Mood Altering Meds

[Canadian]

I'd say if they work stay on them. It's no different than being a diabetic and having to take insulin. There are many people who need to take medication to keep their body in a normal healthy condition. There's nothing wrong with taking the medication you need. Take them and don't feel ashamed.

[10101]

Originally Posted by insidethebunker

If you need the meds, you need them. I never took any until in my 40’s but in my case they have saved my life. At age 40 (7 yrs ago), 21 years of marriage ended in a bitter divorce and I tanked my first company. Broke and rejected and almost homeless I had one meltdown after another. It started with attempted suicide and progressed to uncontrollable anger. It went on after I remarried the same year as the divorce. My anger exhibited itself in severe beatings I gave a very undeserving dog (never admitted that till now, wow) and severe belligerent tirades I took out on my new wife. Severe anger fits and eventually spending a day in the mental ward (1st time) after going outside the night before and firing my gun off making my wife think I had blown my brains out. That night was the first time I'd ever been handcuffed in my life. Nothing like a wake up call of having the police show up to your house and cuffing you. That night and day in a mental yard was a turning point but it still took a bankruptcy and complete collapse of my business over the next year to turn me towards counseling, medication and God. Now 7 years after the divorce and about 5 years from the trip to the loony bin, because of meds, my life is controllable. It’s still not perfect but controllable. I've partnered to start another business, work less hours then ever before and make more money then ever in my life. I have to check my anger all the time. It's not gone but I can check it. I fight less and I let a lot lay by the side. When I don't take meds and try to "be normal" my life begins to unravel. I'm not 100% but at least I'm functioning, well. My "new" wife trust me, loves me, and is patient with me. My kids accept me in a way they never did before because I've told them step by step everything I've gone through in hope that they can see it if it ever emerges in their life. Because of this we've also been able to diagnose my 22 year old daughters bi-polar and get her treatment too. She actually WANTS the treatment and meds because she sees how bad I got and how much they did for me. She can't afford the meds but gets the equivalent of $300 a month in meds from a clinic. (my insurance covers about $400 a month on me and they ARE narcotics). If you need the meds and can afford them do it.

The hardest part is admitting you need them but life can be so much more rewarding with them.

PS: This is the first time I've "told" this story in detail. However there must be a reason you asked and there must be a reason I'm awake at 1:30am make my first post in a forum I've never been to before. I hope this helps.

Good for you man! Sometimes you need to let the weight off your chest, an semi anonymous survival board is only the start of a long journey through your sole.

Mind altering Drugs will "get you back on your feet" but you are on your own for the long term, after awhile these drugs do very little for you and then your back at square one.

Find a good hobby to keep your mind occupied (survival), and laugh as much as you can, laughter really is the cure all!

[dukman]

Originally Posted by HarpeR

This was on an anti-depressant? They gave you them after a back injury? I think they got the bottle mixed up with the Vicodin bottle!

Nope, I was also on Flexeril and later Skelexan for the injury as well. They thought it would help me cope with the physical therapy baloney. I've only been prescribed Vicodin with dental work..

I find nowadays that just going for a walk helps clear my head quite a bit and can be somewhat of a drug in itself. Maybe it is just that extra oxygen getting to the brain I really need to get onto the "salad a day" diet I put myself on at one time... it was amazing what good nutrition can do to ones outlook on things.

[Battly]

Looking into meditation might be a good idea as well. It can really help you calm anxieties and help get you feeling better about yourself and your condition.

[insidethebunker]

I'm appreciate the encouraging words. It hasn't been a fun journey but it's nice to at least understand why "I am who I am" and that's better then being lost in a fog.

Also I'm glad to contribute... it's like those old sayings that start with "If I touched just one person" with my post I'm happy.

I hope bankruptONselling found what he was looking for, here, or somewhere.

Xanax is one of those medicines which help in relieving anxiety and depression, but this medicine should only be used for small duration as this is habit forming drug and sometimes the withdrawal symptoms can be more depressing. The withdrawal from this medicine is a slow and gradual process rather than abrupt. Xanax works by slowing down the nervous system and hence relieves anxiety. The best way to get over anxiety and depression is to take a break from your regular schedule, go out, and take good sleep. This helps in clearing the mind and try consulting a specialist who can suggest you as how you can get over your problem.

[Nadine]

I that may be spam above. Why would you say it's addictive then post a link in your signature trying to sell it to us?

[Canadian]

I had an ex girlfriend who was on xanax. She stopped taking it and she went crazy.

[OldFashionedMama]

thread revival.....

Anxiety disorders run in my family. My mother has panic disorder and takes Zoloft. She feels "ashamed" that she has to take it, and has tried to take herself off it many times and ends up having more attacks. I started having depression issues when I was 16, but they were manifesting in not-so-regular ways. I tried several things but ended up taking St. John's Wort. In 6 months I was fine. Then when I was 20 I started having panic attacks-right around the age my mother started having them. I took something called Lorazepam (similar to Valium) whenever I started feeling like an attack was coming on. They seemed to go away and I haven't had one in a long, long time.

Then I had kids.

My kids are 4,3, and 1. The oldest two are 11.5 months apart in age. It has not been until VERY recently, like, the past two or three months that I've started to feel like a sane person again. Because of serious hormonal imbalances brought on by closely spaced pregnancies, I had plunged into this anxiety-driven rage cycle that subjected everyone around me to unspeakable anger and violence. I've been taking hormone therapy since January and I feel SO much better. My doctor knows that I can't keep taking the pills forever, and that if these symptoms return after I go off the pills we will need to do something more permanent. Basically ovulation turns me into Satan, so its either get my tubes tied or have a hysterectomy....one or the other will be a definite in my future.

I feel especially bad for women because we seem to bear the worst of the emotional/mental ailments, and too often we don't seek help or don't try to understand the causes behind our troubles. I waited far too long to see a doctor, and the treatment was so simple-why did I wait??? No matter who you are, if you feel like something "just isnt' right" PLEASE do not wait until it gets bad. Seek help NOW.

[cattlefarmer]

I have been diagnosed with bipolar, ADHD, and dyslexia, but more or less I’m just a manic person. I have taken a bunch of different meds and have found that mild doses of epilepsy meds work best for me.

There have been a few times that my manic went over board and I flopped right into a bad depression like episodes. I did end up with a tempory detaining order after 5 weeks after a medication change. I went 5 days without sleep and my shrink was out of town and I drove my self to the ER. I ended up getting locked up in a nut house for 18 days. The first 3 days I didn’t sleep. Once my shrink came back into town she was able to play with my meds to get me back to normal.

Most shrinks will only use a set of drugs that they like and will not go out side of there realm. All metal problems are caused by misfiring in the brain just like epilepsy. Thyroid problems can show up as metal problems some times. If you’re having problems with side affects it might be worth looking at epilepsy meds but might have a hard time getting a shrink to try them on you.