Accepting Taking Antidepressants,
You are beginning to understand something about yourself - you are tired, sad, listless, and often hopeless more than not. And this isn't who you are. Or who you want to be. You want to change - but you can't. You feel stuck. So finally, you go to your doctor who sends you to a therapist. You go for a while, and its fine -- but then you stop. You do this several time in your life, Each time you go for therapy, it's generally for the same reasons. "I'm overwhelmed by my life. I'm depressed."
Finally, the third or fourth time you visit your therapist or your physician they give it to you straight. You have been feeling this way for years. It hasn't just been one episode brought on by grief or another huge life stressor. You have constantly and consistently had depressive symptoms throughout your life. You probably need to take an antidepressant, and you need to accept that you probably will have to take it for a long while.
You panic! Do you want to be on drugs for the rest of your life? Is this who I am? Weak? I need drugs to manage my life?
Learning to accept the fact that you could be taking antidepressants for as long as you need them is a very scary proposition for a lot of people, especially people who view depression as a character flaw instead of the mental health disorder that it really is.
If you were diabetic, you would try lots of things to improve your overall health, but you would also make sure that during that process you would be okay. So you take your insulin. People suffering from depression should follow that same path.
Begin an exercise plan. Discover a hobby you are passionate about. Connect more with friends and family. Focus on taking care of yourself more. And while you are doing all of that--take your medication everyday - on time - and watch how you will finally gain control of a life that was once just a sleepwalk.
You will not necessarily be taking an antidepressant for the rest of your life. Many people eventually don't have to be, once they feel in emotional control (and of course other signs that your physician will look for), and live without depression and without medication for the rest of their lives.
There are some who do have to continue to take the medications for years to come to be healthy and happy.. Really don't think of that as a bad thing. Just another pill to keep you healthy and happy.
You are beginning to understand something about yourself - you are tired, sad, listless, and often hopeless more than not. And this isn't who you are. Or who you want to be. You want to change - but you can't. You feel stuck. So finally, you go to your doctor who sends you to a therapist. You go for a while, and its fine -- but then you stop. You do this several time in your life, Each time you go for therapy, it's generally for the same reasons. "I'm overwhelmed by my life. I'm depressed."
Finally, the third or fourth time you visit your therapist or your physician they give it to you straight. You have been feeling this way for years. It hasn't just been one episode brought on by grief or another huge life stressor. You have constantly and consistently had depressive symptoms throughout your life. You probably need to take an antidepressant, and you need to accept that you probably will have to take it for a long while.
You panic! Do you want to be on drugs for the rest of your life? Is this who I am? Weak? I need drugs to manage my life?
Learning to accept the fact that you could be taking antidepressants for as long as you need them is a very scary proposition for a lot of people, especially people who view depression as a character flaw instead of the mental health disorder that it really is.
If you were diabetic, you would try lots of things to improve your overall health, but you would also make sure that during that process you would be okay. So you take your insulin. People suffering from depression should follow that same path.
Begin an exercise plan. Discover a hobby you are passionate about. Connect more with friends and family. Focus on taking care of yourself more. And while you are doing all of that--take your medication everyday - on time - and watch how you will finally gain control of a life that was once just a sleepwalk.
You will not necessarily be taking an antidepressant for the rest of your life. Many people eventually don't have to be, once they feel in emotional control (and of course other signs that your physician will look for), and live without depression and without medication for the rest of their lives.
There are some who do have to continue to take the medications for years to come to be healthy and happy.. Really don't think of that as a bad thing. Just another pill to keep you healthy and happy.
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Tuesday, March 30, 2010 2:33:00 PM
Great post. I learned a long time ago, that precriptions can be just enough of the extra boost. Diet, exercise and a little self time, but if something is chemically wrong in the brain you need medication to fix it. No shame in it at all.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 3:21:00 PM
I agree. If you need some medicine to make everything OK and help you, then by all means you should take it. We are so blessed with the miracles of modern medicine.
There were many women years ago who had depression and it was misunderstood, not recognized at all and there were definately no medicines to help - often these women would "self medicate" with liquor or drugs like opium.
Now we have such wonderful drugs - legit drugs - that can help.
Nothing AT ALL wrong with it! It is a true disease just like anything else.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010 11:28:00 PM
My sister's kids call her thyroid medicine her "happy pill".
I'm glad that you are feeling more @ peace. You are a good person & this will get better!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 10:16:00 AM
Good for you for addressing this head on. I have experienced depression on and off through my life. I have realized it is a "hormonal thing" and I can fix it using hormone replacement OTC instead of antidepressants. This is good for me, because atindepressants made me worse!! So becareful. I kept getting worse so the dr. would keep increasing meds, then I would get worse so the meds would go up again. By the grace of God, I found the problem. The Lord actually told me. So I quit cold turkey (that was hard too) But I thank God, I was so close to making a big mistake. My thoughts and prayers are with you!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 3:08:00 PM
Speaking from experience I know they can be a saving grace for those that need it. No embarrassment, no shame. They help, they really do!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010 3:21:00 PM
Thank you for being such a great voice on this subject. Everyone needs to know that getting help is okay, nothing to be ashamed of. We are dealing with the after effects of someone's choice to not seek help, it is too sad.
Saturday, April 03, 2010 2:03:00 PM
Thanks for a great post. I've suffered from depression all my life. It got worse with each pregnancy and I finally sought professional help in my early 30s. That led to prescription medication, which led to weight gain and a foggy brain. For at least 10 years now, I've taken St. Johns Wort, which helps me immensely. I look at it this way--if I had a heart problem or diabetes, I wouldn't think twice about taking medication. Depression is no different. If you need medication, take it--and a big fat juicy raspberry to anyone who thinks otherwise!