Anti Depressants Modern Life

[nailit]

Are anti depressants a modern day con?
Apart from myself I know many people who are prescribed these meds (inc friends who have committed suicide in the past).
Ive been on meds for over 3 years and am on the verge of binning them and to hell with the consequences. Been on meds has not solved any of the problems that led to me been on them in the first place....relationship breakup, unemployment, constantly been judged by my past, living on benefits when I know Im capable of more, etc.
I know about the serotonin angle but keeping things at bay will not prevent the dam from bursting, and its bursting now.

I cant stand the thought....or take another day....of thinking that the rest of my life will be spent watching Ant and Dec on a saturday night while worrying about the bills that will come on Monday morning!!!
And that maybe everything will be ok ONE day, because that day never arrives.

Sorry for the rant.

[nailit]

just starting to think that meds are a total cop out that only serve the pharmacutical industries

[Daffy6543]

if you do decide to stop the meds please don't go cold turkey. You need to be weaned off to a schedule organised by your GP or CPN. Just ceasing to take some antidepressants can cause a hellish worsening of symptoms, even psychotic breaks and suicidal thoughts and behaviour.

[Psybbo]

Nailit, I don't know but if you are going to come off them, do it slowly and wean yourself off them but I am not qualified to help x

[pixie373]

They aren't supposed to solve practical problems, just get you back on an even keep so that you are in a position to yourself. I really wouldn't recommend just stopping them, the withdraws won't help and needs to be done very gradually, small reduction over 6 months or so. Speak to your doctor anyway. Are you able to get voluntary work?

[DaisyNonna]

Always here when you need to rant nailit.
No, the meds won't solve your problems but they might give you a window to help you help yourself.
Small steps are better than no steps.
What's done is done.
Concentrate , if you can on small things that may help. Turn the TV to a different channel, or turn it off. Silly , I know, but give it a try.

[nailit]

tried reduce them myself, but its only reinforced my belief that they only 'mask' underlying' sh''t.
Why live your life under a mask?
The only people who benefit from this chemical @@@ is pharmacutical industries.

[Jackdaw33]

Nor am I. I was prescribed Citalopram 18 months ago, After 10 days I stopped taking them because I was having such dark thoughts. I immediately felt much better. You must, though, act upon medical advice. As for watching Ant and Dec, I am afraid I cannot help. There seems to be no known medical cure. The only way to avoid it is not to watch it in the first place.

[nailit]

the only reason I take them is because they help me sleep, do *** all else

[andy-hughes]

Anti-depressants are designed to re-balance chemical imbalances in your brain.

They do not solve the problems that put you into a depressive state.

Use this as an analogy - your life is a ship on the ocean, and it has sunk, leaving you isolated, isolated and far from land.

Anti-depressants are a life boat and a pair of oars. They won’t bring the ship back, they won’t get you to dry land, but they are the tools to enable you to get back to land yourself. They will assist you, by giving you the means to sort out the issue of isolation, but they will not extricate you, that part you have to do for yourself.

If you feel that your medication is not helping you, it may be that you have built up a resistance to it, and it is no longer effective. It may be that this is no longer the medication that suits you, and it needs to be changed.
What you need is to discuss your feelings with your GP, and suggest these thoughts, and ask for his or her advice, and then take whatever that advice is. This will help you to pick up the oars and row, and once you are back on land, you can start rebuilding your life again.

It takes time, and it’s hard, but your medication, when correctly administered, will help you. Stopping it now will be disastrous. Please make an appointment and speak to your GP, take the first step towards getting your personality, and your life back.

[237SJ]

Of course they won`t solve your problems. They are like any drug - they deal with the symptoms but not the cause. Only you can deal with the cause.

[bednobs]

"I cant stand the thought....or take another day....of thinking that the rest of my life will be spent watching Ant and Dec on a saturday night while worrying about the bills that will come on Monday morning!!! "
if this is the way you feel ON anti depressants, how on earth will you feel OFF them??? Bills will still be there, ant and dec will still be there, but you will have ridded yourself of one of the tools to help you manage the situation

[nailit]

Andy, please dont take this the wrong way...

//Use this as an analogy - your life is a ship on the ocean, and it has sunk, leaving you isolated, isolated and far from land. //
....
but ive heard this (or a varient of) a thousand times m8
It doesnt answer "MY" life questions.

Ive read so many 'inspirational' quotes to last me a life time.....non of which help me

[pixie373]

He is right though. You can't blame tablets for practical problems. Are you willing to give name and dose of antidepressants?

[lcg]

the pills aren't the problem, naillit, your illness is though. i have been unwell for 14 years and don't particularly enjoy it either. but it is a process and some times are worse than others. do not suddenly stop as this can make you both physically and more mentally unwell. ask for a referral to a psych team (if you haven't done so before) and look at other avenues of treatment. as for life being unfair - i have no idea what to say about that......but i wish you well x

[nailit]

I tthink my personal history is common knowledge on here

[Sycamore3House]

Are you coming to a point in your life where you are fed up listening to the experts and their cures/quotes etc because you yourself have sussed out what is wrong. But you are the only person who can make you right but you are not sure whether to make the next step on your own. If you are then go for it but take the advise of other posters about coming off the meds.

[nailit]

I think after 3 yrs 'psychological' knowledge its all bull.

[lcg]

it's not, nailit - i work in psychiatry and do not subscribe whatsoever to all the flowery *** that is paraded there. i do, however, believe in chemical imbalances (and tried every drug under the sun - antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilisers, all in varying quantities) all to get my chemicals more balanced - not perfectly, i think that is impossible. that i do believe in......not only that....but when severely unwell, being drugged up a little is par the course to numb the pain and get you to sleep. you clearly at least need that. get your gp to see you as an emergency on monday and refer you for a decent meds assessment at least. and hang in there......things will not always feel this bad. i'm not promising you anything other than that - but you need to see someone.

[nailit]

ICG, mental health team??? They are all as mad as a box of frogs. Wouldnt trust them with my stamp collection. I would have been dead now if it hadnt been for the police. (which I havnt had the greatist love for)

[nailit]

mental health only want to push pills, not ,my idea of life!!!!