Are You on Anti-Depressants?

[Octafish]

In metro Detroit, most everyone I know in the 40-60 demo is taking some form of medication.

Those who are married, working and with health insurance, have been prescribed anti-depressants.

Some, particularly those without jobs, are self-medicating with alcohol and marijuana.

Me, I'm so broke all I can afford to do are keep the blinds down and my eyes wide shut...our poor dog.

Not trying to share misery, I simply would like to know if mind medication is a national phenomenon. How are things for you?

[tridim]

1. I self-medicate with the herb for anxiety..

Which keeps me from becoming depressed.

[unhappycamper]

5. I just picked up some OMG herb.

Oh My god!1!!

[tridim]

7. I tend to stay away from that stuff..

I prefer aromatic flavorful herb with less THC and more CBD's. It's like the health-food of the cannabis world.

Not that the high THC strains are bad, it's just not what my body chemistry prefers. As with everything, YMMV.

[mike_c]

29. I'm currently staring at the bottom of a bag of pure sativa...

...that is the best pot I've smoked in years-- best in the sense of matching my body chemistry, as you suggested. It's a great body stone-- not monster THC but very nice and stony-- but it leaves me utterly clear headed and energized. One of my former grad students gifted it to me-- he's a 215 provider for several folks here. He calls it his "working pot" because he smokes it all day while he works on his successful small scale organic farm.

I'm gonna be so bummed when that bag is finished (and it certainly won't last the rest of the week). :cry:

Over the years I've come to understand that the inherent variability in Cannabis strains is one of the best things about marijuana. If you're willing to experiment and try lots of different clones, you'll usually find one that is well matched for your body and mind. There is no "one-size-fits-all" marijuana.

[krabigirl]

57. Same but actually my psychologist recommended that i use herb...

[DesertRat]

83. I would do the same if I knew where to get some

:shrug:

[yella_dawg]

106. Ditto.

Works too.

[proteus_lives]

2. It's depressing how many people pop pills nowadays.

Some people legitimately need them but I think they are way, way over-prescribed.

[NeedleCast]

6. I agree

Most frightening are the people who are on a huge cocktail of mood-changing meds. One of my girlfriends best friends is on a three or four regime of daily pills to combat depression and anxiety. Her main problem seems to be an on-again, off-again shibag boyfriend of many years who is emotionally abusive.

[Donnachaidh]

12. just look at how much advertisements there are lately for multiple meds for depression

Seroquel seems to be the latest *if you're still depressed, try this* big pharma drug advertisement. And the side effects they admit to is FRIGHTENING. We can ban cigarettes from advertising because they cause cancer and death - but anti-depressant drugs can advertise, even when they ADMIT you could die on this crap?

WTF???

[K8-EEE]

31. Also they are such heavy advertisers that I think the media

minimize reporting any controversies with pulled drugs etc. Think if as many people had died from marijuana as Vioxx or one of the others that spent so much money on the cable news!

[NeedleCast]

32. I can understand the risk involved

For people who really need them. I'm not qualified to determine who that is, but I do feel like they are over prescribed, possibly by a lot.

I don't know the specific brand and don't pay a lot of attention but I think I've seen one anti-depressant advertised where the commercial is like "Is your regular anti-depressant not anti-depressant enough? Try super duper brand anti-depressant!"

[Donnachaidh]

53. that's the big "IF" isn't it? But the way it's presented, it's not the doctor making the diagnosis,

it's the *patient*. And that is plain WRONG.

IF there is a real medical problem, diagnosed by a doctor, and managed by a doctor, I can see these drugs having some benefit. But these patients also have to be monitored for any number of side effects - by a doctor.

These drugs are being presented as a *smiley happy fix* to people who are depressed and looking for a quick fix. It's as bad as a drug dealer on the street, imo. They should not be allowed to advertise drugs that have SERIOUS side effects in this manner. It's wrong on so many levels.

[old mark]

91. I believe there should be a ban on advertising preseciption drugs, period.

They are NOT like cars, where the newest ones are always "better"...

