Wednesday, May 2, 2012

How many pills are are too many and why don't they work?

Way too many women are on medicine for moods, depression and such.  Abuse and PTSD I understand.  OCD and Bi-polar I understand.  But stress and depression and anxiety like myself and many others have....how do these pills help?  Is it the fact that we give up-not letting our minds heal us?As far as I can remember, women in the past had the occasional nervous breakdown, went to a facility and came out forever stigmatized because of this.  Do any of you feel any different becuase of taking your meds?

  Perhaps back in the day women did self medicate with alcohol.  Again, a subject for the neighbors to gossip about.  On the other hand....if there was one drug that I could take to make me feel normal and happy...I would probably take it.  But shouldn't I be able to trust God and my own mind to "fix" my feelings?  Am I allowing my feelings to take over my brain and heart?

Gotta go and help Hunter do yard work.  I have my own agenda but he wants me to dig up dandelions.  And I will do so.  Perhaps that will take my mind off my own stupid thoughts distracting me.

16 comments:

Furry Bottoms said...

I take lots lots lots of meds. Life itself causes PTSD! At first I was embarrassed and didn't want people to know... now I am not afraid that people know I'm on meds like that.

How does it help, you wondered. Well, for one... it will help you feel better for the time being... so you are "out of danger" and can enjoy life a little bit more. I do not recommend taking those meds without other help like therapy. I think therapy is important too.

One of my meds... it literally cleared the cobwebs out of my mind and I was finally able to be true and deal with my real issues instead of avoiding them. Without that one med, I would never have realized anything.

Not everybody is born with the same brain, as I'm sure you know... some have serious chemical imbalance and some are caused by behavior like PTSD or whatever. Anxiety pills will help you get through what makes you nervous to get to the other side.

If you take meds alone... with no emotional support... it might help some but it won't solve the base problem in the long run. So that is why emotional help is important with meds too. Not everyone gets both. I used to get both, but now I just take meds alone because I've been through therapy for more than 10 yrs.

Furry Bottoms said...

Those kind of meds also help with focus at work, sleep at night, etc etc so there are many uses for anti-depressants, anti-anxiey, etc

Furry Bottoms said...

Ahh one more thing. I forgot to answer your "God" question. In my personal opinion... God allowed Man to have brains to come up with technology, science, everything including meds. Surgery! If you had to have a c-section or it would have killed you and the baby... would you do it? Most women would go ahead and do it if they have to.

Some people really, really meds badly and it really saves their lives, that is the good part. The bad part is how YOU use it. Do you abuse it? Do you let yourself get hooked? That is the part that is between you and God.

Taking meds or not taking meds is a personal choice. I don't know what you believe in, but I don't want you to deprive yourself either if it is something you might need. You don't have to take it forever.

Unknown said...

I have a few theories. I think life is infinitely more stressful than ever because we have so many choices, and Hollywood/Madison Avenue/peer pressure encourage us to believe we are inadequate if we don't DO EVERYTHING. Especially women, whose roles have changed the most in the last 50 years. Modern feminism has told us to ignore who we are as individuals, and join with the "sisterhood." The only option that women are not supposed to pursue, is the one for which most of us were designed and are best suited - wife-and-mother. It's good that we CAN be independent and run our own lives, but it goes against human nature for us to be "independent" within a marriage, which is interdependent by nature. Modern feminism has lied to us. It told us we could successfully be more than one (contradictory) thing at once. The American dream for women has become: Have a good career, have a husband, have a nice house, have 2.3 kids and a dog. ALL AT THE SAME TIME! I think one of the primary reason so many women need medication is because we live our entire adult lives in internal conflict. No single aspect of our lives is satisfactory because we spread ourselves too thin, and everyone around us has to take up the slack.

The good news is that if one drug doesn't work, another probably will. They help us cope with our stress, but they rarely address the causes of our stress. Meds plus therapy can help us figure out our priorities. After that it's up to the individual to keep them in order.

Unknown said...

Stop by to visit and to thank you for your words of encougarement during my time of need...it meant so much!! Wishing you a lovely evening! Hugs, Loretta

My name WAS Female, I shit you not! said...

We've come a long way BABY! From asylums and electric currents shot through our brain to Zanax and Zoloft and the likes.
ONLY your doctor knows! ;0)
Chemical imbalances should be treated as such and no praying or willing your thoughts to change will substitute for an RX'd med.
Well... I'm no doctor, but that's what I think anyway. (((hugs)))Pat

Unknown said...

"Chemical imbalances should be treated as such and no praying or willing your thoughts to change will substitute for an RX'd med."

Pat's right. Although your thoughts can reinforce a temporary imbalance, it's physical, not just psychological. You could be like me. (so sorry) I was born depressed, but never diagnosed until age 27, because I was never suicidal, I never felt despair or hopelessness. I withdraw and shut down under stress; this is NOT compatible with adulthood. I had some therapy in my early 20's, but it has been Prozac, and more recently Cymbalta, that has kept me functional.

Experiment with drugs! (Woohoo!) If therapy isn't helping, you may just need to find the right chemicals. And here's a hint: when you find the right drug, you won't feel buzzed or dopey - you will feel normal, with very few side effects.

Stanley Navelgazer said...

I'm trying to reduce my dependence on meds right now. It sucks. I think Ken Kesey had a point that meds make us fit into an insane society.

raydenzel1 said...

Please watch this
part one, it may help, let me know!
ray
http://youtu.be/RwZY1jaw2EM

raydenzel1 said...

the full version

http://youtu.be/MD_7BoCHitg

The Bipolar Diva said...

I really wish I could live without my meds. Life seemed so less complicated then. Maybe because I was totally crazy and didn't know any better? sigh.

The Bipolar Diva said...

Oh, and thanks for commenting on Jakob's blog. You made him so happy!

Just Be Real said...

Hugs to you dear.....

Red Shoes said...

My doctor and counselor placed me on paxil at the time of my death and my on-going divorce.

It was one of the worst mistakes I ever made... there are hosts of problems that antidepressants can cause, and I wound up with several of them... :o(

I wish I had just 'toughed' those problems out.

~shoes~

lotta joy said...

A temporary problem can be "toughed out", but a lifelong, ongoing problem cannot be talked away, walked away or prayed away. We cannot control everything. We're taught to control our emotions, control our reactions, etc., but you cannot control chemicals in your brain. A few too much serotonin, dopamine, and you'll be tipping off the scale.

When medication helps us obtain balance, every other cell in your body will thank you for tending to yourself.

psoriasis treatment said...

They help us cope with our stress, but they rarely address the causes of our stress. Meds plus therapy can help us figure out our priorities.

Hikari