"Modern Medicine" solutions to Bipolar and depression: More harm than good?

Question

I have been diagnosed with severe major depression and bipolar disorder. When diagnosed, I believed what they told me and I swallowed everything they gave me. I became hooked on prescrip meds and stayed that way for years. During that time I tried suicide and suffered terribly. Every day was torture. I tried a million meds, everything they threw at me.

After years of this, I kicked the meds and I'm back to where I was initially. A few problems, but overall life is good. I've been off meds for about three years now.

I've known many people who have these problems and it seems to me that the diagnosis and meds destroy all the natural coping and leveling mechanisms you've built up until that point to deal with what you have naturally. Everyone Ive known that is heavily drugged on modern medicine's solutions becomes a zombie. Some make their way out and some resign to failure and defeat, lost in the servility of modern medicine's "treatments." Any input?

Answer 1

Absolutely. First may I say congratulations to you for conquering such a difficult task, I know it wasnt easy, and needs to be acknowledged as a victory. Everything you said I agree 100 percent. Drugs is just an enabler. It enables us to be weaker and co dependent. I think that it is ironic that the reason why doctors prescrible pyschotropic drugs is because our minds cant cope. So their initail thought is to give us something that will make our minds numb to what were coping with. How is that helpful? All that really does it mask the root of the problem. I am a firm believer that the physical body is a manifestation of what the emotional body has endured. If we bury our emotions, and try to rid the memories of our past present with drugs, then how are we truly going to be able to recognize what is going on with us emotionally. Sometimes the man must surrender to the darkness in order to find the light. Does it feel horrible yes, but it's better then never finding the light because we dont want to see the darkness. For many years I dealt with a mother who was diagnosed with everything under the sun and was admitted to hospital after hospital. Doses of lithium, prozac, you name it, and none it helped. Nothing helped until my mother was ready to face some disturbing issues in her life and the choices that she made that caused these disturbing issues. Only when we see the truth and accept the responsibilty of that are we truly freed from the fear of the darkness, and then we find the light. My mother has been off of the drugs for 8 years now, and still has her bad days but with faith in herself and not the drugs she finds a way to cope

Answer 2

Being "heavily drugged" isn't a good way to live; I agree.

I have depression and was initially given five different sorts of medication, mostly of the sedative and antipsychotic kind. After experiencing side-effects that caused constant tiredness, I began taking only the antidepressant. Three years later, I am still struggling with depression, but am much more functional.

The problem is not with taking drugs; because if you are bipolar, then there's something off-balance with your neurotransmitters that needs to be put back in balance again, and drugs can help do that.

The problem comes when drugs are prescribed wily-nilly, as though you were being given an aspirin for your headache or antibiotics for your strep throat, without much thought. There is still much we don't know about the brain, and even the best psychotropic drugs are only effective on some of the people who take them.

If someone is "a zombie", then their doctor is not paying nearly enough attention to how the drugs are being used, and what effect they are having on the patient. Psychotropic drugs are supposed to make quality of life better, not worse; and if they do, then the prescribing doctor needs to re-think his strategy.

1. Psychotropic drugs should be prescribed one at a time, with a waiting period to determine effectiveness, and discontinued if they do not work.

2. The least effective dose should be used.

3. If there is a non-medical method that can be used instead of a drug, it should be used. For example, meditation can take the place of tranquilizers in many patients.

4. The least possible number of drugs should be used.

5. The dosage and prescriptions should be re-evaluated regularly, especially if there is a possibility that the drugs are interfering with each other.

6. Counseling in addition to medication has been proven to be the most effective strategy for treating depression; therefore, if a person is being medicated, they are also very good candidates for counseling. Care must be taken that the patient and counselor can actually understand and connect with each other, or nothing will be done.

7. Proper diet, exercise, and vitamin/mineral supplements will help any other therapy to work much more effectively, but patients are often not motivated, due to their illnesses, to do much of this for themselves. Vitamins can be prescribed for the patient.

8. Family and friends should be encouraged to form a support system, if possible.

9. The patient should be encouraged to take up a hobby, so as to make the mind more active. Having a pet--especially a dog or cat--can also be very helpful.

Answer 3

i have all of those too. hmm.. im wondering have you received a diagnoses or have did you come to find out you had those diagnoses? have you been to therapy before? Is there any way you could get therapy now? Counselors are there to help you and if they can't then at least you will have someone to talk to about your feelings. I am 21 now but all my problems started at 14, they thought i was suicidal and was hospitalized, trust me, you dont want that. It's really hard to hear you say that you feel as though your family doesn't love you, but you are so strong for reaching out and trying to find help. I honestly would say therapy or if your school has a school social worker or counselor then go talk to them. It's a huge step to take, but realize you're not alone. Furthermore, I have a friend who committed suicide back in April it was so painful for everyone around him, his friends, his family. Please don't think that no one would care about you when you're gone. Although i was not a close friend, he was my friend and i remember him for all the good he did. You are valuable as a human being and realize that it will work out. I have experienced many ups and downs and for me the downs put so much pressure on my mentality. Sometimes i just cant handle it and give up. Like today i had a cutting rage and im in therapy and taking medication. Its going to be a long struggle but realize you can make an impact on others. You want what everyone else wants- to find happiness and live a "normal" life. Please stay strong and don't give up.

Answer 4

My sister has bypolar also, she has been on different meds. over the years, because she "thinks" she's better then she quits taking them until somthing happens or she ends up in the hospital. She as well as everyone around her are so much better off when medicated. She isn't in a zombie state, she is then in OUR reality not what she thinks is reality. There are many kinds for many people it may be months or years before you find the right ones for you. There definitly needs to be more study on the disease. Good luck

Answer 5

Its been my experience that many doctors treat half the problem,
they give you anti-depressants, but that helps with the lows,
but they don't give you a mood stablizer.
if that is the case, if may be the wrong medicines

secondly, with any mood altering meds, they can guess how they work, but don't know till you try them
and then there's the doseage to fiddle with
it can take a long time to get it right,
and unfortunatly, even if they do, your body may change...
it is frustrating, having freinds who know about the disease can help. educate those around you.
I have problems along that line,
I take a drug that if I take if for several weeks, I get violent,
so I take it till I get the beginings of it ( told to me by my freinds, cause I can't tell)
and then I stop for a while to get it out of the system
its not perfect, but I have more time when I'm ok.

Answer 6

I'm with Tom Cruise on this one, a lot of these conditions are over-diagnosed and over-treated and sometimes the cure IS worse than the disease.

There are people that should be on atypical antipsychotics, but a lot of people perscribed it don't really need it.

Answer 7

At times the medications become the problems. If you successfully got of them them and can function, there's nothing wrong with that