The only ones who benefit are the drug companies who make tons of cash on the new drugs, especially when the "old" drugs can be made generic...


mark

[WildEyedLiberal]

111. And I HATE when they suggest that you "ask your doctor about Amazeopran!" or whatever

Um, shouldn't the DOCTOR be telling the PATIENT how to treat his/her illness, not the other way around? It blows my mind that this shit is allowed. Gee, I wonder if all the billions Big Pharma spends on advertising isn't part of the reason drugs cost an arm and a leg...

[sandnsea]

3. Generics are $4 a month now

For many many anti-depressants. Cheaper than self-medicating and more effective too.

[LiberalEsto]

4. I suspect if people weren't on meds

we'd have one hell of a revolution by now.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

72. Gee...could it be part of Big Brother 's plan?

part of the Great Dumb Down...

[JoeyT]

84. Or a much much higher sucide rate.

Maybe both.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. I'm not but my weight thinks that I am.

[Brickbat]

9. I was in 2001-2003. It was a huge help and I'm grateful they worked.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

75. did you have any trouble getting off them?

everyone I know who has been on prescription antidepressants has ultimately wanted off them in a bad way, but had trouble with the withdrawal.

[Brickbat]

77. No. I did a very long, slow taper, and had only one small side effect.

I would get what felt like a very, very mild electric "shock" feeling -- like my brain was activating my whole nervous system for just a blink. I would get them a couple times a day as I was tapering, but they were more interesting than disruptive, and went away when everything was out of my system.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

80. Glad it was relatively easy for you

and glad it helped :)

[Brickbat]

82. Thanks -- I know a lot of people have problems finding the right meds/dose, and some people can't

find anything that works, and I have friends who had a hard time getting off them, although most of them tapered too quickly (IMO). I know it's not for everybody, but it helped me when I needed it.

[maxsolomon]

10. does meditation count as self-medication?

i also drink.

:beer:

[eowyn_of_rohan]

73. LOL- Results of both are proof the God loves us and wants us to be happy

With Moderation on # 2, of course.

[AnArmyVeteran]

11. Will future Americans be like the Stepford Wives, are are we already at that point?

[Donnachaidh]

14. already at that point in some areas imo. n/t

[NoNothing]

13. A gramme is better than a damn

...half a gramme for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East, three for a dark eternity on the moon...

[inna]

34. I was just thinking exactly the same... lol

http://www.huxley.net/soma/somaquote.html

[TheKentuckian]

60. Oh shit! Great call.

[Greyhound]

15. "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."

Or, as a wise woman once told me, "The strong go crazy, the weak go along".

My compromise is self-medication and it keeps me from going completely insane.

[inna]

33. That's a very interesting insight actually. Thanks for sharing it.

:hi:

[nashville_brook]

39. eggsactly.

[smirkymonkey]

42. Krishnamurti said that - It's one of my favorite quotes. I honestly

believe it. I sometimes look around me and feel like I am going to go insane just watching other people act so normally in the midst of such a f***ed up world. And yes, I am on anti-depressants. I have tried to go off many times and the results were disastrous.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

78. perfect

I think I'll make a new bumper sticker...

[Cetacea]

16. Prescribed/self-medicating currently at 48 %.

K&R

[Oregone]

17. Does pot count?

[mike_c]

23. see # 22....

:smoke:

[Upton]

18. I self medicate as often as possible

with a variety of substances, no matter what my problem is. I know my body better than any quack physician.

[TheUnspeakable]

19. I'm not ,but just about everyone i know is.

[qb]

20. My HMO hands out Prozac like candy. It's a lot cheaper than talk therapy.

(I say that with irony, but I think that is their reason)

[HockeyMom]

21. I take no medication at all

When I went for my pre-employment physical, there was a 2 page listing to check off all the meds you take. The doctor told me I didn't fill out the form. I said that I did. No meds at all. She looked highly insulted when I said that; like there MUST be something you should be taking.

Yep, we are a pill popping over-medicated soceity. Don't you think all these TV commericals for meds is a part of this?

Depression? I have a glass or 2 of wine when the joys of living in paradise (Florida) gets to me. Sometimes I just blast the AC way down or take a cold shower to to pretend it's cold outside.

