Depression and Medication

[GregoryJoseph]

Ron has argued on several occasions that we as Americans over-medicate ourselves, particularly when it comes to depression. While I agree to some degree, there are situations when someone's serotonin and chemical levels are out of whack and the depression is a mental manifestation of a physical problem and medication is needed to stabilize the person.

Fez has stated numerous times that he's run the gamut of antidepressants and none of them have helped him. In fact, many times they worsened his condition. Everyone's chemistry is different, and it's completely possible that Fezzie has had adverse reactions to the meds he'd been prescribed, but I believe a large part of the problem is that Mr. Whatley (and the over-medicated masses) view the medication as a solution. It is not. Antidepressants are a means to an end, not an end in and of themselves.

The purpose of SSRIs is to level off the mood of the patient so that they can think rationally once again. When you're taking them you then have to do some serious self-analysis (or analysis with a professional) and realize the source of your mental issues. You can't do it when your brain is all screwed up, so the meds are kind of a temporary, necessary evil.

Having gone through a particularly dark time following 9/11 I know from whence I speak. I was having panic attacks (the first time it happened I thought I was having a heart attack) and was so depressed I could barely get out of bed. After trying to "fix myself" for several months I finally put my pride aside and asked my doctor if he could help. He prescribed Paxil, but told me exactly what I said above; they're a way to the answer, not THE answer. It took awhile, but I was eventually able to think rationally once again and work through everything that was tearing me down. After 4 months I weaned myself off of the meds and have never looked back.

I just hope Fez can get his brain "normal" enough to ensure all this therapy he's going through is actually helping him get to the root of the problem. I can't stand hearing the guy so shattered for such a long period of time.

[FezsAssistant]

I tried many many different pills over the years and none of them made me feel better. I just got varying degrees of side effects. It's not for me, but I'm sure it could help someone in the right situation.

[ShelleBink]

Pills don't solve your problems.

I should know, I sold my soul to the pharma industry.

[GreatAmericanZero]

i think anti-depressants treat depression the same way sleeping pills treat insomnia

they say when you have a pill induced sleep its not a real sleep. you aren't getting the rest that you would get from a normal, natural night. With anti-depressants, you aren't getting the right kind of happiness. You're issues are still there. You gotta train your brain to act differently..and that takes alot of work (but i believe it is possible in a lot of cases). Taking anti-depressants to cure depression is just pro-longing your depression and really is just a waste of time

[commish13]

I'm a success story when it comes to medication. My anxiety ended up making me drop out of college in my senior year, and eventually that led to depression because after I left school I pretty much became a complete shut-in and was seriously fucked up.

I tried to work it out on my own for a couple months, assuming that I was just stressed out about things, and that taking a few months off from everything and just relaxing and thinking about things would do me fine, but it wasn't the case. Eventually I too caved in and sought help. It started off poorly because I didn't go to doctors that understood me, so I got very put off by the whole doctor and drug thing.

Again I spent a month or so on my own just trying to relax and figure things out, but it just wasn't happening and I was getting worse. So I finally found a doctor and a therapist that I liked, and after some experimentation, we worked out a combination of 3 drugs, and I improved DRAMATICALLY. The depression went away, and my anxiety went down significantly as well.

So finally that I was in a state of mind where I could think rationally again, I thought a lot about my life, what I want to do with it, and what I've done over the first 22 years I've been here. That, along with the help of my AMAZING therapist, has gotten me to the point where I'm just about ready to get back into the world again and continue my life. We just added a fourth drug onto the list, but that shouldn't be a long-term deal. Just a bit of a mood stabilizer to help move me along.

And now, with all of that, I'm doing really good. I'm not quite there yet (very close to being able to go out and look for a job and then to start following my career dreams), but I've been able to do a lot of really good positive things in the 4 or so months I've been working with this prescription and shrink. I've become motivated to lose weight (went from 250 down to 208 in 3 months), I've gone out on a date or two (posted a thread about the first one), and the biggest part is that right now I feel happier and more focused than I ever have in my whole life.

So yeah. The drugs aren't a solution. They're something to start you with getting your head right, but the real work has to be done by the person. You can't just sit around and wait for everything to be all better. You've gotta be proactive and put in a real effort to get past your problems.

