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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 7:30:56 AM | Yes, Classjewels
There is nothing 'wrong' with taking drugs for depression, or for anything else for that matter. The whoe right/wrong conversation
is a moralistic one, and who needs that? It's just an added stress factor.
I like to think we're all doing the best we can with the information we have. And we're all being fed the easy way out, every time we turn on the TV...Just take this little pill, and everything will be okay. Meanwhile your local Walgreens is looking like a Grand Hotel....The profit margin on these little pills is astronomical!javascript:smilie(' ')
Do you think it might be more empowering for your mom (or anyone with average intelligence) to learn that she could manage her emotional states on her own? To seek the ways, and make the effort? This is spiritual growth.javascript:smilie(' ')
The downside of any drug, is that in one way or another it weakens the individual,,,with residual toxicity that stays in the organs until detoxed, and with the attitude of "I'm dependent on this chemical to stay balanced", or to stay alive.
So, the question becomes a little different...if you want to really look at it.
Jivanajavascript:smilie(' ') | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 12:55:43 PM |
Do you think it might be more empowering for your mom (or anyone with average intelligence) to learn that she could manage her emotional states on her own? To seek the ways, and make the effort? This is spiritual growth.javascript:smilie('')
What I think isn't relevant. What's relevant is what Mom is willing to do. She's willing to take the meds, and I support her in that because they help her function.
The downside of any drug, is that in one way or another it weakens the individual,,,with residual toxicity that stays in the organs until detoxed, and with the attitude of "I'm dependent on this chemical to stay balanced", or to stay alive.
You don't have to tell me this! I'm on two drugs, sometimes three, that do liver damage. One of them can cause cancer over time, and this doesn't include the short-term side effects.
For the most part, though, I think people turn to anti-depressants when their internal systems fail. Which is fine. We're not Superman. We are weak sometimes, physically, mentally and emotionally. We will all fail and die at some point.
And that's the thing. There is no meditation technique, herb or anything else that will make us invulnerable. I also think it's kind of sad that we expect constant high performance of a very complex, delicate system, which is what human beings are. | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 1:51:16 PM | | ....hi there, i just read your post and all of these responses to it, and now i just have to say something on this subject for everyone to read......yes we all get depressed and some of us more than others....is is a sad fact of life.....and most of us by now have suffered through divorces, deaths, financial problems, and god knows even more for some of us.....but it is natural to feel sad and depressed....just like it is natural to feel anger, happiness and love......it is just one more human emotion.....it's an emotion that you have to work through and experience just like all the others....taking pills to mask that pain is a mistake for most people....i know there are exceptions....but i highly recomend that anyone posting on this subject or taking antidepressants or antianxiety medications, to take the time to visit the following websites and start reading what these medications can do to your brain and your body.....these drugs are hideous...and highly addictive....the drug companies are fully aware of it....and some of these drugs are banned in other countries....using these drugs are akin to using a sledgehammer to fix a fine piece of china.....there is no drug out there that can only specifically effect just one human emotion.....these drugs effect all of your emotions.....and there are many dangers you should all be aware of........when your feeling horrible after being off the drug for four days....you are suffering from rebound depression....it is a common drug withdrawal side effect.....go to the following websites and read.....you need to get on a good drug withdrawal program......TRY THE ROAD BACK PROGRAM....IT WORKS.....GO TO.....www.prozactruth.com /.......and any of the following to learn more.......www.antidepressantsfacts.com.....there is some excellent reading on that site... if you would like to read a little about the science behind the drug.....and it's effects on the body and mind.......or...... www.bregin.com or www.drugawareness.com / or www.benzo.org.uk / happy reading everyone.......and HAPPY NEW YEAR......my drug of choice this evening....?????.......why grey goose martinis.....of course..... | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 2:23:15 PM | Cody -- you re so right. Onlyforumsonly made my point for me. Her mother does not want to get well. She has made up her mind that her life is in the crapper and she, on some level, feels comfortable there. Please -- before I get flamed all to hell and back . . . I realize that it is not easy and some people need the extra help. However, if they really want to get well, they will try anything and everything at their disposal. Including therapies that don't involve pharmaceuticals.
