A discussion
Mar. 25th, 2004 07:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
angel_janeI spend most of my days at one specific, supportive and nurturing board on the web its address is www.startrekfans.net.
Here I have found may interesting and lively debates in which I have participated.
The below is based on the discussion of two posters Jeanway (A girl/woman from America) And Myself (Unadopted Angelic, an English woman of 22)
everything that follows is opinion and in no way that of Live Journals. And don't think about suing me. I have no money!
JEANWAY
I wasn't going to start this thread until I was relatively sure about this. I've noticed a lot of our members are on some kind of mood alternating substance. Prozac, xanax, etc. I knew someone once who went to a few different doctors and was prescribed these kinds of drugs. She was a professional tennis player. She was beautiful, healthy, optimistic person. I watched her go downhill, very quickly. She mixed all these different drugs. She went nearly insane. She was so screwed up, I couldn't recognize her. She talked of death and thought going to a funeral was fun. She really got sick from these drugs. She had to go into a hospital where they gave her shock treatments to try to stop the damage done, which only made her worse. It took her years to get her old self back. By totally stopping putting anything foreign in her bloodstream. This stuff really messes with your metabolism. Changes your thinking patterns. Why do people do this to themselves? I think it's all about money. Doctors prescribe these drugs, encouraged to do so by the drug ' detail man'. So the drug companies make billions on this practice. With total disregard for what it's doing to people. I'm sorry; I just don't think God wanted us to do this to ourselves. Our bodies are wonderful machines that should be treated with respect and by not dumping all this poison into. We don't need this stuff. This happened to me too, but I was very young at the time, so I do know about it. One drug may help you, for a short time, but to make it a way of life??? Please consider other options if you’re unhappy. Maybe the quick fix isn’t really fixing anything. It's just creating new problems.
UNADOPTED ANGELIC
Drugs should be used in combination with changes within your life.
Prozac and other drugs within its particular grouping work in a way that stimulates the brain to make serotonin. Without it you don't sleep, it is a principle component in making you drowsy to sleep; this bio-chemical also in turn resets your moods and regulates them. Without these drugs I would have ended up DEAD.
Doctors shouldn't prescribe more than one drug, but if your friend "shopped" around for drugs from more than one doctor then these doctors didn't automatically know that she was on more than one drug at a time.
Your friend was probably classed as an acute case severe depressive after her mixing of the drugs. (There are two anti-depressant groups which aren't recommended in mixing because they combined cause a psychosis)
The use of Electro convulsive therapy (ECT) isn't recommended unless the case is highly problematic and is used to induce normal brain function. It is tended to be used in cases of severe cases of depression and rapid cycles of Manic depression (Rapid cycler is someone who goes from mania to severe depression at a moments notice. the periods of depression can be prolonged and last months, treatment of lithium is often a last result as it inevitably builds in the patients system and causes more problems).
I sympathize for you and your friend. I, myself and on my second bout of depression. Mine wasn't drugs induced; I take nothing unless I have a skull splitter of a headache for more than 2 days. I am on Prozac. One of the oldest of the modern drugs. It isn't a drug you can become physically dependant on; you can however become psychologically dependant on it.
There have been more recent innovations in anti-depressants, but as of yet I haven't seen one I would take in place of Prozac, despite its side effects. Such new anti-depressants have been Seroxat. A notoriously dangerous drug (I am in no way advising anyone to stop taking this drug) Seroxat have been linked to patients going from mild depression to exhibiting psychosis and committing suicide, most notably the case of a 16 yr old boy in Florida given Seroxat for acne of all things, flying his two seater light aircraft into a skyscraper around 2001/2002.
As yet smith Klein Beecham's hasn't with drawn this drug world wide nor will it accept an overwhelming wealth of data collected by both the European Medical communities nor have they accepted any of the information produced by the FDA. Whether this particular medication is still approved by the FDA isn't known by myself at present.
All drugs are dangerous and should be taken under medical supervision and under consultation with a doctor. Doctors in the UK aren't under the thumb of pharmaceutical companies, however they are pressured by an over taxed and over stressed system to initiate chemotherapy (The psychological term for medicating a mental illness such as depression) treatments.
A more worthwhile course of action is intensive counseling for 3 sessions a week for three months via a behavioral psychologist, where by a review of lifestyle should be taken in to examination and moves to implement changes which would be beneficial to the person involved initiated. The sessions would be scaled back to once weekly and inevitably after a year a once monthly affair. Alongside this a 6 -12 month course of drugs as a reinforcement and re-establisher of normal biochemical levels in the brain.