[Skittles]

89. I hear you

when I donate blood products I'm constantly amazed at the surprise I see when I tell them that at age 53 I take no medication

with all due respect though, HM, you do not understand depression - my dad killed himself and no amount of wine AC could have helped him

[mike_c]

22. I clicked "self medicating" but I'm not entirely sure that's accurate....

It just seemed the closest fit. I'm not depressed, although I've had problems with depression in the past, and have taken SSRIs on several occasions. Not for the last three or four years though, and after my last experience withdrawing from Lexapro I'll NEVER take them again.

What I do is smoke marijuana daily. Several times, most days. It's the best stress relief I know, and at least in my life, stress is ALWAYS a part of any depression I suffer, whether job stress, relationship stress, or just plain what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-the-world stress. So in that sense I'm self medicating, although as far as I can tell I have no symptoms of depression at present. Self medication is either not necessary or it's pretty successful-- either way, I'm pleased.

[Dragonfli]

24. I probably could use them but I can't afford them

I have lymphoma and have been unemployed for about six months(so soon I will be homeless since the Dems fear filibusters so much).

Not exactly a happy camper anymore, after I am homeless I will see if I can get medical assistance, right now I have no insurance and no money and have to just be depressed.

[JonLP24]

25. I would

I still have some but I refuse to take them without counseling. I don't have insurance so I can't afford a counselor.

I voted self-medicating.

[Phoonzang]

26. Klonopin for anxiety. Not something you take every day. nt

[housewolf]

27. I'm not on anything, but sometimes think I should be

When I explore the symptoms of depression, many of them seem to fit, and I seem to be unable to pull together enough energy to take positive action.

[Wounded Bear]

28. No....

"I feel I have used up my right to chemical peace of mind." pg. 416

[DemReadingDU]

30. My daughter is on anti-depressants, and

one of my sisters and her husband. My son self-medicates with alcohol.

edit: I do not take anything.
How am I supposed to vote in this poll? I can answer 3 of the above

[Bettie]

35. Currently taking something

Actually, it's a very small dose of Zoloft (generic version) and it helps me a lot. It helps me take that step back and keep my cool when the kids and life are driving me nuts.

I think most of the moms I know are taking something.

[asdjrocky]

36. Medical Cannabis.

The thing that scares big pharma the most.

Really folks, you can grow your own.

[G_j]

37. and it won't poison you nt

[asdjrocky]

41. Or kill you. nt

[janet118]

38. I'm on Soma and I hate politics and bad stuff.

"I don't understand anything," she said with decision, determined to preserve her incomprehension intact. "Nothing. Least of all," she continued in another tone "why you don't take soma when you have these dreadful ideas of yours. You'd forget all about them. And instead of feeling miserable, you'd be jolly. So jolly."
- A. Huxley Brave New World

[nashville_brook]

40. currently taking big doses of nature.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

79. That is the BEST of all

I am looking forward to the next camping trip, ASAP

[nashville_brook]

87. if i don't get out once...at least ONCE...a week, i get really dark-mooded.

i threw my back out, so i don't think i'll be paddling this weekend...maybe a beach sitting.

[Maru Kitteh]

43. I'm on trazodone but it's prescribed to me for insomnia.

But trazodone is an anti-depressant AND insomnia is one symptom of depression so I just picked "yes" to prescribed meds.

The insomnia/depression thing seems like a distinction without a meaningful difference.

[snot]

44. No. And I'm worried that meds are reinforcing the sheeples' passivity.

[Still Blue in PDX]

55. I must be undermedicated, then.

I would be happier if I could accept the status quo, but I fear I would be ashamed of myself. What a conundrum.

[Arkansas Granny]

45. I take no prescription drugs at all. I do take aspirin for arthritis pain

and other OTC drugs for cold symptoms, etc. My doctor prescribed Prozac several years ago, but I quit taking it because it made me feel so horribly depressed.

[safeinOhio]

46. I've tried 20 years of each kind.

Now on good diet and exercise. Feel better than both.

[HipChick]

47. I need something....just never got around to it..

[snooper2]

48. Jesus H. Fucking Christ...

no wonder nine out of ten threads are a gripe about something...

[Mimosa]

49. Wish I could tolerate a good SSRI

Does anybody recall a study reported last year which said that some anti-deppressents aren't really effective?