My best friend is in a similar situation. She simply finds it easier to sit around, take pills and wish for things that won't happen instead of trying to change her life. She is still letting the loss of a man affect her after almost 4 years. The relationship was actually over way before that, but she was deep in denial. We all feel sorry for ourselves now and then. Then we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and continue the journey of life. Wallowing in self pity does nothing but alienate others and destroys one's life.
This is not a moral judgment, folks. This is an honest opinion based upon observation and my own experience. Almost EVERYONE I know taking those pills have been on them for literally years. The are STILL depressed. They claim they are better, but that isn't true. One still had suicidal inclinations and another goes in and out of binge drinking -- or did until they finally decided to accept things as they are and DO something else.
Don't be too enamored of any pharmaceutical -- you would be better off having a healthy mistrust of pharmaceutical companies. There is now a disease for every pill. | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 2:32:20 PM | "A pill is not a pill. It's a lot more complicated than that. I take Cymbalta for nerve pain, and trust me when I say that it's not just a pill, not even on a dose about 1/3 of what's prescribed for depression, which brings me to another point. These drugs are not happy pills. In my case, it's a nightmare pill, a panic attack pill, a diarrhea pill, a tinnitus pill and a tachycardia pill. Alas, the only alternative is an exhausted zombie pill. I still haven't decided which is worse."
Sounds lovely -- again, making my point about antidepressants. Why would the dr. prescribe an antidepressant for pain? Doctors have become nothing but pill pushers for drug companies.
There are natural ways of dealing with most things. Have any of you seen "The Truth About Food"? It is a series on Health Discovery. It seems than many physical problems, including some forms of depression can be helped by just changing what you eat. I don't want to get too far off topic here, but Dr. Mehmet Oz is following research into the science of diet. Exercise can also help many physical and mental problems. | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 4:33:55 PM |
Sounds lovely -- again, making my point about antidepressants. Why would the dr. prescribe an antidepressant for pain? Doctors have become nothing but pill pushers for drug companies.
Because it works better and the side effects are fewer than the available alternatives.
I have a choice between this, NSAIDS, Neurontin or narcotics. Narcotics are out. I just don't want to go there, and neither does my doctor. NSAIDs are also out. I took them for so long that it started damaging my kidneys. Neurontin works, but slightly less well than Cymbalta and the side effects turn me into a zombie. Again, I'm still deciding which approach is better. If the cardiovascular symptoms aren't actually dangerous, I'll stick with the Cymbalta.
As far as why it's prescribed for certain types of nerve pain, it's now going through clinical trials and so far it's passing, although my prescription is still considered off-label. As far as the pain itself is concerned, non-medical management leaves me too impaired to care for my kid. A 10% reduction doesn't cut it, especially when there's an option available that provides better.
Regarding my diet, don't make assumptions here. Just because I'm ill doesn't mean I have a history of crap food, no exercise and self-destructive habits.
Regarding my mother, I understand not only that she chooses not to change, but why she chooses not to change. It would be the moral equivalent of committing murder during the course of an armed robbery. However, she still needs to work, and if the meds facilitate that, I'm fine with it. I'm also doing my best to see to it that that moral system dies out. | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 4:52:04 PM | onlyforumsonly -
I am sorry for your trouble. Perhaps your and your mother's situation require the meds -- and I never said some people really do need them. Committing murduring the course of an armed robbery? I don't think anyone would understand that unless you explained. However, I understand your reticence to do that in a public forum. Regardless, for many others, alternatives would work. Of course they WON'T work if not even given a chance. | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 4:56:12 PM | I am on Wellbutrin and Lexapro because I have major depression and PTSD. I am also in therapy and have gone to ACOA and other group therapy but therapy alone can't fix a chemical imbalance. I have low serotonin and the thing that caused my PTSD made permanent changes to my brain because I was so young when it happened.