I am not a psychologist (Yet, I am studying for my degree in psychology and for an accreditation by the British Psychological Society) and none of the above is a recommended treatment, it is however, something that myself as a depressive would find a good treatment. Each case is different and the above would be a rare occasion as therapy is a costly affair and therefore in the politics of psychology and psychiatry (a psychiatrist has a medical degree and has interned as a qualified doctor) is deemed a non worthwhile pursuit due to economics.
JEANWAY
Yes, we are on the same page, in most things, you and I. I just think that a lot of this so called 'depression' is just the result of damaging relationships and circumstances out of our control. I know when I feel powerless in a situation, I do get depressed. But once I take steps to gain at least some control, my mood elevates dramatically. So many things in our lives are out of our control.
Abrupt cessation of any drug can cause problems. I've had a brief experience with Prozac. It energized me so much I was like 'The Big Giant Head' who couldn't stop pacing. It wasn't pleasant and clearly wasn't something that was going to help me. I improved without drugs but by a change in circumstances. Then I started making other changes.' When things change, things change'. This, right now, is the best time in my life. I'm in control of every area of my life. I don't like others living my life for me. This is so important and relevant. And I pray a lot ::wink::
UNADOPTED ANGELIC
Jeanway this is my second time on Prozac. As I am natural a dervish according to my mum, I am back to normal.
As I am naturally hyper my drugs have a different effect on me that normally non hyper people. Prozac has calmed me down. This is Normal given my normal behavior and is well documented in others.
I am making changes. I have managed to find a strong direction for my life and am researching how to go about it.
I am aiming to be a Child Advocate and counsellor and my end of course essay (Not final year project) will be on the effects of chemotherapy in depressives. As I have experienced this I think this will be a good place to examine and become specialized in.
Each depression I have entered into has been in a way life affirming and a positive experience. I have come to a greater understanding of myself and others, met wonderful people and also made another move to a concrete future instead of being I don't know what I want to do.
For me whilst the effects of depression are awful and in the first instance I was very close to suicide. The after effects and introspection on my life has been one of the most positive. Every cloud has a silver lining.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I felt this needed to go into my journal. It is the most well thought out thing I have ever said about my depression and the most adult and rational conversation that I have been involved with when it comes to psychology and depression.
Here I have found may interesting and lively debates in which I have participated.
The below is based on the discussion of two posters Jeanway (A girl/woman from America) And Myself (Unadopted Angelic, an English woman of 22)
everything that follows is opinion and in no way that of Live Journals. And don't think about suing me. I have no money!
JEANWAY
I wasn't going to start this thread until I was relatively sure about this. I've noticed a lot of our members are on some kind of mood alternating substance. Prozac, xanax, etc. I knew someone once who went to a few different doctors and was prescribed these kinds of drugs. She was a professional tennis player. She was beautiful, healthy, optimistic person. I watched her go downhill, very quickly. She mixed all these different drugs. She went nearly insane. She was so screwed up, I couldn't recognize her. She talked of death and thought going to a funeral was fun. She really got sick from these drugs. She had to go into a hospital where they gave her shock treatments to try to stop the damage done, which only made her worse. It took her years to get her old self back. By totally stopping putting anything foreign in her bloodstream. This stuff really messes with your metabolism. Changes your thinking patterns. Why do people do this to themselves? I think it's all about money. Doctors prescribe these drugs, encouraged to do so by the drug ' detail man'. So the drug companies make billions on this practice. With total disregard for what it's doing to people. I'm sorry; I just don't think God wanted us to do this to ourselves. Our bodies are wonderful machines that should be treated with respect and by not dumping all this poison into. We don't need this stuff. This happened to me too, but I was very young at the time, so I do know about it. One drug may help you, for a short time, but to make it a way of life??? Please consider other options if you’re unhappy. Maybe the quick fix isn’t really fixing anything. It's just creating new problems.
UNADOPTED ANGELIC
Drugs should be used in combination with changes within your life.
Prozac and other drugs within its particular grouping work in a way that stimulates the brain to make serotonin. Without it you don't sleep, it is a principle component in making you drowsy to sleep; this bio-chemical also in turn resets your moods and regulates them. Without these drugs I would have ended up DEAD.
Doctors shouldn't prescribe more than one drug, but if your friend "shopped" around for drugs from more than one doctor then these doctors didn't automatically know that she was on more than one drug at a time.
