You need to stop to think and to do your own research before accepting your diagnosis and especially before you begin taking medication. Do as much research on your own and ask as many questions of as many different people as possible about your diagnosis and any prescribed medication. DO NOT just take the word of your doctor! You must do your own comprehensive study and do this as objectively as possible.
Believe it or not, many of these medications are now being found to cause serious symptoms – life-threatening symptoms such as suicidal/psychotic thoughts and behavior. Studies have proven (and the drug companies and the FDA have finally admitted to be true) that these medications can severely alter mood and stability in children at times causing suicidal thoughts and/or actions. If it has been proven that this can occur in children, it only makes sense that similar occurrences can and do happen with adults as well. It can happen and it DOES happen. It has been claimed that adults have more of a choice, but what they do not realize is that when you are in a depressed state of emotions you will try just about anything to make it better. If you are told that these medications will make you feel better, it feels like someone is giving you the miracle you so desperately wanted. In this society it is assumed that our prescription medications are safe and that the quick fix they provide is the best way to deal with our problems. This is absolutely NOT true! Information about the madness that may follow starting this prescription regimen is not discussed and actually ‘swept under the carpet’ and hidden from society. Many lives are being ruined or lost due to the mood altering effects of these medications. These medications that are supposed to be mood stabilizing and improve a person’s quality of life are actually doing the opposite for many patients.
These medications may be warranted in some cases, but only after a careful and thorough evaluation and continuous monitoring. Taking these medications for long-term use MUST be questioned. Depression and other forms of mental illness are very real and those suffering must receive treatment, however these medications are NOT a cure or the only option available. They only cover up the symptom and in many more cases than the public is aware of actually make the symptoms even worse. These medications should only be considered for short-term use and even that should even be questioned in my opinion.
You must, be vigilant in getting to the root of the problem. If you do not have a proven chemical imbalance (and you must question how is a chemical imbalance 'proven' in the first place) as most diagnosed mental health patients do not, you must tackle the at times long and difficult process of finding the cause for your emotional distress. Only then will you be able to cure the problem and not just cover it up and become an emotional zombie on medications. Most often a person is suffering from emotional illness and NOT mental illness in the sense that our society defines it. In a society that is so stress laden, fast paced, and high demanding, in addition to being filled with emotional detachment, improper nutrition via overly processed foods, and lack of exercise, etc. it is no wonder that so many are suffering from emotional distress. Just because a person is having trouble dealing with life in this society does not mean that they have a disease or disorder that can only be healed with medication.
It is very important to personally document your life (i.e. actions, behaviors, feelings, emotions) as you and others remember before you developed symptoms, before beginning medications, and each day after starting medication. In this way you will see the changes that may occur sometimes at a rapid and alarming rate and other times so gradually it is hard to prove that it is a side effect of the medication. In this way, you will have documentation to show the emotional path you have taken and see patterns of reactions, either good or bad, to certain medications. This could help you in making decisions about continuing a medication or not and be very helpful if the medication effects your memory as they often do.
Please DO NOT allow yourself or a loved one to become addicted to these medications which does happen contrary to what the drug companies claim and therefore view them as necessary to live a fulfilling life. What kind of quality of life does one have when having to take one or more pills on a schedule each day? How can life be better if one suffers unnecessary side-effects such as drowsiness, memory loss, gastro-intestinal problems, weight gain, diabetes, joint pain related to arthritis, and/or swelling to name a few. If one ends up with even more serious side effects such as psychosis, auditory and visual hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, and/or suicidal actions that place you in a psychiatric hospital or even end in death, how can that be justified as worth it. The benefits DO NOT outweigh the risks as the psychiatric, pharmaceutical, and medical communities say. You have other options.
The quick fix so-called "solution" is NOT a healthy way to approach our problems and is definitely NOT a permanent solution. This is seen in and supported by professionals with diet pills and fad diet programs. When will this society see that the same is true for these mental health medications? This is such a fast-paced society looking for the easy answers and not willing to admit failure or defeat. As far as these medications are concerned, the medical and pharmaceutical professionals must proceed with extreme caution with developing more of these medications and realize that the cure or solution is a process and cannot be found in a medicine bottle!!! They must start being honest with themselves and with the public. The government fears that lawsuits concerning the suffering people have endured during and after the use of these products will jeopardize public safety. When will the President and others admit that the medications themselves are jeopardizing public safety? It is an outrage that the FDA, a government agency developed to protect the public, is supporting and is supported by the same corporate businesses developing and distributing these drugs. It seems like quite a convenient circle of business, doesn’t it?
As far as other options are concerned, one must put MORE, not less, emphasis on counseling through therapy, support groups, and spirituality. These options are very helpful too many more people than just medications and don’t have these unknown and known side effects. Sure, it may make one uncomfortable to work through their emotions, but isn’t it a better option to feel uncomfortable and work through one’s feelings than to get to a point under the influence of medication where you no longer can control those feelings. To a point that even if you in your own mind want to change your thinking and escape from the demons in your head, it is virtually impossible because your brain chemistry has been changed through the use of medication. Your actions may be so out of character and you may be screaming inside that you don’t want to do it, but although we are told that we act according to free will – you absolutely DO NOT have any free will in this circumstance. You are completely at the mercy of the medications and how they are changing your soul, your emotions, and your body.
The basic message is that YOU must be in control of your solution and therefore your fate. Placing this responsibility and complete trust in others must be done cautiously if at all. Doctors only know what they are being allowed to see from the government and drug companies, who we know work together. Some doctors are also given special treatment or ‘perks’ for writing certain prescriptions or meeting certain prescription quotas. I know this may come as a shock and seem so wrong that it can’t possibly be true, but it is. Although most doctors mean well, it is hard to imagine that with all the medications out there that they know what they should know about all of them. These mental health medications should only be administered by a psychiatrist who you have estabished knows what he/she is talking about and does not have any conflict of interest with the drug companies and even then after a thorough and complete evaluation with continued monitoring. Even then you must question whether they have your best interest at heart or if they are just padding their own pockets through keeping you involved in the 'treatment process' even if you are not getting better. It should NOT be the responsibility for a general practitioner to prescribe these medications and should not even be allowed. These are very serious drugs and should be treated so. A patient suffering from symptoms that may or may not be related to mental illness should always be referred to a psychiatrist. But always remember that they also may be getting filtered and/or altered information from pharmaceutical companies and the FDA not wanting to admit a mistake after investing time and money into these drugs. As we have seen with medications used for pain management such as Vioxx, that even though the FDA approves a medication, we can’t always trust them to put these drugs into our bodies. Especially not knowing the long-term effects since most results are from short-term studies. These medications haven't even existed long enough to know what a life time of use will do. Consider the fact that we also do not know what information discovered in these studies are being hidden from the public. Even after a panel discussion, it was recommended that these medications found to cause heart attacks and stroke should be put back on the market. After such a decision, how can we as the public possibly put our faith and trust in these officials?
Please consider this and more before putting these possible toxic medications into your body or supporting someone else with taking these prescribed drugs which can cause irreversible damage and/or even death. Simply doing an internet search with the term 'Antidepressant Awareness' will bring you to many sites with valuable information and personal testimonies from those effected. Take care of yourself for yourself and for your loved ones and consider ALL of your options before proceeding down a road that may have very serious ramifications for you and those you love.
Do a search for yourself....or go to related links and resources here.