Maybe some are, but I'll never know because I've always been hypersensitive to side effects. Any of them simultaneously zombify me and keep me from being able to sleep.

Octafish, you're such a good person. Don't let things get you too depressed. You have friends -and a dog- who care about you. ;)

And D.U. wouldn't be as great without you. Sometimes even a fizzy ice-cold Coke or a glass of white wine can make a peron feel better. I like a cup of tea, myself.

[opihimoimoi]

50. Being Loaded with natural meds is a happy way to go through life

The Bible sez its ok to plant / use seeds... its there for a Godly Purpose....:smoke:

[MellowDem]

51. Wow, lots of depressed people here...

maybe that explains the insane amounts of cynicism and nihilism.

[WinkyDink]

109. No, that is the MEDICATED view. REALITY requires MUCH MORE cynicism.

IF YOU'RE PAYING ATTENTION.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

52. I'm fortunate. I don't take any prescription medications.

I don't have health insurance so I rarely go to the doctor. Which obviously influences my lack of prescription medications. I've had some bad times in my life where I imagine if I had a regular doctor and insurance they may well have prescribed something. Instead I just weathered it out and trudged on.

[End Of The Road]

54. I took Wellbutrin for about 10 days. Hated it.

It made me VERY hyper. I got up early one Saturday morning and power washed all the siding on the house. Now THAT's depressing.

[Odin2005]

56. Paxil.

[Mad_Dem_X]

99. Same here. 20mgs a day, and Xanax as needed

Thankfully, I haven't had to use the Xanax for awhile. (knock wood)

I've been on Paxil since 2000, for depression and panic attacks.

[krabigirl]

58. Have anxiety but ssris don't help and Xanax makes me nauseous...

My psych actually recommended herb but not smoked. i don't do it often though. I usually don't have any, lol. I try to manage my anxiety with heavy cardio exercise.

[elana i am]

59. yep for anxiety and panic attacks.

i also have hypothyroidism that we can't seem to get stabilized. therapy didn't work for my anxiety, only drugs, so we think the hypothyroidism is a contributing factor to the anxiety.

hypothyroidism can sometimes be what is causing the anxiety and depression because your hormones are all whacked out. some people who are depressed could have hypothyroidism and just don't know it. also hypothyroidism can run in families. my aunt, my grandmother and i all have it. i wonder if it's increasing in prevalence like asthma and allergies are?

[hyphenate]

61. Clinical depressive mood disorder

Stemming from all the other, quite real maladies that I have. I've been considered disabled for about 7 years.

[TheKentuckian]

62. I took option #3 but to be fair I self medicated for extreme joy, for feeling normal, for movies, to

read, to go fishing, to watch TV, to listen to Floyd, to listen to the Allman Brothers, to take a walk, to work out, and about everything else but to go to work or do things involving too many numbers.

I wasn't depressed as such sober but leisure time had an air of lameness for no other reason than it's self.

[LuckyTheDog]

63. Hey, Octafish!

Give me a call some time. Maybe we could grab a beer.

[noamnety]

71. Ahem.

I also enjoy beer.

- metro detroit

[badgerpup]

64. Prescribed anti-depressants...

Needed something. Was in a serious tailspin. :yoiks:

[lazarus]

65. used to be

then read the research about how SSRIs and placebos perform equally well, so I quit, and have no issues. Don't need 'em anymore.

[happy_liberal]

68. "read the research about how SSRIs and placebos perform equally well, so I quit, and have no issues"

aaahhaaaa interesting.....

[lightningandsnow]

66. I'm on zoloft and lithium.

I have bipolar disorder and a couple anxiety disorders.

[happy_liberal]

67. Report: Prescription drugs kill far more in Florida than illegal drugs

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x8699075


What is the main ingredient in antidepressants?

Most SSRI Antidepressants Contain Fluoride

From: Wikipedia.org

SSRI antidepressants, except in a few instances, are fluorinated molecules. These include citalopram, escitalopram oxalate, fluoxetine, fluvoxamine maleate, and paroxetine. A notable exception is sertraline. Because of the difficulty of biological systems in dealing with metabolism of fluorinated molecules, fluorinated antibiotics and antidepressants are among the major fluorinated organics found in treated city sewage and wastewater.