One still had suicidal inclinations and another goes in and out of binge drinking -- or did until they finally decided to accept things as they are and DO something else.
No medication is perfect for everyone. It is hard to find the right dosage and combination. It took me almost 2 years to find something where the benefits outweighed the side effects. One medicine I was on made me gain 30 pounds in 6 months and it took me over a year to lose it all. And binge drinking is a different issue which is comorbid with depression, or whatever else was going on with your friend. It is true that medication by itself usually can't solve a problem that is not just temporary/situational but I do know it has helped me a lot with my moods. I would get so depressed that I was almost catatonic and stared into space, and couldn't concentrate enough to read or even watch TV. I would zone out and notice I missed 20-30 minutes of the show. I would stay in bed all the time instead of going out and doing anything. I also used to have panic attacks a lot more often than I do now. Medications are neither all bad or all good. | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 5:29:57 PM | Well said, Cody. I've been through a lot in my life and haven't had to resort to taking anti-depressants. Some meds have side effects that can leave you a walking zombie, and time has a way of slipping by before you even start thinking straight and know what's going on. Tonight it'll be Strawberry Zinfandel for me, it goes with everything!!!
Happy New Year everyone. 
Pink | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 5:45:05 PM | | Hi For some they need anti-depressants...for me they De-sensitized me....Though honestly I did not take zoloft long enough to get in my system.... they may have worked....but honestly what would have helped a broken heart? My husband the one I trusted and loved most of all was screwing the woman he worked with! No drug legal or illegal could erase that fact!......Personally time and faith is the only thing that got me through a bad time in my life...... Hugs Tonya | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 5:50:43 PM | | WEAK,WEAK,WEAK, you can get as mad as you wish, if you let yourself get hooked on a pharmaceutical it's your own fault, just like the kids that just want to play,,,,,,RID them, we are in a state of don't play too hard, watch tv, become numb, smell my thumb, geez you're f*****up | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 5:51:58 PM | | Oh yeah, I have AFL-CIO, NFL,NBA, MLB, DMS, ATL, & PDQ,,,,,,,,, | |
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exxess
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Joined: 1/31/2006
Msg: 165 | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 6:12:16 PM | | so sad you feel that way . I have been midiagnosed for 28 years, taking the wrong meds. now that would be a point you could comment on. But if it were not for what i am taking now I would never had gotten my life back after 30 years of PTSD. It has helped me deal with a tramma that other wise i would have never delt with. I am fully cappable of a relationship now. and have not had a nightmere in almoust a year. Were did you do you clinical to have so much knowledge in your opinion? | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 6:38:34 PM | | antidepressents or like this guy i met at the forks off of here we meet up he says all that $ulls#it every gurl wants to hear i get suckered in cuz im lonely tells me he only wants me then he shows me pics of every ex gurl hes been with then wont shut up about all of em, and blabs on and on about these stupid women, then he breaks it off with me on msn, then says he wants to see other women then i say i want to see other men then he says all this messed up stuff to me then apparently his "sister" calls, and im sitting here 2 hours later for him to call me back! wats wrong with me am i so lonely ill result to this level just so i can have someone close to me? | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 6:47:43 PM | | Time 4 2 really does not know what she is talking about. If you are on any type of a prescribed drug you are NOT a dope. I'm sure anyone that has taken something that helps them ease the pain and is PROVEN to work would resent that comment. Maybe she should go on google herself and look for a clue. | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 7:32:40 PM |
I heard someone say the hardest thing to be in life is yourself...
So how can you be yourself if your medicated?
Taking Anti-depressants for a short time to reprogram your thought patterns into a happy more positive way of thinking is maybe ok...
However i think they're a huge mistake society is making...
Too many people are taking these medications then throwing caution to the wind!
Maybe they'll take risks with relationships or breaking the law and even gamble their money away...
