Did you know...

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

...that in the UK there are roughly 70 million people and one in six of them have been on SSRI antidepressants such as Celexa or Zoloft for more than 5 years? This number INCLUDES EVERY MAN, WOMAN and CHILD. Even 1 year olds. These drugs were marketed as having very minor withdrawal symptoms and very few side effects, basically being wonder drugs. Just think: taking a pill like Prozac, being able to cure all your woes and ails, just for the price of a little pill once a day. But the reality is far more harsh. Many people report being made asexual to certain degrees and being boxed into taking them as the withdrawal symptoms were severe enough to be misconstrued for a return to illness. Don't get me wrong, I have seen people's lives saved with the help of these drugs, but they're far from innocent.

 

[leahgoogle]

It's criminal, really. Some people do benefit from these meds, but they are WAY over-prescribed especially in children. I took Lexapro for 6 months after my first child. I gained 25 lbs and after a month, it didn't work as well. I weaned off of it very very slowly and the side effects were horrible. The rebound anxiety was worse than the anxiety I had before. I know several people where this has also been the case. I would not take them again, nor let my kids take them. There are many other things to try before resorting to these drugs.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

It's criminal, really. Some people do benefit from these meds, but they are WAY over-prescribed especially in children. I took Lexapro for 6 months after my first child. I gained 25 lbs and after a month, it didn't work as well. I weaned off of it very very slowly and the side effects were horrible. The rebound anxiety was worse than the anxiety I had before. I know several people where this has also been the case. I would not take them again, nor let my kids take them. There are many other things to try before resorting to these drugs.

leahgoogle, I am so sorry. I hope you feel better as soon as possible.

 

[leahgoogle]

leahgoogle, I am so sorry. I hope you feel better as soon as possible.

Thank you so much! My son is 19 now so this was a long time ago. I have learned so much since then and from that experience. I am better off without these meds for sure.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

I don't know if you're aware, but as awful as SSRIs can be, there are worse drugs, ones that you take as a last resort. MAOI antidepressants are extremely rare and expensive and carry with them a horrific diet: eat prepared meats and fish, marmite, alcohol, cheese, chocolate and so on, and you can suffer from a hypertensive crisis. And you can forget about over-the-counter medications. AND they're addictive.

 

[luvnwdwgal]

That’s just wrong

 

[darnheather]

I would have been dead 20 years ago without them.

 

[LilyWDW]

They saved my life.

They have saved MANY lives.

When you talk about medications like this, why don't you say the same things about insulin or blood thinners or any other medication people take to manage their health?

Yes, it is important to know about side effects and what you are getting into, but that is true for ALL medications.

 

[TippyThomas]

Seems the stigma lives on.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I wouldn't be here without these medications. I'm on three different psych medications, and they all work together to keep me from going off the deep end. They keep me alive. I think it's unfair to go off on psychiatric medications only-watch any advert for *any* medication and listen to the side effects and possible outcomes.

Tired of the stigma. I have a mental illness; it's a part of me. That part needs medication to be better and to survive, just like any other chronic disease.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

I'm well placed to know what I'm talking about. I'm not afraid to admit it: I'm a paranoid schizophrenic with co-morbid depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I take the strongest antidepressants known to man, the strongest antipsychotics (plural) known to man, mood stabilisers, tranquillisers, sedatives and more. I have been on medications for the last 30 or more years. And whilst the meds have saved my life, I am under no illusion - they come at a hefty price. I can't hold down a job. I sleep most of the day. I suffer from PTSD, mainly from the electroshock treatments I was forced through. And I have brain fog. And disassociation.

It's a trade off.

 

[fla4fun]

I'm well placed to know what I'm talking about. I'm not afraid to admit it: I'm a paranoid schizophrenic with co-morbid depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I take the strongest antidepressants known to man, the strongest antipsychotics (plural) known to man, mood stabilisers, tranquillisers, sedatives and more. I have been on medications for the last 30 or more years. And whilst the meds have saved my life, I am under no illusion - they come at a hefty price. I can't hold down a job. I sleep most of the day. I suffer from PTSD, mainly from the electroshock treatments I was forced through. And I have brain fog. And disassociation.

It's a trade off.

I am sorry you have to deal with this on a daily basis. I am also sorry that mental health is still so stigmatized when other chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, are not. Illness is illness, and there should be no shame in seeking treatment for any illness.

I am a firm believer in researching the side effects of any medication. Sometimes a person can’t avoid taking a particular medication because it’s the only one that works, but it’s still a good idea to know what may happen when you do.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

I am sorry you have to deal with this on a daily basis. I am also sorry that mental health is still so stigmatized when other chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, are not. Illness is illness, and there should be no shame in seeking treatment for any illness.