-------------------
Flouride's Dirty Secrets

Flouride may well be the most insidious of all additives and poisons which are increasingly wending their way into our food and water supply. Be prepared to brace yourself because you, like us, may well be shocked and dismayed by what was known and recorded into the public record about sodium flouride - also known as flourine - as early as 1939. For example did you know that the Department of Agriculture Yearbook of 1939 said that "It is especially important that flourine be avoided from birth to the age of 12?"

The following are excerpts from two articles detailing what can only be termed "expert" testimony from people who were present from the beginning of sodium flouride's debut into our food and water stream. Note that much of this material has remained buried or even "scrubbed" from the public domain. In the full second article there is a forward to the main text which describes one of many methods used to hide or even eliminate such information from the public domain and discourse.

We apologize ahead of time for such long quotes, but we have tried to distill our two articles down to their essence. The articles themselves are much longer. Read them and see. Especially read the forward to the second article.

Excerpts from our first article titled Flouride Stupidity which can be found under archived articles on this archived main page:

Let's begin at the beginning: The first occurrence of fluoridated drinking water on Earth was found in Germany's Nazi prison camps. The Gestapo had little concern about fluoride's supposed effect on children's teeth; their alleged reason for mass-medicating water with sodium fluoride was to sterilize humans and force the people in their concentration camps into calm submission. (Ref. book: "The Crime and Punishment of I.G. Farben" by Joseph Borkin.) . .

[yellowwood]

69. Pharmaceutical Ads

I believe that pharmaceutical ads are pushing people into believing that they need drugs to cope with life. My parents lived through the Depression. It would never have occurred to them that they needed a pill.

[happy_liberal]

70. new forces in play

Who would possibly have an interest in this...'to sterilize humans and force the people into calm submission'

[happy_liberal]

74. when I want to find my post on DU all I have to do is search for 'happy'

my name happy_liberal is the only thing that comes up on the threads besides 'unhappycamper'


I wonder if we are depressing each other....pass the blue pill.......

[Mike 03]

76. Great topic. I voted for "prescribed" because that is technically correct

as I am prescribed Welbutrin for depression, but other selections apply to me as well.

Thank you for introducing this topic. Everyone I know, without exaggeration, is either taking medication or self-medicating as a result of extreme anxiety or depression.

[Jack Rabbit]

81. 37.5 mg paxil & 25 mg trazodone daily

Prescribed.

I'm starting to feel a lot better after many years in the dumps. I would have been a lot worse without the meds. Having said that, the thing I credit more than anything else for getting me out of a suicidal funk about three years ago was taking in four feral kittens who were born under my house.

Here's one of them, with her own kittens.



Spitfire and offspring

[Douglas Carpenter]

85. I did for about two years - several years ago

Frankly during an acute state of depression, I think they were very helpful. But after awhile they left me rather numb. When I went off them - I felt like I had a new burst of energy and a new lease on life. I could say the same thing regarding self-medicating with alcohol or marijuana.

[jimlup]

86. I don't know if I suffer from Dysporia (sp?) but I think I do...

My depression might be situational (and even a reflection of the sorry state of the world) but it is also possible that I suffer from true a true chronic depressive condition. Anti-depressants have been a huge help for me.

[blondeatlast]

88. Other: hardly great for me (going through a painful, unwanted divorce), not

on them now but have been--and they saved my life then; and I know someone who self-medicates.

[Evoman]

90. Was. Didn't help so much. So I'm currently getting off.

What finally helped me overcome my depression was more or less realizing I didn't care what happened to me anymore. Weirdly enough, this had the effect of killing most of my fears....fears of conflict, of failure, of my life being ruined.

All at once I realized that life is a big joke. Nothing really matters. 50 years, I'll be dead. In a 100, anyone who knew me will be dead. Hell, in a thousand, human kind could itself die for all I know. So who gives a shit what my boss thinks? Who gives a shit if I don't own a house, or have lots of money. Who cares if people disapprove of me?

I don't, and it's given me a freedom I've missed a great deal of my life. I told my boss off last month after she verbally abused me, and told her to fuck off. I wasn't fired. I have subsequently told her, when she complains, that I don't give a shit. Still haven't been fired.