Ok, not to be rude, but that is an extremely careless statement to make, and you obviously have never had any experience whatsoever with these medications or with anyone who has been properly medicated with them. People with severe anxiety, depression, and mood disorders due to either stress from extreme life situations or chemical imbalances are likely to make bad choices like that BEFORE medication because their emotions are SO overwhelming they can't function properly. That is the reason for the medication, not the effects of it. Medications like these are difficult to get properly dosed, because brain chemistry is such an individual thing that cannot be accurately tested, but that doesn't mean it doesn't need to be worked through until the proper match for a person is found. As someone else said, sometimes these medications simply make you numb, no ups or downs. But when the right dosage of the right medication is found, it allows the person to be in control of functioning not being controlled by their emotions, but still being able to feel their emotions. And God forbid, someone who might be thinking of getting help should read your post, and not get that help because you've scared them off with some ill-thought out ignorant arguement that the medication will make what they are already experiencing WORSE! | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 8:07:10 PM | | To all you ignorant idiots, there is a big difference between having a situational sadness, and a darkness that no one, I mean no one knows, unless you have been there. My favorite ignorant comment is "slap them out of it". How about slapping cancer, heart decease, sexual abuse, rape, ovarian cysts, tumors, a broken leg or arm. Just because you can't see this decease doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Would you tell someone that needs chemo to just suck it up. The brain is an organ, and it breaks. Being sad is not depression. So those of you that are judging those that suffer from this debilitating "DECEASE", back off. I dare anyone of you to confront in person any parent, sister, brother who has died because of depression and just tell them to just "suck it up". | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 8:27:45 PM | | If you need help...get it. More people die every year from sucide, than from heart conditions, cancer, and accidents...all together. Depression is very dangerous and can be quite fatal. No one can fix themselves, if there really is a problem. It does not matter if you are intelligent...or strong...if you need help get it. Do not ascribe to the religious crap either.."He never gives more than you can handle!". If that were true, how do you explain the startling statistics on suicides? I have been there myself, and it is not fun. If you need help...do not be afraid to get it...and do not hesitate...for the sake of those you love. Arrogant fools, can spout off about the negative aspects of antidepressants, but unless you have been there, you are entirely and blissfully ignorant. The fact is, many of us need antidepressants to continue to function in a normal manner as a living human being. Whether you need antidepressants or not, should be determined professionally, and only you can decide if you need to go there. No one on the outside looking in, should have any input into the decision making process...nor is their opinion worth a pinch of....! This has been a sad closet secret for way too long, and it is good to see people telling it like it is. What kind of a person are you, when you are dead before your time? Depression kills...it is that simple. Hiding from that fact, does not make it go away. | |
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| is everyone over 30 taking antidepressants?
Posted: 12/31/2007 8:28:40 PM |
Committing murduring the course of an armed robbery? I don't think anyone would understand that unless you explained.
It's an anonymous forum, so...
Mom is in her mid-60s, and raised in a very religious, conservative, violent family. She was taught from the cradle that women were to sacrifice everything for the comfort of those around them, never seeking any pleasure for themselves. She was also taught that to go after her own pleasure meant to strike at others in a way that might as well be a physical blow; anything she took for her benefit removed twice as much benefit from other people. She learned to accept only what was offered and nothing more. Taking was theft, if not murder.
Now, my mother isn't exactly a wilting violet. She's an engineer who holds three advanced degrees in two different sciences, plus a handful of other certifications in various fields. When she started her Ph.D. program, she was the only woman in the department and older than most of her professors. It just seems that she's bucked as much of the system as she can, and is too tired to fight anymore.
If she doesn't take the meds, she has to deal with enormous feelings of abandonment, betrayal and rage, and she has to work. As is the case with most abandoned housewives her age, it will be a while before she can afford to retire. If she takes the meds, she can at least work and keep on top of things, and is in a reasonably good mood most of the time.
Anyone who wants to call her weak will have to go through me. Anyone who wants to call me weak is welcome to a blood transfusion. | |
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