I am a firm believer in researching the side effects of any medication. Sometimes a person can’t avoid taking a particular medication because it’s the only one that works, but it’s still a good idea to know what may happen when you do.

Thing is, you say, "schizophrenia" to someone and they automatically flinch. But 1.1% of all people suffer from it! It's a very misunderstood condition.

 

[ronandannette]

I'm well placed to know what I'm talking about. I'm not afraid to admit it: I'm a paranoid schizophrenic with co-morbid depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I take the strongest antidepressants known to man, the strongest antipsychotics (plural) known to man, mood stabilisers, tranquillisers, sedatives and more. I have been on medications for the last 30 or more years. And whilst the meds have saved my life, I am under no illusion - they come at a hefty price. I can't hold down a job. I sleep most of the day. I suffer from PTSD, mainly from the electroshock treatments I was forced through. And I have brain fog. And disassociation.

It's a trade off.

Grace and peace to you.

Our son is bi-polar. Praise God - he is doing well on nothing but good, old-fashioned lithium. I lived in abject terror in the early days of his diagnosis when the were experimenting with SSRI’s.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Grace and peace to you.

Our son is bi-polar. Praise God - he is doing well on nothing but good, old-fashioned lithium. I lived in abject terror in the early days of his diagnosis when the were experimenting with SSRI’s.

Lithium may sound scary, but it's really not. It's tried and tested, and if it brings respite to your son, all the better. I wish him all the best - I know Bipolar Disorder can be daunting God bless.

 

[ronandannette]

Lithium may sound scary, but it's really not. It's tried and tested, and if it brings respite to your son, all the better. I wish him all the best - I know Bipolar Disorder can be daunting God bless.

Lithium is not scary at all - it has vastly fewer adverse side effects than SSRI’s. I’m not sure why it’s no longer in wider use, but several of the psychiatrists have mentioned aggressive pharmaceutical marketing. We are thankful that his current guy is very “old-school” and conservative in his approach.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I'm well placed to know what I'm talking about. I'm not afraid to admit it: I'm a paranoid schizophrenic with co-morbid depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder. I take the strongest antidepressants known to man, the strongest antipsychotics (plural) known to man, mood stabilisers, tranquillisers, sedatives and more. I have been on medications for the last 30 or more years. And whilst the meds have saved my life, I am under no illusion - they come at a hefty price. I can't hold down a job. I sleep most of the day. I suffer from PTSD, mainly from the electroshock treatments I was forced through. And I have brain fog. And disassociation.

It's a trade off.

I have psychotic Depression and also Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I was recently-after thirty years-diagnosed with a Schizoaffective Disorder. I'm also on 3 different medications for it, as I noted upthread. I also can't hold a job or career anymore. I don't have a sleep disorder or PTSD or brain fog. I'm sorry you're dealing with that. I feel like I have to explain my last post in this thread, which I made because your first thread (without explaining your diagnoses) made it seem like you were someone on the outside of mental illness, stating, "psychiatric drugs bad" with no context. That was why I posted what I did. For me, I've been lucky. The only side effect I have from these drugs is high cholesterol, which is under control with a statin. I hope you can get more peace in your life-you walk a road that is hard to go down.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

I have psychotic Depression and also Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I was recently-after thirty years-diagnosed with a Schizoaffective Disorder. I'm also on 3 different medications for it, as I noted upthread. I also can't hold a job or career anymore. I don't have a sleep disorder or PTSD or brain fog. I'm sorry you're dealing with that. I feel like I have to explain my last post in this thread, which I made because your first thread (without explaining your diagnoses) made it seem like you were someone on the outside of mental illness, stating, "psychiatric drugs bad" with no context. That was why I posted what I did. For me, I've been lucky. The only side effect I have from these drugs is high cholesterol, which is under control with a statin. I hope you can get more peace in your life-you walk a road that is hard to go down.

(((hugs)))

I am so sorry you are going through all that. You have nothing to explain.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

Lithium is not scary at all - it has vastly fewer adverse side effects than SSRI’s. I’m not sure why it’s no longer in wider use, but several of the psychiatrists have mentioned aggressive pharmaceutical marketing. We are thankful that his current guy is very “old-school” and conservative in his approach.

I can second the "old-school" benefit; it was because of that that I was placed under my regime. Less experienced doctors wouldn't know much about my drugs and some would avoid them altogether, because they're not "main stream".