Your friend was probably classed as an acute case severe depressive after her mixing of the drugs. (There are two anti-depressant groups which aren't recommended in mixing because they combined cause a psychosis)
The use of Electro convulsive therapy (ECT) isn't recommended unless the case is highly problematic and is used to induce normal brain function. It is tended to be used in cases of severe cases of depression and rapid cycles of Manic depression (Rapid cycler is someone who goes from mania to severe depression at a moments notice. the periods of depression can be prolonged and last months, treatment of lithium is often a last result as it inevitably builds in the patients system and causes more problems).
I sympathize for you and your friend. I, myself and on my second bout of depression. Mine wasn't drugs induced; I take nothing unless I have a skull splitter of a headache for more than 2 days. I am on Prozac. One of the oldest of the modern drugs. It isn't a drug you can become physically dependant on; you can however become psychologically dependant on it.
There have been more recent innovations in anti-depressants, but as of yet I haven't seen one I would take in place of Prozac, despite its side effects. Such new anti-depressants have been Seroxat. A notoriously dangerous drug (I am in no way advising anyone to stop taking this drug) Seroxat have been linked to patients going from mild depression to exhibiting psychosis and committing suicide, most notably the case of a 16 yr old boy in Florida given Seroxat for acne of all things, flying his two seater light aircraft into a skyscraper around 2001/2002.
As yet smith Klein Beecham's hasn't with drawn this drug world wide nor will it accept an overwhelming wealth of data collected by both the European Medical communities nor have they accepted any of the information produced by the FDA. Whether this particular medication is still approved by the FDA isn't known by myself at present.
All drugs are dangerous and should be taken under medical supervision and under consultation with a doctor. Doctors in the UK aren't under the thumb of pharmaceutical companies, however they are pressured by an over taxed and over stressed system to initiate chemotherapy (The psychological term for medicating a mental illness such as depression) treatments.
A more worthwhile course of action is intensive counseling for 3 sessions a week for three months via a behavioral psychologist, where by a review of lifestyle should be taken in to examination and moves to implement changes which would be beneficial to the person involved initiated. The sessions would be scaled back to once weekly and inevitably after a year a once monthly affair. Alongside this a 6 -12 month course of drugs as a reinforcement and re-establisher of normal biochemical levels in the brain.
I am not a psychologist (Yet, I am studying for my degree in psychology and for an accreditation by the British Psychological Society) and none of the above is a recommended treatment, it is however, something that myself as a depressive would find a good treatment. Each case is different and the above would be a rare occasion as therapy is a costly affair and therefore in the politics of psychology and psychiatry (a psychiatrist has a medical degree and has interned as a qualified doctor) is deemed a non worthwhile pursuit due to economics.
JEANWAY
Yes, we are on the same page, in most things, you and I. I just think that a lot of this so called 'depression' is just the result of damaging relationships and circumstances out of our control. I know when I feel powerless in a situation, I do get depressed. But once I take steps to gain at least some control, my mood elevates dramatically. So many things in our lives are out of our control.
Abrupt cessation of any drug can cause problems. I've had a brief experience with Prozac. It energized me so much I was like 'The Big Giant Head' who couldn't stop pacing. It wasn't pleasant and clearly wasn't something that was going to help me. I improved without drugs but by a change in circumstances. Then I started making other changes.' When things change, things change'. This, right now, is the best time in my life. I'm in control of every area of my life. I don't like others living my life for me. This is so important and relevant. And I pray a lot ::wink::
UNADOPTED ANGELIC
Jeanway this is my second time on Prozac. As I am natural a dervish according to my mum, I am back to normal.
As I am naturally hyper my drugs have a different effect on me that normally non hyper people. Prozac has calmed me down. This is Normal given my normal behavior and is well documented in others.
I am making changes. I have managed to find a strong direction for my life and am researching how to go about it.
I am aiming to be a Child Advocate and counsellor and my end of course essay (Not final year project) will be on the effects of chemotherapy in depressives. As I have experienced this I think this will be a good place to examine and become specialized in.
Each depression I have entered into has been in a way life affirming and a positive experience. I have come to a greater understanding of myself and others, met wonderful people and also made another move to a concrete future instead of being I don't know what I want to do.
For me whilst the effects of depression are awful and in the first instance I was very close to suicide. The after effects and introspection on my life has been one of the most positive. Every cloud has a silver lining.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I felt this needed to go into my journal. It is the most well thought out thing I have ever said about my depression and the most adult and rational conversation that I have been involved with when it comes to psychology and depression.