I used to think these drugs and all that was just a bunch of bullshit, and only for weak people who couldn't handle their own shit, but I'm not a weak person -- I just needed a push to help me out. That's why I waited so long before I admitted that I needed help and looked for it. And I'm so glad I did.

[yojimbo7248]

I'm a success story when it comes to medication. My anxiety ended up making me drop out of college in my senior year, and eventually that led to depression because after I left school I pretty much became a complete shut-in and was seriously fucked up.

I tried to work it out on my own for a couple months, assuming that I was just stressed out about things, and that taking a few months off from everything and just relaxing and thinking about things would do me fine, but it wasn't the case. Eventually I too caved in and sought help. It started off poorly because I didn't go to doctors that understood me, so I got very put off by the whole doctor and drug thing.

Again I spent a month or so on my own just trying to relax and figure things out, but it just wasn't happening and I was getting worse. So I finally found a doctor and a therapist that I liked, and after some experimentation, we worked out a combination of 3 drugs, and I improved DRAMATICALLY. The depression went away, and my anxiety went down significantly as well.

So finally that I was in a state of mind where I could think rationally again, I thought a lot about my life, what I want to do with it, and what I've done over the first 22 years I've been here. That, along with the help of my AMAZING therapist, has gotten me to the point where I'm just about ready to get back into the world again and continue my life. We just added a fourth drug onto the list, but that shouldn't be a long-term deal. Just a bit of a mood stabilizer to help move me along.

And now, with all of that, I'm doing really good. I'm not quite there yet (very close to being able to go out and look for a job and then to start following my career dreams), but I've been able to do a lot of really good positive things in the 4 or so months I've been working with this prescription and shrink. I've become motivated to lose weight (went from 250 down to 208 in 3 months), I've gone out on a date or two (posted a thread about the first one), and the biggest part is that right now I feel happier and more focused than I ever have in my whole life.

So yeah. The drugs aren't a solution. They're something to start you with getting your head right, but the real work has to be done by the person. You can't just sit around and wait for everything to be all better. You've gotta be proactive and put in a real effort to get past your problems.

I used to think these drugs and all that was just a bunch of bullshit, and only for weak people who couldn't handle their own shit, but I'm not a weak person -- I just needed a push to help me out. That's why I waited so long before I admitted that I needed help and looked for it. And I'm so glad I did.

I'm really pleased you are doing well. Seriously, that's great. Anxiety and depression is serious shit. Many people in similar situations have ended up badly so it's really good to hear a story like yours.

[commish13]

I SHALL OVERCOME!

I'm almost there. Thanks, sir.

[MacVittie]

I was on Zoloft for about 4 years along with weekly therapy when I was a teenager. I think that the meds helped balance me out and the therapy helped me develop coping mechanisms and recognize patterns of behavior that I have. I might have been on Zoloft longer than I needed to be, it helped me balance out early on, but when I went off of it I didn't experience any terrible mood problems.

[Epschtein]

the thing is that not everyone suffers from the same "kind" of depression. for some people it has nothing to do with brain chemistry, for some people it is almost entirely based in brain chemistry.

and since brain scans arent cost-effective for everyone that comes in saying they are depressed they go with the next best alternative - trying different medicines along with therapy. there are no guarantees tho.

i suffered from severe anxiety attacks rooted in a social phobia for years, they loaded me up with many different medications and high dosages - and nothing helped, it either put me to sleep or it did nothing. if i was still awake and still in certain social situations i could not function and had to get the hell out of there.

so i kept going to therapy and eventually figured out what was causing it, then i worked on that in therapy and finally got past it about 90% with NO medication use.

i was turning into such a recluse that they suggested considering a hospital stay and a course of shock therapy, i wonder sometimes how many people realize that shock therapy is still commonly used in just about any psychiatric hospital.

anywho, medicine without therapy rarely works longterm, and therapy without medication isnt possible for many people. so the standard procedure is to use some of both and see how things develop, changing therapy types and frequency, and adjusting or switching medications as needed. it is an inexact science and it is also a long term process affected by MANY variables.

[angry gary]

xanax!!