that under control. I cannot take the Klonopin during the day as it makes me too sleepy but I am taking it at night so I don't wake with the panic attacks.

I hate the fact I have to take this crap and hate even more the intimidation tactics they are using to try to make me resign. Damit, I am a reliable, hard worker...show up every day on time, do what I am supposed to do, but alas I am over 50 and therefore a liability. At least in their eyes. My co-workers spend the day playing on the internet, texting, calling out on their cell phones, and taking breaks when they want.
It pisses me off, but I am not the boss so I have to do whatever it takes to get by.

[nemo137]

28. I was on anti-anxiety/anti-depressants for a while.

They helped. They really did help. Made me grind my teeth so hard I'd wake up in the night rubbing my jaw, but I was able to get up and go to work and class instead of lying in a dark room wondering how stepping in front of a bus would feel.

I actually had two cycles of them, and both times I waited much longer than I should have to go on them.

[soleiri]

29. i took an anti-depressant for a while

a few years ago. I went to the Dr. for pain and tiredness. for some reason I was really exhausted and started to cry during the visit.
He put me on an anti-depressant. It ended up, I had endometriosis and the pain (along with other symptoms) was unbearable.
Once I was diagnosed and treated, I weaned off the pills. It sort of irritated me later that he assumed that because I got "emotional"
that I needed an anti-depressant.

[Jamastiene]

30. Yes, taking them.

For years, I was repeatedly prescribed Sinequan. It did not work, but that was back when I was a teenager and I really had no choice but to stick with the dud for a theapist.

Since then, I've been through zillions of therapists and have been put on everything under the Sun. None of it worked until...

I was sent to a place that wasn't the local mental health department but still had a doctor in the house. They suggested I talk to my doctor and told me to go ahead and give him their info if he wanted to talk to them about what they suggested.

Next thing I knew, I found the holy grail, the one antidepressant that worked for me. I haven't looked back. I'm still on it and the only difference I see is that I find it easier to think positive, eat right, take a deep breath when I need to, and last but CERTAINLY not least, that horrible, painful, heavy, aching feeling in the center of my chest (one of my symptoms of my depression) is gone now.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[hedgehog]

37. It's my thesis that no anti-depressant tests as better than a placebo

for the test group, but that any given anti-depressant is a life saver for a certain number of people. That is, depression itself is a set of symptoms with multiple causes, analogous to pneumonia caused by bacteria or virus or chemical exposure or smoking etc etc. If you take all the patients with pneumonia and give them penicillin, it won't do squat except for the sub-set of patients with bacterial pneumonia. Does that mean that penicillin is no better than a placebo? No, it means that we need to get better at identifying which patients will be aided by penicillin.

It seems that most people on anti-depressants go through a series of trials to find what works for them. As noted in several posts, diseases that have nothing to do with depression can mimic the symptoms. I think people have to find someone who will work with them to get a good diagnosis and develop a treatment plan.

I also want to note that modern anti-depressants are not "happy pills" i.e. tranquilizers.

Finally, for anyone who suggests that all it takes is a little will power, tell that to the next insulin dependent diabetic you meet. True, people with depression like people with diabetes need to monitor themselves and make life style changes to control their disease, but we wouldn't be alive and walking around without the use of pharmaceuticals. If someone tells you they got through it without using pills, then good for them but I'd say they weren't hit as hard as the rest of us.

[Jamastiene]

41. That was how it worked in my case.

I went through a large assortment of different types of anti-depressants, but it wasn't until I started taking the current one that I noticed any help at all. The others just were right for me. The others may be perfect for someone else. Mine may not work for someone else. I do wish people would realize it is a medical condition and take it more seriously. I would love to see enough research done to help doctors make the diagnosis more precisely for people suffering from depression. Imagine how many lives that can save. Just like many other diseases, yes, depression can kill. I just wish people took it more seriously.

[proteus_lives]

31. I'll never take pills again.

I would take them maybe I was seeing demons in the mirror but it would take something of that nature.

I think we live in a pill-happy society and it kind of sickens me. I see too many people growing up on pills.

Edit: Actually I did for a months when I was 13, it was horrible. I don't even remember that summer.

[theNotoriousP.I.G.]

33. Yep

Sister died in March of 2009, dog died in September 2009, got hit by a Mack truck on December 31, 2009 on the Autobahn, husband died two days later on his birthday. I'm jacked up on all kinds of pills and probably will be for a few more years but I would like to eventually get off of them. Official diagnosis was PTSD and the meds have helped with some symptoms. I don't come unglued at the drop of a hat anymore but sudden loud noises or having strangers stand behind me scares the fucking shit out of me. I still have nightmares but I can go back to sleep now.

My mood has basically flatlined and not much really bothers me or gives me pleasure anymore. At this point, I think that is a good thing.

[old mark]

34. Instant coffee - that's as high as I get anymore...nt

[The Flaming Red Head]

38. When

your pancreas quit functioning, you gain fifty pounds, have no sex drive, and the extra pyramidal symptoms kicks in, you’ll wish you’d just smoked a blunt or tried some nice illegal opiate. I swear.

[lightningandsnow]

42. Nice try.

Not all psych meds cause weight gain, and the newer antipsychotics have a much lower rate of EPS than the old ones. And, for a lot of people, sexual side effects and weight gain are an okay trade-off for being able to function. I'm on lithium and zoloft; I have almost no side effects other than increased thirst and mild acne. Compared to being miserable and destroying my life, I can deal with that.

I'm an occasional pot smoker now that I'm stable, but when I'm ill, pot just makes my depression and paranoia even worse. And it makes me do even more stupid things when I'm manic.

[Iggo]

39. I wish, but no.

I'm out of the Drug War.

I surrendered 14 yrs ago next month.

[CatholicEdHead]

44. Mountain Dew every lunchtime

sometimes some morning coffee and a beer now and then.

[txwhitedove]

45. No drugs. Naps are good. When overstressed, I tend to pass out...

like HAVE to nap, sleep, slow down.