Anti-depressants are for people who give a shit and want to be normal. I no longer care to be normal...and for once, I realize how happy and free I am.

Let the world burn I say.

[Hannah Bell]

93. wisdom.

[Silent3]

97. Partly the same story for me, partly very different

I suffered from pretty deep clinical depression for a while, and was on medication too. I tried a few different prescriptions, and none of them seemed to help very much.

Eventually changing the things that made me depressed is what helped the most. I still think I suffer from a tendency toward depression, but it's at a level where I'd rather just cope than throw chemicals at the problem.

Like you, I also don't give a damn about being considered "normal", but there are limits to that: I don't want to be considered abnormal because I start roaming the neighborhood naked yelling at mailboxes, or by deciding I'm going to try applying the way our cats great each other by sniffing each others butts to the human world.

I can't say I don't give a damn, however, or casually say "let the world burn". The world is full of people who would burn with it, and while they'll all die someday no matter what, I'd like as many people as possible to enjoy the life available to them while they can, suffering as little as possible. I'd also like what life I have left on this planet to be as pleasant and rewarding and richly textured and meaningful as possible.

[Evoman]

101. What was it you changed, out of curiosity?

[Silent3]

102. That's more than I want to share...

...on a public forum. :)

[Evoman]

108. Can always pm me if you don't mind. But it's all cool if you don't.

incidently, my boss was being a hag today, so I walked out. Then sent an email telling her I wouldn't be kicked around anymore. I may be fired tommorow...I was so happy I almost cried, lol.

[blueamy66]

104. interesting point of view

wish I could get to where you are

[Festivito]

92. I take an aspirin a day, ...when I remember.

I can't seem to help but be happy.

But, most others find my talks depressing -- for them of course. For me it's just politics as usual.

[depakid]

94. Yep, except that anti-depressants = gym, biking & beach or bush walks

As they say, there's more than one way to skin a cat.

[Senator]

95. Open The Blinds

Full spectrum (sun) light is an effective anti-depressant for many.

--

[Silent3]

96. Unless "everything's great", it's assumed you must be/should be taking something?

Maybe you mean for the first option in the poll to be for people who neither have perfect lives nor medicate themselves (prescription or otherwise), but the last two options in the poll make me wonder.

There are certainly people who need antidepressant medications, but as others have said in this thread, I think they are over prescribed.

If people are using alcohol, pot, or whatever other substance floats their boat, and are doing so responsibly, and still know how to enjoy themselves without chemical alteration as well, I have no problem with that.

What I do have a problem with is the idea that unless you're happy all of the time, there's something wrong that simply must be fixed, must be medicated into submission. In a less than perfect world a certain amount of anxiety, sadness, and stress are a natural consequence of being alive and aware. This may not be pleasant, but at least it's real.

As an atheist I have to take "God" in this old prayer in a poetic, non-literal sense, but I still like the basic idea: God, grant me the strength to change that which I can, the serenity to accept that which I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference.

I see medication as a last resort, not a first, after trying to fix the problems that can be fixed fails, after patient endurance does not yield serenity in the face of problems beyond our control.

[madokie]

98. I take something for anxiety from time to time

Nothing like the doc prescribes as he prescribes three pills a day and I might take a half of one pill every other day or so. Thats all I need to keep it under control.
hydrocodone for pain regularly though as I live with pain from neuropathy due to clogged arteries in my legs and I suspect exposure to agent orange.

[a la izquierda]

100. Only Xanax for flight anxiety, when I fly.

I love the stuff, but again, only on planes. Cannot take it for regular anxiety, it makes me feel really weird. Something about the physical manifestations of my flight anxiety makes the drug work wonders.

Otherwise, I ride a bike to combat depression and stress. And smoke a little herb.

[tishaLA]

103. Wellbutri. It really saved me

[montanto]

105. Prescription Med MJ

Works every time. A cookie (or so) a day keeps the blues away.

[Iggo]

107. No.

[WinkyDink]

110. {{{{All DU'ers who answered in the affirmative.}}}}

[Curmudgeoness]

112. Don't take anything---but sure think I need something. Pre-existing conditions

is the only reason I refuse to mention problems to my doctor, or to go to some mental health professionals.